Karle Hammond (born 25 April 1974) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played at representative level for Great Britain and Wales, and at club level for Widnes (two spells), and in the Super League for St. Helens, the London Broncos, the Salford City Reds, and the Halifax Blue Sox, as a stand-off, loose forward or centre.

Karle Hammond
Personal information
Full nameKarle Hammond
Born (1974-04-25) 25 April 1974 (age 49)
Widnes, England
Playing information
PositionStand-off, Loose forward, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1993–95 Widnes 70 29 15 2 148
1995–98 St Helens 111 50 0 5 205
1999–00 London Broncos 54 28 2 4 120
2001 Widnes Vikings 10 2 5 1 19
2001 Salford City Reds 5 1 0 0 4
2002 Halifax Blue Sox 14 3 21 0 54
Total 264 113 43 12 550
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1996 Great Britain 2 0 0 0 0
1999 Wales 2 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]

Background edit

Hammond was born in Widnes, Cheshire, England.

Career edit

Club edit

Hammond started his career at Widnes before signing for St Helens in September 1995 for a fee of £85,000.[3] He played stand-off in St Helens' 16–25 defeat by Wigan in the 1995–96 Regal Trophy Final during the 1995–96 at Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield on Saturday 13 January 1996.[4]

Hammond played as a stand-off in St Helens 40–32 victory over the Bradford Bulls in the 1996 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 27 April 1996 in front of a crowd of 78,550.[5] He also played in the 1997 Challenge Cup final (also against Bradford Bulls) and scored a try in their 32–22 win.[6]

Hammond left Saints when his contract expired at the end of the 1998 season, and signed a two-year deal with London Broncos.[7] He played in the team's 1999 Challenge Cup final defeat against Leeds Rhinos.[8]

He then briefly returned to Widnes before joining Salford City Reds in March 2001.[9] He spent the following season with Halifax Blue Sox, but was released in August 2002.[10]

International edit

He was the top try-scorer of the 1996 Great Britain Lions tour of Papua New Guinea, Fiji and New Zealand.

He was selected to play for Wales in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, but was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury.[11]

References edit

  1. ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. ^ "Player Summary: Karle Hammond". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  3. ^ Hadfield, Dave (11 September 1995). "Ban doubled for drug use". The Independent. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  4. ^ "13th January 1996: St Helens 16 Wigan 25 (Regal Trophy Final)". wigan.rlfans.com. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. ^ "steveprescottfoundation.co.uk". Steve Prescott Stats. Steve Prescott Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  6. ^ "Rugby League: Martyn grabs Bulls by the horns". The Independent. 3 May 1997. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Rugby League: McRae leaves job with Britain". The Independent. 29 September 1998. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Sport: Rugby League Challenge Cup teams and profiles". BBC News. 1 May 1999. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Reds snap up Hammond". BBC. 16 March 2001. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  10. ^ "Halifax boot out Hammond". BBC Sport. 23 August 2002. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Hammond hammer blow for Wales". BBC Sport. 17 October 2000. Retrieved 16 February 2024.

External links edit