Linda Uttley

Linda Uttley

Date of birth	(1966-10-26)26 October 1966
Place of birth	Barnes, London, England
Date of death	27 November 2009(2009-11-27) (aged 43)
Place of death	Esher, Surrey, England
Rugby union career
Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1989-1995 Teddington Rugby Club () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1995-2007 Wasps () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1997-2007 England

Linda Pauline Uttley (26 October 1966 – 27 November 2009) was an English rugby union footballer.

She was born in Barnes, London and was the youngest of eight siblings.[1] Her rugby career began in 1989 at Teddington Rugby Club.[2] She moved to Wasps Rugby Club in 1995 and won her first international cap in 1997, the start of her career with the Women's England Team.[3] She won a total of thirteen caps, playing in every position except full-back, hooker and prop, and was a member of the squads in the Five Nations and World Cup in 1998.[4] She went on to play for the Classic Lionesses in Bermuda in 2000.[3]

In November 2007 she was diagnosed with 'end-stage' leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.[2][4] Despite her illness, she continued to work for the Rugby Football Union and toured with the England Lionesses.[3] She died on 27 November 2009 at Princess Alice Hospice in Esher at the age of 43.[3] She remains the only deceased capped Englishwoman.

Since then, winners of the RFU Linda Uttley Award, in recognition of the commitment and dedication of an individual, have included Sophie Hemming[5] and Catherine Spencer.[6]

References

1. "Lives in brief: Linda Uttley and Alex Parker". The Times. 27 January 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
2. Fiona Hackett (27 November 2009). "Former player Linda Uttley". waspsfc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
3. Joanna Kilvington (1 December 2009). "Women's rugby star Linda Uttley dies of cancer". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
4. "Tributes pour in for Uttley". Scrum Queens. 1 December 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
5. "Sophie Hemming". womensrugbydata.com. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
6. "Catherine Spencer". globalaccountingnetwork.net. Retrieved 28 February 2022.