Latest news with #StephenBoston
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Billy Boston, Trailblazing Rugby Player, Is Knighted
Billy Boston, the retired Welsh rugby star who was a trailblazing figure for Black professional athletes in Britain, was knighted by King Charles III in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Boston, 90, is widely considered one of the best to ever play rugby league, the faster, more free-flowing version of the game, with 13 players on a side rather than 15, as in rugby union. He spent most of his career with Wigan Warriors, where he notched 488 appearances from 1953 to 1968, and finished his career with a British record of 571 tries, the rugby equivalent of touchdowns in American football. He was the first Black player to represent Britain on its rugby league national team, on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1954. He scored 24 tries in 31 international appearances for Britain and played a pivotal role in Britain's Rugby League World Cup championship in 1960, scoring against Australia in the final. Boston, who revealed in 2016 that he had been diagnosed with vascular dementia, did not make a public statement about the knighthood. The BBC reported on Tuesday that his wife, Joan, said that his family was 'excited that everything he's done for the sport and for our community is being recognized.' His son Stephen, appearing with his father after the ceremony, said the knighthood was 'a long time coming' and 'should have been a lot sooner,' noting that his father was the first player in the 130-year history of rugby league to be knighted. Boston collected several major honors at Wigan, the team said on its website, and won the Challenge Cup, the oldest rugby league cup in the world, three times. Mike Danson, Wigan's current owner, said on the team's website that Boston's knighthood was a 'richly deserved honor.' 'Without doubt, Billy was a player who was — and still is — the biggest crowd favorite in rugby league,' he said. In Wigan's 1959 Challenge Cup victory against Hull, Boston scored two tries in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000 at Wembley Stadium. He was the most prolific try-scorer in the history of rugby league and 'an iconic figure in the history of British sport,' Tony Sutton, the league's chief executive, said in a statement Tuesday. Politicians in Northern England, where rugby league is most popular, had expressed frustration for years that a rugby league player had not received a knighthood, particularly given that several rugby union players had been given the honor. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain said on social media on Tuesday that it was 'a historic wrong' that it had taken so long for a rugby league player to receive a knighthood. Boston, he said, was 'a legend of the game who overcame prejudice to represent Great Britain and opened the door to a more diverse game.' 'The first knighthood in rugby league could not go to a more deserving player,' Starmer said.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Wigan star Sir Billy Boston becomes first rugby league player to receive a knighthood
'Trailblazing' rugby league star Sir Billy Boston's honour came 'a little bit late', his son said, as his father became a knight in a first for the sport. Sir Billy, who scored 478 tries in 488 matches for Wigan after making the switch from rugby union in 1953, was knighted by the King in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The 90-year-old, who was born in Wales, revealed in 2016 that he was living with vascular dementia. Speaking after his father was knighted, Sir Billy's son Stephen said: 'It's a really great honour. I think it has come a little bit late. It could have come a little bit earlier.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Rugby league star Sir Billy Boston's knighthood ‘a little bit late', says son
'Trailblazing' rugby league star Sir Billy Boston's honour came 'a little bit late', his son said, as his father became a knight in a first for the sport. Sir Billy, who scored 478 tries in 488 matches for Wigan after making the switch from rugby union in 1953, was knighted by the King in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. The 90-year-old, who was born in Wales, revealed in 2016 that he was living with vascular dementia. Speaking after his father was knighted, Sir Billy's son Stephen said: 'It's a really great honour. I think it has come a little bit late. It could have come a little bit earlier.' Sir Billy's knighthood was awarded before the latest round of honours has been publicly announced, amid concerns for his health. It comes after a campaign by local councillors, MPs and leading figures in the sport to get him honoured – and Sir Billy's family were supported by Josh Simons, the MP for Wakerfield, near Wigan, at the event. 'It should have been a lot, a lot sooner,' Sir Billy's son told the PA news agency. '130 years before a rugby league player got knighted. 'We're all really appreciative, and very appreciative of all the support we've got from Wigan, the rugby league club, the local MP and all the fans.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was an 'historic wrong' that no rugby league player had been knighted before. He said: 'Billy Boston is a true trailblazer who has contributed hugely to rugby league. It is a historic wrong that a sport which is the backbone of so many communities has waited so long to receive this honour. 'Boston is a legend of the game who overcame prejudice to represent Great Britain and opened the door to a more diverse game. 'He's left a truly enduring legacy and the first knighthood in rugby league could not go to a more deserving player.' It is understood the Prime Minister has written to Sir Billy to congratulate him on the honour. In 1954, he made history as the first non-white player to be selected for a Great Britain rugby league Lions tour, scoring 36 tries in 18 appearances around Australia and New Zealand, including a then-record four in one match against the Kiwis. He made two more Lions tours in 1958 and 1962 and ended with 24 tries in 31 Test appearances for Great Britain.
