Wilfred James Skinner, PPA (31 May 1934 – 2 August 2003) was a Singaporean athlete who represented Singapore in football and hockey.
At state level, he established himself as centre-half for Singapore and was national team skipper in the early 1960s and at the 1962 Asian Games.
[5][6] The Cup win earned Skinner a pair of boots and a place in Saint Andrew's second football team, where he played as a right winger.
[4][7] He also represented the Combined Schools team for five years under honorary coach Choo Seng Quee.
[23][24] Skinner won the inaugural President's Cup under coach Choo Seng Quee in January 1969.
[25][26] Skinner also represented the Singapore state team which participated in Malayan competitions including the Malaya Cup.
On 26 June 1960, Skinner received an ovation from the 12,350-strong Jalan Besar crowd for his role in Singapore's 2–1 victory over Malaya Cup holders Selangor; he considered this win to be his most memorable match in a 1988 interview.
[35][36][37] Following the 1965 Cup win, he announced his intention to step down from the state team but retracted his decision and was included in the 1966 squad.
[41][42] In 1953, Skinner was called up to the Singapore team in place of first-choice goalkeeper Chu Chee Seng.
[46][47] With the impending merger of Singapore, Malaya, British North Borneo and Sarawak to form Malaysia, Skinner was included in the 18-man Malaysian squad for the Merdeka Tournament in August 1963.
[49] Four days later, he skippered the team in place of injured captain Abdul Gani as hosts Malaysia defeated South Korea 3–0.
[51] In December 1965, Skinner represented the newly independent nation of Singapore at the 1965 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.
[54] In September, national coach Choo Seng Quee's request to recall Skinner for the up-coming Southeast Asian Peninsular Games was rejected by the Football Association of Singapore and he was not included in the shortlist of players.
[55][56][57] The FAS decision eventually proved irrelevant as the football team dropped from the Games contingent by the National Sports Council Board in November.
Police reached their first Oehlers Cup final, Singapore Hockey Association's senior knockout tournament, in 1956 but lost 3–2 to University of Malaya.
[82] After 20 years of service in the Police Force, Skinner resigned in late December 1974 and emigrated to Canada, where he worked as a handyman.