Alan Hardman
Alan Hardman (born 19 May 1937) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. An England international representative fullback, he played club football in England for St. Helens prior to carrying out his National Service in the British Army.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alan Hardman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 May 1937 St. Helens, Lancashire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15 st 7 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Background
His younger brother was the Sidecar Racer, and former Isle of Man TT winner, Colin Hardman.
Playing career
Alan Hardman was born in St. Helens, Lancashire, England. After playing amateur rugby he turned professional, signing with his home-town club, St. Helens in 1952. A contemporary of such players as Joe Ball and Glyn Moses, Hardman made his solitary appearance for England in 1956 against Australia. Like so many of his generation, Alan Hardman's professional rugby career was put on hold due to his requirement to undertake his National Service, his final appearance for St. Helens being a particularly bruising encounter with Wigan. Competing against players of such reputation as Billy Boston and John Barton, the hotly contested match left Hardman with two broken ribs and a broken nose.
Army Service
Hardman commenced his National Service in 1956. He joined the 7th Queen's Own Hussars, being part of the force tasked with containing the 1956 Hong Kong Riots. During his National Service he also represented his regiment on the rugby field.
Subsequent career
Returning to St. Helens following his time in the army, he re-joined the club subsequently being sent out on loan to Liverpool Stanley. Alan Hardman retired from rugby in 1971 prior to him and his family emigrating to Australia.
Australia
Together with his wife Val and three children, Hardman moved to Australia in 1971. The family settled in Adelaide with Hardman taking a job with the Public Building Dept. of the Government of South Australia. Now in his retirement, he and his wife continue to live in Adelaide where they are involved in numerous community activities.
References
External links
- Saints Heritage Society profile
- rl1908.com 1956 Kangaroo tour
- (archived by web.archive.org) Rugby League Records
- (archived by web.archive.org) All the rugby league tables since 1895
- Runcorn Highfield RLFC
- Remember Runcorn Highfield on Facebook
Sources
- Brocken, Mike (2008). Liverpool City RLFC: Rugby league in a football city. London League Publications Ltd. ISBN 978-1-903659-40-3.