Walter Greg (rugby union)

Walter Greg
Born(1851-02-14)14 February 1851
Died6 February 1906(1906-02-06) (aged 54)
Assouan, Egypt
SchoolMarlborough College
Rugby union career
Position Forward
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Manchester Football Club
Lancashire
North of England
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1875–1876 England 2

Walter Greg (14 February 1851 – 6 February 1906) was an English rugby union forward who represented England twice in 1875 and 1876.[1]

Early life and education

Greg was born at Bollington, Cheshire, the son of Samuel Greg, the industrialist and philanthropist, and Mary Priscilla Greg (née Needham).[2] The family resided at Mount House, Bollington.

He was educated at Marlborough College, entering in 1868.[3]

After leaving school, Greg entered the legal profession. He served as an articled clerk and qualified as a solicitor in 1876, practising in Manchester while residing in Prestbury, Cheshire.[3]

Rugby career

Greg played as a forward for Manchester Football Club, one of the leading northern clubs of the period.[1]

In 1874 he was selected to represent the North in the North v South rugby union match fixture at The Oval, Kennington, one of the principal representative matches of the era.[4]

He was capped twice for England during the 1875–76 season:

  • England v Ireland, Dublin — 13 December 1875
  • England v Scotland, The Oval — 6 March 1876

Both matches were played under the 20-a-side laws then in force, and England won on each occasion.[1]

Greg was also associated with Lancashire representative rugby during the mid-1870s.[1]

Marriage and family

On 17 October 1878, Greg married Susan Elizabeth Gaskill at Wyke Regis, Dorset.[5] He was described at the time as a solicitor of Prestbury, Cheshire. The couple had four children.

Death

Greg died on 6 February 1906 at the Cataract Hotel, Assouan, Egypt.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Marshall, Francis, ed. (1892). Football: The Rugby Union Game. London: Cassell & Co.
  2. ^ 1861; page 21,.
  3. ^ a b Marlborough College Register from 1843 to 1904. Oxford: H. Hart. 1905.
  4. ^ "North v South". Huddersfield Chronicle. 21 December 1874. p. 3.
  5. ^ England & Wales, FreeBMD Marriage Index ,year=1878 ,quarter=Oct–Dec ,Weymouth ,volume=5a, page=707
  6. ^ England & Wales National Probate Calendar. 1906. p. Greg, Walter.