Vowles Harry

 

Player Harry Vowles

Harry J Vowles

Position: Scrum Half

Born: Bath

Height:

Weight:

Education: East Twerton School

Achievements: Club Captain 1923/24

Honours: England Schools, Somerset County XV (20 appearances)

Debut game: 16th December 1911 v Portsmouth

Final game: 6th February 1926 v Royal Air Force

Number of Appearances: 236

Career details:

Harry started rugby football at East Twerton School in 1904 and remained as a scrum half throughout his playing career. He was first reserve for England in the Schoolboys International against Wales in 1905 and was given his cap the following season.

At the age of 16 Harry joined Bath and was selected to play for Bath “A”, remaining a regular player from 1908 to 1911 when he was promoted to the 1^st XV, playing regularly until 1914.

Harry was awarded his Club cap in 1913-1914

Harry joined up and served in France for 4 years with the London Territorials. Demobilised in 1919 he rejoined the Club and played every season, becoming captain in 1923. He was capped for Somerset in 1920 and played in every County match until 1924 – with one exception, Cornwall in 1920/21.

Harry was a worthy successor to Billy Fear. He was short in stature but strongly built and would emerge from the toughest loose mauls quite unperturbed. A great attacking scrum half with a safe pair of hands, sending out long beautiful passes to his fly half and, in addition, able to drop goals and convert tries from almost every angle. His partnership with S G U Considine was renowned. They had a perfect understanding and were undoubtedly very unfortunate to be contemporaries of the famous England halves, Davies and Kershaw. But for that fact Vowles and Considine, in the opinion of well known judges of the game, would have obtained international honours as a pair.

Harry retired from the game at the end of the 1924/25 season. He was injured in a motor accident, otherwise his great knowledge of the game would have been invaluable as a coach.

At the end of his captaincy season 1922/23 he was presented with a beautifully bound volume of Club Programmes by the Bath Rugby Supporters Club.

His grandson by his daughter Molly (wife of Peter Hall) is Jon Hall (see Player Profile)