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The Drake Twins
Jim Drake
Jim Drake was one half of arguably the most famous pair of twins to play rugby league together. Unlike the Beardmores, the Raynes or the Australian Walters twins, there was nothing remotely identical about the Drakes. Bill, the taller, and the younger by 10 minutes, began as a free- striding winger and became a smooth, skilled back-row forward.
The shorter, thick-set Jim was something quite different; one of the toughest props in the game at a time when being tough. Even distinctly rough.
was a prerequisite in the front row.
The Drake twins were born in Workington in 1931 but grew up in York, where they both played for the amateur club at Heworth. For Jim, it was his second choice of sport. He was a promising schoolboy footballer until he injured his knee playing rugby, missed a trial for Yorkshire Boys and turned instead to the 13-a-side game.
He originally signed for Hull as a dashing full-back, but contracted rheumatic fever and piled on weight during a long lay-off. He was told that he would never play again and when he defied that prognosis and returned, he was better suited to the pack.
He got his chance at loose forward when the regular in that role, Johnny Whiteley, was delayed in a traffic jam. He was an immediate success and stage by stage, he moved forward until he found his natural home at prop.
But he had persistent bad lack with injuries, missing a Challenge Cup final, a Championship final and, worst of all, the 1958 Lions tour to Australia.
He did play in the 1959 Cup final and appeared for his country against France in 1960, as well as five times for Cumberland in the County Championship.
The respect he commanded in the game is disguised by that modest representative career. Respect and not a little fear, because Drake was renowned as a forward who would do almost anything to get on top of his opposition.
He was a Jekyll and Hyde character, in that on the field he was nasty.
Whiteley recalled. But off it he was as soft as you could get.
As one opponent, the international prop Terry Clawson put it in his autobiography: I never played in any game with Jim Drake without some sort of set-to, You had to watch him like a hawk.
Even he added however, that, off the field he was a great bloke:
Drake played for Hull until 1961, racking up 243 appearances and 38 tries and qualifying for a testimonial before moving across the city to Hull Kingston Rovers and playing on until 1965.
With Rovers he appeared in three consecutive Challenge Cup semi-final defeats and a loss to Hunslet in the 1962 Yorkshire Cup final. He played a total of 64 games at Hull KR. for whom he became almost as big a hero as he had been at Hull.
Jim Drake, rugby league player: born Workingion, Cumberland 20
February 1931; married 1951 Doreen Whisker (one (Daughter); died Hull
8 October 2008.
from the 
By Dave Hadfield, Friday 7 November 2008 01:00
Homage paid to rugby league superstar
Bill Drake
TRIBUTES have been paid to one of Heworth ARLCs greatest-ever rugby league products., former Great Britain international Bill Drake, who has died aged 81, after losing a five-and-a-half-month battle with cancer. He passed away peacefully at York Hospital on Monday, and among the eulogies for Drake was that of his former Hull team-mate, the legendary Johnny Whiteley.
He said Drake would have been a Super League superstar had he played in the modern era. York RL statistician and local referee Stuart Evans also described him as a great character an old-fashioned hard-man on the field yet a gentleman off it.
After his professional playing days with Hull, Leeds and then home-town club York, Drake was also a well-known landlord at York city Centre pubs the Lendal Bridge (now called the Maltings) and the Stonebow (now The Terrace), and the Lighthorseman, in Fulford. He continued playing the game, too, turning out in the old York Interworks tournaments.
Bill Drake and his twin, Jim, both found fame with Hull after starting their rugby-playing days at Heworth. Born in Workington, Cumbria, they moved to York with their family when they were children. They had both also been promising stars in football, with Bill playing for York Citys reserves before switching codes. His son Steve also played for City reserves as an apprentice pro, and his grandson Sam is currently in Citys under-14s academy.
Bill followed brother Jim to Heworth and likewise followed him in signing for Hull, joining the Black and Whites in late 1952 and making his debut in April 1953 as a winger, soon switching to the back row.
The Terrible Twins
went on to form part of the legendary pack of forwards that starred for Hull during the 1950s and early 1960s.
That pack, which also boasted Whiteley and the late former York boss and director Tommy Harris, was revolutionary in rugby league, coach Roy Francis adopting a fast-running style virtually unknown at that time.
Whiteley said Bill would be sensational in Super League. He was six feet two inches, he was well built, he had great light hands and a tremendous pass and he could run like nothing else.
He was a bit naughty and had a bit of a bad reputation with other teams, but he was tremendous for us over ten years
Drake played 294 times for Hull, scoring 101 tries and 53 goals. He is one of only three forwards in the Airlie Birds history to bag a century of tries and his haul of five hat-tricks for the club has been bettered by only three men. He was recently inducted into the clubs Hall of Fame.
He represented his native Cumbria ten times and rugby league historians consider him unlucky to have won only one Great Britain cap, which came in 1962 after he had switched to prop.
According to son Steve, Drake himself reckoned he was shunned by GB selectors because of his naughty
reputation.
In 1963, Drake followed Alf Francis to Leeds, where he made 32 appearances, bagging two tries and three goals. He then finished his career with home-town club York. making his debut in March 1965 and clocking up 48 appearances in two years. scoring four tries and 16 goals.
He was a character,
said York stats man Evans of Drake the player. He was not averse to thumping one or two, shall we say.
And lets say he loved the old derbies against Hull KR. He was one of the hard men of the old pack in those days.
He added: He played in the Interworks a time or two for the Little John pub people werent too keen to play against him.
Off the pitch he was a true gentleman. He was a good guy, a smashing bloke.
Born William Desmond Drake, Bill was often known as Des to many of his York friends. He went on to work as a roads asphalter and later in the building trade, in addition to his time as a landlord.
Bill leaves behind a widow; Pat, two sons, Steve and Paul, daughters-in- law Jane and Jenny, and grandchildren Sam, Mollie and Freddie. His funeral will be on Friday. October 19, at 11am, at York Crematorium. All are welcome. The family have asked that donations are made to York Against Cancer.
SPORT RUGBY LEAGUE
13th October 2012
