Raymond Bark-Jones

Raymond Bark-Jones

Full name	Raymond Bark-Jones
Date of birth	(1911-08-29)29 August 1911
Place of birth	Blundellsands, Liverpool, England
Date of death
Place of death	Sefton, England
School	Uppingham School
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Lock
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
	Cambridge University R.U.F.C. Waterloo R.F.C.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1933	Wales	2	(0)

Raymond Bark-Jones (29 August 1911 – 2 February 1995) was an English rugby union lock who played international rugby for Wales. He played his club rugby for Waterloo R.F.C. and Cambridge University.

Rugby career

Bark-Jones was educated at Uppingham School, Rutland and from there was accepted into Cambridge University. While at Cambridge he played in the 1932 December Varsity match, along with future Wales international Vivian Jenkins. Bark-Jones played impressively and was tipped as a future Welsh cap by the Western Mail and just a few weeks later, in the Welsh trials, was chosen to represent Wales.

Bark-Jones' first international game was a historic Welsh victory over his birth country, England. Wales had failed to win at Twickenham in the first nine attempts, and the Welsh failure at the ground was known as the 'Twickenham bogey'. In an exciting match Bark-Jones played his part with excellent line-out play which was at the heart of the Welsh victory. The game ended 7-3, with all the Welsh points scored by Ronnie Boon. Bark-Jones played just one more international game in the very next match of the Home Nations Championship against Scotland at St Helens.

Bark-Jones was injured at the age of 22 and was forced to retire from rugby.

His family carry on the Rugby tradition with his great-grand sons Sam Halliwell playing 1st team rugby at Shrewsbury and William Halliwell playing 15 A's Rugby.

A quote from his son Neville Bark-Jones, "he was gentle off the pitch yet fearful on".

International matches played

Wales

• England 1933
• Scotland 1933