Alan Ashcroft facts for kids
| Date of birth | 21 August 1930 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | St Helens, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 26 January 2021 (aged 90) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 186 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Cowley Grammar School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Alan Ashcroft was a famous English rugby player. He was born on August 21, 1930, and passed away on January 26, 2021. Alan played in a special position called Number 8. He played for a club team called Waterloo FC. He also played for the national team, England, 16 times! In 1959, he was part of the amazing British Lions team that went on a big tour.
Contents
Alan Ashcroft's Rugby Journey
Playing for Waterloo FC
Alan Ashcroft played club rugby for Waterloo FC. He was a very important player for them. From 1959 to 1961, he was the captain of the first team. He loved playing rugby so much that he continued to play for different Waterloo teams until he was in his 50s!
Playing for England
Alan first played for the England national team in 1956. His first game was against Wales in the 1956 Five Nations Championship. He played in all four of England's matches in that championship.
He also played in all four games during the 1957 Championship. England won every single game that year! This meant they achieved a Grand Slam and won the title. Alan also helped England win the 1958 Championship. They won three matches and had one draw. Alan's last game for England was in 1959 against Scotland.
Being a British Lion
Because Alan played so well for England, he was chosen for the British Lions team. This special team went on a big tour in 1959 to Australia and New Zealand.
During this tour, Alan played in 18 matches. Sixteen of these games were against local teams. He also played in two very important "test matches." One was against New Zealand and the other was against Australia.
Other Special Matches
In October 1959, Alan played in a special match. It was a combined team of players from England and Wales. They played against a team from Scotland and Ireland. This game celebrated the 50th birthday of Twickenham Stadium.
Alan also played nine times for the Barbarians. This is a famous invitational rugby team. Three of these games were during their tour to South Africa in 1958.
Life Outside Rugby
Outside of playing rugby, Alan Ashcroft was a school teacher. He taught art at Liverpool College.
In 2018, something special happened. The British Lions decided to give ceremonial "caps" to all former players. A cap is like a special award for playing for the team. Alan was given his cap by Ray French at his old club, Waterloo. Alan was 88 years old at the time. He was one of the oldest living former Lions players. He received his cap 59 years after his tour!
Alan Ashcroft passed away in January 2021 when he was 90 years old.
