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The Spike or Victoria University College Review Silver Jubilee 1924

Football Club

Football Club

The Victoria University College Football Club was formed in 1903. Some effort had been made to found a Club in 1902 without success. True, the first College Team lined out on Athletic Park on the Prince of Wales Birthday, 1902, but this was just an isolated effort. However, the victory against the Old Boys' team on that occasion by 19 points to 12 gave the Rugby enthusiasts their last and conclusive argument. In 1902, Sydney University began the negotiations which ended in an exchange of visits with the N.Z. University Teams, and the Students' Association appointed a Committee to go into the question of football generally. The direct outcome of the work of this Committee was the foundation of the Football Club. The inaugural meeting was held at the Girls' High School, and H. H. Ostler moved "That in the opinion of this meeting the time has arrived when a football club be formed." This was carried and a subsequent motion "That a Victoria College Club be formed" was carried by 11 votes to 4,—despite the efforts of the Chairman.

A Committee was elected consisting of G. V. Bogle, W. Gillanders, A. H. Johnstone, F. A. de la Mare, R. Mitchell, H. H. Ostler, A. G. Quartley, R. G. M. Park and A. Tudhope. The First Annual General Meeting was held on the 2nd April and there were 16 members present. "Some were cripples," says the report "but all were enthusiasts." Professor G. W. von Zedlitz, the first President, occupied the Chair. It was decided to enter two teams, a Junior and a Third Class.

In the year 1903 there were in all 191 students attending lectures. Every footballer was of importance and the controversy as to whether old boys of Wellington College should play for "Old Boys" or "University" was hotly contested. For some years any match against Old Boys was sure to be exciting. It happened that the First Club match was against Old boys at Lower Hutt. An old friend of the Club, one John Murray, now Deputy Commissioner of Stamp Duty, was referee, He appointed touch line umpires from among the spectators and on one occasion during the first spell, when the services of one of them were required, the umpire was noticed chasing a hare in an adjacent paddock. The hare was, in fact, caught, and was used as a touch flag during the rest of the game. The First Fifteen lost all its nine matches. The Second Fifteen after two losses, 41 to 6, and 52 to 0, had to be strengthened from the first. It secured the honour of winning, late in the season, the first two matches won by the Club. It defeated Poneke III., by 8 page 73 to 3, and Melrose III, by 15 to 8. Both victories appear to have arisen from the direct intervention of Providence. It was a very wet season and the old Show Ground at Lower Hutt was probably the worst ground in the world. Our second ranks were filled with men who had been induced to come out for purely patriotic reasons. Few of them could play football, but they could all "face the rain and shine." We met Poneke after a week's rain. They were very short indeed but we mustered to a man. That night the Debating Society was called upon "to adjourn for one minute" to celebrate the victory. In "The Spike" of October, 1903, there is a list of those who played in that first season of Victoria College Football. It is a list very pleasant to look upon.

The season of 1904 was an important one. Thomas A. Hunter, a newly appointed lecturer in Mental Science and Economics, joined the rear-guard and it was this recruit who moved, at a meeting held for that purpose on the 8th September, that "next season we enter a Senior Team." This motion was carried despite many misgivings. The Second Team during 1904 scored 3 points against 200. It beat Melrose by default, but it is noted proudly in "The Spike" "that no College team has yet defaulted."

In 1905, our first season of Senior Football, there were 254 students attending lectures. As probably only about one half were male students it is not surprising that only two teams were entered, a Senior and a Third Class. Professor Hunter was the first Captain of the Senior Team. It is noteworthy that during this season the old Maroon and Blue colours were discarded and Green and Gold substituted. Two matches were snatched from the burning, the first against Poneke and the second against Wellington. By its defeat of Poneke the team justified its elevation. It was a very proud team which left Athletic Park after the game. This season was also memorable because it marked the beginning of the series of matches with other Colleges. We beat Canterbury College in the inaugural game by 8 points to 6, but were beaten by Otago by 13 to 0. Hunter and de la Mare were picked in Representative teams.

In 1906 the membership of the Club doubled and four teams were entered. The great need of the Club was a training ground. The top floor of the new College was tried as a gymnasium but falling plaster in the class-room below, though interesting, brought an instant prohibition. G. V. Bogle, our mainstay in defence, this year won his Provincial Cap. Victoria College played its first match against a touring Sydney University Team and was beaten by 31 to 3. In 1907 the only regular training was done in the early mornings on the Nairn Street Reserve. The first steps were, however, taken in respect to a gymnasium on the College Ground. G. V. Bogle again represented the Province. A. H. Johnstone, H. H. Ostler, W. Gillanders, F. A. de la Mare, and T. A. Hunter gained the honour, which they very highly value, of life-membership of the Club.

The season of 1908 was marked by the first visit of a N.Z. University Football Team to Sydney. Victoria College was represented by J. D. Brosnan, F. W. B. Goodbehcre, A. D. Lynch, F. A. de la Mare and H. F. O'Leary. Hitchings, de la Mare and Prendeville were picked for Provincial games. This season was most unfortunate for accidents and it became more and more difficult to put full teams in the field as the season progressed. Sydney page 74 University visited us in 1909 and our representatives in the N.Z. University Team were A. T. Duncan, C. E. Phillips, H. F. O'Leary, J. D. Brosnan, A. Curtayne, F. A. de la Mare, Tennant and W. J. Robertson. One of the great events of the season was the opening of the Gymnasium on the 24th July. The College owes the Gymnasium almost entirely to the members of the Football Club, with whom Professor Hunter was closely associated.

From 1910, the College Team began to put more even teams into the field. In this year P. J. Ryan and A. Curtayne represented the Province. In 1911 Ryan maintained his place and for some years no Wellington team was complete without him. Curtayne, Brosnan, Faire, Quilliam, Ryan and Robertson went with the N.Z. University Team to Sydney. It is recorded that the existence of the Gymnasium did not necessarily carry with it a well-trained Club. The seasons 1912 to 1914 were more or less uneventful. A team went to Sydney in 1913 in which R. H. Quilliam, A. Sandel, A. S. Faire, L. J. Shaw, T. Fawcett, and P. J. Ryan were included. In 1914 Ryan, Faire, T. Beard and W. T. Sim played for the Province while Ryan and Beard won Inter-Island caps. During the latter season the College Team added to its laurels by defeating the Champion team, Athletic, by 10 points to 3.

During the seasons 1914 to 1918 College had no men of military age and sound limb to play football. 113 members of the Club joined the Colours and not less than 38 members or ex-members were killed. G. V. Bogle, such a tower of strength in old days, with his brothers Gordon and Stafford, fell in battle. H. W. King, J. H. Goulding, G. H. Fell who played in the original First Fifteen, Maurice Sprott and G. M. Hogben of the original Second-Fifteen; F. W. B. Goodbehere, who could reproduce on the football field his great performances on the running track; Eric Lyon, the perfect Secretary; C. E. Phillips, who had the making of a perfect centre; H. B. Randrup, H. V. Ramsay, S. W. Dempsey, Noel F. Burnett, G. C. Jackson and T. W. L. Rutherford, who belong to the older generation, all gave their lives. To the younger generation belong L. D. O'Sullivan, Captain of the First Fifteen and of the Wellington Representative Team, T. Lyons, T. Fawcett, J. S. Marsden, W. H. Maxwell, K. J. Tait, and L. J. Shaw, all stalwarts of the First Fifteen; Athol Hudson, than whom none had greater promise, C. W. Quilliam, D. A. Harle, F. Howard, M. McCartney, J. A. Wiseman, G. G. Veal, J. B. H. Saxon, D. K. Pallant, J. D. R. Munro and A. Miller. All these represented us in the greatest team the Empire has ever placed in the field and all made the supreme sacrifice.

In 1919, the College again put 4 teams into the field. N. Barker, Beard, H. Crisp, A. Jackson, G. G. Aitken, Brosnan and P. Martin-Smith played in Representative teams. Aitken, Barker, Jackson and S. K. Siddells won their Provincial Caps in 1920, and the University Blue was won by Aitken, Jackson, Siddells, F. H. Hansen, D. and R. R. Scott. In 1921 Aitken and Siddells represented New Zealand, the former as Captain, and these two, with Jackson, Hutchison, Hansen, G. McKay and D. Scott form the strongest contingent which the College has contributed in any one season to Provincial football.

The record of the Club during its 21 years existence is one of which the College has some reason to be proud. The other Clubs and the public of Wellington have learned to expect from University page 75 teams a clean and sporting game played in the true amateur spirit. It must be confessed that we have not always played great or consistent football, and especially was this so in those first years when Wellington football was at the zenith both in skill and strenuousness. It must be confessed that we have sometimes been slack in training and content to shield ourselves behind the greater tribulations of November. On the other hand we have not seldom made a handsome showing and our defeats have been numerous enough to chasten our spirits. Above all, we have been united, perhaps, especially through our early struggles and failures by a spirit of camaraderie which has helped to form the strong esprit de corps of the College and has made the Victoria University Football Club the home of many happy memories.