Berwyn Jones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Berwyn Jones (1940-2007), a winger for Wakefield Trinity, Bradford Northern, St Helens and Great Britain, was known as one of the fastest men to play rugby league.
Jones had a brief career in rugby union with hometown club Rhymney, but it was in athletics that he looked set to excel until switching to rugby league. He had been touted as a potential Olympian for 1968 when he was invited to try out for Wakefield in 1964. He had been a member of the Great Britain 4x110 yards relay team and a British record-holder (10.3 seconds) and champion over 100 yards.
Playing under the ironic alias 'Walker', he impressed for Wakefield in reserve team games against Huddersfield and Doncaster and soon took to the sport. Within nine months he was playing for Great Britain and scored on his international debut against France in Perpignan.
He was selected for the 1966 tour of Australia and New Zealand but did not make the Test team due to the form of Barrow's Bill Burgess and Geoff Wrigglesworth of Leeds.
He moved to Bradford in 1967/68, where he was joined by Wrigglesworth. The pair formed a potent right wing/centre partnership. Jones scored 26 tries that season, his best haul.
He moved on again to St Helens in 1969 but scored just two tries before announcing a premature retirement.
He died in January 2007 after a battle with motor neurone disease.
