Ike Fowler
Encyclopedia
Isaac "Ike" John Fowler was a Welsh
dual-code international rugby
scrum-half who played rugby union
for Llanelli
and rugby league
with Batley RLFC
. He won just a single cap for Wales
at rugby union, and was awarded a single cap for both the Wales
rugby league team, and the Other Nationalities
rugby league team.
, a small village in Carmarthenshire. He first played rugby for Tycroes, a club in the neighbouring village. He progressed to Ammanford
before being selected by first class Welsh team, Llanelli
. On the recommencement of rugby after the First World War, Llanelli faced two matches against New Zealand teams, the Larkhill depot of the New Zealand Army and the New Zealand Maoris. Fowler played in both matches. In 1919, Fowler won his first and only rugby union international call-up, when he was one of thirteen new caps to represent Wales against a New Zealand Army team. The Wales team lost 3-6, but before the country's next international match, Fowler turned professional, by joining rugby league team Batley. Such was the resentment caused by turning professional, Fowler was not only banned for life from playing rugby union at any level; a standard punishment, but he also had to wait until a 1975 'amnesty' to receive his international cap.
Fowler had a long career at Batley and secured two further international caps. His first came in 1921, when he was chosen to play for the Other Nationalities team to face England. Protests were made to recognise the team as a Wales squad as the entire 13 members were all Welsh by birth, but the request was rejected. On 12 April 1926 he was selected to play for the actual Wales rugby league side, against England at Pontypridd.
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...
dual-code international rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
scrum-half who played 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...
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 rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
with Batley RLFC
Batley Bulldogs
Batley Bulldogs are an English professional rugby league club from Batley, West Yorkshire. They currently play in the Co-operative Championship. Batley is one of the original twenty-two rugby football clubs that formed the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895...
. He won just a single cap 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...
at rugby union, and was awarded a single cap for both the Wales
Wales national rugby league team
The Wales national rugby league team represent Wales in international rugby league football matches. Currently the team is seventh in the RLIF World Rankings. The team were run under the auspices of the Rugby Football League, but an independent body, Wales Rugby League, now runs the team from...
rugby league team, and the Other Nationalities
Other Nationalities rugby league team
The Other Nationalities rugby league team regularly played international, and also county, rugby league football teams in Europe from 1904 to 1975. The team, created in 1904 to play England in the first ever rugby league international match, was at first made up of Welsh and Scottish players...
rugby league team.
Rugby career
Fowler was born in 1894 in PantyffynnonPantyffynnon
Pantyffynnon is a small village in Carmarthenshire, Wales, located half a mile south-west of Ammanford, and a mile east of Tycroes. It lies between the rivers Loughor and Amman at the foot of Mynydd y Betws....
, a small village in Carmarthenshire. He first played rugby for Tycroes, a club in the neighbouring village. He progressed to Ammanford
Ammanford RFC
Ammanford Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Ammanford, West Wales. The club is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.-History:...
before being selected by first class Welsh 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...
. On the recommencement of rugby after the First World War, Llanelli faced two matches against New Zealand teams, the Larkhill depot of the New Zealand Army and the New Zealand Maoris. Fowler played in both matches. In 1919, Fowler won his first and only rugby union international call-up, when he was one of thirteen new caps to represent Wales against a New Zealand Army team. The Wales team lost 3-6, but before the country's next international match, Fowler turned professional, by joining rugby league team Batley. Such was the resentment caused by turning professional, Fowler was not only banned for life from playing rugby union at any level; a standard punishment, but he also had to wait until a 1975 'amnesty' to receive his international cap.
Fowler had a long career at Batley and secured two further international caps. His first came in 1921, when he was chosen to play for the Other Nationalities team to face England. Protests were made to recognise the team as a Wales squad as the entire 13 members were all Welsh by birth, but the request was rejected. On 12 April 1926 he was selected to play for the actual Wales rugby league side, against England at Pontypridd.