title: Billy Lynch (rugby league)
text: # Billy Lynch (rugby league)
  
  William J. Lynch (birth unknown – death unknown), also listed as Billie Lynch, was a professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s and 1910s. He played at representative level for England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity (Heritage № 171), as a wing, or centre, i.e. number 2 or 5, or, 3 or 4.
  
  ## Playing career
  
  ### International honours
  
  Billy Lynch won a cap for England while at Wakefield Trinity in 1910 against Wales.
  
  ### County honours
  
  Billy Lynch won cap(s) for Yorkshire while at Wakefield Trinity.
  
  ### Challenge Cup Final appearances
  
  Billy Lynch played right-centre, i.e. number 3, in Wakefield Trinity's 17-0 victory over Hull F.C. in the 1909 Challenge Cup Final during the 1908–09 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Tuesday 20 April 1909, in front of a crowd of 23,587. and played right-centre in the 0-6 defeat by Hull F.C. in the 1914 Challenge Cup Final during the 1913–14 season at Thrum Hall, Halifax, in front of a crowd of 19,000.
  
  ### County Cup Final appearances
  
  Billy Lynch played right-centre, i.e. number 3, in Wakefield Trinity's 8-2 victory over Huddersfield in the 1910 Yorkshire County Cup Final during the 1910–11 season at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds on Saturday 3 December 1910.
  
  ### Notable tour matches
  
  Billy Lynch played right-centre, i.e. number 3, and scored the try in Wakefield Trinity's 5-5 draw with New Zealand in the tour match at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Wednesday 23 October 1907, and played centre in the 20-13 victory over Australia in the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain match at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Saturday 19 December 1908.
  
  ### Club career
  
  Billy Lynch made his début for Wakefield Trinity during September 1907, he appears to have scored no drop-goals (or field-goals as they are currently known in Australasia), but prior to the 1974–75 season all goals, whether; conversions, penalties, or drop-goals, scored 2-points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented, therefore '0' drop-goals may indicate drop-goals not recorded, rather than no drop-goals scored. In addition, prior to the 1949–50 season, the archaic field-goal was also still a valid means of scoring points.
  
  ## Testimonial match
  
  Billy Lynch's Testimonial match at Wakefield Trinity was joint testimonial for; Arthur Burton, Arthur Kenealy "Nealy" Crosland, William "Billy" Lynch, and Thomas "Tommy" Poynton, and took place against Yorkshire at Belle Vue, Wakefield on Wednesday 27 April 1922.
  
  ## Outside of rugby league
  
  Billy Lynch was the landlord of the Windmill Inn, Doncaster Road, Foulby, and on 22 March 1916 he arranged a rugby league match for the benefit of Leonard Hewitt (birth registered fourth ¼ 1883 in Hemsworth district - death registered first ¼ 1917 (aged 33) in Hemsworth district) who had been incapacitated while in training with His Majesty's forces. The teams were captained by Billy Batten, and Billy Lynch.
  
  | W. Batten's Team | W. Lynch's Team |
  | - | - |
  | Selected from | Selected from |
  | Fullbacks | Fullbacks |
  | Leonard Land (Wakefield Trinity) | G. Haycox (Leeds) |
  | | xCharles Smith, Jr. (Wakefield Trinity) |
  | three-quarter backs | three-quarter backs |
  | Albert Rosenfeld (Huddersfield & New Zealand (sic)) | Edgar Wooley (Wakefield Trinity) |
  | Harold Wagstaff (Huddersfield & England captain) | Billy Lynch (Wakefield Trinity) |
  | Billy Batten (Hull F.C. & England captain) | Tommy Poynton (Wakefield Trinity) |
  | Buff Lord (Hull Kingston Rovers) | L. Farrar (Dewsbury) |
  | Jim Devereux (Hull F.C. & Australia) | Joe Lyman (Dewsbury) |
  | | F. Cockerham (Dewsbury) |
  | Half backs | Half backs |
  | Walter Hammond (Wakefield Trinity) | Jonty Parkin (Wakefield Trinity) |
  | E. Chapman (Bramley) | L. Turton (Bramley) |
  | Sid Dean(e)(sic) (Hull F.C. & Australia) | Thomas Newbould (Wakefield Trinity & England) |
  | Forwards | Forwards |
  | John Higson (Huddersfield & England) | Fred Webster (Leeds) |
  | Jack Chilcott (Huddersfield & Wales) | Fred Carter (Leeds) |
  | Herbert Banks (Huddersfield & Yorkshire) | H. Unsworth (Dewsbury) |
  | E. Parker (Dewsbury) | Herbert Kershaw (Wakefield Trinity & England) |
  | P. Quinn (Hunslet) | Arthur Burton (Wakefield Trinity & Yorkshire) |
  | Bill Jukes (Hunslet & England captain) | William "Billy" Sherwood (Halifax) |
  | E. Bloomer (York) | ?. Goodwood (Leeds) |
  