Ben Edwards (rugby union)
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| Full name | Benjamin Oswald Edwards | ||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 29 May 1923 Sudbrook, Wales | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2 September 1978 (aged 55) Cheltenham, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Benjamin Oswald Edwards (29 May 1923 — 2 September 1978) was a Welsh international rugby union player.
Edwards grew up in the village of Sudbrook and was mainly a soccer player in his youth, until being invited to try out with Newport RFC during the war.[1] He became a lock forward and developed a reputation for his long range place kicks, which included a successful 64-yard effort in a match for Newport.[2]
In 1951, Edwards received his solitary Wales cap, during a season in which he set a new Newport points-scoring record. He played the fixture against Ireland in Cardiff and kicked a penalty from just inside the halfway line to open the scoring, with the match finishing in a 3–3 draw. Edward's penalty prevented Ireland from achieving the grand slam.[3]
Edwards ended his rugby career at Ebbw Vale and later settled in Gloucestershire, where he was employed by Imperial Chemical Industries.[4] He volunteered as chairman of his local Outward Bound branch, for which he was awarded an MBE in the 1978 Birthday Honours during the final months of his life.[5]