Tom Holliday (rugby)

Thomas Holliday

Personal information
Full name	Thomas Edwin Holliday
Born	(1898-07-13)13 July 1898 Wigton, England
Died	19 July 1969(1969-07-19) (aged 71) Carlisle, England
Playing information
Rugby union
Position	Fullback
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P Aspatria RUFC Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1920–≤26 Cumberland 36 1923–26 England 7 0 0 0 0 1924 British Lions 1 0 0 0 0
Rugby league
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1926–29 Oldham 83 33 99 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1928 England 1 0 0 0 0
Source:

Thomas Edwin Holliday, nicknamed "Tom" or "Tosh" (13 July 1898 – 19 July 1969), was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer of the 1920s. He was a dual-code international, playing for the England national rugby union team, British Lions, and the England national rugby league team.

Thomas Edwin Holliday, born 13 July 1898 in Wigton, the youngest of four brothers, two of which died in the Great War, came from a long line of Cumberland sporting personalities. He began his education at the local school before winning a scholarship to attend The Nelson Thomlinson School, Wigton. After the armistice he began playing rugby for his home town club, Aspatria RUFC. He received the first of his 36 Cumberland county caps playing against Cheshire in 1920. In 1921, he played fullback for the North in their annual game against the South. In 1923, he received the first of his seven international caps, playing against Scotland, and France. In the same year he captained Aspatria when they defeated Silloth RFC to regain the Cumberland county cup. In 1924, he went on the British Lions' tour to South Africa but suffered a broken collar bone in the opening game and took no further part in the series. In 1925, he played in three of the four international matches, taking the field against Ireland, France and Scotland. In 1925, he played against France and Scotland. In 1924, he captained Cumberland when they won the County Championship, for the first and only time in their history, defeating Kent by six points to three in the final at Carlisle. He continued to captain the county side until 1926, when he accepted one of many offers to play Rugby League, signing professional forms for Oldham. In 1927, Oldham beat Swinton by 26 points to 7, in the first BBC broadcast Rugby League Challenge Cup final. Tosh scored three tries and became only the third man in the history of the final to achieve that recognition. F. W. (Basher) Ashworth, another native of Aspatria also played in that final. In 1996, Robbie Paul also joined that elite grouping, playing for Bradford Bulls when they defeated St. Helens. Tosh also gained an international cap for England playing against Wales in 1928. He retired from the game in 1931, when he returned to Aspatria to run a shop selling drapery and ironmongery. He died at Aspatria on 19 July 1969.