William Leake (rugby player)
Encyclopedia
William Ralph Martin Leake (21 December 1865 – 14 November 1942) was an English
rugby union
forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University
and the Harlequins
and international rugby for England
. In 1890 Leake became one of the original members of the Barbarians Football Club
.
Leake also played cricket
as a youth, representing Dulwich College. Despite his father winning four sporting 'Blues' for Cambridge at cricket, Leake instead focused on rugby, winning three 'Blues' at rugby football.
in 1865 to William Martin Leake and Louisa Harriet Tennant. William was a civil engineer who was employed in Ceylon, but later became a coffeeplanter. Louisa was the daughter of Col. Sir James Tennant of the Bengal Artillery
. Leake was educated in Britain, at Clifton
and Dulwich College
, before matriculating to Selwyn College, Cambridge
in 1885. He received his BA in 1888 and from 1889 to 1909 he was Assistant Master at his old school, Dulwich College. In 1909 he was ordained as a deacon, and then ordained as a priest in 1910 at Southwark Cathedral
. From 1909 he held two positions at Dulwich, Assistant Chaplain of the College and Head of Dulwich Preparatory School
. Leake held both posts until his retirement in 1937, but after portions of the school were unable to be evacuated owing to the air-raids of World War II, he returned to take charge of part of the school.
Leake was also a published writer, compiling a history of Arthur Herman Gilkes
, a headmaster of Dulwich College; the book is titled Gilkes and Dulwich, 1885-1914: A Study of a Great Headmaster (1928).
. Cambridge won all three matches during this period, and although Leake did not score in any of the games he played well, especially in 1886 and 1887, setting up a late try in the 1887 game.
On leaving Cambridge, Leake continued to play rugby and joined English team Harlequins. In 1890 while representing Harlequins, Leake was approached by William Percy Carpmael
to join his newly formed invitational touring team, the Barbarians. Leake accepted and became a founding member of the club.
Leake gained his first international cap during the 1891 Home Nations Championship
, an away game to Wales
at Rodney Parade
. Leake had an excellent debut, setting up Christopherson's first try after eluding his Welsh counterpart Hugh Ingledew
. England won 7-3, and Leake was rewarded for his confident start with reselection for the next two games of the tournament. Leake, partnered at half back with John Berry, was part of a winning England team in the second game, against Ireland, but England lost to Scotland in the Championship decider. The next season, the English selectors chosse the Bradford pairing of Emmott and Briggs at half back, and Leake never represented his county again.
Leake is mentioned briefly in Hugh de Selincourt
's fictional book Relams of Day; Selincourt would have been familiar with Leake as a past pupil of Dulwich College, a few years behind Leake.
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...
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...
forward who played club rugby for Cambridge University
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.
The Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club, or CURUFC, is the rugby union club of Cambridge University, and plays Oxford University in the annual Varsity Match at Twickenham stadium every December. CURUFC players wear light blue and white hooped jerseys with a red lion crest...
and the Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
and international rugby for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. In 1890 Leake became one of the original members of the Barbarians Football Club
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...
.
Leake also played 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...
as a youth, representing Dulwich College. Despite his father winning four sporting 'Blues' for Cambridge at cricket, Leake instead focused on rugby, winning three 'Blues' at rugby football.
Personal history
Leake was born in CeylonSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
in 1865 to William Martin Leake and Louisa Harriet Tennant. William was a civil engineer who was employed in Ceylon, but later became a coffeeplanter. Louisa was the daughter of Col. Sir James Tennant of the Bengal Artillery
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
. Leake was educated in Britain, at Clifton
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
and Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
, before matriculating to Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge
Selwyn College is a constituent college in the University of Cambridge in England, United Kingdom.The college was founded by the Selwyn Memorial Committee in memory of the Rt Reverend George Selwyn , who rowed on the Cambridge crew in the first Varsity Boat Race in 1829, and went on to become the...
in 1885. He received his BA in 1888 and from 1889 to 1909 he was Assistant Master at his old school, Dulwich College. In 1909 he was ordained as a deacon, and then ordained as a priest in 1910 at Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge....
. From 1909 he held two positions at Dulwich, Assistant Chaplain of the College and Head of Dulwich Preparatory School
Dulwich College Preparatory School
Dulwich Preparatory School DCPS is a private preparatory school in Dulwich, south London, England for children aged 3–13 years. It was founded in 1885, and is the largest boys preparatory school in the United Kingdom. It will be known formally as "Dulwich Prep London" from September 2011.The...
. Leake held both posts until his retirement in 1937, but after portions of the school were unable to be evacuated owing to the air-raids of World War II, he returned to take charge of part of the school.
Leake was also a published writer, compiling a history of Arthur Herman Gilkes
Arthur Herman Gilkes
Arthur Herman Gilkes MA, was a noted educationalist, author, and clergyman, and was Master of Dulwich College from 1885 to 1914.-Early life:He was born in Leominster, the son of William Gilkes a chemist...
, a headmaster of Dulwich College; the book is titled Gilkes and Dulwich, 1885-1914: A Study of a Great Headmaster (1928).
Rugby career
Leake first came to note as a rugby player when he captained Dulwich College rugby football team in 1883-1884; he was also captain of the college cricket team in 1884. When Leake matriculated to Selwyn College he then represented Cambridge University. Leake won three sporting 'Blues' at University in 1885, 1886 and 1887, all awarded for rugby football for playing in the Varsity MatchThe Varsity Match
The Varsity Match is an annual rugby union fixture played between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England. By tradition, the match is held on the second Tuesday of December. In 2005, however, this changed, and the match was on Tuesday 6 December. In 2007, it was held on a Thursday for...
. Cambridge won all three matches during this period, and although Leake did not score in any of the games he played well, especially in 1886 and 1887, setting up a late try in the 1887 game.
On leaving Cambridge, Leake continued to play rugby and joined English team Harlequins. In 1890 while representing Harlequins, Leake was approached by William Percy Carpmael
William Percy Carpmael
William Percy Carpmael was the founder and first president of the rugby union Barbarian Football Club. Carpmael was born the eldest of eight in Briscobel, Stretham in England.-Education and early career:...
to join his newly formed invitational touring team, the Barbarians. Leake accepted and became a founding member of the club.
Leake gained his first international cap during the 1891 Home Nations Championship
1891 Home Nations Championship
The 1891 Home Nations Championship was the ninth series of the rugby union Home Nations Championship. Six matches were played between 3 January and 7 March...
, an away game to 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 Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade
Rodney Parade is a stadium in the city of Newport, south Wales. Located on the east bank of the River Usk in Newport city centre it is primarily used for rugby matches and is the home ground of Newport RFC and the Newport Gwent Dragons regional team.-History:...
. Leake had an excellent debut, setting up Christopherson's first try after eluding his Welsh counterpart Hugh Ingledew
Hugh Ingledew
Hugh Murray Ingledew was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Cardiff. Ingledew also played cricket for Glamorgan and was instrumental as a solicitor, in helping the local Cardiff cricket and rugby clubs purchase the Cardiff Arms Park in 1922.-Rugby career:Ingledew...
. England won 7-3, and Leake was rewarded for his confident start with reselection for the next two games of the tournament. Leake, partnered at half back with John Berry, was part of a winning England team in the second game, against Ireland, but England lost to Scotland in the Championship decider. The next season, the English selectors chosse the Bradford pairing of Emmott and Briggs at half back, and Leake never represented his county again.
Leake is mentioned briefly in Hugh de Selincourt
Hugh de Selincourt
Hugh de Selincourt was an English author and journalist, chiefly remembered today for his timeless tale of village cricket, The Cricket Match . He studied at Dulwich College before going on to University College, Oxford...
's fictional book Relams of Day; Selincourt would have been familiar with Leake as a past pupil of Dulwich College, a few years behind Leake.