Chris Arkwright

Christopher Arkwright (born 8 February 1959) is an English former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Lancashire, and at club level for St Helens as a centre, stand-off or loose forward.

Chris Arkwright

Personal information
Full name	Christopher Arkwright
Born	(1959-02-08) 8 February 1959 (age 65) St. Helens, England
Playing information
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	13 st 9 lb (87 kg)
Position	Centre, Stand-off, Loose forward
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1978–90 St Helens 273 90 0 0 322 1990–92 Runcorn Highfield Total 273 90 0 0 322 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1979–87 Lancashire 4 1 0 0 3 1982 Great Britain U24 1 0 3 0 6 1984 England 1 0 0 0 0 1985 Great Britain 2 0 0 0 0
Coaching information
Club Years Team Gms W D L W% 1991 Runcorn Highfield 1994–95 Highfield Total 0 0 0 0
Source: ^[1]^[2]

Playing career

St Helens

Arkwright played centre in St. Helens 0–16 defeat by Warrington in the 1982–83 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1982–83 season at Central Park, Wigan on 23 October 1982, and played stand-off in the 28–16 victory over Wigan in the 1984–85 Lancashire Cup Final during the 1984–85 season at Central Park, Wigan on Sunday 28 October 1984.

Arkwright played loose forward, and was captain in St Helens' 18–19 defeat by Halifax in the 1986–87 Challenge Cup Final during the 1986–87 season at Wembley Stadium, London on 2 May 1987.

Arkwright missed most of the 1988–89 season due to injury. He required a knee operation towards the end of the 1987–88 season,^[3] and suffered an injury to his other knee during his recovery while playing for the reserve team.^[4]

Runcorn Highfield

Arkwright was signed by Runcorn Highfield in October 1990. The transfer fee was set by a tribunal, with Runcorn paying Saints an initial £4,000, plus an additional £2,000 based on future appearances for the club.^[5]

In April 1991, he was appointed as player-coach at the club,^[6] but quit the role a few months later. He returned to the club (now known as Highfield) as a player in December 1991.^[7]

He took charge for a second spell as coach in 1994.^[8] He resigned at the end of the 1994–95 season.^[9]

International honours

Arkwright won a cap for England while at St Helens in 1984 against Wales (sub), and won caps for Great Britain while at St Helens in 1985 against New Zealand (sub) (2 matches).

Personal life

Arkwright is the son of the St Helens and Warrington prop of the 1960s, John Arkwright, Jr.[1], and the grandson of the rugby league footballer, John "Jack" Arkwright.

References

1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
2. "Player Summary: Chris Arkwright". Rugby League Records. Rugby League Record Keepers Club. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
3. "Knee op rules out Saints star". Liverpool Echo. 4 May 1988. p. 42 – via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "Chris laid low again". Liverpool Echo. 7 December 1988. p. 47 – via British Newspaper Archive.
5. Woodhead, Les (10 November 1990). "St Arkwright Costs £6,000". Liverpool Echo. p. 35 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Arky's job". Liverpool Echo. 25 April 1991. p. 70 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Sport in brief". Liverpool Echo. 17 December 1991. p. 34 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "The party poopers". Liverpool Echo. 24 September 1994. p. 39 – via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Widnes eye up prop Neill". Liverpool Echo. 15 July 1995. p. 39 – via British Newspaper Archive.

External links

• Profile at saints.org.uk