Billy Batten

Billy Batten

Personal information
Full name	William Batten
Born	(1889-05-26)26 May 1889 Kinsley, England
Died	26 January 1959(1959-01-26) (aged 69) Wakefield district
Playing information
Height	5 ft 10 1⁄2 in (179 cm)
Weight	13 st 4 lb (84 kg)
Position	Fullback, Wing, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1907–13 Hunslet 169 96 65 418 1913–24 Hull F.C. 226 89 1 269 1924–26 Wakefield Trinity 79 6 2 22 1927 Castleford 8 1 0 3 Total 482 192 68 0 712 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1908–21 Great Britain 10 3 0 9 1908–23 England 15 3 1 11 1908–26 Yorkshire 19 7 3 27
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William "Billy" Batten (26 May 1889 – 26 January 1959) was an English professional rugby league footballer of the early 20th century, noted as one of the greatest of his era. He played at three-quarter back for Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire, as well as English clubs Hunslet, Hull, Wakefield Trinity (Heritage № 306), and Castleford. One of the game's first superstars, Batten was a brilliant athlete and a huge crowd-puller – and also well aware of his own worth. In 1988 he became one of the inaugural inductees of the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame. Batten is also a member of the Hull and Wakefield Trinity halls of fame.

Batten was born on 26 May 1889 in the mining village of Kinsley, near Fitzwilliam, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His parents were James and Ann Batten, who both migrated to Yorkshire from North Wales. Batten started his rugby career with Kinsley and Ackworth United before joining Hunslet at the age of 17.

Batten made his debut for Hunslet in February 1907 in a 15–0 win against Barrow. He helped the club win All Four Cups in 1907–08. He was selected to play for his country during the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain. Batten was also a member of the first British touring team to travel to Australasia under the leadership of James Lomas in 1910. He was selected to play during the tour against Australia (2 matches), Australasia (2 matches), and New Zealand. Batten was known for his trademark "Batten Leap" – his ability to hurdle players. He passed this trick on to his son Eric Batten, but the tactic was later outlawed because of its potential dangers.