Ike Owens - Loose forward
Wales RLHeritage No | 187 |
Date Of Birth | 07/11/1918 |
Place Of Birth | Pontycymmer |
Clubs | York City Knights, Huddersfield Giants, Castleford Tigers, Leeds Rhinos, Blaengarw, Maesteg |
Honours | Wales RL, Great Britain |
Isaac Andrew Owens AFM played 12 times for Wales and won four caps for Great Britain, all of the latter on the famous "Indomitables" Lions tour of Australasia in 1946. He was selected for Great Britain after making just 22 appearances for Leeds and two for Wales. He had recently been demobbed from the RAF. He played in 18 of the 27 matches on tour and was rated as one of the best players in the series. He had offers to play in Australia but declined. Originally with Blaengarw RFC, then Maesteg, he did played in two war-time service internationals for Wales against England in 1940 before he was posted to Yorkshire and started playing rugby league for Leeds, turning out 17 times for Leeds during the 1943–44 and 1944–45 seasons, also playing twice for Oldham. He was awarded the Air Force Medal in the 1945 King’s Birthday Honours. When he returned from Australia in 1946, he was made club captain and led them to two finals, both of which were lost. After 124 appearances, 40 tries and three goals for Leeds, he asked to be put on the transfer list in October 1948 and joined Castleford for a record fee of £2,750, but didn't stay there long, only making seven appearances, scoring two tries, before being asked to put on the transfer list again. Huddersfield paid the same fee in 1949 and he helped them with the Championship in his first season as well as a Yorkshire Cup in 1950. After 127 appearances and 20 tries for them, he returned to Wales in 1952, but returned to RL in 1954 for York for whom he made over 20 appearances. He ran a pub in York, before eventually returned to Wales, living in Porthcawl where he stayed until he died on October 15, 1998.
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