RUGBY REMINISCENCES

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1927, Page 4

RUGBY REMINISCENCES

DUNEDIN HIGH SCHOOL. FOOTBALL IX TilK 'EIGHTIES. In tlie Dunedin ".Stiir” special sports’ edition of .July 23rd appear sonic interesting: football reminiscences of the Dunedin Hit'll School, written hy " Teddy ” "Webster, which will he or interest to local readers:— MEMORABLE SEASON. Teddy Webster won his cap a mom her of the Otago Boys’ High School first fifteen in 1888, which was a memorable year in the history of the School's football. That year the team included J. X". Owen (a dashing threequarter. who played for Ol ago tlie followin'' year while he was still attending school), Billy ( ran (a nippy hai’ilinck. who afterwards played for Otago, a son of .Mr Peter ( ran, a former well known Hokitika storekeeper), Frank Cninphell wlm skippered the School side, which by this time had adopted the present well-known uniform). .J, M’Breariy. "Webster, and D. Al’Kay fa trio of stood forwards), and Hunter Morris (a wing-forward. who was a brother of Crosby Morris . In local football the School had tlie services in the pack of three masters—E. Is. Af. .Morrison. .1. I{. Montgomery. and the late John Hanna. Fifteen matches were played: four were won. ten lost, and one drawn. DEFEATED BY COLLEGE.

At Christchurch Christ’s Collette defeated the School' by a goal to a try after the visitors had led almost to the call of time. The winning try was scored by A. It. Williams mow a wellknown racehorse owner), and the captain of the College team was K. S. Williams fa burly forward, who is now the Hon. K. S. Williams, a member of the Cabinet). One of the best hacks in the College team was Peter Harris, wlm was killed at the Great War. The subject of this reminiscence had a mnul-iii-goal with Perec, hut. being a good stone heavier. " Teddv was enabled to take the hall from him.

Fifteen years later the erstwhile opponents met on :i train hound from Christchurch to Dunedin, and Harris hit "Teddy” on the hack, and said: "Teddy, you old scoundrel, you know that was a try I goi," to which

"Teddy” rejoined: " All right, Peter: you can have it if you give its the ones we scored and didn't get." Peter was fair enough to acknowledge that Otago had had had luck. THE WEST COAST TOUR.

There were several West Coast hoys at the Otago Boys’ High School at this time, including Billy Oran. .M'Breartv. and Carlton Gibson (a forward), and it was the last-named probably who was responsible for engineering the proposal that the School team should visit the Coast to play matches over there, though at the time the "West Coast was not aflii'iated to the Xew Zealand Rugby Union.

Eventually, following the match against Christ’s College, the School team left Christchurch on the Monday hound lor the West Coast, and it may he stated that the whole trip did not cost the hoys more than .'los a head, this being supplemented by gymnastic entertainments and portions of the gale. "I he School side was the first outside team to play a match against teams on the West Coast, and those who made the trip are not likely" to forget the cu.ioyahlc experiences they had. Two masters, E, E. Morrison and A. V. Smith, accompanied the team to Christchurch, and the late John Hanna, tlie gymnastic instructor, was also with the party. .Morrison took ill in Christchurch and had to return home.

“ HOT SCOXKS.” The journey to Springfield v. as made b.v rail, and from Spriitgliei'd the boys embarked on the mail coach and a special coach that had been chartered for them. Very cold weather was expo-1 lieneetl. but at Arthur’s Ibis- lovely hot buttered scones had been prepared for the hoys’ arrival. The members of the first coach to arrive quickly set to work on their demolition, and hy the time the other coach had arrived the scones were missing, much to the cling- 1

rin of the late arrivals. NEARLY A FATALITY. The night was spent at the Healey, and early next morning fhe party set out for Kuinara, where it arrived about 5 o'clock, then proceeding direct to Hokitika. Here one of (he team’s little hacks, Jimmy Owen, nearly lost his life in proceeding from tlie coach to the footpath. It was raining heavily, and it may be mentioned that the gutters on the Coast were in the vicinity of >1 ft wide and iust. about as deep. Jimmy stepped right into it, and emerged half drowned. HOKITIKA AIATCTT, Tlie High School' hoys wore quartered at a hoarding-house almost opposite the ground, and as it was raining very heavily on the AVcdnosday, the day of the match, the team waited on the verandah till the spectators and the Hokitika team had arrived on the ground, and when everything was ready the players look the field, which was really a sea of mud. Very little turf was showing, there being more water than turf visible. In front of the goal Hokitika was frequently saved by tlie ball being picked lip and given by tlie referee as a dead ball. However, despite the fact tliat Hokitika’s team was comprised of full-grown men, the School won fairly comfortably. “ Ginger,” Wilson. an old hov of the School, played in the Hokitika team, which also included (!. S. Robertson, who played for the Dunedin Club previously and represented Otago in the enrlv ’Bo’s. GRE YAIOUTH A 1 ATC'TI EH. The next day the team proceeded to Greyinout li. where two games were played. The first game was played on the Saturday. Greymoiith fielding a] very heavy team, which was mostly* comprised of bushwhackers and minors. | “Barney” Campbell skippered thcl School team, and when lie had to retire hurt the late Air Hanna’s services, were called upon, “Jakes” Al’Kny acting as captain. j

.Alter a very liaril game, under the jurisdiction •of tlio focal referee, who did not know the game at nil, nnd who. liv the wav, was viie-president of the Oreyniouth Club, the match ended in n draw. It was played on the race course, which was a dry "round, hut rather rough. The return match was played the following ’Wednesday, and. not wanting to he beaten by a team of hoys. Greymouth requisitioned the services of the local dentist, a man by the name of Dent, strangely enough, who weighed upwards of eighteen stone. The referee was the late Alex. Anderson, a onetime Canterbury rep. hack, and after, a solidly-contested game the Schoo l won fairly easily, due to the fact that the players carried out the instructions of their coach, never to leave the hall ' in the scrum. SAYFD PITS LIFE. The spectators were much disappointed. and showed their disapproval' by heaving clods at the referee, who was taken in charge by the School players, and escorted off the ground. Teddy Webster met Alex'. Anderson twenty-five years later, and asked him if he remembered the High School hoys playing football at Greymouth. ‘‘Yes. T do.” said Alex. “Do you remember me?” was a further question, to which the erstwhile referee replied: " No, but you must have been one ot those chaps that saved my life!” .1889 SEASON. 11l i§Bfi |hs School was still playlHfi

senior football, three matches being won, ten lost, and one drawn ; but the team had the satisfaction of beating Christ’s C'oli'ege by 18 to 0 (live goals and three tries). Hi the School team were Jim M’Breartv i.a forward, who skippered the side). George Stephenson • who was later to represent Otago aim become one of the best three-quarters the province has produced). Teddy Webster, Jimmy Owen, little Jack Tninroa ("Hone”). Billy Fitcholt (a solid half-back). Harry Boydell. " Tam ” Bundle. .Marshall MacDonald (the wing forward, who potted a goal against College five minutes after the start of the game', Charlie Mandl (who came from the West Coast and was captain of the team the following year). Mat Henderson (a burly forward, who is now Dunedin’s city electrical engineer!, J. X. Owen, and AY. CYnn. and Tommy Herd. Roth ( ran and Owen played for Otago that year.