Jimmy Peters

In 1889 a little black circus boy’s father is mauled to death by lions. The boy ends up in an orphanage before overcoming the prejudice and racism of his day to reach the pinnacle of an elitist sport and play for his country.

Playing rugby for Bristol, then Plymouth and Devon, Jimmy Peters’ performances attract the attention of the England selectors despite racist resistance and he is picked to play for England against Scotland in 1906. He plays a blinder, and the England side lifts the Calcutta Cup for the first time in four years. But the story is not plain sailing after that – he is dropped against the South African touring side, injured in an industrial accident, banned from rugby union because of his testimonial payments and moves north to play rugby league professionally before returning to Plymouth to help the war effort at Plymouth’s Royal Naval Dockyard during the First World War and living the rest of his life in the city.

With help from Jimmy Peters’ descendants, including his granddaughter before she died, author Patricia Mowbray tells the story of Jimmy Peters the trailblazer, a black sporting pioneer who overcame his unbelievably deprived start in life, and the racism and discrimination of the era, to represent his nation on the rugby pitch.