John Cunningham (rugby league)

John Cunningham (born 3 March 1952[3]) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played at representative level for England and Cumbria, and at club level for Roose ARL FC, Salford 'A', Barrow, Balmain Tigers, Hull Kingston Rovers, Workington Town, Cooma Stall ions (alongside Dane Carter[1]), and Corporation Combine ARLFC (now Hindpool Tigers ARLFC of the North West Men's League) as a prop, second-row, or loose forward.[1]

John Cunningham
Personal information
Full nameJohn Cunningham
Born (1952-03-03) 3 March 1952 (age 72)
Barrow-in-Furness, England
Playing information
PositionProp, Second-row, Loose forward
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1970–75 Barrow 132+3 25 18 111
1975 Balmain Tigers 0+5 1 5 1 14
1975–80 Hull Kingston Rovers 32+5 7 0 3 24
1980–82 Workington Town 27+3 2 0 1 7
Total 207 35 23 5 156
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
≤1980–≥80 Cumbria
1975 England 2 0 0 0 0
Source: [1][2]

Background

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John Cunningham was born in Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire, England.

Playing career

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International honours

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John Cunningham won caps for England while at Barrow in 1975 against France, and Wales.[2]

County honours

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John Cunningham represented Cumbria.

BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final appearances

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John Cunningham played at prop in Hull Kingston Rovers' 26–11 victory over St. Helens in the 1977–78 BBC2 Floodlit Trophy Final at Craven Park, Hull on Tuesday 13 December 1977.[4]

Notable tour matches

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John Cunningham made his début, and scored a try in Barrow's 10–14 defeat by New Zealand at Craven Park on Wednesday 4 November 1970.[4]

Club career

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John Cunningham joined Barrow in July 1970, his last match for Barrow was against Huddersfield at Craven Park on Friday 14 March 1975, he was transferred from Barrow to Hull Kingston Rovers for £6,000 on 17 July 1975 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £64,780 in 2013),[5] he suffered several knee injuries that limited his appearances for Hull Kingston Rovers, he was transferred from Hull Kingston Rovers to Workington Town for £18,000 in 1980 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £98,020 in 2013).[5]

Genealogical information

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John Cunningham is married to Julie, and is the uncle of the rugby league footballers, Liam Harrison and Ben Harrison.[6]

Outside of rugby league

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John Cunningham has been the landlord of; The Derby Hotel, 246–248 Dalton Road, Barrow-In-Furness; The Furness Hotel, 13 Bath St, Barrow-In-Furness which is now named Cunningham's after him; and The Old Bank, 107–109 Duke Street, Barrow-In-Furness.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "England Statistics at englandrl.co.uk". englandrl.co.uk. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Birth details at freebmd.org.uk". freebmd.org.uk. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Trio Inducted into Barrow RL Hall of Fame". nwemail.co.uk. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Measuring Worth – Relative Value of UK Pounds". Measuring Worth. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Profile at barrowrlfc.com". nwemail.co.uk. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
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