George Frater (27 July 1876 – 9 October 1968) was a Scottish professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s and 1900s. He played at representative level for Other Nationalities (captain), and Lancashire, and at club level for Oldham (Heritage No. 34), as a forward (prior to the specialist positions of; prop, hooker, second-row, loose forward), during the era of contested scrums.[1][2]

George Frater
Personal information
Full nameGeorge Frater
Born(1876-07-27)27 July 1876
Scotland
Died9 October 1968(1968-10-09) (aged 92)
Playing information
PositionForward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1896–05 Oldham 262 6 28 74
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
≤1898–≥98 Lancashire ≥1
1904 Other Nationalities ≥1
Source: [1]

Playing career edit

International honours edit

George Frater won a cap playing as a forward, i.e. number 10 (in an experimental 12-a-side match), and was captain, for Other Nationalities in the 9–3 victory over England at Central Park, Wigan on Tuesday 5 April 1904, in the first ever international rugby league match.[3]

Championship appearances edit

George Frater played in Oldham's victory in the Championship during the 1904–05 season.[4]

He later moved to New Zealand and was a referee in the Hawkes Bay. In 1913 he refereed a match at Victoria Park in Auckland between Auckland and Nelson.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Statistics at orl-heritagetrust.org.uk". orl-heritagetrust.org.uk. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  3. ^ Fagan, Sean. "The First International Rugby League Match". rl1895.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  4. ^ The Umpire (1905). Oldham Football Team – Winners of the Northern League Championship, Season 1904–05. The Umpire. ISBN n/a
  5. ^ "Northern Union". Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 182. 1 August 1932. p. 8. Retrieved 6 June 2023.

External links edit