Billy Batten

Billy Batten
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Batten
Born(1889-05-26)26 May 1889
Kinsley, Wakefield, England
Died26 January 1959(1959-01-26) (aged 69)[1]
Wakefield, England[2]
Playing information
Height5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (179 cm)
Weight13 st 4 lb (84 kg)
PositionFullback, Wing, Centre
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1907–13 Hunslet 169 96 65 0 418
1913–24 Hull FC 226 89 1 0 269
1924–26 Wakefield Trinity 79 6 2 0 22
1927 Castleford 8 1 0 0 3
Total 482 192 68 0 712
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1908–21 Great Britain 10 3 0 0 9
1908–23 England 15 3 1 0 11
1908–26 Yorkshire 19 7 3 0 27
Source: [3][4][5][6]

William Batten (26 May 1889 – 26 January 1959) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hunslet, Hull FC, Wakefield Trinity, and Castleford, as a fullback, wing, or centre.[3][4][5] He is noted as one of the greatest of his era, one of the game's first superstars, Batten was a brilliant athlete and a huge crowd-puller – and also well aware of his own worth. In 1988 he became one of the inaugural inductees of the Rugby Football League Hall of Fame. Batten is also a member of the Hull FC, and Wakefield Trinity halls of fame.

  1. ^ Gate, p. 29
  2. ^ "Billy Batten Dies: One of the Greats of Rugby League". Hull Daily Mail. 28 January 1959. p. 7 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Great Britain Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  6. ^ Gate, p. 13