{{short description|Scotland international rugby union player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox rugby biography | name = William Halliday Welsh | image = | caption = | birth_name = William Halliday Welsh | birth_date = {{Birth date |1879|09|04|df=y}} | birth_place = Edinburgh, Scotland | death_date = {{Death date and age |1972|06|30|1879|09|04|df=y}} | death_place = | height = {{height|ft=5|in=10}} | weight = {{convert|75|kg|stlb lb|0|abbr=on}} | position = Wing | amatyears1 = | amatteam1 = Edinburgh University | amatteam2 = Merchistonians | ru_amclubcaps = | ru_amclubpoints = | ru_amupdate = | provinceyears1 = 1900 | provinceyears2 = 1901 | province1 = Edinburgh District | province2 = Cities District | provinceapps1 = | provincepoints1 = | repteam1 = Scotland | repyears1 = 1900–02 | repcaps1 = 8 | reppoints1 = 12 | ru_ntupdate = | coachteams1 = | coachyears1 = | ru_coachupdate = | refereeyears1 = | refereecomps1 = | refereeapps1 = | ru_refereeupdate = | module2 = {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes | office = President of the Scottish Rugby Union | term_start = 1938 | term_end = 1939 | predecessor = Alfred Lawrie | successor = Patrick Munro | prior_term = | order = 58th }} }} '''Dr. William Halliday Welsh''' (4 September 1879 – 30 June1972) was a Scottish international rugby union player. He became the 58th President of the Scottish Rugby Union.<ref name="espn">{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/scotland/rugby/player/1431.html|title=William Welsh | Rugby Union | Players and Officials|website=ESPN Scrum|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
==Rugby Union career==
===Amateur career===
Welsh played for Edinburgh University.<ref>The Essential History of Rugby UNion:Scotland. Nick Oswald and John Griffiths. Headline Publishing. 2003</ref> He was part of a famous University back line in 1901–02 season: Alec Boswell Timms, James Barnett Allison (of Ireland), and Alfred Fell together with Welsh and Alexander William Duncan at Full Back. The half back pairing of Ernest Simson and Frank Fasson completed the international line-up of backs.<ref name="britishnewspaperarchive">{{cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001853/19531007/067/0052|title=Register|website=British Newspaper Archive|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
For 4 straight seasons, the Edinburgh University side had won the Scottish Unofficial Championship from 1899 to 1903, albeit in 3 of those seasons they shared the title with Edinburgh Academicals and Hawick (1899–1900), Watsonians (1901–02), and Glasgow Academicals (1902–03). The 1900–01 season championship was won outright by the University.
He also played for Merchistonians.<ref name="britishnewspaperarchive2">{{cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19500527/224/0008|title=Register|website=British Newspaper Archive|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
===Provincial career===
He played for Edinburgh District in 1900.<ref name="google">{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19001203&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald – Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
He played for the Cities District in 1901.<ref name="britishnewspaperarchive3">{{cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001876/19010114/044/0003|title=Register|website=British Newspaper Archive|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
===International career===
He was capped 8 times for Scotland in the period 1900–02.<ref name="espn2">{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/statsguru/rugby/player/1431.html?class=1;template=results;type=player;view=match|title=Rugby Union – ESPN Scrum – Statsguru – Player analysis – William Welsh – Test matches|website=en.espn.co.uk|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
''The Scottish Referee'' included this biography of Welsh in the buildup to the Scotland versus Wales match in 1901: '[Welsh] is one of the best athletes Merchiston and Scotland have produced. Three-Quarter mile champion of Scotland and at present the holder of all three short distance championships. One of the fastest men who ever played for Scotland, perhaps only equalled by W. A. Peterkin and George Campbell Lindsay. A splendid tackler, and a fine kicker with either foot. A strong, determined runner, but a little lacking in dodging ability. Combines splendidly with Alec Boswell Timms. Capped against Ireland and England last year. Saved Scotland last year from defeat by England by his great tackling of William Bunting and Forrest when clean away.'<ref name="britishnewspaperarchive4">{{cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001876/19010208/042/0003|title=Register|website=British Newspaper Archive|accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
===Administrative career===
He was President of the Scottish Rugby Union for the period 1938 to 1939.<ref name="amazonaws">{{cite web|url=https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/sru-files/files/SR_RR1819_digital.pdf|date=2018-08-16|title=Scottish Rugby Record 2018/19 |accessdate=2020-04-01}}</ref>
After being President, Welsh was elected as a Special Representative on the board of the SRU.<ref name="britishnewspaperarchive2"/>
==References== {{reflist|1}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh, William Halliday}} Category:1879 births Category:1972 deaths Category:Rugby union players from Edinburgh Category:Scottish rugby union players Category:Scotland international rugby union players Category:Edinburgh District (rugby union) players Category:Merchistonian FC players Category:Cities District players Category:Edinburgh University RFC players Category:Presidents of the Scottish Rugby Union Category:Rugby union wings