RUGBY IN WAIRARAPA

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7847, 8 July 1911, Page 14

RUGBY IN WAIRARAPA

No. I.

Introducing the Game, To a gentleman now resident in Wellington—Mr T. S. Eonaldson of the Public Trust Office—belongs the honour of first having introduced the game of Rugby to Wairarapa. This was towards tho latter end of tho 'seventies, Mr Iloualdson having come down from Rangitikci way to reside at Greytown. lie found the task of starting the game a difficult one, the settlers not taking kindly to the idea of chasing a bag of wind around. They would have nothing to do with it, and the enthusiastic footballer had tho game very much unto himself for some time. However, the barrier of prejudice was gradually broken down and the game slowly but surely -'took on,” Mr Ronaldsoris untiring efforts being eventually crowned with success when a number of youths, who had been attending Wellington College, returned to their homes iu South Wairarapa and at once decided to play the game. And thus it came about that Mr Konaklson became "the father of Kugby in. Wairarapa,” and Greytown its home. Early Matches.

Clubs were formed in various parts of the district and games indulged in. Though matches were played in lo!8 between Masterton and Carterton combined against Feathorsion the first “straight-out** contest between two cluus, of which there is any record, took place at Carterton on July sth, 18.fi, between the Carterton and Grey town clubs. TV. teams took the field that day as follows: Greytown—T. S. Konaluson (captain), Greig, W. C. Cuff, E. C. W, Porter, F. Tully, G. Tully, A. Hirschberg, W, Hirschberg, J. McMaster, H. McMaster, Desmond, A. L. Webster, Varnham, Bums, Humphreys. Carterton —J. Snodgrass (captain), Lister-Kayne, P. F. Tancred, Ward, Shaw, Sellar, Nicholls, Hanson, Hooker, Fairbrother, Girdlostone, Kemble, Spatz, Nix, .Edmunds. Nothing was gained by either side in the first three “laps** (spells) but in the last twenty minutes one of the Tullys touched down twice for Greytown, thus giving tho wearers of the red blue and black jerseys the victory. The return match was played at Greytown’on July 10th, 1879, and here Carterton had their revenge defeating the home team by two points to one. Tancred kicked a goal lor Carterton and J. McMaster scored a try for Greytown. This was a small beginning, but it laid the foundation of great things’ for Wairarapa football, j These matches showed that Wairarapa had some champions in the making. “Barney** Ronaldson's fame as a foot- j bailer quickly spread to Wellington and he was selected a member of the Wellington representative team that toured as far as Christchurch in 1879. Further he was made captain of the combination and it was largely due to his good generalship that both Canterbury and Otago were defeated. The beating Otago received (a try' scored by George Bayley to nil) was the first that province ever suffered. Seeing that a Wairarapa player led the victorious Wellingtonians on this auspicious occasion—for Otago in those days occupied a position in the football world similar to Auckland today—it may not be out of place to append the teams that took the field at Christchurch. They'are as follow: Wellington—G. Bayley, J. Berry, A. B. Campbell, T. S. M. Cowie, A. Cooper, E. Davy, P. Galbraith, H. Hole, T. S. Ronaldson, P. G. Smith, W, A. Stewart, J, A. Thomson, j, Warbrick, G. Wright, R. F. Lynch. Otago—T, L, Austin, A, Cargill, W. C. Kennedy, W. Mills, Deckle, J. R. Murray, Q. McKinnon W. McLean, C. Northcote, A. Reid, -J. Robb, S. E. Sleigh, H, Snodgrass, Terewhiti, W. Wyinks.

An Important Year. The season 1880 was an important one for Wairarapa in many respects. First, more inter-olub matches were played; secondly, the first match with a _ club outside the district took place; thirdly, the first representative match was played; and, fourthly,' Wairarapa had several ' men selected in the Wellington representative team. The personnel oi t Wairarapa foams was as follows: Greytown—forwards, Cuff, Ronaldson (captain). Beard, Cameron, F. Tully, j mond, TJdy, Webster, Saywell,. O’Connor; quarter backs. Porter and McMaster; half backs, W. Hirschbcrg and G. Tully; full back. Day. Carterton—P. F. Tanored (captain), S. M. Tancred, N. Grace, Snodgrass, Ward, H. McMaster, L. Nix, C. Fairbrother, F. Fairbrother, J. Strang, C. J. Jury, G. Bonnet, E. Kemble, P. Lee, J. Lee. Masterton— Allen, Bunny, Cowan, Franklin, Gossett, Harrison, Holmes, James, Jones, Meredith, Morrison, Perry, T. L. Thomp. son, W. Wardeli, W. Wyllio (captain).

An Interesting History

By Ben Iveson. (All Rights Reserved..)

I The first inter-club match took place on May 15th, when Greytown beat Masterton by 14 points to nil. On June 26th j Carterton beat Masterton 2 to nil; on | July 3rd Grej’town beat Masterton 6 to ;nil; on July 21th Masterton beat Carter- • ton 3 to 1; on August 21st Greytown i beat Masterton and Carterton combined jby 10 to nil, and on September 11th j Growtown defeated Masterton by 16 to j nil. On July 31st Gteytown journej’od >to Wellington and played the Athletic j Club, being defeated by 6 points to nil. ! First Representative Match. . ] Wairarapa had now climbed well up ! the football ladder and many of her | players had shown themselves to be pos- ' scssed of move than ordinary ability at the game. Then the question cropped up, “what was their strength compared j with other representative teams ? 1J "Why | not a test game with doughty Wellingiton?" Preliminary arrangements were ' quickly entered into and great was the , excitement all over Wairai*apa when it ' became known that the Wellington rei prosentative fifteen would come, to Wairarapa to do battle with the pick of the ; Valley's footballers. The match took j place at Grewtown, and- the teams lined lout as follows: Wairarapa—forwards. W . C. Cuff. R. Lee, E. C. W. Porter, T. S. Donaldson, J. Snodgrass. P. F. Tancred, P. Tully, T. W. Wardell, E. Webb. A. L, Webster; quarter backs, E. K>mble, J. McMaster; half backs, Girdlcet'ne, W. Hirschberg; full back. Day. Wellington—J. Berry, A. Budge, A. Cooper, J. T. Dumbell, F. Forshaw, F. Galloway, T. M. Grant, H. Hickson, A. W. Leckm, E. Lockie, A. Morroh, H. C. Eoberts, J. Thomson, J. Warbrick, G. Wright. It was truly a gigantic struggle but the lads from over the hill were too. well versed in the finer, points of the game, and the countrymen went down somewhat badly to the tune of one goal and three tries to nil. Though beaten Wairarapa were not disgraced, nor were thev downhearted. They were thorough sports and recognised Wellington as their masters. They had a lesson to learn and were determined to learn it well: how well they learned it Wellington found . out in later years. j Though the country team had been de- , feated easily Wellington recognised that j Wairarapa possessed players good enough for any representative team in New Zea- » land, and the Empire City tenm which lowered Auckland's colours in that keen struggle at Auckland in 1880 by 4 points j to nil, contained four Wairarapa foot- j bailers, viz., D. Cameron, J. McMaster, T. S. Eonaldson and W. Wyllie. The most notable event- in 1881 war the sending of two teams by the Athletic Club, of Wellington, to Greytown to nlay ’ matches with Masterton and Greytown respectively. The date was Juno • 1831. The first fifteen of the Athletic Club, captained by G. F.. Campbell, played . Greytown, captained : by W. Hirschberg, a drawn game resulting, no score. The visiting team included such wellknown players as Campbell, Morrah,' Mansell, Hickson and Dumbell. while in the Greytown ranks were Hirschberg, Eonaldson, Hawke, Maguire, B°ard. Day and McMaster. _The second fifteen of the Athletics, under Luxford, \ met disaster at the hands of Masterton skip- , pered by W. McKenzie, to the tune of one goal and two tries to one try. Tt is interesting to note that four spells were played in these matches. i The Greytown team continued to be* the champions of Wairarapa and on , June 25th, 1831, inflicted a severe or’ j bing on Masterton—l4 points to nil. Tries were scored by Tidy, Say well <*’ Eonaldson and Beard, three of which j Eonaldson converted. The latter also I kicked a goal from the field. So strong ' was football becoming in Wairarapa that ‘ for the first time on record these clubs were able to put second fifteens in the field and they met in a match on the same day as the seniors with the same result—a victory for Greytown tins time by. one goal and three tries to nil. The Greytown seniors in 1851 was composed of: Full back. Day; halves, W. Hirschberg ('captain), J. Lee; quarters, T. S. Eonaldson, F. Tully,. Saywell; forwards, Maguire, Beard, Snodgrass, Maxton, D. Cameron, Palmer, Desmond, A. L. Webster. The Masterton senior team was: Full back, Wardell; halves, . McKenzie (captain), O'Connor; quarters, F. Smith, W. Perry; forwards, Cowan, W. Harvey, G. Harvey, Smith, Bunny, G. Bannister, J. Perry, Morrison. The Greytown second team was as follows: , G. Tully (-captain), Kuni, Tocker, 1. I King, Muni, Maunsell, Birch, Wenham, ! Faulkner, A. Hirschberg, Manihera Tohi, Philip, L. King, The Masterton second team included A. W. Harrison (captain), W. D'Arcy, P. Smi A h, Svendsen, A. Thompson, D. M' ,T p~' " i Hoydhouse, J. Bee re, R. Harvey, A- ; Welch, E. Bannister, C. \aliance. xt. ] G. Williams, and J. G. Campbell. , i (