Dolway Walkington
Birth name | Dolway Bell Walkington | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 25 January 1867 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Belfast, Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of death | 17 March 1926 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of death | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable relative(s) | Robert Walkington, brother | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dolway Bell Walkington (25 January 1867 – 18 April 1926) was an Irish rugby union player and solicitor. Walkington played club rugby for North of Ireland FC and international rugby for Ireland, winning eight caps. Although captaining Ireland twice, he is more often remembered for his poor eyesight and the fact that he occasionally wore a monocle while playing, removing it when required to make a tackle.[1][2]
Rugby career
Walkington was born in Belfast in 1867. His brother, Robert Walkington, was an Irish international player before him, and later became the President of the Irish Rugby Union.[3] The brothers never represented Ireland together, Robert playing between 1875 and 1881, and Walkington from 1887 until 1891.
Walkington was first called to play for Ireland in the country's opening game of the 1887 Home Nations Championship against England. It was an historic game, as Ireland beat the English for the very first time, after 12 unsuccessful attempts. Walkington missed the next game of the tournament at home to Scotland, but was reselected in the final game which saw Ireland lose to Wales at Birkenhead. The Irish team and Walkington had their revenge the next year when Wales were beaten at Lansdowne Road, but it would be two years until Walkington played for Ireland again. He did not play the final game of the 1888 Championship, none of the 1889 tournament and also missed the touring Māoris. In 1890 he was selected in the final two games of the Home Nations series a draw at home to Wales and a narrow away loss to England.
In 1891 he was given the captaincy of the national team and for the first time played an entire Home Nations campaign. Unfortunately Ireland suffered extremely heavy defeats in the first two games, with Scotland and England both running in five tries and Ireland failing to score in either. The captaincy was removed from him for the final game, played at Stradey Park in Wales, and given to Robert Stevenson. The match was a far closer affair than the previous two games, with a failed Irish conversion being the difference between the loss they suffered and the draw they could have taken. Walkington scored his only international points during this match with a dropped goal, equaled by Wales' Billy Bancroft during the game.
Walkington was described as "one of the best fullbacks produced by Ireland before the turn of the century", but only in bright conditions. His poor eyesight hindered him as the light failed when "his delicate sight tells terribly against him".[4]
Notes
References
- Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883-1983. London: Willows Books. ISBN 0-00-218060-X.
- Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. ISBN 0-460-07003-7.
External links
- Dolway Walkington player profile Scrum.com
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- Feb 1875: G.H. Stack
- Dec 1875: R.J. Bell
- Feb 1877: R. Galbraith
- Feb 1877: W.H. Wilson
- Mar 1878: R.B. Walkington
- 1879: W.C. Neville
- 1880: H.C. Kelly
- 1881–Jan 1882: A.J. Forrest
- Feb 1882: J.W. Taylor
- 1883: G. Scriven
- Feb 1884: J.A. McDonald
- Mar 1884: D.F. Moore
- Feb 1885: W.G. Rutherford
- Mar 1885: A.J. Forrest
- Feb 1886: M. Johnston
- Feb 1886: J.P. Ross
- 1887: R.G. Warren
- Feb–Mar 1888: H.J. Neill
- Dec 1888–90: R.G. Warren
- Feb–Mar 1891: Dolway Walkington
- Mar 1891: R. Stevenson
- 1892: Victor Le Fanu
- 1893: Sam Lee
- 1894: Edmund Forrest
- Feb 1895: J.H. O'Conor
- Mar 1895: Charles Rooke
- Mar 1895: Edmund Forrest
- 1896: Sam Lee
- 1897: Edmund Forrest
- Feb 1898: Sam Lee
- Feb 1898: G.G. Allen
- Mar 1898: W. Gardiner
- 1899–1900: Louis Magee
- 1901: Louis Magee
- Feb 1902: J. Fulton
- Mar 1902: Louis Magee
- 1903–Feb 1904: Harry Corley
- Mar 1904–06: Charles Allen
- Feb 1906: Alfred Tedford
- Feb 1906–07: Charles Allen
- Feb 1908: Harry Thrift
- Feb–Mar 1908: James Parke
- Feb 1909: Fred Gardiner
- Mar 1909: George Hamlet
- Mar 1909: Fred Gardiner
- Feb 1910: George Hamlet
- Mar 1910: Tom Smyth
- Mar 1910–11: George Hamlet
- Jan 1912: Dickie Lloyd
- Feb 1912: Alexander Foster
- Feb 1912–Feb 1914: Dickie Lloyd
- Feb–Mar 1914: Alexander Foster
- Feb 1920: Dickie Lloyd
- Feb 1920: George Doherty
- Mar 1920: Thomas Wallace
- Apr 1920: Dickie Lloyd
- 1921: George Doherty
- Feb 1922: William Collopy
- Apr 1922–23: John Thompson
- Jan–Feb 1924: William Crawford
- Feb 1924: William Collopy
- Mar 1924–27: William Crawford
- 1928–Feb 1929: George Stephenson
- Feb 1929: Eugene Davy
- Mar 1929–30: George Stephenson
- 1931: Mark Sugden
- 1932: George Beamish
- Feb 1933: Eugene Davy
- Mar 1932: George Beamish
- Apr 1933: Eugene Davy
- 1934–36: Jack Siggins
- 1937–Feb 1938: George Morgan
- Mar 1938: Sam Walker
- 1939: George Morgan
- Jan–Feb 1947: Con Murphy
- Feb–Mar 1947: Deryck Monteith
- Dec 1947–Jan 1948: Ernest Strathdee
- Feb 1948–Mar 1951: Karl Mullen
- Dec 1951–Sep 1952: Des O'Brien
- Jan 1953–Jan 1954: Jack Kyle
- Feb–Mar 1954: Jim McCarthy
- Jan 1955: Robin Thompson
- Feb 1955: Jim McCarthy
- Feb–Mar 1955: Robin Thompson
- Jan–Feb 1956: Jim Ritchie
- Feb 1956–Apr 1958: Noel Henderson
- Feb–Apr 1959: Ronnie Dawson
- Feb–Mar 1960: Andy Mulligan
- Apr 1960–May 1961: Ronnie Dawson
- Feb–Nov 1962: Bill Mulcahy
- Jan 1963: Tom Kiernan
- Feb–Mar 1963: Bill Mulcahy
- Dec 1963: James Kelly
- Feb–Mar 1964: Bill Mulcahy
- Jan 1965–Feb 1966: Ray McLoughlin
- Mar 1966: Tom Kiernan
- Jan–Apr 1967: Noel Murphy
- May 1967–Jan 1971: Tom Kiernan
- Feb–Mar 1971: Mike Gibson
- Jan 1972–Feb 1973: Tom Kiernan
- Mar 1973–Mar 1975: Willie John McBride
- Jan–Feb 1976: Mike Gibson
- Feb 1976–Mar 1977: Tom Grace
- Jan–Mar 1978: John Moloney
- Nov 1978: Shay Deering
- Jan 1979–Nov 1981: Fergus Slattery
- Jan 1982–Feb 1984: Ciaran Fitzgerald
- Feb–Mar 1984: Willie Duggan
- Nov 1984–Mar 1986: Ciaran Fitzgerald
- Nov 1986–Apr 1988: Donal Lenihan
- Oct 1988–Mar 1989: Phillip Matthews
- Nov 1989–Feb 1990: Willie Anderson
- Mar–Oct 1990: Donal Lenihan
- Feb–Mar 1991: Rob Saunders
- July 1991: Phillip Matthews
- July 1991: Rob Saunders
- Oct 1991–Feb 1992: Phillip Matthews
- Oct 1991: Terry Kingston
- Mar–May 1992: Phil Danaher
- Jun 1992: Michael Bradley
- Oct 1992: Phil Danaher
- Jan 1993–Nov 1994: Michael Bradley
- Jan 1995: Brendan Mullin
- Feb–Mar 1995: Michael Bradley
- Mar–May 1995: Terry Kingston
- May 1995: Nick Popplewell
- Jun 1995: Terry Kingston
- Nov 1995–Feb 1996: Jim Staples
- Mar–Nov 1996: Niall Hogan
- Nov 1996–Jan 1997: Keith Wood
- Feb–Mar 1997: Jim Staples
- Nov 1997: Keith Wood
- Nov 1997: Nick Popplewell
- Dec 1997–Apr 1998: Keith Wood
- Jun 1998–Apr 1999: Paddy Johns
- Jun–Oct 1999: Dion O'Cuinneagain
- 2000–Feb 2001: Keith Wood
- Jun 2001: Mick Galwey
- Sep–Oct 2001: Keith Wood
- Nov 2001: Anthony Foley
- Nov 2001: Keith Wood
- Feb–Mar 2002: Mick Galwey
- Mar 2002: David Humphreys
- Apr–Jun 2002: Keith Wood
- Sep 2002: Anthony Foley
- Sep 2002: Keith Wood
- Sep 2002: Anthony Foley
- Nov 2002–Mar 2003: Brian O'Driscoll
- Jun 2003: David Humphreys
- Jun 2003: Reggie Corrigan
- Aug 2003: Keith Wood
- Aug 2003: Brian O'Driscoll
- Sep–Nov 2003: Keith Wood
- Feb 2004: Paul O'Connell
- Feb 2004– Feb 2005: Brian O'Driscoll
- Feb 2005: Paul O'Connell
- Feb–Mar 2005: Brian O'Driscoll
- Jun 2005: David Humphreys
- Nov 2005: Simon Easterby
- Nov 2005: David Humphreys
- 2006–Feb 2007: Brian O'Driscoll
- Feb 2007: Paul O'Connell
- Feb–Mar 2007: Brian O'Driscoll
- May–Jun 2007: Simon Best
- Aug 2007: Brian O'Driscoll
- Aug 2007: Paul O'Connell
- Sep 2007–Mar 2008: Brian O'Driscoll
- Mar 2008: Ronan O'Gara
- Jun 2008–Mar 2009: Brian O'Driscoll
- May 2009: Rory Best
- Nov 2009–Mar 2011: Brian O'Driscoll
- Aug 2011: Leo Cullen
- Aug 2011: Brian O'Driscoll
- Aug 2011: Paul O'Connell
- Sep 2011: Brian O'Driscoll
- Sep 2011: Leo Cullen
- Oct 2011: Brian O'Driscoll
- Feb 2012–Mar 2012: Paul O'Connell
- Mar 2012: Rory Best
- Jun 2012: Brian O'Driscoll
- Nov 2012–Mar 2013: Jamie Heaslip
- Jun 2013: Peter O'Mahony
- Nov 2013: Jamie Heaslip
- Nov 2013: Paul O'Connell
- Feb 2014: Jamie Heaslip
- Feb–Nov 2014: Paul O'Connell
- Nov 2014: Eoin Reddan
- Nov 2014–Mar 2015: Paul O'Connell
- Aug 2015: Jamie Heaslip
- Aug 2015: Seán O'Brien
- Aug–Sep 2015: Paul O'Connell
- Sep 2015: Jamie Heaslip
- Oct 2015: Paul O'Connell
- Oct 2015: Jamie Heaslip
- Feb 2016–Nov 2016: Rory Best
- Nov 2016: Peter O'Mahony
- Nov 2016–Feb 2017: Rory Best
- Feb 2017: Jamie Heaslip
- Feb–Mar 2017: Rory Best
- Jun 2017: Rhys Ruddock
- Nov 2017: Rory Best
- Nov 2017: Rhys Ruddock
- Feb-Mar 2018: Rory Best
- Jun 2018: Peter O'Mahony
- Nov 2018: Rhys Ruddock
- Nov 2018-Feb 2019: Rory Best
- Feb 2019: Peter O'Mahony
- Mar 2019: Rory Best
- Aug 2019: Rhys Ruddock
- Aug 2019: Rory Best
- Aug 2019: Peter O'Mahony
- Oct 2019: Johnny Sexton