William Davies (footballer born 1855)
Encyclopedia
William Henry Davies was a Welsh amateur footballer who made four appearances for the Wales national football team
in the 1870s and 1880s, and scored his country's first international goal.
, just across the border in Shropshire
, England. On leaving school, Davies started working in the office of the County Court
Registrar, before obtaining employment with a firm of solicitor
s as an accounts clerk. He later became the part-time Registrar of Births and Deaths in Oswestry.
He was a strong churchman and was active in the temperance movement
for many years.
Davies was also a keen cricket
er and played for Shropshire, before the formation of the modern county club
, between 1882 and 1893, making nearly 40 appearances for the county, playing as a wicket-keeper
.
He died in Oswestry on 14 November 1916.
.
In February 1876, he took part in trials organized by Llewelyn Kenrick
to select Welsh players to represent their country in a match against Scotland
. The match
was played at Hamilton Crescent
, Partick
, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876, with Davies playing at outside-right in a 2–2–6 formation. The Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply.
Described as "equally at home as a forward or half back (who) could pass the ball accurately and possessed good dribbling skills", Davies was sometimes criticized for selfishness, although "his presence as a forward always meant danger for opposing defences."
On 18 January 1879, he was one of eight Oswestry based players to be selected for the first international match between Wales and England
, including three who were spending a season with Oswestry as their own club, Druids
, was temporarily without a ground. The match was played at the Kennington Oval, London
in atrocious weather conditions with the team captains agreeing to play only 30 minutes in each half. The match report in The Times
said "In spite of the fact that a thick layer of snow covered Kennington-oval on Saturday, the match between England and Wales, announced for that day, was played." England scored twice in the first half, with Davies scoring the Wales reply in the 47th minute; Davies, "with his usual brilliant dash landed the first goal for Wales, amidst tremendous cheering". According to Philip Gibbons, "England were surprised by the level of skill shown by the Welsh team."
For the 1883–84 season, Davies played for Oswestry White Stars, helping them reach the final of the Welsh Cup
where they defeated Druids
1–0 in a replay.
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in the 1870s and 1880s, and scored his country's first international goal.
Career outside football
Davies was born, and lived most of his life, at OswestryOswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, just across the border in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England. On leaving school, Davies started working in the office of the County Court
County Court
A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of county courts held by the High Sheriff of each county.-England and Wales:County Court matters can be lodged...
Registrar, before obtaining employment with a firm of solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s as an accounts clerk. He later became the part-time Registrar of Births and Deaths in Oswestry.
He was a strong churchman and was active in the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
for many years.
Davies was also a keen cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and played for Shropshire, before the formation of the modern county club
Shropshire County Cricket Club
Shropshire 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 Shropshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
, between 1882 and 1893, making nearly 40 appearances for the county, playing as a wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
.
He died in Oswestry on 14 November 1916.
Football career
Davies was a pioneer of football in Oswestry, and first played for Oswestry St Oswalds, the first football club established in the town, becoming team captain. On 4 September 1875, he was present at the meeting held at Oswestry Cricket Club to form an association football club to represent the town. This was the birth of Oswestry F.C., later to evolve as Oswestry TownOswestry Town F.C.
Oswestry Town F.C. was a football club, formerly playing in the League of Wales.The club was founded as Oswestry United in 1860, which meant they were one of the world's oldest football clubs. Matches were latterly played at Park Hall stadium, Oswestry, after a spell at Victoria Road...
.
In February 1876, he took part in trials organized by Llewelyn Kenrick
Llewelyn Kenrick
Samuel Llewelyn Kenrick was a Welsh solicitor who became the founder of the Football Association of Wales and organised the first Welsh international football match against Scotland in 1876...
to select Welsh players to represent their country in a match against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. The match
Scotland v Wales (1876)
The first international match for the Wales national football team came on 25 March 1876 when they played Scotland at Hamilton Crescent, Partick, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club, with the Scots claiming an emphatic 4–0 victory...
was played at Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent
Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England...
, Partick
Partick
Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:...
, the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club on 25 March 1876, with Davies playing at outside-right in a 2–2–6 formation. The Welsh were well defeated, conceding four goals without reply.
Described as "equally at home as a forward or half back (who) could pass the ball accurately and possessed good dribbling skills", Davies was sometimes criticized for selfishness, although "his presence as a forward always meant danger for opposing defences."
On 18 January 1879, he was one of eight Oswestry based players to be selected for the first international match between Wales and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, including three who were spending a season with Oswestry as their own club, Druids
Druids F.C.
Ruabon Druids F.C. were a football club based in village of Ruabon near Wrexham. The club was founded in 1869 as Plasmadoc F.C. by David Thomson and his brother, George, of Ruabon...
, was temporarily without a ground. The match was played at the Kennington Oval, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in atrocious weather conditions with the team captains agreeing to play only 30 minutes in each half. The match report in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said "In spite of the fact that a thick layer of snow covered Kennington-oval on Saturday, the match between England and Wales, announced for that day, was played." England scored twice in the first half, with Davies scoring the Wales reply in the 47th minute; Davies, "with his usual brilliant dash landed the first goal for Wales, amidst tremendous cheering". According to Philip Gibbons, "England were surprised by the level of skill shown by the Welsh team."
For the 1883–84 season, Davies played for Oswestry White Stars, helping them reach the final of the Welsh Cup
Welsh Cup
The Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
where they defeated Druids
Druids F.C.
Ruabon Druids F.C. were a football club based in village of Ruabon near Wrexham. The club was founded in 1869 as Plasmadoc F.C. by David Thomson and his brother, George, of Ruabon...
1–0 in a replay.
International appearances
Davies made four appearances for Wales in official international matches, as follows:| Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Goals | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 March 1876 | West of Scotland Cricket Ground Hamilton Crescent Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground located in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club.Hamilton Crescent is famous for holding the first ever international football match, played between Scotland and England... , Partick Partick Partick is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch. Partick was a Police burgh from 1852 until 1912 when it was incorporated into the city.-History:... |
0–4 | 0 | Friendly | |
| 5 March 1877 | Racecourse Ground Racecourse Ground The Glyndŵr University Racecourse Stadium AKA The Racecourse Ground is a stadium located in Wrexham, North Wales. It is the home of Wrexham F.C. and, since 2010, the Crusaders Rugby League team who play in the engage Super League... , Wrexham Wrexham Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England... |
0–2 | 0 | Friendly | |
| 18 January 1879 | Kennington Oval, London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
1–2 | 1 | Friendly | |
| 15 March 1880 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | 2–3 | 0 | Friendly | |
Honours
Oswestry White Stars- Welsh CupWelsh CupThe Welsh Cup is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales.The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1877-78...
winners: 1884