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Bernard Gadney

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Bernard Gadney
Birth nameBernard Cecil Gadney
Date of birth(1909-07-16)16 July 1909
Place of birthOxford, England
Date of death15 November 2000(2000-11-15) (aged 91)
Place of deathIpswich, England
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
SchoolDragon School
Stowe
Occupation(s)Headmaster at Malsis School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Richmond ()
1929–1939 Leicester Tigers ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1932–1938 England 14 (3)
1936 Great Britain 0 (0)

Bernard Cecil Gadney (16 July 1909[1] – 15 November 2000[2]) was an English rugby union footballer who played as a scrum-half for Leicester Tigers, England and the British Lions. Gadney won 14 England caps between 1932 and 1938 and was captain on eight occasions.

Born in Oxford, he was educated at Dragon School and Stowe. His brother Cyril Gadney was an international rugby referee and President of the RFU. He made his Leicester debut in 1929 and went on to make 170 appearances for the club. He made his England debut v Ireland in 1932, and was appointed captain in 1934, becoming Leicester's first England captain, and leading England to the Triple Crown. In 1936 he led England to its first ever win against the All Blacks 13–0, a margin record that stood until 2012. The game came to be known as Obolensky's game.[2] Later in the same year, he led a Great Britain away team to a 10–0 winning series against Argentina.

After retiring from international rugby he became headmaster of Malsis School, a prep school. During the Second World War he served as an officer in the Royal Navy.

From 1946 to 1949 he was President of the Oxfordshire RFU.[3]

In 1947, he formed the England Rugby Internationals Club (E.R.I.C.) after he felt it appropriate that a retirement collection be made for outgoing RFU President, Sidney Coopper. His letter requesting donations was sent all over the world and the response was overwhelming.[4]

He was named in the Leicester Tigers' team of the century,[5] and shortly after his death was the first player to be inducted into the Museum of Rugby wall of fame in 2000.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bernard Gadney". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b BBC Obituary
  3. ^ Oxfordshire RFU
  4. ^ England International Rugby Club
  5. ^ "Tigers' Team of the Century". Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  6. ^ Wall of Fame Archived 22 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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