AFTER FIFTY YEARS

Evening Post, Issue 82, 6 April 1936, Page 16

AFTER FIFTY YEARS

PETONE RUGBY CLUI

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

GATHERINGS AT EASTER

Complete arrangements have been made by the Petone Rugby Football Club lor the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary at Easter. The club has had its fiftieth season, but the celebrations could not be held then. However, a committee has been working very hard for some time past, and from the interest and enthusiasm being shown at Petone the celebrations should be most successful. The celebrations will commence on Easter Saturday, when a reception will be given to visitors at 11 a.m. An old timers' match will be held at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. On Easter Monday there will be a children's fancy dress parade at 10.15 a.m. to be followed by a sports programme. A Petone v. Poneke Rugby match will be held in the afternoon. Arrangements have also been made for outings, a reunion, a jubilee ball, etc. Members of the Petone Club are justly proud of their history, and that the pride is well merited is shown by the resume given below. In 1884 there were a number of employees in the railway workshops at Petone who were interested in Rugby football, some being members of town clubs., .The men had an hour for lunch and made use of part of this time to play games, shop against shop. As1 a rule' each: match comprised two spells. -The .first spell was:played one day and the. second ,the following day. As. 'they'; could -not always field complete fifteens of men from the shops on such- -occasions -the Maoris or others on-the ground were called upon to make • -up; the •_ shortage.': At times matches.were arranged against the employees of {Wellington firms. , . . -'Early in" April,' 1885, the men had some informal discussions regarding the possibility 'of'"forming a football club in Petone,' and' they i requested Mr.; W; S. Ridler; an'officer.of the Railway Department, ) who:-was- then resident in Petone,'.to call:a meeting of those in-* terested'in'the formation of one. ■ Mr. Ridler made the' necessary arrangements, and the following notice appeared in the "Evening Post" of April 11, 1885:—"A meeting of the' Petone Football Club will be held in the Marine Retreat on Monday, 13th injstant.—W. S. Ridler, hon. secretary.", The meeting was duly held and it was decided to form- a club to be called the "Petone Football Club"; colours, dark maroon jersey and blue knickers. The officers elected were:— Patron, Mr.- H/S. Fitzherbert, M.H.R.; honorary secretary, Mr.'W: S. Ridler; honorary, treasurer, • Mr. Gv Carey. No time; was1 lost-in'getting properly; established, andean application was!made to the Wellington Rugby Union for affiliation as a junior club. This was granted at the annual meeting of the union held on April 24, 1385 (vide "Evening Post"). The first match arranged was for the second fifteen of the club against the Rugby club's first fifteen. The match was played on June 6, 1885, and resulted in a draw. Maloney scored a try for Petone and Gregg scored for Rugby. The first time the Petone Club took part in a regular competi

tion match was on June 13, 1885, when the following Petone players took part in a junior grade match against the Rugby Club's first fifteen:—Battersby, Bults, Clingberg, Carey, Ehone, Herd-

man, Leevers, Lomas, Maloney, Ridler Te Puni (3), Wolland, and Wood. The game was played in a paddock in the vicinity of the present recreation ground at Petone, resulting in a win for Petone by a try to nil. The first championship game was played at Newtown. Park on June 20, 1885, against the Athletic Club's second fifteen. Petone were defeated by a goal and two tries to nil. Other matches played in the first season were as follows:—-V. Wellington second, won by two "potted" goals to a goal and a try; v. Poneke second, no record of score; second fifteen v. Union second, lost by a goal and two tries to one try; first fifteen v. Athletic second (nonchampionship game), lost, 16-0; first fifteen v. Wellington second, lost, 26-0; second fifteen v. Taita first, lost, 11-2; second fifteen v. Union second, lost by "potted" goal and try to nil. The first annual meeting of the club was held on March 11 1886. RECORDS AND RESULTS. A comprehensive list of records and results has been compiled by Mr. J. R. Robertson, the clubs-president, and it will be included in a booklet that is shortly to be issued. The following grade championships have been won by the Petone Club:— Senior A.—1895,1899, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1930, and, 1935. • Senior-A, Second Division.—l 934. Junior.—lß9o, 1904, 1905, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1915, 1922, 1930, 1932, 1935. I Third.—l9oo, 1907, 1910, 1928, J930, 1931. Intermediate.—l 926, 1927, 1928. Fourth.—l9o7, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1916, 1919, 1920, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931, 1932, 1933. Fifth.—l9o7, 1908, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1929, 1930, 1934, 1935. Sixth.—l9l3, 1914, 1920 (equal with Wellington College), 1922 (equal with Wellington College), 1933. Seventh.—l 932. Club Championship.—l 922, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935. Wednesday Championships.—lß96, 1899, 1913, 1914 (equal with Oriental). Beal Cup.—l 922, 1924, 1926. National Mutual Cup.—l 929, 1930. NEW ZEALAND REFRESENTA-

TIVES. The following members of the club were New Zealand representatives:— T. Cross, 1904, 1905; W. Hardcastle, 1897; A. Lambourn, 1934; G. Maber, 1894; D. McGregor, 1905; J. K. McKenzie, 1913, 1914; W. McKenzie, 1894, 1896, 1897; H. E. Nicholls, 1921, 1922, 1923; H. G. Nicholls, 1923; M. F. Nicholls, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1930; H. E. Pollock, 1932; W. Pringle, 1893; W. J. Ready, 1908; E. Ryan, 1921; J. Ryan, 1910, 1914; A. Thomas, 1925. jM. Love was a Maori All Black. | The following were North Island representatives against the South Island: M. C. Corner, 1919; T. Cross, 1904, 1906; W. L. Elvy, 1929; C. Green, 1909; A. Lambourn, 1934; D. McGregor, 1904; J. R. McKenzie, 1912, 1913, 1914; W. McKenzie, 1897; H. E. Nicholls, 1919, 1922; M. F. Nicholls, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1931; H. R. Pollock, 1932; W. J. Ready, 1908; J. Ryan, 1914; A. Thomas, 1926; W, Pringle, 1894 for North Island v. New South Wales. The following players were the first to gain representative honours:—Wellington, season 1891, forwards, W. Pringle, J. S. Milne, J. Wood; halfback, H. J. Wynyard. New Zealand representative, W. Pringle in 1893; North Island representative, W. Pringle in 1894 and W. McKenzie in 1897. WELLINGTON REPRESENTATIVES. The following Petone players have represented Wellington:— B. A. Abrim, 1934; J. Ashton, 1920, 1921; J. August, 1897, 1898, 1900; J. Barber, 1910, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1917; Barlow, 1897; J. Baumber, 1892, 1893, 1895, 1897; S. Bolton, 1915; A. Bond, 11917; E. Bowers, 1317;. D. Boyd,. 1912,

1913; W. Braid, 1900, 1901, 1903; S. Brice, 1901; J. Burns, 1899, 1901; C. Byrne, 1906, 1907; L. Carr, 1918; A. Chambers, 1900; W. Coles, 1917; J. E. Coman, 1928, 1929, 1930; M. C. Corner, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926; J. Corson, 1908, 1915; F. Coulston, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931; R. Cowie, 1917; T. Cross, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907; J. Daly, 1911; R. Dansey, 1913; T. Dent, 1909, 1911, 1914; N. Nickens, 1918, 1923; H. Driscoll, 1903, 1904, 1905; W. L. Elvy, 1927, 1929; W. E. Fell, 1929, 1930, 1931; D. Fitzgerald, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926; J. Gigger, 1898, 1899; C. Green, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909; O. Haddock, 1924, 1925; J. Hebberley, 1903; C. A. Hudson, 1934; W. Hamilton, 1917, 1920, 1921; W. Hardcastle, 1895; W. J. Hardham, (V.C.), 1897, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910; F. Hawke, 1898; 1900; H. C. Hawkins, 1924, 1925, 1926; H.! Henwood, 1926, 1927; J. Howe, 1934; W. Huxtable, 1931; P. Jacob, 190.1; W. Jowett, 1926; A. S. Judd, 1899, 1900, 1903; A. Kelly, 1906; C. King, 1897; W. King, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1904; J. D. King, 1922, 1923, 1924; H. Knight, 1904, 1905, 1907; A. Lambourn, 1932, 1933, 1934; M. Love, 1919, 1921; G. B. Lusk, 1895; G. Maber, 1893, 1894; J. C. Martin, 1929, 1932, 1934; R. Matsori, 1897, 1898; J. S. Milne, 1891, 1892; W. McEwan, 1914, 1915; D. S. McFarlane, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914; D. McGill, 1893, 1897, 1898; R. McGill, 1907; D. McGregor, 1904, 1906; M. McGurk, 1899, 1900; N. McGurk, 1934; J. R. McKenzie, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913; W. S. McKenzie, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897; H. G. Mcholls, 1915, 1919, 1922, 1923; H. E. Nicholls, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1926; M. F. Nicholls, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931; H. C. Nunn, 1912, 1913, 1914; C. O'Halloran, 1934; Albert Parker, 1918, 1920; Arthur Parker, 1913, 1914, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921; Geo. Parker, 1913; R. Parkin, 1920; W. "Pan-ant, 1912; D. S. Peterson, 1928, 1929; H. V. Pole, 1917, 1921; H. R. Pollock, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, .1933, 1934; G. Potts, 1928, 1929; T. Price, 1920, 1921, 1922; P. Priest, 1922; W. P. Pringle, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895,11899;-A. Ramsden, 1905, 1906; C.tßamsden, 1911, 1912;^. Reed, 1907; E. J. Reid, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934. ,

..With the exception of the seasons 1902 (Boer War) -and 1916, when no representative fixtures -were played, the club has had one or more representatives in all-Wellington senior representative teams: ■ ■ ,