N.Z LEAGUE PLAYER KILLED IN ACTION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 223, 20 September 1941, Page 5 (Supplement)

N.Z LEAGUE PLAYER KILLED IN ACTION

pOOTBALLERS and wrestling enthusiasts in New Zealand and Australia will regret to learn that George Gardiner went west in the fighting near Tobruk. He held the rank of captain in the Australian Imperial Force.

Gardiner came to Auckland in 1924 from the Bay of Plenty district, where he made a name in Rugby as a forward And three-quarter. He joined the Marist Rugby League Club, but in 1926 % changed over to the Ponsonby Club and was an eleventh-hour inclusion in the New Zealand League team which visited England in 1926-27. Many fans at Carlaw Park will recall the dashing runs down the sideline by the big Maori wing, who threw his 16 stone into an opponent. The great duels on the wing in the New Zealand trial games in 1926 between Gardiner and Ben Davidson are still talked about. Gardiner was also a high-class back row forward and won games for Ponsonby as a goal kicker. He stood well over six feet and was perhaps the biggest threequarter ever seen at Carlaw Park. George was also a successful track runner, and had great speed for such a big man. As a high jumper he was known to have cleared sft llin. Some years ago Gardiner moved to Australia and made a successful debut as a wrestler under the name of Hori Tiki. He took on- many prominent overseas grapplers and generally met with success against Australian opponents.