Alfred Cattell was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

-born international rugby union

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...

 player for 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...

 who in his later life became Lord Mayor of Sheffield

Lord Mayor of Sheffield

The Lord Mayor of Sheffield is a ceremonial post held by a member of Sheffield City Council. They are elected annually by the council. The post originated in 1843, with the appointment of William Jeffcock as the first Mayor of Sheffield...

. As a rugby player Cattell represented Oxford University

Oxford University RFC

The Oxford University Rugby Football Club is the rugby union club of the University of Oxford. The club contests The Varsity Match every year against Cambridge University at Twickenham.-History:...

 before joining club team Llanelli

Llanelli RFC

Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...

 and being selected for Wales.

Rugby career

Cattell came to prominence as a rugby player representing first class Welsh team Llanelli. In 1882 Cattell was selected for the Welsh national team as part of the 1883 Home Nations Championship

1883 Home Nations Championship

The 1883 Home Nations Championship was the inaugural series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Five matches were played between 16 December 1882 and 3 March 1883...

 against England. This was the first match of the first Home Nations Championship

Six Nations Championship

The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

 and Cattell along with Thomas Judson

Thomas Judson

Thomas Haigh Judson was an English-born international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...

 and Harry Bowen

Harry Bowen

David Henry "Harry" Bowen was a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Llanelli and international rugby for Wales...

 became the first players to represent Llanelli in an international game. Under the captaincy of Charles Lewis

Charles Lewis (rugby player)

Charles Prytherch Lewis was a Welsh international rugby union player, who won five caps between 1882 and 1884.-Life:...

, and played on Welsh soil for the first time, Wales were outclassed by an English team that had lost only three times in their first 21 matches. Although the Welsh were beaten by two goals and four tries to nil, it was seen as a far more promising result than the teams first meeting 22 months prior, and the selectors kept faith with the majority of the team. Cattell gained his second and final cap for Wales in a game away to Scotland at Raeburn Place

Raeburn Place

Raeburn Place is the main street of Stockbridge, Edinburgh, and the name of the playing fields there.-Rugby:The first international rugby football game was played on the playing fields at Raeburn Place on 27 March 1871 between England and Scotland. It was won by Scotland, though England got revenge...

. This was the first time the countries had faced each other in a rugby union match, and Wales lost by three goals to one. In the next season four new caps were brought into the Welsh pack and Cattell was not reselected to represent Wales again.

Later career and death

After leaving rugby and Wales, Cattell returned to England. He served as a councillor and alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 on Sheffield City Council

Sheffield City Council

Sheffield City Council is the city council for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It consists of 84 councillors, elected to represent 28 wards, each with three councillors...

 and magistrate in Sheffield

Sheffield

Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

. In 1917 he was elected to the position of Lord Mayor of Sheffield.

Cattell was at one time the Chairman of Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United F.C.

Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...

. He died in Sheffield on 10 September 1933.