Description
Physical description
cap
maroon velvet sports cap, with details trimmed in silver wire. A silver wire tassel is fitted to the top of the crown, and the date, '1912-13' in silver wire to the peak.
Label
England International Rugby League sports cap awarded to Douglas Clark during the 1912-13 season. Clark was not only one of the greatest ever Rugby League forwards, but was also a world champion wrestler billed at one time as 'the strongest man in the world'. He enjoyed a career of great longevity at the highest level, playing professional rugby league for twenty years and contesting wrestling championships well into his forties. Despite his great strength, on the field Clark was renowned for his clean and sporting behaviour, off it many who knew him well described him as quiet, reserved, even gentle.
Born at Ellenborough, near Maryport, on 2 May 1891, Clark was spotted playing for the local junior club Brookland Rovers and joined Huddersfield for a fee. He made his debut on 25 September 1909. Thirteen months later he won the first of 31 caps for Cumberland and, by 1911, was playing for his country in the second and third tests against Australia. A leading member of what became known as 'the Team of all the Talents', Clark won seven Yorkshire Cup, six Yorkshire League championship, three Championship and three Challenge Cup medals. He scored tries in three of the five Championship finals in which he played, including a hat-trick in 1913. In the 1914-15 season, Huddersfield won all four competitions they entered. Douglas Clark was an intelligent player, not just a powerhouse. He was a good tackler, an adept dribbler and able to open out play with his passing. In 485 games for Huddersfield, he scored 99 tries. Clark also played eleven test matches against Australia and New Zealand up to 1920, including the notorious 'Rorke's Drift' game in Sydney on 4 July 1914 when he broke his thumb and dislocated a collarbone in a 14-6 win. For full biographical details see EPH 4479.
History note
For biographical notes see UNI 12081
1, embroidered in silver wire direct to peak
2, embroidered in silver wire to cap body above peak
1, 1912-13
2, Emblem: Rose with stem & two leaves