Cliff Bowen
Encyclopedia
Clifford "Cliff" Alfred Bowen (3 January 1875 – 30 April 1929) was a Welsh
international rugby union
wing who played for club rugby for Llanelli
and international rugby for Wales
. He was also a keen cricketer, playing for Llanelli and Carmarthenshire
in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship
.
, against England. Bowen was brought in at threequarters opposite Newport's Bert Dauncey
on the wing with Owen Badger
and Welsh captain Arthur 'Monkey' Gould at centre. Bowen and Dauncey would both retain their positions throughout the tournament, being the first wing pair to do so since Biggs
and McCutcheon
in Wales' Triple Crown
winning Championship in 1893
. The 1896 England encounter at Blackheath was a sporting disaster for the Wales team, losing by seven tries
to nil, and the Welsh selectors reacted with sweeping changes to the pack. The next game saw a complete turn around in Welsh fortunes, with a 6-0 win over Scotland. Bowen retained his place, but the match is notable for the introduction of Welsh rugby legend Gwyn Nicholls
at centre with Gould. Gould was a changed player in the Scotland encounter, marshalling the game throughout and supporting the inexperienced Welsh pack. Of the two tries scored by Wales in the match both came from the threequarters; one from Gould and the other from Bowen, his first and only international points. The final game of the 1896 series, was an away game to Ireland. The inexperienced pack suffered badly from the Irish kick-and-rush tactic, and new halfback Llewellyn Lloyd
was constantly exposed to heavy Irish attacks. Despite a dropped goal from Gould, Wales lost 4-8.
Bowen would win one final cap for Wales, the opening game of the 1897 Championship
against England, this time paired at wing with veteran threequarter Tom Pearson
. After the humiliation of 1896 the new forward tactics employing several 'Rhondda Forwards', saw a different result with Wales winning 11-0. Wales didn't complete the 1897 tournament, being forced to withdraw from the Championship after the outcome of the Gould Affair, and when Wales were readmitted in 1898, Bowen had moved on and was no longer a part of the Welsh team.
. After Monmouthshire first innings total of 313, Carmarthenshire were skittled out for an embarrassing 41, with Bowen losing his wicket for a duck
. The second innings fared little better for Carmarthanshire, but Bowen at least got on the board with seven runs from a team 101 total. In the next game of the 1908 Championship, played against Glamorgan
at The Gnoll
, Bowen was the opening batsman. He ended the first innings on a far more respectable 27, bowled by Jack Nash. Although Carmarthenshire again lost by an innings, Bowen made 64 in his second stand, the second highest total of the match. The Glamorgan team Bowen faced that day contained former Welsh rugby international Billy Bancroft
, who was Bowen's fullback in all four of his international appearances. After another encounter with Glamorgan, which resulted in a third consecutive loss by an innings, Carmarthenshire hosted Devon
at Stradey Park
. Bowen came in to bat at fourth in both games, which ended in a familiar defeat for Carmarthenshire.
Bowen only played in one game of the 1909 season, a home loss to Cornwall
, but in 1910 he was selected to face Glamorgan in one of his better matches. Glamorgan batted first, and Bowen was among the bowlers, the first time he had been given a serious amount of overs at County level to date. Although expensive, at 108 runs in 20 overs, he did secure five wickets including both openers, one of whom was Bancroft. He scored the highest runs with the bat for Carmarthenshire in their first innings, but was absent from the team when they crashed in the second innings. His final Counties Championship was in 1911, again against Glamorgan, which Carmarthenshire lost by an innings, Bowen making just a handful of runs at number 11.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
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...
wing who played for club rugby for 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 international rugby 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...
. He was also a keen cricketer, playing for Llanelli and Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire County Cricket Club
Carmarthenshire County Cricket Club was a county cricket club based in the historic Welsh county of Carmarthenshire that competed in the Minor Counties championship from 1908 to 1911, without success...
in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship
Minor Counties Cricket Championship
The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status...
.
Rugby career
Bowen was first selected for the Wales international team for the opening match of the 1896 Home Nations Championship1896 Home Nations Championship
The 1896 Home Nations Championship was the fourteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 4 January and 14 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.-Table:-Results:...
, against England. Bowen was brought in at threequarters opposite Newport's Bert Dauncey
Bert Dauncey
Frederick Herbert Dauncey was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Newport and was capped three times for Wales. Dauncey was an all-round sportsman, and also represented Wales in tennis and Newport in field hockey...
on the wing with Owen Badger
Owen Badger
Owen Badger was a Welsh international rugby centre who played rugby union for Llanelli and was capped four times for Wales. He later switched codes, playing professional rugby league for Swinton.-Rugby career:...
and Welsh captain Arthur 'Monkey' Gould at centre. Bowen and Dauncey would both retain their positions throughout the tournament, being the first wing pair to do so since Biggs
Norman Biggs
Norman Witchell Biggs was a Welsh international rugby union wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and county rugby for Glamorgan. Both Biggs and his brother Selwyn played international rugby for Wales, though they never played together in the same match for Wales...
and McCutcheon
William McCutcheon
William 'Billy' McCutcheon was a Welsh international rugby wing who played club rugby in the union code for Swansea and represented Oldham under the league code...
in Wales' Triple Crown
Triple Crown (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the four national teams of the British Isles who compete within the larger Six Nations Championship: England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. If any one team manages to win all their games against the other three they win the...
winning Championship in 1893
1893 Home Nations Championship
The 1893 Home Nations Championship was the eleventh series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 17 January and 11 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
. The 1896 England encounter at Blackheath was a sporting disaster for the Wales team, losing by seven tries
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...
to nil, and the Welsh selectors reacted with sweeping changes to the pack. The next game saw a complete turn around in Welsh fortunes, with a 6-0 win over Scotland. Bowen retained his place, but the match is notable for the introduction of Welsh rugby legend Gwyn Nicholls
Gwyn Nicholls
Erith Gwyn Nicholls was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 24 caps for Wales as a centre. Nicholls was known as the "Prince of Threequarters"....
at centre with Gould. Gould was a changed player in the Scotland encounter, marshalling the game throughout and supporting the inexperienced Welsh pack. Of the two tries scored by Wales in the match both came from the threequarters; one from Gould and the other from Bowen, his first and only international points. The final game of the 1896 series, was an away game to Ireland. The inexperienced pack suffered badly from the Irish kick-and-rush tactic, and new halfback Llewellyn Lloyd
Llewellyn Lloyd
George Llewellyn Lloyd was a Welsh international half-back who played club rugby for Newport and county rugby with Kent. He won 12 caps for Wales and captained the team on one occasion against Scotland....
was constantly exposed to heavy Irish attacks. Despite a dropped goal from Gould, Wales lost 4-8.
Bowen would win one final cap for Wales, the opening game of the 1897 Championship
1897 Home Nations Championship
The 1897 Home Nations Championship was the fifteenth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Four matches were played between 9 January and 13 March. It was contested by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales...
against England, this time paired at wing with veteran threequarter Tom Pearson
Tom Pearson (rugby player)
Thomas William Rory Pearson was a Welsh international wing who played club rugby for Cardiff and Newport and county rugby with Middlesex. He won 13 caps for Wales and captained the team on one occasion, against England. Pearson was an all-round sportsman, representing Wales not only in rugby, but...
. After the humiliation of 1896 the new forward tactics employing several 'Rhondda Forwards', saw a different result with Wales winning 11-0. Wales didn't complete the 1897 tournament, being forced to withdraw from the Championship after the outcome of the Gould Affair, and when Wales were readmitted in 1898, Bowen had moved on and was no longer a part of the Welsh team.
International matches played
Wales 1896, 1897 1896- IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
1896
Cricket career
Bowen is first recorded in a cricket game in 1891 when he turned out at lower order for Llanelli against a Llandovery team. Despite coming in to bat at number ten, he was not among the bowlers that day. By 1908, Bowen was playing in the Minor Counties Championships, representing Carmarthanshire against MonmouthshireMonmouthshire County Cricket Club
Monmouthshire County Cricket Club was a cricket team that represented the county of Monmouthshire in the Minor Counties Championship competition from 1901 to 1934....
. After Monmouthshire first innings total of 313, Carmarthenshire were skittled out for an embarrassing 41, with Bowen losing his wicket for a duck
Duck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
. The second innings fared little better for Carmarthanshire, but Bowen at least got on the board with seven runs from a team 101 total. In the next game of the 1908 Championship, played against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
at The Gnoll
The Gnoll
The Gnoll in Neath, Wales is a sports ground, with a capacity of 5,000.In July 2009, Neath RFC presented plans for the redevelopment of the Gnoll, including building a community centre on the site, which were criticised as "too woolly".-Rugby union:...
, Bowen was the opening batsman. He ended the first innings on a far more respectable 27, bowled by Jack Nash. Although Carmarthenshire again lost by an innings, Bowen made 64 in his second stand, the second highest total of the match. The Glamorgan team Bowen faced that day contained former Welsh rugby international Billy Bancroft
Billy Bancroft
Billy Bancroft was a Welsh international fullback who played club rugby for Swansea and a county cricketer for Glamorgan, becoming their first professional player in 1895....
, who was Bowen's fullback in all four of his international appearances. After another encounter with Glamorgan, which resulted in a third consecutive loss by an innings, Carmarthenshire hosted Devon
Devon County Cricket Club
Devon County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Devon and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy....
at Stradey Park
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
. Bowen came in to bat at fourth in both games, which ended in a familiar defeat for Carmarthenshire.
Bowen only played in one game of the 1909 season, a home loss to Cornwall
Cornwall County Cricket Club
Cornwall County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Cornwall and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
, but in 1910 he was selected to face Glamorgan in one of his better matches. Glamorgan batted first, and Bowen was among the bowlers, the first time he had been given a serious amount of overs at County level to date. Although expensive, at 108 runs in 20 overs, he did secure five wickets including both openers, one of whom was Bancroft. He scored the highest runs with the bat for Carmarthenshire in their first innings, but was absent from the team when they crashed in the second innings. His final Counties Championship was in 1911, again against Glamorgan, which Carmarthenshire lost by an innings, Bowen making just a handful of runs at number 11.