William Banks (rugby)

William Martin "Billy" Banks (11 January 1925 – August 1991) birth registered in Bridgend, was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League World Cup winning footballer who played in the 1940s, and 1950s, playing club level rugby union (RU) for Maesteg RFC, as a Scrum-half, i.e. number 9, and playing representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, Wales, Other Nationalities, British Empire, and Combined Nationalities, and at club level for Leeds, Wakefield Trinity (Heritage № 558), Huddersfield, Whitehaven, and Salford, as a stand-off/five-eighth, or scrum-half/halfback, i.e. number 6, or 7.

Banks made his début for Leeds against Keighley at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 23 February 1946. He moved to Wakefield Trinity later that year for £500, (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £49,450 in 2016). he made his début for Wakefield Trinity during December 1946, and in August 1948, he was transferred to Huddersfield for £1,850. (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £161,500 in 2016). Banks played 281 games for Huddersfield between 1948 and 1956. He went on to play for Whitehaven and Salford before retiring in 1960, he appears to have scored no drop-goals (or field-goals as they are currently known in Australasia), but prior to the 1974–75 season all goals, whether; conversions, penalties, or drop-goals, scored 2-points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented, therefore '0' drop-goals may indicate drop-goals not recorded, rather than no drop-goals scored. In addition, prior to the 1949–50 season, the archaic field-goal was also still a valid means of scoring points.