Walter Vickery
Encyclopedia
Walter Vickery was an international rugby union
back row who represented Wales
and played club rugby for Aberavon
. His father, George Vickery, also played for Aberavon and was also an international player, but he was capped for England
.
team that faced the 1931 touring South African team
. The Welsh club team was narrowly beaten when the South African's scored a late controversial try
. Vickery would again face an international touring team in 1935, when another joint Aberavon / Neath team was chosen to play against the touring All Blacks
. Although the combined Welsh teams only fielded one international, they played well though did not possess the fluency or clean passing of the New Zealand team and lost the game 13-3.
It took Vickery over six years to win a Welsh cap, when he was selected for the opening game of the 1938 Home Nations Championship
against England. Under the captaincy of Cliff Jones
Wales won the game and Vickery was reselected for the next two matches of the tournament. Wales lost against eventual tournament winners Scotland, but came back in the final game to beat Ireland at Swansea
.
Vickery was selected for the fourth and final international game of his career in the 1939 Championship
. England beat Wales 3-0 and Vickery was replaced for the next game by Les Manfield.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
back row who represented Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and played club rugby for Aberavon
Aberavon RFC
Aberavon RFC is a rugby union club located in the Welsh town of Port Talbot, although the club's name refers to the older settlement of Aberavon which lies on the western side of the town...
. His father, George Vickery, also played for Aberavon and was also an international player, but he was capped for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
.
Rugby career
Vickery joined Aberavon in 1928, and in 1931 was part of the joint Aberavon / NeathNeath RFC
Neath Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. The club's home ground is The Gnoll, Neath. The first team is known as the Welsh All Blacks because of the team colours: black with only a white cross pattée as an emblem...
team that faced the 1931 touring South African team
1931-32 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1931-32 South Africa tour of Britain and Ireland was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against the four British Home Nation teams. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
. The Welsh club team was narrowly beaten when the South African's scored a late controversial try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
. Vickery would again face an international touring team in 1935, when another joint Aberavon / Neath team was chosen to play against the touring All Blacks
1935-36 New Zealand rugby union tour of the British Isles and Canada
-Matches:-Three-Quarters:* N. Ball * H.M. Brown * G.F. Hart * N.A. Mitchell * C.J. Oliver -Five-eighths:* J.L. Griffiths * T.H.C. Caughey * J.R. Page...
. Although the combined Welsh teams only fielded one international, they played well though did not possess the fluency or clean passing of the New Zealand team and lost the game 13-3.
It took Vickery over six years to win a Welsh cap, when he was selected for the opening game of the 1938 Home Nations Championship
1938 Home Nations Championship
The 1938 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-fourth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fifty-first series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
against England. Under the captaincy of Cliff Jones
Cliff Jones (rugby player)
Clifford 'Cliff' William Jones OBE was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for many teams but is most associated with Cardiff and Cambridge University...
Wales won the game and Vickery was reselected for the next two matches of the tournament. Wales lost against eventual tournament winners Scotland, but came back in the final game to beat Ireland at Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
.
Vickery was selected for the fourth and final international game of his career in the 1939 Championship
1939 Home Nations Championship
The 1939 Home Nations Championship was the thirty-fifth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Five Nations, and prior to that, the Home Nations, this was the fifty-second series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Six...
. England beat Wales 3-0 and Vickery was replaced for the next game by Les Manfield.