James Owen of Penrhos

and his descendants
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Hugh Morgan-Owen (1882 - 1953)

Hugh Morgan-Owen The fourth child of Timothy Morgan Owen and Emma, Hugh Morgan-Owen, was born on 13 January 1882 in Rhyl, Flintshire. He was educated at Shrewsbury School (1896-1900) and was an Exhibitioner at Hertford College, Oxford (1900-04). As a fifteen-year old, Hugh helped Rhuddlan Cricket Team beat some of the best local teams with his bowling; he took six wickets for six runs v Llanychan, five wickets for thirty-six runs v Rugby Ramblers and eight wickets for twenty-seven runs, including a hat trick, v Bangor. [Cheshire Observer, 21 August 1897] Like his brothers, he was a great footballer and played in four successive years for Oxford against Cambridge, scoring in 1901 and 1902 and captaining in his final year. He too was a prominent Corinthian and Welsh amateur international, also playing for Rhyl and Welshpool. He toured less than his brother Morgan but the two of them ('MM' and 'H', as they were known) both went on Corinthians' short Easter tour to Paris in 1908. They both withdrew from the Welsh international team to play England in 1903, choosing instead to play for the Old Salopians (the Old Boys of Shrewsbury School) in the first ever final of Arthur Dunn Cup.

'H' Morgan-Owen, Wales 1907 Hugh was described as an exponent of pretty football but weak at international level. Nevertheless, he won five international caps between 1901 and 1907. His brother Morgan had played in successive victories over Scotland (1905 & 1906); Hugh was in the Welsh team that produced a third successive victory in 1907. Since 2003 a montage of the eight Hertford College football internationals, all English except for Hugh, has been displayed in the College Lodge. The National Screen Archives of Wales have a very short film of the international between Wales and Ireland on Monday 2 April, 1906 at The Racecourse, Wrexham. Both Hugh and his brother Morgan were playing. According to the Western Mail [3/4/06], the weather was delightfully fine and the ground in perfect order. The crowd of 5-6000 witnessed a drawn game, 4 – 4, and the bursting of the ball which stopped play just before half-time.

Hugh was probably his father's favourite son, perhaps because there was nothing he enjoyed more than lively debate. He bred spaniels and one of his father's many animal-rescuing acts involved a batch of puppies that when they arrived proved not to be thoroughbreds; Timothy saved them from a watery end.  >