Wikipedia

Alfred Francis

For the soldier and racing driver, see Alf Francis.

Alfred John "Alf" Francis (c. 1889 – 10 March 1968) was a Welsh professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played at representative level for Great Britain (non-Test matches) and Wales, and at club level for Treherbert RLFC and Hull F.C., as a wing.[5][6]

Alf Francis
Godfrey Phillips cigarette card featuring Alfred Francis
Personal information
Full nameAlfred John Francis
Born30 June 1888[1]
Treherbert, Glamorgan, Wales[2]
Died10 March 1968(1968-03-10) (aged 79)[3]
Hull, Yorkshire, England
Playing information
PositionWing
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
≤1909–10 Treherbert RLFC
1910–19 Hull FC 245 166 2
Total 245 166 2 0 0
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1913–14 Wales 2 1
1914 Great Britain 3 7
Source: [4]

Playing career

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International honours

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Francis won 2 caps for Wales in 1913–1914 while at Hull,[4] and toured with Great Britain on the 1914 Great Britain Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Challenge Cup Final appearances

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Francis played on the wing and scored a try in Hull's 6–0 victory over Wakefield Trinity in the 1913–14 Challenge Cup Final during the 1913–14 season at Thrum Hall, Halifax, in front of a crowd of 19,000.[7]

Club career

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Hull Kingston Rovers first became aware of Francis when he scored a try in Treherbert RLFC's 10–22 defeat by Hull Kingston Rovers during the 1909–10 season, but he was thought by Hull Kingston Rovers to be too small, so they decided against signing him. An official of Hull Kingston Rovers then recommended him to the Hull F.C. chairman who travelled to Wales, decided that Francis' size wasn't an issue, and signed him for Hull F.C. for 75 gold sovereigns (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £27,720 in 2016)[8][9] Treherbert RLFC completed only 12-matches during the 1909–10 season, and as defaulters, they were prevented from playing in the 1910–11 season, by which time both Alfred Francis, and David Galloway had joined Hull FC.

Personal life

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Alf Francis' marriage to Emma Mabel Baxter took place at St. Matthew's Church, Boulevard, Hull, on 8 December 1915. They had children; Wellesley T. Francis (born 1916) and Megan Francis (born 1922).

Francis, who worked as a miner in Wales, remained in Hull and became a barman after his career ended. He died in 1968 in Hull.[3]

References

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  1. ^ 1939 England and Wales Register
  2. ^ John Alfred Francis, professional footballer residing in Hull, in 1911 England Census
  3. ^ a b "Star Winger Alf Francis Dies - Scored 224 Tries for Hull FC". Hull Daily Mail. 12 March 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  5. ^ Williams, Graham; Lush, Peter; Farrar, David (2009). The British Rugby League Records Book. London League. pp. 108–114. ISBN 978-1-903659-49-6.
  6. ^ "Statistics at rugbyleague.wales". rugbyleague.wales. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  7. ^ "A complete history of Hull FC's Challenge Cup finals". Hull Daily Mail. 22 August 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  8. ^ "Measuring Worth - Relative Value of UK Pounds". Measuring Worth. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  9. ^ Fletcher, Raymond (2004). Hull Rugby League Club - 100 Greats. Tempus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0752424293.
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