Gerald Kyrke Explained

Gerald Kyrke
Birth Name:Gerald Venables Kyrke
Birth Date:7 September 1882
Birth Place:Chard, England
Death Place:Clifton, England
Ru Position:Forward
Ru Amateurclubs:Marlborough Nomads
Barbarian F.C.
Ru Nationalteam:Anglo Welsh
Ru Nationalyears:1908
Ru Nationalcaps:1
Ru Nationalpoints:(0)

Gerald Venables Kyrke (7 September 1882 – 8 March 1932)[1] was an English international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Marlborough Nomads and was selected for the 1908 Anglo-Welsh tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Rugby career

Kyrke played much of his rugby with Marlborough Nomads, one of the earliest English rugby clubs, based in London. When Kyrke was offered a place on a tour with invitational team, the Barbarians in 1903 he was already a Nomads player, and was still with the club at the age of 26 when he was invited to tour with the 1908 Anglo-Welsh team.[2] The Anglo-Welsh was an early incarnation of the British Lions and the 1908 team was assembled to tour New Zealand and Australia.

Kyrke played twelve games for the Anglo-Welsh team, including one Test Match. His first game for the team was on 25 May 1908, facing Wairarapa on the opening game of the tour.[3] He played in the First Test against New Zealand, but after a heavy defeat he was not chosen for the remaining two Tests of the tour. Despite this he continued to play against club and regional teams and scoring a try in the encounter with a joint West Coast/Buller team in July. Although Kyrke toured with the Anglo-Welsh, he was never chosen to represent England.

Notes and References

  1. http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/player/1968.html Gerald Kyrke Rugby career
  2. Book: Starmer-Smith, Nigel . The Barbarians . 1977 . Macdonald & Jane's Publishers. 225 . 0-86007-552-4.
  3. http://www.lionsrugby.com/6012.php?player=74528&includeref=dynamic Gerald Kyrke Lions profile