OLD RUGBY DAYS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 233, 2 October 1925, Page 10

OLD RUGBY DAYS.

HIGH TIMES AT THE THAMES.

TUL.L FIFTY YEARS AGO

TAUGHT OX A DRAUGHTBOARD.

Some interesting incidents in connection with the early days of Rugby are supplied by a correspondent, who recollects the playing of a Rugby match between teams from two warships in Auckland in IS7O. At the third or fourth anniversary of the Thames gofdtields. he says, there was held, in conjunction with the horse-racing and athletics at Tarant a football match, which was a great feature of the two days' programme. That would be in the year 1870 or 1871. From that occasion football took fast hold of the youth of the Thames. About this time the gentlemanly YV. XV. Robinson, a noted cricketer and footballer from one of the universities of England, arrived, and took a prominent part in encouraging the game, with the result that a football club was formed.

Matches were played against ihe Thames Scottish and Thames naval volunteers. Major Cooper, who was in charge of the Thames volunteer, district, and hail played football in England, usually captained the volunteer teams. Then another university man, in the person of Stan Paul, an 11.0 man. arrived at Thames. He was the latest exponent of the game from the Old Country. .The theory of the game was taught to the members of the club on a draughtboard in a room at the back of W. W. Robineon's business premises. In a short time we improved, both theoretically, to such extent that in the year 1H7.~> a match was arranged to be played with a team from Auckland.

The match eventually was played in Spencer's Gardens, Parawai. -The Auckland colours were blue and white stripes and the Thames team wore white singlets, blue pants and red stockings. The local wag called us the "pukekos."

Tho Auckland team, to the best of my recollection, was: T. Henderson (capt.j, Carter. Whitaker, Haultain, King. Woon. Peacocke. Burgess, Orchard, Whcwell, Joughin, Webster, Myers, H. Henderson, and another. The Thames players wove: W. W. Robinson (capt.l, Paul, Steward, Tookey, ('avail, fiercer. Nelson. ]•". Robinson, Thomas, Kobertshaw, Heron, Burges.s, Major Cooper, Spencer, Watson. A fine display of football, as then played, was the result, points being registered on both sides. The game, which resulted in a draw, was played in a most sportsmanlike and gentlemanly spirit. This was the inaugural game of an almost continuous series of Thames-Auckland matches. The lS7fi team was almost the same as that of IS7~>, "Burly" McLean and Cleary replacing Cooper and Spencer, ln the meantime the Gardens had changed hands. The ground was now occupied by a dairyman, and quite an adventure befel the players as they \tere about to enter the place for the second game. They were at the gate, when a lady of Amazonian proportions demanded utu as compensation in the event of any damage being done to the pasture. As there was no charge for admission to sports those days tiie players were rather at a loss for a time to meet the demand of the fair one. Eventually a supporter of the local team had a brain wave, and he parsed the hat round, with the result that sufficient "utu" was collected to cover the ground rent for the occasion. The lady, by the way, was an ancestor of a Thames player who won great mana as a drop and place-kicker, and whose prowess is enshrined in the historic slogan of Thames barrackers, "Give it to Dufty!"

This game was slightly more strenuous than was that of the previous year. The genial Billy Steward displayed a marvellous turn of speed when he received the ball about half-way, eluded two or three opponents near the sideline, and made a semicircular run for r touch-down fully 75 yards .beyond the goal posts, the speedy 10-stoner J. J. Ring chasing him. There was no dead-ball line in those days. Two accidents occurred. Strange to say, the victims were brothers opposing each other. One had his collarbone broken and the other had a hand split between the second and third fingers. It was on this game that the hustling forward, E. Robinson, was picked to assist the Aucklanders in their match against Canterbury the same year. Auckland won by three points.