David Bickle | |
Full Name: | David John Bickle |
Birth Date: | 21 August 1970 |
Birth Place: | Edinburgh, Scotland |
Height: | 6 ft 8 in |
Occupation: | Chartered accountant |
University: | Durham University University of Birmingham Cambridge University |
Position: | Lock |
Repyears1: | 1996 |
Repcaps1: | 6 |
Reppoints1: | 5 |
David John Bickle OBE (born 21 August 1970) is a British chartered accountant and former rugby union player.[1]
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Bickle was a 6 ft 8 in lock forward who played his early rugby in England, appearing for Wasps, Moseley and Cambridge University.[2] He won a Cambridge blue in the 1992 Varsity Match and after completing his degree moved to Japan to work and play rugby for Kobe Steel.[3] [4] In 1996, Bickle was capped six times by the Japan national team. He continued competing with Kobe Steel until 1999.[5]
Bickle served as president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Japan from 2014 to 2022.[6] He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to UK/Japan relations.[7]