LINWOOD RUGBY JUBILEE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29480, 5 April 1961, Page 13

LINWOOD RUGBY JUBILEE

QNE of New Zealand’s foremost Rugby Clubs, Linwood, will celebrate its seventy - fifth anniversary this week-end and many former players from all parts of New Zealand are expected to attend the celebrations which will be held from Sunday. April 9, to Sunday, April 16.

Linwood has built up an impressive record and one of which any club would be j ustifiably proud. Fourteen club members have t.»en All Blacks. They were: A. Kerr JoS 8) ’ A ’ Orchard <1896, 1897), E. Glennie <1897), B. J. Fanning <1903. 1904), F. Newton <1905), A. Fanning <1913), W. Cummings <1913, 19211 ’ A - G- McCormick J^ 51 L Elvy ‘ 19251 1926), C. E. Quaid <1938), W. G. Argus <1946, 1947), F. R Allen <1946. 1947. 1949), F G. Hobbs <1947), and B P Eastgate <1952, 1953, 1954).

Two of the club's players showed remarkable form playing at Twickenham for the first time when they scored all five tries to give the All Blacks a 15-0 win against England. In one of the touring All Black sides, two Linwood men were appointed captain and vicecaptain, an honour which must have few equals anywhere. From the time of its founding in 1895, the club won the Canterbury Rugby Union's senior championship five times in succession, a performance which has been equalled only once by a club team. So strong was Linwood one season that 13 of its players filled positions ip the Canterbury A team, and in spite of the handicap which this must have inflicted on the club team, it still won the championship ~*ll o - -

• the same year. One of the club's stalwarts ; in the first decade was ■ Bernie Fanning, who was a . tremendously strong man ’ and had a great reputation ' as a lock forward. Fanning represented Canterbury 50 • times, played for South > Island three times. and eventually was picked as an All Black. He represented , New Zealand in the first test . ever against a British team at Athletic Park in 1904. The All Blacks won. 9-3. F. Newton took over Fanning’s position on his retirement and he toured the British Isles and France in 1905 with D. Gallaher’s team. On that tour Duncan McGregor, also I of Linwood, and a wing possessing tremendous speed, scored four tries in the game against England and played a big part in the making of I the other tries. , Elvy i r Another wing who capr tured public imagination > with his verve and jinky i running was Billy Elvy, who f represented New Zealand in , 1925 and 1926. Elvy played . a mercurial brand of Rugby . which delighted the crowds i and often completely fooled . the opposition. In a game s against Wellington at Lan- > caster Park Elvy received r the ball near his own twenty--3 five-yard mark and with an i astonishing display of elusive- ) ness dodged and swerved his , way right through the Wel- . lington team to score a ref markable try. s In the past members of . the Linwood club have ■ ■ taken a great interest in ■ surfing as a form of recrea- ; t tion in the summer months > and at one time the T,-w- 1

tor’s Mistake club was mainly formed of Linwood footballers. One of the oldest members. Bill Shaw, who joined the club about 1904, was a very keen surfing enthusiast and was noted for his hardiness. Linwood teams used to practise on Hagley Park and Mr O. Turpin, who represented Canterbury 35 times, recalled several occasions in the dead of winter after an evening practice when Mr Shaw stripped off and plunged into the freezing water of Victoria Lake. The other players did not follow Mr Shaw’s example, said Mr Turpin. An early member who had a particularly fine record was Sid Orchard. He represented Canterbury at full-back or three-quarter 19 times, played for South Island, played for New Zealand in 1896, and toured to Australia with the 1897 All Blacks. He was also a prominent cricketer, representing Canterbury and later managed the 1913 New Zealand cricket team which toured Australia. In more recent years players such as F. R. Allen, F. G. Hobbs, W. G. Argus, and B. P. Eastgate have added lustre to the Linwood club.

There are many other names | which could be mentioned; j sufficient to say that the club ! has had a wealth of illus- I trious members, many of whom will probably be pre- ! sent at the celebrations next j week-end. It was fitting that in the club’s seventy-fifth year, the j senior team should win the ] senior championship with I Christchurch. This was the j first time since 1938 that ; Linwood had gained the top | position in the competition.