Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alan Spencer Edwards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | c. 1918 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 1987 (aged 69) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rugby league | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alan Spencer Edwards (c. 1918 – January 1987) was a Welshrugby union, and professionalrugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played club level rugby union (RU) forAberavon RFC, theRoyal Air Force, and representative level rugby league (RL) forGreat Britain andWales, and at club level forSalford,Leeds (World War IIguest),Dewsbury (World War IIguest), andBradford Northern (two spells, including the first as aWorld War IIguest), as awing.[1][3]
Alan Edwards was born inKenfig Hill,Bridgend.
Alan Edwards won 18 caps forWales (RL) in 1935–1948 while at Salford and Bradford Northern, and woncaps forGreat Britain (RL) while at Salford in 1936 against Australia (3 matches), and New Zealand (2 matches); and in 1937 against Australia (2 matches). He was the youngest member of the 1936 tour party[1]
Alan Edwards played on thewing inSalford'sChampionship winning teams of 1937 and 1939. They beat Warrington 13-11 in 1937 and Edwards scored the winning try in 1939 when Salford beat Castleford 8-6 atMaine RoadManchester. He played inDewsbury's 14-25 aggregate defeat byWigan in the War-time emergency play-off Final during the1943–44 season; the 9-13 first-leg defeat atCentral Park,Wigan on Saturday 13 May 1944, and the 5-12-second-leg defeat atCrown Flatt,Dewsbury on Saturday 20 May 1944. The year after he played forBradford Northern when they beat Halifax 26-20 on aggregate to win the last war-time emergency play-off. He played in his last Championship Final in 1948 when he was in the Bradford Northern team that lost 15-5 to Warrington atMaine Road,Manchester.[4]
Alan Edwards played inSalford's victories in theLancashire League during the1936–37 season and1938–39 season, and played inBradford Northern's victory in theYorkshire League during the1947–48 season.
Alan Edwards played on thewing inSalford's 7-4 victory overBarrow in the1937–38 Challenge Cup Final during the1937–38 season atWembley Stadium,London, on Saturday 7 May 1938, in front of a crowd of 51,243, played on thewing in the 3-20 defeat byHalifax in the1938–39 Challenge Cup Final during the1938–39 season atWembley Stadium,London, on Saturday 6 May 1939, in front of a crowd of 55,453, played on thewing inLeeds' 15-10 victory overHalifax in the1941–42 Challenge Cup Final during the1941–42 season atOdsal Stadium,Bradford, in front of a crowd of 15,250.[5] played inDewsbury's 16-15 aggregate victory overLeeds in the1942–43 Challenge Cup Final during the1942–43 season; the 16-9 first-leg victory atCrown Flatt,Dewsbury on Sunday 9 May 1943, in front of a crowd of 10,470, and the 0-6 second-leg defeat atHeadingley,Leeds on Sunday 16 May 1943, in front of a crowd of 16,000, played atcentre inBradford Northern's 9-13 aggregate defeat byHuddersfield in the1944–45 Challenge Cup Final during the1944–45 season; the 4-7 defeat atFartown Ground,Huddersfield on Saturday 28 April 1945, in front of a crowd of 9,041, and the 5-6 defeat atOdsal Stadium,Bradford on Saturday 5 May 1945 (three days beforeVictory in Europe Day), in front of a crowd of 17,500,[6][7] played on thewing, and scored atry in the 8-3 defeat byWigan in the1947–48 Challenge Cup Final during the1947–48 season atWembley Stadium,London on Saturday 1 May 1948, in front of a crowd of 91,465,[8] and played on thewing in his last final in the 12-0 victory overHalifax in the1948–49 Challenge Cup Final during the1948–49 season atWembley Stadium,London on Saturday 7 May 1949, in front of a crowd of 95,050. He played in a total of seven Rugby League Challenge Cup Finals which was a record at that time he shared withEric Batten. He was the first man to play for four different teams in the Challenge Cup Final and the only man to win the Challenge Cup with four different teams.
About Alan Edwards' time, there wasSalford 15-7 victory overWigan in the1935 Lancashire Cup Final during the1935–36 season atWilderspool Stadium,Warrington on Saturday 19 October 1935, the 5-2 victory overWigan in the1936–37 Lancashire Cup Final during the1936–37 season atWilderspool Stadium,Warrington on Saturday 17 October 1936, he played on thewing in the 7-10 defeat byWigan in the1938–39 Lancashire Cup Final during the1938–39 season atStation Road, Swinton on Saturday 22 October 1938.[9] and played on thewing and scored twotries, and threegoals inBradford Northern's 18-9 victory overCastleford in the1948–49 Yorkshire Cup Final during the1948–49 season atHeadingley,Leeds on Saturday 30 October 1948.
Alan Edwards played on thewing for aRugby League XIII againstNorthern Command XIII atThrum Hall,Halifax on Saturday 21 March 1942.[10]
Only five rugby league footballers have won "All Six Cups" during their career, they are;Aubrey Casewell (while atSalford andLeeds), Alan Edwards (while atSalford andBradford Northern),John Etty (while atOldham andWakefield Trinity),Edward "Ted" Slevin (while atWigan andHuddersfield), andDerek Turner (while atOldham andWakefield Trinity). "All Six Cups" being theChallenge Cup,Championship,Lancashire Cup,Lancashire League,Yorkshire Cup andYorkshire League.[11]
Alan Edwards is one of less than twenty-five Welshmen to have scored more than 1000-points in their rugby league career.[12]
Edwards' marriage to Jessie (née Burgess) was registered on 28 December 1941 inSalford district.[13] They had two children, Alan Blair Edwards (birth registered during second ¼ 1943 (age 81–82) inSalford district), and Marvyn A. Edwards (birth registered during third ¼ 1944 (age 80–81) inSalford district).
Edwards later emigrated to Canada, where he died in January 1987, aged 69.[14]
