Mike Harrison (rugby union)
Birth name | Michael Edward Harrison | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 9 April 1956 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | QEGS, Wakefield | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation(s) | Banking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michael Edward Harrison (born 9 April 1956) in
He was educated at QEGS Wakefield and played for Yorkshire schools at under 16 and 19 levels and North East Schools against Australian schools.
He also won a schools athletics vest for Yorkshire as a sprinter and triple jumper and competed in the national schools championships.
He was involved in a serious car accident in 1975 and eye injuries prevented him playing rugby for more than two years.[2]
In 1978 he joined Wakefield RFC as a scrum half in the third team before moving to centre and finally right wing for the first team where he played in over 300 games.
He has played 53 times for Yorkshire between 1981[3] and 1996. He also represented the North of England against Fiji (1982) and Australia (1984).
Harrison made his England debut during the 1985 tour to New Zealand at the relatively advanced age of 29. England lost both tests, but Harrison scored a breakaway try in each to earn himself the nickname "Burglar Bill". Subsequently a local brewery named a drink "Burglar Bill" after him.[4]
By 1987, Harrison had become a regular fixture in the side, playing in 14 of the next 15 England matches, including all four games of the 1987
He kept the captaincy for the
Harrison played the first two games of the 1988
Mike Harrison currently works in banking and occasionally works as an expert summariser on the radio. Harrison is married to Marion with three children; Fiona, Anne and Simon.
Mike Harrison's International Record
1985 v
1985 v New Zealand (Wellington) L 42–15
1986 v Scotland (Murrayfield) L 33–6 (FN)
1986 v Ireland (Twickenham) W 25–20 (FN)
1986 v France (Paris) L 29–10 (FN)
1987 v Ireland (Dublin) L 17–0 (FN)
1987 v France (Twickenham) L 19–15 (FN)
1987 v Wales (Cardiff) L 19–12 (FN)
1987 v Scotland (Twickenham) W 21–12 (FN) (Captain)
1987 v
1987 v Japan (Sydney) W 60–7 (W. Cup) (Captain)
1987 v
1987 v Wales (Brisbane) L 16–3 (W. Cup) (Captain)
1988 v France](Paris) L 10–9 (FN) (Captain)
1988 v Wales (Twickenham) L 11–3 (FN) (Captain)
Career Record: P15, W4, L11 Test Points: 32 Tries: 8
References
- ^ "Michael Edward Harrison".
- ^ Bradford Star 9 May 1985
- ^ Barnsley Chronicle 6 November 1981
- ^ *Wakefield Rugby Football Club—1901–2001 A Centenary History. Written and compiled by David Ingall in 2001
- ^ "Rugby photographic encyclopedia & rugby union player/Hero images by sporting-heroes.net".
Sources
- Wakefield Rugby Football Club—1901–2001 A Centenary History. Written and compiled by David Ingall in 2001
- England v Ireland official match programme 1 March 1986
- Sporting Heroes.net
- Mike Harrison at ESPNscrum