W H Taylor

W. H. Taylor

played 1890 to 1904

By Malc King

W H Taylor was a threequarter, who played for Gloucester from 1890 to 1904, and was captain from 1896 to 1900. During the 4 seasons of his captaincy, Gloucester played 132 matches, won 92, lost 26 and drew 14, scoring 1292 points against 477 conceded. This caused his Gloucester team to earn the title "record smashers". Perhaps their greatest win was the 1896/7 defeat of Llanelly, who were then unbeaten.  

W H was selected for his first match for the first team on 1st November 1890 against Penarth, his case for inclusion strengthened by scoring 3 tries for the second team the previous week. He was renowned for his great speed, and soon seized an opportunity to display this talent. At the start against Penarth, Gloucester won the ball from a scrum, it was passed out to W H, who took the ball in his stride, and showed an astonishing turn of speed as he set off from the halfway line and ran right round the Penarth team to score the decisive try - it was converted and Gloucester won the match 5-0. At the end of the match, spectators carried Taylor shoulder high from the field.  

This was far from the only occasion on which he earned this adulation from Gloucester supporters. Reminiscing at age 80, W H said: "In Northgate Street, Gloucester, we had just returned from beating Llanelly away in 1898. What a welcome we were given - the first English club to beat all 4 Welsh teams (Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Llanelly) in one season. There were thousands of people at the station. Somebody snatched my bag - it turned up next week at Kingsholm with all my kit washed and ironed - and they chaired us through the city. In all the big houses they were showing coloured lights and letting off fireworks. Those were wonderful days I should like to see them all again."  

Other highlights of his Gloucester career were: early on, scoring a try in the famous win by 1 goal and 1 try to nil over Swansea in January 1891 - this match was only played after salt was applied to the pitch to thaw it, which caused so much damage to the playing surface that the club were asked to leave the Spa, which put in train the events which led to Gloucester moving to Kingsholm; and late on, during his last season as captain, a win at the Rectory Field over a Blackheath side containing five internationals.  

Taylor's talents were appreciated across the country, and a Northern Union club tried to poach him with an offer of employment, but he remained loyal to Gloucester.