Norman Witchell Biggs [comm. 1] ( Eng. Norman Witchell Biggs ; November 3, 1870 , Cardiff , Wales , UK - February 27, 1908 , , Kebby , Nigeria ) - Welsh rugby player, player of the Wales team [1] [2] [3] . Norman and his brother Selvin played at the international level, and at the same time they never went on the field together in one match as part of Wales. Four more brothers also played rugby and played in various clubs. In addition to rugby, the Biggs brothers played cricket: Norman played for , and Selvin played for Cardiff, and in 1893 they played against each other [4] .
 Norman Biggs | ||
 | ||
| general information | ||
| Full name | Norman Witchell Biggs | |
| Date of Birth | November 3, 1870 | |
| Place of Birth | Cardiff , Wales , UK | |
| Citizenship |  Wales | |
| Date of death | February 27, 1908 (aged 37) | |
| A place of death | , Kebby , Nigeria | |
| Position | Wing | |
| Career | ||
| Youth clubs | ||
| ? | Cardiff University | ? (?) |
| ? |  Cambridge university | ? (?) |
| Club career * | ||
| 1887-1899 | | ? (?) |
| 1890-1891 | London Welch | ? (?) |
| 1891-1892 | | ? (?) |
| 1893-1894 |  | ? (?) |
| 1899-1900 | Bat | ? (?) |
| National team** | ||
| 1888-1894 | Wales | 8 (4) |
* The number of games and points for a professional club is considered for the national league, Heineken Cup and Super Rugby. ** The number of games and points for the national team in official matches. | ||
Norman Biggs first played for the national team on December 22, 1888 in a match against the New Zealand Maori national team on in Europe . Biggs was then 18 years old and 49 days old, and he managed to set a new record: he became the youngest player in the Wales team to enter the field in the official game. The record lasted for more than a hundred years. In 2010, , who was 18 years old and 25 days old, played in a meeting against Italians in the framework of the Six Nations Cup , and thus surpassed Biggs' achievement [5] .
Content
Biography
The early years
Norman Biggs was born on November 3, 1870 in Cardiff in the family of John and Emily Biggs. His father was a beer trader in Cardiff and Bristol . Norman studied at several private schools and enrolled first at Cardiff University , and then at Cambridge . In these educational institutions, he played for university rugby teams [6] [7] . After returning to Cardiff, Biggs helped his father in business [8] [9] . In 1887, Norman Biggs first played in the official match for the rugby club against the . Biggs came from a large sports family: five of his brothers played rugby, the most famous of which were Selvin , who played for the national team , and Cecil , the former captain of Cardiff in the 1904/1905 season [6] .
Rugby career
Team Debut
Biggs first appeared on the field as part of the Wales team in a match against the New Zealand Maori team on December 22, 1888 at the . “Aborigines” were the first rugby team to come to Europe from the Southern Hemisphere and were recognized for their dynamic game [10] . Biggs himself described his condition before the match as “clearly nervous” [comm. 2] . Biggs was under pressure from Swansea fans as he represented their longtime rivals from , and local fans expected to see one of his team members in Norman's place. An inexperienced debutant was considered unworthy of his place in the team [11] . Despite this, Wales confidently won, taking three attempts and breaking through one implementation, to which the Maori could not answer. A week later, on December 29th, Biggs met again with the New Zealanders, this time at as part of his club. Norman was disappointed with his game for the national team, but rehabilitated in the second meeting. He made an attempt 90 seconds after the starting whistle, which was later called “sparkling” [comm. 3] [12] . Biggs could have made another effective action, but slipped and dropped the ball after he crossed the score line. Cardiff won thanks to Biggs' attempt and a scored drop goal. New Zealanders were able to make only one skid [13] .
Domestic Cups
In 1889, Biggs was again called to the national team to participate in the Domestic Nations Cup . Norman did not take part in the first game against Scotland , but entered the field in the second and last meeting against Ireland [comm. 4] . Under the leadership of Captain Arthur Gould Biggs, along with from the London Welch team, they took the Wings' position. Wales lost to the Irish with a difference of two attempts. This was the first ever Welsh home defeat from Ireland [14] . Both Davis and Biggs did not challenge the national team for the next two years.
Norman was again included in the Wales team during the 1892 Domestic Nations Cup , again playing only in the last match against Ireland. Although Wales backed up such talented players as , brothers and and brothers Arthur and , the Welsh were defeated by the islanders under the captainhood of . The previous two meetings have also been lost. Wales took last place. However, already in the next Welsh defeated all opponents and for the first time in their history won the Triple Crown . Norman Biggs played in all three matches and scored two attempts: one each in games against England and Scotland [15] .
Biggs played two more matches with the Red Dragons [comm. 5] two more games, both within the framework of the 1894 Domestic Nations Cup . Wales lost both games. In the first match, the Welsh suffered a heavy defeat from England with a score of 3:24. In a post-match interview, Biggs was asked why he was unable to capture when he attempted. Norman answered: “Grab him? All I could do was get out of his way! ” [Comm. 6] [16] [17] The last game for Norman Biggs was a mat against the national team of Ireland, which the “Dragons” lost with a score of 0: 3.
International matches
As part of the Wales team : [18]
- England 1893, 1894
- Ireland 1889, 1892, 1893, 1894
- New Zealand Maori 1888
- Scotland 1893
Club and County
Biggs played at the from the 1886/1887 season to the 1898/1899 season, but not on an ongoing basis, as he spent some time in London in the early 1890s. Norman spent 166 matches in Cardiff and was one of the most productive players [19] . In the 1893/1894 season, he earned 58 realizations, 25 attempts and 2 drop goals, gaining only 199 points. This remained a club record until the 1972/1973 season, when he was beaten by John Davis [20] . Biggs ended his career at Cardiff with 107 attempts, four less than his brother Cecil [21] .
Norman Biggs also played for some other club teams, in particular for the English and London Welch [6] [22] . As part of the latter, Biggs played against his former club Cardiff on December 24, 1890. The Londoners defeated the Welsh with one attempt difference [23] [24] . At the national team counties, Biggs represented Glamorgan and Somerset [6] .
In the 1893/1894 season, Biggs became the captain of Cardiff, and at the same time he led his team to the field to play against the inviting team . The Welsh won the match, and Norman made two attempts and broke through the implementation [25] . After that, in the same season he was invited to join Barbarien, and he became one of the four brothers who played for this team. The last club Norman Biggs played for was Bath , in which he was captain in the 1899/1900 season [6] .
Military career
After the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Norman Biggs enlisted as a volunteer in the army and was enlisted as a private in the Glamorgan Yeomen division for service in South Africa . Biggs was wounded near the city of on October 11, 1900. [26] Norman returned to England on the ship for the wounded Silma, who left Cape Town on November 26 and arrived in Southampton on December 18 [27] . On February 16, 1901, Biggs returned to duty with the rank of second lieutenant [28] . On April 17, Biggs was promoted to lieutenant [29] . In the same year, Norman either received several more injuries or fell ill, as The Times wrote that Biggs was discharged from the hospital on September 26. [30] He returned on board the Gurkha steamer, which sailed from Cape Town on July 19 [31] . On June 13, 1903, Biggs was sent to the location of the 3rd battalion of the [32] He was appointed shooting instructor on May 10, 1905 [33] . On February 10, 1906, the Colonial Office seconded Biggs to Northern Nigeria . Norman was appointed superintendent of the local police (by then he had already received the rank of captain ) [34] [35] . Norman Biggs died on February 27, 1908 from a poisoned arrow while patrolling territory in the state of Kebby under incompletely clarified circumstances.
Comments
- ↑ Biggs is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Norman Mitchell in particular in .
- ↑ English palpably nervous
- ↑ English sparkling
- ↑ England did not participate in the draw of that year due to a refusal to join the International Rugby Council .
- ↑ Red Dragons is the most common nickname for the Wales rugby team .
- ↑ English Tackle him? It was as much as I could do to get out of his way!
Notes
- ↑ Wales Player archive - Norman Biggs . Welsh Rugby Union. Date of treatment February 9, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Norman Biggs . Scrum.com . Date of treatment February 9, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Newspaper Extracts from Genuki.org.uk unopened . Western Mail (April 4, 1894). Date of treatment February 9, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Glamorgan v Cardiff . Cricketarchive.com. Date of treatment February 9, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Tom Prydie to become Wales' youngest Test player , BBC Sport (March 16, 2010). Date of treatment February 9, 2013.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Jenkins (1991), p. 21
- ↑ 1881 British Census. Household information for 'Lewinsdale School', 1 Ellenborough Park. . family Search.org (1881). Date of treatment February 11, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Williams, Moelwyn Idwal. Biography of Norman Biggs . National Library of Wales. Date of treatment August 27, 2010.
- ↑ Prydie joins illustrious band of brothers . WRU (March 17, 2010). Date of treatment February 11, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.
- ↑ Unsporting behavior? - NZ Natives' rugby tour of 1888/89 . New Zealand History online. Date of treatment February 11, 2013. Archived February 18, 2013.
- ↑ Billot (1972), pg 17.
- ↑ Billot (1972), p 21
- ↑ Maori come unstuck in Cardiff . Scrum.com. Date of treatment February 11, 2013. Archived February 18, 2013.
- ↑ Griffiths (1987), p. 3: 3 - 3: 6.
- ↑ Triple Crown . rbs6nations.com. Date of treatment February 11, 2013. Archived February 18, 2013.
- ↑ Richards, Huw. The Red And The White. - Aurum Press Ltd, 2009. - P. 38. - ISBN 978-1-84513-405-1 .
- ↑ Richards, Huw. Glass half full . Scrum.com (January 26, 2010). Date of treatment August 27, 2010. Archived February 18, 2013.
- ↑ Smith (1980), p. 463
- ↑ Davies (1975) p. 213
- ↑ Davies (1975) p. 427
- ↑ Davies (1975) p. 413
- ↑ Mark WJ. London Welsh v Llanelli - B&I Cup Preview . RugbyNetwork.com (March 4, 2010). Date of treatment February 11, 2013.
- ↑ Davis (1975) pg. 307
- ↑ Jones, Stephen. Dragon in Exile, The Centenary History of London Welsh RFC. - London: Springwood Books, 1985. - P. 16. - ISBN 0-86254-125-5 .
- ↑ Starmer-Smith, Nigel. The barbarians. - Macdonald & Jane's Publishers, 1977 .-- P. 77. - ISBN 0-86007-552-4 .
- ↑ "Casualties" (Eng.) // The Times : magazine, count. A (“News”). - L. , 17 October 1900. - Iss. 36275 . - P. 5 .
- ↑ Return Of Invalids // The Times : Journal, Col. C ("News"). - L. , 19 December 1900. - Iss. 36329 . - P. 10 .
- ↑ No. 27285, p. 1148 (English) // London Gazette : newspaper. - L .. - Iss. 27285 . - No. 27285 . - P. 1148 . - ISSN 0374-3721 .
- ↑ No. 27335, p. 4781 (English) // London Gazette : newspaper. - L .. - Iss. 27335 . - No. 27335 . - P. 4781 . - ISSN 0374-3721 .
- ↑ “The War. Casualties ” (Eng.) // The Times : magazine, count. A (“News”). - L. , 26 September 1901. - Iss. 36570 . - P. 4 .
- ↑ “The Army In South Africa. The Queen And The Imperial Yeomanry Hospitals ” (Eng.) // The Times : journal, count. A (“News”). - L. , 25 July 1902. - Iss. 36829 . - P. 9 .
- ↑ No. 27563, p. 3716 (English) // London Gazette : newspaper. - L .. - Iss. 27563 . - No. 27563 . - P. 3716 . - ISSN 0374-3721 .
- ↑ No. 27563, p. 3716 (English) // London Gazette : newspaper. - L .. - Iss. 27563 . - No. 27563 . - P. 3716 . - ISSN 0374-3721 .
- ↑ Naval And Military Intelligence // The Times : Journal, Col. C (“Official Appointments and Notices”). - L. , 3 February 1906. - Iss. 37934 . - P. 10 .
- ↑ No. 27897, p. 2064 (Eng.) // London Gazette : Newspaper. - L .. - Iss. 27897 . - No. 27897 . - P. 2064 . - ISSN 0374-3721 .
Literature
- Billot, John. All Blacks in Wales. - Ferndale: Ron Jones Publications, 1972.
- Davies, DE Cardiff Rugby Club, History and Statistics 1876–1975. - Risca: The Starling Press, 1975 .-- ISBN 0-9504421-0-0 .
- Godwin, Terry. The International Rugby Championship 1883-1983. - London: Willows Books, 1984. - ISBN 0-00-218060-X .
- Griffiths, John. The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. - London: Phoenix House, 1987 .-- ISBN 0-460-07003-7 .
- Jenkins, John M. Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. - Wrexham: Bridge Books, 1991 .-- ISBN 1-872424-10-4 .
- Smith, David. Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. - Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1980. - ISBN 0-7083-0766-3 .
Links
- Biggs Cricket Biography cricketarchive.com. Date of treatment September 3, 2013. Archived February 17, 2013.