Gordon Bonner

Gordon Bonner
Rugby league career
Full name	William Gordon MacGregor Bonner
Date of birth	(1907-09-08)8 September 1907
Place of birth	Wakefield, Yorkshire, England
Date of death	1 June 1985(1985-06-01)
School	Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Wakefield
Position	Fullback
Professional clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
	Wakefield Trinity
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Fullback
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
	Bradford
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1930	British Isles	0	(0)

Gordon Bonner was a rugby union international who was part of the British and Irish Lions team that toured New Zealand and Australia in 1930. He never represented England, and later changed code to play Rugby League.

Early life

William Gordon MacGregor Bonner was born in 1907 in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. He was the son of Arthur Alexander Bonner, a cattle dealer^[1] and also magistrate for Wakefield.^[2] His father was also a prominent member of the Rugby League establishment, at one time being president of the Wakefield Trinity Rugby League Club and also between 1936 and 1938 was chairman of the Rugby League Council.^[3]

William went on to be educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield.^[4]

Rugby career

Bonner went on to play for Bradford and for Yorkshire as fullback. He played in ten of the matches on the toured New Zealand and Australia in 1930 at fullback.^[5] but he did not play in any of the tests. He scored two conversions during these games. Despite playing for the British team, he was never selected for England.

By 1934 Bonner had changed codes and was playing for Wakefield Trinity Rugby League Club as a full-back.^[6]

Personal life

William Bonner married Mary Wood in August 1934.^[7]

References

↑ Yorkshire Evening Post West Yorkshire, England, 4 Mar 1952
↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer West Yorkshire, England, 29 Jul 1939
↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer West Yorkshire, England, 5 Mar 1952
↑ Wakefield Grammer School Foundation official website
↑ Gordon Bonner at British and Irish Lions player archive
↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer West Yorkshire, England, 29 Aug 1934
↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer West Yorkshire, England, 29 Aug 1934

British and Irish Lions – 1930 New Zealand and Australia tour

Forwards	Doug Prentice (Leicester and England) (captain) Henry Rew (Blackheath and England) Dai Parker (Swansea and Wales) WB Welsh (Hawick and Scotland) Brian Henry Black (Oxford U. and England) Michael "Mike" Joseph Dunne (Lansdowne and Ireland) George Beamish (Leicester and Ireland) James Leo Farrell (Bective Rangers and Ireland) John McDonald Hodgson (Northern) Henry O'Hara O'Neill (Queens and Ireland) Ivor Jones (Llanelli and Wales) Harry Wilkinson (Halifax and England) Samuel "Sam" Airey Martindale Martindale (Kendal and England) Douglas Kendrew (Leicester and England) HCS Jones (Manchester and England)

Backs	Jack Bassett (Penarth and Wales) WG McG Bonner (Bradford) Carl Aarvold (Cambridge U. and England) James "Jim" SR Reeves (Harlequins and England) Jack Morley (Newport and Wales) Anthony "Tony" L Novis (Blackheath and England) R Jennings (Redruth) Harry Bowcott (Cambridge U. and Wales) Tommy Jones-Davies (London Welsh and Wales) Paul Finbarr Murray (Wanderers and Ireland) Roger Spencer Spong (Old Millhillians and England) Wilfred "Wilf" Henry Sobey (Old Millhillians and England) Thomas "Tom" Caldwell Knowles (Birkenhead Park) Howard Poole (Cardiff)

Coach	James Baxter

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