TARANAKI TRAINED.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13311, 18 July 1936, Page 7

TARANAKI TRAINED.

AUSTRALIAN RUG BY PLAYER, New Plymouth can claim the distinction of having trained at least one member of the Australian Rugby Union team which is to tour the Dominion, says the Taranaki Herald. That member is J. D. Hannon, who even at an early age showed wonderful Rugby promise and was a fine schoolboy all-round athlete. Mammon first began to show up at the Central School, New Plymouth, which he attended through a number of standards. Then, .however, he was seen to better advantage playing cricket than on the Rugby field. He was a stylish schoolboy bat and also a valuable bowling and fielding asset to his school team. Ha mmon also represented his school in athletic events about that time (1928). He continued his post-primary education at the New Plymouth Boys’ High School, where his football education also received further impetus. In those years school had one of the best teams it had ever fielded, so the young and comparatively small schoolboy did not win an immediate place in the first fifteen. However, lie was regarded as one of the most promising of future recruits to the team. Even as a 15 and 16-year-old Hamnion was phenomenally fast, and besides had a good pair of hands, a safe defence and plenty of football brains. He left High School after he had been there a couple of seasons,- and some time later played against his old school for Auckland Grammar. He represented Auckland province, and went to Australia two years ago, his ability quickly catching the eye of the Victorian selectors. He played as five-eighth for Victoria last season.