MEN'S LEAGUE	32	53	59	66	70	71	75	96	99	00	02	06	14	19	20	21	22	MEN'S WORLD CLUB	01	07	23
MEN'S CHALLENGE CUPS	56	61	66	72	76	96	97	01	04	06	07	08	21					WOMEN'S MATCHES	21	21

Bill Garner
OVERALL STATISTICS
BIRTH	AGE	SIGNED ON	FROM
17-08-1913	N/A	31-01-1938	St Helens Local Leagues
DEBUT		LAST MATCH	LEFT
30-04-1938 v Rochdale Hornets		Dewsbury	1942- when he Retired
CAREER			APPEARANCES (SUBS)
1937-1941			24 (0)
TRIES	GOALS	DGOALS	PTS
6	0	0	18

Biography of Bill Garner
HERITAGE NO : 481 Bill Garner by SHS It is potentially confusing to have had, at one stage, two players on the flanks at Saints both called Garner [no relation!] playing on the flanks during the same era, but we believe that any anomalies have now been sorted out successfully. It appears that Bill was going to make his debut for the seniors in the cauldron of Central Park on Boxing Day 1937, but it was not to be. Another Garner, Les, essentially a [fast] front or second-row forward was once again selected and young Bill had to wait until the game against Rochdale Hornets, at Knowsley Road, on 30th April 1938, for his chance. In fact, Bill was quite powerful and fast himself and was considered to be a fine prospect at the club. Recorder in the St. Helens Reporter gave him a fair write up: 'If young Garner had been a little more experienced and looked inside for the ever-alert Fearnley, near the end of the game, he would have sent him in for a try under the posts. On this occasion Garner tried to sell a dummy to his opposite winger and then tried actually to swerve outside on the touch line side. It very nearly came off, too ' on the strength of its audacity ' but it was a mistake all the same. Garner should have played at Wigan on Good Friday, but Powell decided at the last minute to play and deprived him of a chance to show his paces in good company. The company wasn't so 'class' versus Rochdale and his winger was neither fast enough nor clever enough to hold him. He failed to get enough work to show his power to score and especially his power to sidestep. This is rather exceptional, for his try he took an inside pass and swerved and side-stepped his way past half a dozen players to land under the posts'. Bill's career, like so many, was interrupted by the outbreak of war and his appearances at that time were spasmodic. His last game was at Dewsbury, on 26th September 1942, when he was right wing, with the great Jimmy Stott as his centre. Saints lost 17-26, which was no disaster against Eddie Waring's 'all-star' team of the time! The Player Register has Bill living in Waterdale Crescent in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Bill died in Eccleston Nursing Home, Holme Road, St Helens on January 31st 1995 at the age of 81. If anyone has any further information about Bill's rugby career, please feel free to contact us. There is a W. Garner playing for Featherstone Rovers in the latter stages of the war [1944-45]. Fast forward to 1974 and Bill was now Headteacher at Rivington Road Comprehensive School. The school has always had strong links with St Helens RFC and it was no surprise to learn that Bill could count on the expertise of legendary Saint John Mantle in the Physical Education Department. Bill passed away on 31 January 1995 aged 81.

Biography of Bill Garner

HERITAGE NO : 481

Bill Garner by SHS

It is potentially confusing to have had, at one stage, two players on the flanks at Saints both called Garner [no relation!] playing on the flanks during the same era, but we believe that any anomalies have now been sorted out successfully. It appears that Bill was going to make his debut for the seniors in the cauldron of Central Park on Boxing Day 1937, but it was not to be. Another Garner, Les, essentially a [fast] front or second-row forward was once again selected and young Bill had to wait until the game against Rochdale Hornets, at Knowsley Road, on 30th April 1938, for his chance. In fact, Bill was quite powerful and fast himself and was considered to be a fine prospect at the club. Recorder in the St. Helens Reporter gave him a fair write up: 'If young Garner had been a little more experienced and looked inside for the ever-alert Fearnley, near the end of the game, he would have sent him in for a try under the posts. On this occasion Garner tried to sell a dummy to his opposite winger and then tried actually to swerve outside on the touch line side. It very nearly came off, too ' on the strength of its audacity ' but it was a mistake all the same. Garner should have played at Wigan on Good Friday, but Powell decided at the last minute to play and deprived him of a chance to show his paces in good company. The company wasn't so 'class' versus Rochdale and his winger was neither fast enough nor clever enough to hold him. He failed to get enough work to show his power to score and especially his power to sidestep. This is rather exceptional, for his try he took an inside pass and swerved and side-stepped his way past half a dozen players to land under the posts'.

Bill's career, like so many, was interrupted by the outbreak of war and his appearances at that time were spasmodic. His last game was at Dewsbury, on 26th September 1942, when he was right wing, with the great Jimmy Stott as his centre. Saints lost 17-26, which was no disaster against Eddie Waring's 'all-star' team of the time!

The Player Register has Bill living in Waterdale Crescent in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Bill died in Eccleston Nursing Home, Holme Road, St Helens on January 31st 1995 at the age of 81. If anyone has any further information about Bill's rugby career, please feel free to contact us. There is a W. Garner playing for Featherstone Rovers in the latter stages of the war [1944-45]. Fast forward to 1974 and Bill was now Headteacher at Rivington Road Comprehensive School. The school has always had strong links with St Helens RFC and it was no surprise to learn that Bill could count on the expertise of legendary Saint John Mantle in the Physical Education Department.

Bill passed away on 31 January 1995 aged 81.

SEASON STATISTICS
Season (Official Matches)	Tries	Goals	DGoals	Matches
1937~38	1	0	0	1
1938~39	1	0	0	11
1939~40	4	0	0	10
1941~42	0	0	0	1
1942~43	0	0	0	1
TOTALS:	6	0	0	24
Season (Other Matches)	Tries	Goals	DGoals	Matches
TOTALS:

ALL MATCHES

Date	Match		Pos	Opponents	Comp	Venue	FT	FTO	T
30th Apr 1938	1	W	2	Rochdale Hornets	L	H	36	13	1	VIEW
27th Aug 1938	2	L	2	Widnes	L	A	0	29		VIEW
31st Aug 1938	3	L	2	Warrington	L	H	7	20		VIEW
17th Sep 1938	4	L	2	Barrow	L	A	2	23		VIEW
24th Sep 1938	5	W	2	Hull Kingston Rovers	L	H	11	8		VIEW
28th Sep 1938	6	W	2	Keighley	L	H	23	0	1	VIEW
1st Oct 1938	7	W	2	Swinton	L	A	10	3		VIEW
8th Oct 1938	8	L	2	Liverpool Stanley	L	H	7	9		VIEW
29th Oct 1938	9	L	2	Hull Kingston Rovers	L	A	5	15		VIEW
2nd Jan 1939	10	W	5	St. Helens Recs	L	A	5	3		VIEW
14th Jan 1939	11	L	2	Salford	L	A	0	37		VIEW
21st Jan 1939	12	L	2	Salford	L	H	5	32		VIEW
2nd Mar 1940	13	W	5	Broughton Rangers	LC1 (1)	H	26	7	1	VIEW
9th Mar 1940	14	L	5	Broughton Rangers	LC1 (2)	A	3	10		VIEW
22nd Mar 1940	15	L	5	Wigan	WEL	A	0	6		VIEW
23rd Mar 1940	16	W	5	Leigh	WEL	H	11	5	1	VIEW
29th Mar 1940	17	W	2	Wigan	LC2 (2)	H	10	4	1	VIEW
13th Apr 1940	18	L	5	Widnes	LCSF (2)	A	0	13		VIEW
20th Apr 1940	19	L	5	Barrow	WEL	A	15	17		VIEW
27th Apr 1940	20	W	5	Leigh	WEL	A	16	5		VIEW
4th May 1940	21	W	5	Oldham	WEL	H	12	5	1	VIEW
18th May 1940	22	L	5	Widnes	WEL	H	11	20		VIEW
13th Sep 1941	23	W	5	Hull	WEL	H	11	10		VIEW
26th Sep 1942	24	L	2	Dewsbury	WEL	A	17	26		VIEW

*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.

WINS : 11 \| LOSSES : 13 \| DRAWS :

GALLERY

THIS PAGE LINK : http://saints.org.uk/saints/player.php?num=15371

Bill Garner

OVERALL STATISTICS

Biography of Bill Garner

SEASON STATISTICS

ALL MATCHES

GALLERY