Well they say every day is a school day. Thursday was certainly one of these for we learned that Aspatria could lay claim to another British Lion to go alongside the great Tosh Holiday. Having taken an interest in club history for a number of years I have to confess that I had not previously heard of Frank. And all thanks to our kit supplier, Andrew, who is now able to add a Lions motif to club clothing to celebrate the achievements of Frank and Tosh.

Frank Gordon Handford was born in 1884 in Eccles, Lancashire, the son of a tea merchant. He went to The Leys School in Cambridge as a boarder. In 1906 he enrolled for an agricultural course at the Aspatria Agricultural College, where after two years of theoretical and practical study he left with an award of the Diploma of the College.

Handford played for Aspatria during the two seasons spent in the town. He arrived with a good pedigree having already represented Lancashire in the County Championship. During his time at Aspatria he represented Cumberland on four occasions.

Aspatria won the Cumbria Cup in the 1908/09 season but by this time it is thought Frank had moved back to Lancashire where he joined the Kersal club. He followed this with a move to Manchester Football Club.

Frank was still at Kersal when in 1910 he joined the touring party for South Africa and made 3 test appearances in the famous red shirt. Whilst at Kersal Frank made his Test debut for England vs Wales at Cardiff on 16 January 1909. He played in a further 3 matches for his country in that Five Nations championship. His last Test for England was a Calcutta Cup match against Scotland at Richmond on 20 March 1909.

Before and after the First World War Frank continued to represent Lancashire. During the war he served in the Cheshire Yeomanry, Machine Gun Corps rising to the rank of sergeant but still found time to get married in 1915. His final game for Lancashire was in 1918.

Perhaps due to his earlier Lions Tour in 1910, he is recorded as having emigrated to South Africa some time after 1919.