Mel Baker
Encyclopedia
Albert Melville "Mel" Baker (1885 - ?) was a Welsh
international, rugby union
wing who played club rugby for Newport and South African regional team Griqualand West
. He won three caps for Wales
and was selected for the British Lions
1910 tour of South Africa
.
in the game.
Baker was first capped for Wales on 6 February 1909 when he played against Scotland at Inverleith, under the captaincy of Billy Trew
. Wales won the match, and Baker was selected to face France in a match which was at the time not classified as an offiical part of the Home Nations Championship
. Wales beat France 47-5 in a one sided game in Paris, with Baker running in a hat-trick of tries. Wales won the Grand Slam
that year but Baker was not part of the first game of the next season's tournament. He was reselected for the second match against Scotland, and scored a fourth international try in a 14-0 win for Wales.
In 1910 Baker was offered a place on the British Isles tour of South Africa under the captaincy of Newport's Tommy Smyth
. Baker managed to play in only one of the three test games, but decided to stay in South Africa after the end of the tour. He played for South African regional team Griqualand West and in 1911 was part of the team that won the Currie Cup
. He played one more game for Newport, during a visit to Wales in 1922, when he turned out in a game against the Barbarians
, scoring one of the tries in a 15-6 win for Newport.
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 club rugby for Newport and South African regional team Griqualand West
Wildeklawer Griquas
The GWK Griquas are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. Their home ground is Hoffe Park Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as GWK Park in Kimberley, and they draw their players from Northern Cape Province. They were previously known as...
. He won three caps 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...
and was selected for the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
1910 tour of South Africa
1910 British Lions tour to South Africa
The 1910 British Isles tour to South Africa was the eighth tour by a British Isles team and the fourth to South Africa. It is retrospectively classed as one of the British Lions tours, as the Lions naming convention was not adopted until 1950. As well as South Africa, the tour included a game in...
.
Rugby career
Baker first played for Newport in 1907 and was part of the team that faced three the 1910 touring Australian team and scored Newport's only tryTry
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...
in the game.
Baker was first capped for Wales on 6 February 1909 when he played against Scotland at Inverleith, under the captaincy of Billy Trew
Billy Trew
Billy Trew was a Welsh international centre, outside half and wing who played club rugby for Swansea Rugby Football Club. He won 29 caps for Wales and is seen as one of the key players of the first Golden Age of Welsh rugby union...
. Wales won the match, and Baker was selected to face France in a match which was at the time not classified as an offiical part of the 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....
. Wales beat France 47-5 in a one sided game in Paris, with Baker running in a hat-trick of tries. Wales won the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (Rugby Union)
In rugby union, a Grand Slam occurs when one team in the Six Nations Championship manages to beat all the others during one year's competition...
that year but Baker was not part of the first game of the next season's tournament. He was reselected for the second match against Scotland, and scored a fourth international try in a 14-0 win for Wales.
In 1910 Baker was offered a place on the British Isles tour of South Africa under the captaincy of Newport's Tommy Smyth
Tommy Smyth (rugby player)
Dr Tommy Smyth was an Irish international, rugby union prop forward who played club rugby for Newport and Malone and invitational rugby with the Barbarians...
. Baker managed to play in only one of the three test games, but decided to stay in South Africa after the end of the tour. He played for South African regional team Griqualand West and in 1911 was part of the team that won the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
. He played one more game for Newport, during a visit to Wales in 1922, when he turned out in a game against the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
, scoring one of the tries in a 15-6 win for Newport.