Tom Clapp
| Birth name | Thomas John Sercombe Clapp Monmouth School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Occupation(s) | Articled clerk Fruit farmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tom Clapp (25 October 1858 – 15 October 1933) was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Newport and Nantyglo RFC. He won 14 caps for Wales and captained the team on three occasions. Clapp was the first Newport player to captain Wales.
Rugby career
Born in Portman Square, Marylebone, London, but raised in Somerset,[3] Clapp's family moved to Nantyglo when he was still in his youth. Clapp would play his early rugby for Blaina before moving to Nantyglo RFC. In 1883 he moved to first class team Newport and Clapp made an impression on the club as in the 1884/85 and the 1885/86 seasons he was made team captain. In May 1888 Clapp left Welsh rugby behind and emigrated to the United States of America following his brother David who left a year earlier. In 1920 both brothers were citrus fruit farmers in California.
International career
Clapp gained his first cap in
International matches played
Wales[4]
England 1883, 1884, 1885, 1887
Ireland 1882, 1884, 1887, 1888
Scotland 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888
Bibliography
- Parry-Jones, David (1999). Prince Gwyn, Gwyn Nicholls and the First Golden Era of Welsh Rugby. Bridgend: seren. ISBN 1-85411-262-7.
- Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0766-3.
References
- ^ Newport RFC player profile Archived 17 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ WRU player profiles
- ^ Parry-Jones (1999), pg 36.
- ^ Smith (1980), pg 464.