Name Thomas Dobson | ||
Thomas "Tommy" Hyde Dobson (February 1872 — 12 November 1902) born in Bradford, was a rugby union footballer, and professional sprinter, and rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s, playing representative level rugby union (RU) for England, and Yorkshire, and at club level for Undercliffe RFC, Laisterdyke RFC, Bowling RFC, and Bradford F.C., as a Centre, i.e. number 12, or 13, playing club level rugby league (RL) for Bradford F.C., as a wing, and as a sprinter, primarily in the Northern England, he won over £200 in prizes (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £81,950 in 2015), he died in Bradford from food poisoning after eating raw mussels. Prior to Tuesday 27 August 1895, Bradford F.C. was a rugby union club, it then became a rugby league club, and since 1907 it has been the association football (soccer) club Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C..
Contents
- International honours
- County honours
- Challenge Cup Final appearances
- Change of Code
- Club career
- Genealogical information
- References
International honours
Tommy Dobson won a cap for England (RU) while at Bradford F.C. in 1895 against Scotland.
County honours
Tommy Dobson won cap(s) for Yorkshire (RU) while at Bradford F.C., in William Barnes Wollen's painting of Yorkshire's 11–3 victory over Lancashire during the 1893/94 season, a painting that is now held at the Rugby Football Union headquarters in the Twickenham Stadium, Alfred "Alf" Barraclough can be seen being tackled, and passing the ball to Jack Toothill, with Tommy Dobson on the outside, although Tommy Dobson did not actually participate in this particular match.
Challenge Cup Final appearances
Tommy Dobson played right wing, i.e. number 2, in Bradford F.C.'s 0-7 defeat by Batley in the 1898 Challenge Cup Final during the 1897–98 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 23 April 1898, in front of a crowd of 27,941.
Change of Code
When Bradford F.C. converted from the rugby union code to the rugby league code on Tuesday 27 August 1895, Tommy Dobson would have been approximately 23. Consequently, he was both a rugby union and rugby league footballer for Bradford F.C.
Club career
Tommy Dobson scored Bradford F.C.'s first ever try in the Challenge Cup in the 7-3 victory over Oldham in the 1897 Challenge Cup during the 1896–97 season at Park Avenue, Bradford on Saturday 20 March 1897.
Genealogical information
Tommy Dobson was the son of the professional sprinter, Harry Dobson, winner of the Sheffield Handicap, then the world's foremost sprint event which was run over a turf course and attracted "the fastest sprinters in the world". Tommy Dobson's marriage to Jane Elizabeth (née Jagger) was registered during January–March 1895 in Bradford district.