Graham Williams (rugby league)
| Full name | Graham Williams | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 July 1944 | ||
| Place of birth | Swinton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom | ||
| Date of death | 1 July 1994 (aged 49) | ||
| Place of death | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||
Graham Williams (28 July 1944 – 1 July 1994) was a British and Australia rugby league footballer.
Rugby league career
Graham was born July 1944 in Swinton near Manchester in Lancashire and attended the local boys' secondary school Cromwell Road Secondary Modern School for Boys between 1955 and 1959. Keen at sports in general, he eventually signed for his local rugby league club Swinton, known since Victorian times as "the Lions". He played at scrum half (No 7) for Swinton during their two successive Rugby League Championship winning seasons of 1962-63 and 1963-64 where he often scored or created tries with his blistering burst of pace when going at defenders. Many Lions fans believe he was the finest Swinton scrum half of the post-war era when he wore the famous blue jersey for the Lions at their once famous Station Road stadium, scene of many big matches - Test matches, Challenge Cup semi finals, Lancashire Cup finals and Championship finals during the period from the 1930s to the 1980s. Graham then moved to Australia, joining two teams North Sydney and Manly.[1]
County Cup final appearances
Graham Williams played Scrum-half in Swinton's 4-12 defeat by St. Helens in the 1964 Lancashire Cup final during the 1964–65 season at Central Park, Wigan on Saturday 24 October 1964.
BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final appearances
Graham Williams played Scrum-half in Swinton's 2-7 defeat by Castleford in the 1966 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy final during the 1966–67 season at Wheldon Road, Castleford on Tuesday 20 December 1966.
He also played in the golden oldies matches in the early 1980s as well as spending some time on the Gold Coast, Queensland coaching Burleigh.
Personal
Williams, was born to Alf & Olwen, he married twice in his life. His first wife drowned after a parachuting accident,[2] and they had one son Damian, he later remarried a British school teacher Sandra and adopted her two daughters Sophia and Harlette. Williams, in the 1980s was a regular on the boating scene on Sydney Harbour. He never forgot his roots as he often returned to his hometown of Swinton and Pendlebury, just outside Manchester, to visit old friends and relatives in the district.
Death
He was killed in Sydney in a motorbike accident, shortly before his 50th birthday.