Sol Roper
English rugby league footballer and coach
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Roper (birth registered in the third quarter of 1936[1] – 14 October 2015), also known by the nickname of "Sol", was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s, and coached in the 1960s and 1970s.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Roper | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | third ¼ 1936 Whitehaven district, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 14 October 2015 (aged 79) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Scrum-half | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaching information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby League clubs
- Captained Hensingham A.R.L.F.C. (in Hensingham Whitehaven),[2]
- Workington Town,
- Broughton Moor A.R.L.F.C. (in Broughton Moor),
- Whitehaven R.L.F.C., as a scrum-half. After he stopped playing rugby league he coached at the club.[3][4]
Playing career
County honours
Sol Roper at representative level for the Cumberland rugby league team, whilst at Workington Town.
Challenge Cup Final appearances
Sol Roper played scrum-half, sustained a shoulder injury but returned to the field, in Workington Town's 12–21 defeat by Barrow in the 1954–55 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, London on Saturday 30 April 1955 in front of a crowd of 66,513, and was, at the age of 21 years, the youngest Wembley captain in Workington Town's 9–13 defeat by Wigan in the 1957–58 Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, on Saturday 10 May 1958.[5]