Reply With QuoteI can remember watching him play on Saturday afternoons on the BBC sports programme along with the scrambling etcOriginally Posted by The Alien
As you say how he never played for Cardiff RFC and Wales egg was an absolute disgrace
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I can't say I've ever heard of him but what a legend he was.
It pisses me off to think that he was overlooked by Cardiff because of the colour of his skin.
Thank god we live in a different era these days.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/38206765
I can remember watching him play on Saturday afternoons on the BBC sports programme along with the scrambling etc
As you say how he never played for Cardiff RFC and Wales egg was an absolute disgrace
Last edited by Llanedeyrnblue; 06-12-16 at 08:53.
I met Billy, his nephew used to work the doors in town and we got to spend some time with Billy when he brought him out for a drink one day.
On the colour thing, well I've heard different opinions on that, my old man was training with Cardiff at the time and he always said that because they had Jack Matthews that was the reason they didn't need to sign Billy.
Good article that.
I'd heard his name mentioned on a number occasions in conversation how good the local boy was but didn't appreciate just how much he was loved up north, a bronze statue is impressive.
Channel View leisure centre used to have a function room named after him,thats the only reason i know the name.
Pubs in Wigan are full of his photos
If that was Cardiff's reason how no other local teams of the day wanted him such as say Newport, Glamorgan Wanderers etc is a
bit of a mystery to me
Yet another legend from tigerbay:)
I didn't know billy personally, did see him at many funerals but knew his sister pati very well, when we were kids she was a local sweet seller ( from her home) and her toffee dabs and ice jubilees were the best around
He's worshipped in wigan.
He played for Pontypridd but didn't stay for long.If that was Cardiff's reason how no other local teams of the day wanted him such as say Newport, Glamorgan Wanderers etc is a
bit of a mystery to me
the guy is a legend in Wigan and in rugby league in general, touted as thier greatest ever play which is quite some going when you consider the legends they have had
571 tries in 562 matches. Fecking incredible when you think about it.
Would his nephew be Mark by any chance?
I remember when I was in Junior school and the Canadian rugby union team were touring Wales (circa '71 I think). Our teacher asked us to cut out any newspaper articles and photos that we could find of the touring Canadian team; the idea was that we were going to make a scrapbook and present it to them at the Angel Hotel ... I brought in a load of colour photos taken from a rugby LEAGUE book that I had at home (goodness knows why I had it), most of those were of Billy Boston in Wigan colours. Needless to say, they weren't included in the scrapbook!
...however, his name stuck with me ever since.
I can't remember his first name, it was years ago.Would his nephew be Mark by any chance?
I remember when I was in Junior school and the Canadian rugby union team were touring Wales (circa '71 I think). Our teacher asked us to cut out any newspaper articles and photos that we could find of the touring Canadian team; the idea was that we were going to make a scrapbook and present it to them at the Angel Hotel ... I brought in a load of colour photos taken from a rugby LEAGUE book that I had at home (goodness knows why I had it), most of those were of Billy Boston in Wigan colours. Needless to say, they weren't included in the scrapbook!
...however, his name stuck with me ever since.
The late Clive Sullivan, another winger from Cardiff who went on to do great things in Rugby League, is more my vintage, but I can just about remember Billy Boston. Whether it was the fact Eddie Waring kept on saying he was from Cardiff or whether it was that he was so good I'm not sure, but, apart from Don Fox, whose missed conversion from in front of the posts meant that his Wakefield team lost the Challenge Cup Final to Leeds, he's just about the only name that I can remember in rugby league from that era.
Shocking if it was his colour that stopped Cardiff selecting him, but it does seem odd that he played so few rugby union matches in South Wales - would I be right in thinking that Carl Smith, who played in the back row in the 70s, was the first black player to turn out for Cardiff RFC?
Apologies as slightly off topic but I came across and bought a book on Amazon recently all about Cardiff Sporting Legends. I was actually looking for a book on the social history of the city but this popped up as an alternative. Boston features as do many other greats and much lesser known but in their own way influential. Well worth purchasing imho
What's it called Major?
Was it Cardiff Sporting Greats?
Last edited by Llanedeyrnblue; 06-12-16 at 13:55.
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Clive Sullivan is another one virtually ignored by his home town. I belive they named a road after him in Hull. Think he's Nathan Blakes uncle as well?
http://www.hullwebs.co.uk/content/l-...e-sullivan.htm
George Fairbairn I remember from the Rugby League on BBC Saturday afternoons.
Big Jim Mills was another...right hard b*stard he was.
I do seem to remember, if i am not mistaken, the latter was a Welshman too.
Oh and another just popped into my head.. Green Vigo who, like Boston, I'm sure was of mixed race.
Amazing what pops into your head from all those years ago and you can't remember last week!
Yes Jim Mills was from Aberdare, giant of a man in that era, 6ft 4in and 18 stone
Cardiff Sporting Greats by Andrew Hignell and Gwyn Prescott.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6N8ouRsfos
Green Vigo, I remember him now you mention it - how could I have forgotten a name like that?
A few others spring to mind now, Bev Risman I think it was, Sid Hines (who I believe got sent off in a Final at Wembley) and there was a hooker at Widnes I remember - name of Elwell, I think his first name was Keith, but I', mot sure because Eddie Waring always called him "the ubiquitos Elwell".
There was also David Watkins at Salford of course, they used to think the world of him up there.
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