Ike Southward was born in Maryport, Cumberland, and came from a family of accomplished rugby players
Playing career
International honours
Ike Southward won caps for Great Britain while at Workington Town in 1958 against Australia (3 matches) and New Zealand, while at Oldham in 1959 against France (2 matches), and Australia (2 matches), and in 1960 against France (2 matches), and New Zealand.[1]
Ike Southward also represented Great Britain while at Workington Town in 1956 against France (1 non-Test match).[4]
Four Workington players were selected for the 1958 tour of Australia, and New Zealand; Harry Archer, Brian Edgar, Ike Southward and Bill Wookey (later of Barrow).
Oldham paid Workington Town a straight cash world-record transfer fee of £10,065 for Ike Southward at the start of the 1959–60 Northern Rugby Football League season (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £465,100 in 2013),[6] Workington Town then paid Oldham a straight cash world-record transfer fee of £11,002 10s 0d for Ike Southward during the 1960–61 Northern Rugby Football League season (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £499,300 in 2013),[6] this was £2 10s 0d more than St. Helens had recently paid Wigan for Mick Sullivan.
Career records
Ike Southward holds Workington Town's "Tries in a Career" record (with 274-tries between 1951 and 1968), "Tries in a Match" record (with 7-tries against Blackpool Borough in 1955), and "Consecutive matches in which tries were scored" record (with 10-tries from April to May 1958).[7]
Death and legacy
Southward died on 6 June 2006, aged 71.[8] In December 2006, Whitehaven and Workington Town held a memorial match in tribute to Southward,[9] which later became an annual fixture between the two clubs for the Ike Southward Memorial Trophy.[10]
