Debut: Vs Hull Kingston Rovers (A) 24th May 1963

Leeds Appearances: 172

Leeds Tries: 25

Leeds Goals: 39

Leeds Drop Goals: 34

Leeds Points: 221

Leeds Honours: Championship (Winner: 1969; Finalist: 1970), Challenge Cup (Winner: 1968; Finalist: 1971), League Leaders' Shield (Winner: 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70), Yorkshire Cup (Winner: 1968-69; Finalist 1964-65) Yorkshire League (Winner: 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70)

The 'Little General' Barry Seabourne was a shrewd master tactician with all the arts of scrum-half wizardry at his command. The slick sleight-of-hand conspiracy with loose forward Ray Batten; the roundabout switch with live-wire stand-off Mick Shoebottom; the overarm dummy that seemingly hypnotised would-be tacklers into stoat-like immobility; raking punts to the flank for wingers to chase; relieving grubber-kicks to touch; inspirational defence-splitting passes; and finally, a drop-goal toll that time and again reduced the opposition to frenzied desperation. 

Barry was a 'natural', whose blend of flair, finesse and downright chicanery more than made up for any lack of pace. Born on 16th February 1947 on the wrong side of the river, though he could scarcely be held responsible for that, he was a box of tricks from the start, even as an eight-year-old at Bewerley Street C.P. School, before going on to Belle Isle Secondary Modern to win his spurs as captain of Yorkshire Schoolboys for two seasons.

Crossing the 'great divide' to join Headingley Juniors, within a year he was bypassing the 'A' team and going straight into the Seniors to make his debut against Hull KR at Craven Park at the age of 16 years 3 months, thereby creating history as the Club's youngest player of all time in 1963. An old head on young shoulders he showed himself to be, the management wisely nursed him through an extended' A' team apprenticeship so that although he made nineteen first team appearances in 1964-65, including the Yorkshire Cup Final versus Wakefield Trinity at Fartown, the signing of Ken Rollin led to yet another spell in the reserves.

1967-68 however, came a bonus rich beyond compare as his base-of-the-scrum triangle with Mick Shoe bottom and Ray Batten generated the vital spark of ingenuity as the Loiners garnered a bumper harvest of eighteen consecutive victories (a record to this day). Added to that was becoming Yorkshire Champions, League Leaders and then that dramatic water splash Wembley Final. Of Barry's many memorable performances during the season, none surely was finer than that in a League match at Hull; his seven goals, including two 'drops', rallying a team sadly depleted by the absence of Risman, Hynes, Gemmell and Dewhurst. He returned the following September and gave an unsolicited encore in the 1st Round of the Yorkshire Cup, his four drop-goals (two right-foot, two left, and each worth two points), turning the Boulevard's graveyard of mournful humiliation into a seething bedlam of bawdy, beer-garden abuse. Within four days he was on his way to Whitehaven to celebrate his second appearance for Yorkshire with an accomplished match-winning performance against Cumberland.

Celebrations were the order of the day just five weeks later, for within hours of winning the White Rose Trophy for an outstanding individual display in the 1968 Yorkshire Cup Final triumph over Castleford at Belle Vue, he was taking over the reins from Mick Clark to become the club's youngest ever captain at the age of twenty-one. Again, he guided Leeds to become League Leaders and Yorkshire Champions, as well as Cup-winners and that unforgettable League Championship in which Barry suffered the whole gamut of pent-up emotion, excruciating agony as he battled on to the bitter end in the Semi-Final against Salford, despite four visits to the bench with recurring shoulder dislocations. 

A fortnight later, in the High Noon showdown with Castleford at Odsal, the inevitable dislocation enforced his first-half retirement on medical advice. Nevertheless, John Atkinson strode away in the closing minutes, and Bev Risman's conversion to sealed a memorable victory for Leeds.

Whereas his team fell from grace slightly during 1969-70, merely ending the season as League Leaders, Yorkshire Champions and League Championship runners-up, Barry went from strength to strength with two appearances for England in the European Championship. He was also selected for the Australasian Tour, along with John Atkinson, Syd Hynes, Mick Shoebottom and Alan Smith, only for a chronic knee injury to restrict him to just one Test against New Zealand, and eight matches in all.

Limited to sixteen appearances in 1970-71, it is highly unlikely that he would have turned out against Leigh at Wembley had it not been for the tragic injury to Mick Shoebottom a fortnight earlier. As it was, having missed all the earlier rounds, and woefully short of match fitness, he generously invited his deputy, Syd Hynes, to retain the captaincy for Rugby League's show-piece.

Sadly, because of recurring injuries, the wheel had come full circle all too quickly. On 22nd October 1971, he paraded in Leeds colours for the last time.

Signed by Bradford Northern for £3,000, he revelled in every new challenge. Another Wembley Cup-winner's medal was rudely shattered by Featherstone Rovers in the 1973 Final, but there he was at Wilderspool inspiring Northern to an incredible one-point victory over all-conquering Widnes with a marvellous man-of-the-match performance in the John Player Final. Moreover, before hanging up his boots in March 1979, he put in a two-season spell as player-coach with Keighley.

In 2023, Barry was inducted into the Leeds Rugby Hall of Fame.