Beginnings Norman learned his rugby at Medway Street School and was a school-boy international in 1911 captaining England to their first win over Wales. Norman served in the
First World War with the Royal Artillery in Mesopotamia.
Leicester Norman made his Leicester debut on 17 January 1920 at
Welford Road against
Headingley playing at flanker and scoring 3 conversions in a 54-11 win for Leicester. Norman featured a further eight times for the Tigers in the 1919/20 season scoring tries in away wins against
Cardiff and
Gloucester. Norman was then on a regular in the first team's back row starting over 30 games in six of next seven seasons. For the 1927/28 season Norman switched to the front row where he spent the second half of his career. Predominantly a hooker he also played games as a
prop. Norman's finest achievement was captaining Leicestershire and the East Midlands to a 30-21 victory over the
touring South Africans the Springbokson 14 November 1931, the only defeat the side suffered on their tour. That performance earned him an England
Test debut against the same opposition on 2 January 1932 at
Twickenham. He also played two weeks later against
Wales at
St. Helen's in Swansea. England however lost both and Norman did not represent his country again.
Final season and retirement The 1932/33 season was Norman's last and for it he was appointed as Leicester's captain. Unfortunately he was injured in the second game of the season against
Old Blues, where he was substituted for the only time, and missed the next seven games. He returned to the side in October against Gloucester and played 24 games that the season. His final match for the Tigers was an 8-15 loss on Tuesday 18 April 1933 against
Bath at
The Recreation Ground. Norman's 453 games place him fourth all time for most appearances, against Bath in on 5 September 1931 he became only the second player to play 400 games for the club. During the
Second World War he was a member of the home guard and organised the Leicester Harlequins side, which became the base for the re-formed Tigers in 1945. He was president of Leicester Tigers between 1965 and 1968. == Sources ==