James "Jimmy" D. Metcalfe was an English rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s, 1900s and 1910s. He played representative level rugby union for Yorkshire, and at club level for Askam RUFC, , and, and representative level rugby league for Yorkshire, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity , as a, i.e. number 1.
Jimmy Metcalfe made his début for Wakefield Trinity during September 1897, he played his last match for Wakefield Trinity during the 1910–11 season, he appears to have scored no drop-goals, but prior to the 1974–75 season all goals, whether; conversions, penalties, or drop-goals, scored 2-points, consequently prior to this date drop-goals were often not explicitly documented, therefore '0' drop-goals may indicate drop-goals not recorded, rather than no drop-goals scored. In addition, prior to the 1949–50 season, the archaic field-goal was also still a valid means of scoring points.
Contemporaneous Article Extract
"James Metcalfe - Of the many fine players who figured in Trinity's ranks in the early N.U. days was one who gave outstanding service to the club and in whom the players could always have supreme confidence on the last line of defence. Jimmy Metcalfe soon won recognition as one of the finest full-backs in the country. Born in Cumberland, Jimmy's early football was with Askham-in-Furness, with whom he started in 1890 under R.U. rules. His first club in Yorkshire was and thence to Featherstone. Whilst there, in season 1896-7, he played twice for North v. South - these being R.U. trial matches - and in that season too he figured in all county games. It was later - but still in 1897 - that he turned to the Northern Union code and joined Trinity. Here his distinctions were continued and he was a member of the Yorkshire N.U. side which won the County Championship of 1897-8 and again in 1898-9. We can hardly do justice to his fine career in what must necessarily be a short account, but mention must be made of the fact that he played in Trinity's successful Cup Final at Headingley Rugby Stadium, Leeds in 1909, when he was thirty-six years old. And that was not the end. He did not cease to play until 1911 and, in his last match for Trinity gave a final display of his goal-kicking ability by adding three to his wonderful record. Jimmy's record of kicking eleven goals in a match has been equalled twice, but never extended. He set up the record on April 6, 1909, against Bramley at Belle Vue. Trinity's score was 11-15-67 to 2-2-10."
'Dreadnoughts - A HISTORY OF Wakefield Trinity F. C. 1873 - 1960' states that James Metcalfe was "Born in Cumberland, Jimmy's early football was with Askham-in-Furness". Askam-in-Furness is on the Furness peninsula, which was part of Lancashire until the 1974 English county boundary reorganisation, when it became part of Cumbria, England. This would mean that James Metcalfe wasn't born in Askam-in-Furness, or it was mistakenly believed that Askam-in-Furness was in Cumberland, England.
