Harry Royal
Harry Royal | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1914 Bridgend, Wales |
| Occupation(s) | Rugby union and rugby league footballer, rugby league coach |
| Years active | 1930s–1950s |
| Known for | Playing for Wales (rugby league), Dewsbury, Batley; coaching Batley |
Thomas Harry Royal (born 1914) was a Welsh athlete who competed in both rugby union and professional rugby league from the 1930s through the 1950s, later transitioning to coaching rugby league during the 1940s and 1950s. In rugby union, he represented Welsh Schoolboys and Glamorgan County RFC at the representative level, while playing club rugby for Blaengarw RFC and Bridgend RFC. Within rugby league, Royal earned international caps for Wales and played primarily as a scrum-half for clubs including Huddersfield, Dewsbury—where he served as captain—and Batley, also captaining the latter. Additionally, he took on coaching responsibilities at Batley.
Background
Harry Royal’s birth was officially recorded in Bridgend, Wales.
He managed the Craven Heifer Hotel public house located on Victoria Road (now renamed), Springfield, Dewsbury, which has since been converted into a residential property. In the upper room of this establishment, he established a boys' sports club funded by a mile-long collection of pennies donated by residents of Springfield. Royal passed away at the age of 81.
International honours
While representing Bridgend RFC, Royal participated in trials for the Wales (RU) squad in December 1936. Later, as a player for Dewsbury, he earned international caps for the Wales (RL) side. He played as in the narrow 9-12 defeat against France during the 1948–49 European Rugby League Championship held at St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground, Swansea on 23 October 1948 before an audience of 12,032. Subsequently, he featured as in the 5-12 loss to Australia in the 1948–49 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France at the same venue on 20 November 1948, witnessed by 9,224 spectators.
Championship final appearances
Royal took to the field as for Dewsbury during their aggregate 14-25 defeat to Wigan in the Championship Final throughout the 1943–44 season. He participated in the second leg held at Dewsbury on 20 May 1944, which ended in a 5-12 loss following Wigan’s initial leg victory of 13-9. Furthermore, he played as in Dewsbury’s 4-13 defeat to Wigan during the 1946–47 Championship Final at Maine Road, Manchester on 21 June 1947.
Club career
On 2 November 1949, Harry Royal moved from Dewsbury to take up a role as player-coach with Batley. His first outing for Batley occurred against Huddersfield in a Championship fixture during the 1949–50 season at Mount Pleasant, Batley on 12 November 1949; however, this match was abandoned with Batley trailing 0-4 and subsequently replayed on 4 April 1950, thus not counting toward official statistics. Consequently, Royal’s official debut came later that month in a commanding 23-5 win over Featherstone Rovers at Post Office Road, Featherstone on 19 November 1949. His final appearance for Batley was marked by a narrow 3-5 loss to Oldham during the 1950–51 season at the Watersheddings, Oldham on 4 November 1950.
Club career
During his tenure as coach of Batley from November 1949 until November 1950, Royal guided the squad to finish 25th among 29 teams in the 1949–50 season, achieving 10 victories and suffering 26 defeats, accumulating a total of 20 points. His leadership saw Batley advance to the second round of the 1949–50 Yorkshire Cup, where they were defeated 5-12 by the eventual semi-finalists Dewsbury at Crown Flatt, Dewsbury on 29 September 1949. Additionally, Batley progressed to the second round of the 1949–50 Challenge Cup, falling 4-12 to the eventual finalists Widnes at Mount Pleasant on 2 March 1950.