Introduction
of Football in Australia
There
is little doubt that a soccer ball was kicked about
in Australia in a playful manner and small scale during
the 1870’s by immigrants, but most people knew nothing
about the game. The first known group to form a soccer
social "club" was organised by a school teacher named
W.J. Fletcher. It (the social club) was called the "Wanderers" and
began operation on the 14th of August 1880
at Parramatta. Another soccer group was organised at
Kings School and social games were arranged between
these two groups. During the 1880’s the round code
of football became very popular not only in Sydney
but also in the
coal mining areas of Newcastle and the Illawarra. However,
travelling long distances by teams were very restricted
until the railway links were made to the areas outside
Sydney although there were some coach travelling from
the Illawarra prior to the opening of the railway link
to the Illawarra in 1888. Travelling to Sydney by ship
could not be considered due to shipping times and absence
from work.
In
Sydney early major clubs were: Pymont, Arcadians,
Caledonians, Ambrose, Canterbury, Granville, Parksgrove
and Balmain.
In the Newcastle district there were: Hamilton, Greta,
Carrington, Burwood, Wallsend, West Wallsend, Adamstown
and Minmi Rangers. The early South Coast clubs were:
Balgownie, Corrimal, Woonona, North Illawarra (Bulli)
and Helensburgh. Unfortunately there are very few
records if any, of how the early clubs of the South Coast
were
formed or the dates of origin and most of their history
have came from hand me down stories and old newspapers.
The first state wide competition began in 1885 and
was called
the Gardiner Cup. The first state control council
was named the British Football Association of N.S.W. and
officially operated in 1898.
Early
Soccer Football at Balgownie
The Balgownie Soccer
Football Club has no early records of its club. The following
information has been obtained
from interviews of very elderly Balgownie residents,
hand me down stories, soccer magazines and newspaper
extracts. One official soccer publication claims
that the Balgownie Club started in 1890 but this is untrue.
In 1890 Balgownie was one of the strongest teams
in the state, one of its victories was against Minmi Rangers
who were the state champions in 1889. From the
information available Balgownie was the first village on the South
Coast to play organised football. It played in
the Gardiner Cup in the late 1880’s and was officially registered
to play in the newly formed N.S.W. Football Association
in 1890. Probably this is where the information
was obtained that this was when the Balgownie Club was formed.
One of the early mining families
to settle in Balgownie or
Cramsville as it was then called were the Hunters.
One of the young members of this family was Peter Hunter
who had played junior football in Scotland.
He brought with him an old football and there is little
doubt that
this was the first football brought to the
South Coast. This story has been mentioned by so many of
the old soccer
players and residents of the 1880’s.
The expansion of Mt Pleasant
Colliery in the early 1880’s
and the opening of the new mine workings west of
the village resulted in many migrants arriving
from England
and Scotland to work in the mine. Most of these
new settlers had been involved or were interested
in the game of football.
By 1883 Peter Hunter’s ball was being kicked around
the flat ground where the William Street joins
Lang Street
today. This area became Balgownie’s Football
ground for many years until a fruit orchard
was established
there.
At this period the farmers, miners
and residents of Cramsville and Mt Pleasant were poor due
to
recessions in the coal
industry and little returns from the farms.
Most farmers worked in the mines to supplement their
incomes. There
was very little money to be spent on sport.
However, the residents and their families had to have some
interest and entertainment besides the
walking
to the seashore
and lookouts on the escarpment. Gala days
were organised on a Sunday of each month at the football
ground that
attracted most residents.
In the early 1880’s the general area
north of Wollongong was called Fairy Meadow and although
the North
Illawarra Council and the Public School
were situated along the
main arterial road its centre had a small
population consisting mainly of farmers. Small settlements
were developing in the area due to the
expanding
coal industry
especially at Mt Pleasant, Cramsville,
Corrimal and Bellambi.
Cramsville was by far the largest
settlement and its
population
was increasing due to the miner squatters
residing near Mt Pleasant shifting into houses there and
immigrants
looking for work in the mines. It was
under these
hard living conditions that the people,
some with large families,
were so pleased to be engaged in some
form of entertainment that did not involve financial outlays.
In North Illawarra, especially
among the mining communities,
a sport that was developed in the
north of England coal fields, was started and spreading.
It was
a miner’s game
of Clay Quoits and already was popular in Cramsville.
However, this form of entertainment involved only
men. There was some general entertainment for all
the community
at the only school in the area at Fairy Meadow.
The Headmaster there in the early 1880’s
was James Pearson and he organised
plays and concerts at
the school.
It was no wonder that when social
games of football were
organised at Cramsville it attracted
most of the population. Gala days were arranged once a
month
when two teams would
be selected and dressed up in home
made fancy dress to the delight of the spectators. These
gala days
developed
into an entertainment day for the
whole village and involved games for the children and even
a
practice clay quoits
pitch was made for those not playing
football. This event took place on a Sunday with only small
activities in
the morning due to the church services
but by the
afternoon soccer and clay quoits
were the main attractions. These
activities at Cramsville attracted
people from other areas and soon soccer football was spreading
in the settlements
of North Illawarra.
It
is very unfortunate that there
does not appear to be any records in the Illawarra of
early football.
In 1946
Judy Masters, who at that period
was an executive officer of the South Coast Soccer Association
and
he requested
to write up the history of Balgownie
Soccer Football Club. This is his report: -
| Balgownie
Soccer Club is one of the oldest soccer clubs
in N.S.W. and was formed in 1890. The founders
were; Peter Hunter (senior), Alderman Harry
R Murdock who was the first President and Thomas
Cook was Patron. Thomas Thompson (senior) was
Secretary of the club for 15 years. James Cram
and Thomas Rhodes (senior) were strong supporters
of the club for many years. Both
Hunter and Thompson were prominent
players. A photograph in my possession reads
as
follows:- Champions of Illawarra District
1894 -1895-1896 and 1895 Balgownie
had two first grade teams who won their way
into the district final, competitors
were; Corrimal, Helensburgh, Thirroul, Woonona-Bulli,
Kembla and Balgownie. Names of Balgownie
first grade team reads: T Cook Patron,
C York, J Campbell, P Hunter, T Thompson,
J Syms, W Logan, R Vardy, M Fitzgibbons,
R Campbell, W Shaw, F Figtree, T Foorest
and H Murdock President.
Balgownie
has always played in District Competitions
and in the early days there was the
State Gardiner Cup, a knock-out competition.
Great players in the early days were:
C Campbell Goalie and Peter Hunter
Half-back.
From 1900 there many very good players
such as the Rhodes brothers, Charlie,
Jack
and Tom, then there were the Masters
brothers Charlie and Bob. Others who
represented
in district teams were: John Fielding
and Bill Compton. Early this century
Balgownie
was always well represented in district
and state teams. Other good players
to mention were Jack Cram, Tom Screen, Ben
Green, Jim Campbell, Bert Murray and
Ted Hayman. Jack Rhodes captained N.S.W.
against
Victoria in 1905.
After World War
I until 1930 the standard of
soccer at Balgownie was very high and
their players were well represented
in district,
state and Australian teams. During
the 1920’s the following players constantly
were playing for Australia, sometimes three
would be in the national team at the same
time. Those players were: Judy Masters,
Dave Ward, Tom Thompson (junior) and Frank
Smith. Other outstanding players most of
whom played in district and state teams
were: Peter Hunter (junior), "Scotchie" Learmont, "Tart" McMahon,
Bede McMahon, Noel Swan, Joe Scarlett,
Tom Batey, Joe Suddick, Arthur Jones, George
Murphy, Roy Bowerman, Jack Parker, "Hilly" Johnston,
Ray James and Bill Johnston.
In the late 1920’s
with the introduction of State League Soccer
there was a
split in
the soccer organisation. The Balgownie
Club did not join the new state competition
and remained fast with the old district
association competition that was affiliated
with the junior soccer state organisation
of N.S.W.. The international players,
Judy Masters, Dave Ward and Tom Thompson
were
born in Balgownie but Frank Smith was
born outside the area. Great credit
must be
given to our forefathers who handed
down through the years a soccer club
worthy
of the grand old name in soccer circles,
Balgownie.
Judy Masters. |
|
A further article
by Judy Masters in 1946.
| Famous
Players of the Club
Representative
Players
Peter
Hunter (senior) 1896
N.S.W. and South Coast
Tom Thompson (senior) 1896 N.S.W. and South
Coast
Jack Rhodes 1905-8
N.S.W. and South Coast
Charlie Masters 1905-8
N.S.W. and South Coast
Bob Masters 1905-8
N.S.W. and South Coast
Bill Compton 1905-8 N.S.W. and South Coast
John Fielding 1905-8 N.S.W. and South Coast
Bert Murray 1905-8 N.S.W. and South Coast
The
following players represented the district
and state teams at various times during
the 1920’s.
Bill
Johnston, Herb Masters, Noel Swan, Dick
Johnston and Peter Hunter (junior).
Judy
Masters was the most famous of them all.
Captained all Australian teams against:
China 1923 in all 5 tests, English Professionals
1923 in all 3 tests, Canada 1926 in 5 tests,
Czechoslovakia 1927 in 3 tests and New
Zealand in 2 tests. Dave Ward and Tom Thompson
played in many of the above mentioned tests.
They also played in New Zealand in 1922.
Frank Smith and Tom Thompson played for
Australia in Java in 1928.
Early
Club Officials 1890 - 1896
The
early members of Balgownie Soccer Football
Club are Peter Hunter (senior), Harry R
Murdock, Thomas Cook, Thomas Thompson,
James Cram and Thomas Rhodes. In later
years other club officials include Alex
Masters, John Burrell, Ben Green, Bill
Scarlett, Frank Figtree and K Bode. The
Club Presidents, in between the period
1919-1925, were Dave Duncombe, Dick Johnston,
John Brown, Charlie Edwards and Bill "Digger" Lithgow.
Secretary for 25 years Judy Masters then
Harry Johnston. The following carried out
the job of treasurer until 1940: W Druce,
W Dobinson, W Discon, C Booker, C James,
Bill Lithgow, C Masters, W Bampton, A Bampton
and R Banks. The present (1946) executives
are: J Thommeny, R Banks, P Cram, J Hurt,
F Dal Santo and E James. Patron is Judy
Masters. Also councilor to Schools District
Soccer for five years, manager and coach
to district under 14 teams.
Judy
Masters. |
|
It
is very fortunate that Judy Masters with his great involvement
in Balgownie Soccer over many years did record the people
involved in the club’s activities and their achievements
otherwise this information would have been lost. There
is no doubt that there would be very few if any person
in Australia could match his achievements as a player and
an official in club and district soccer. Also, it must
be remembered that he was involved in other community activities
during the same period he was with soccer. He has omitted
many things in his reports but then he was 54 years old
when he wrote these reports and he had to depend on his
memory and thus he only recorded club players, officials
and achievements. Further comments will be made on Judy
Masters later in this report.
Returning
to the early period of soccer in Balgownie there are
several promoters of the game not mentioned in Judy Masters
reports.
The first team captain was William Brown and not much
is known of him as he left the district in the early 1890’s.
After he left Tom Thompson (senior) took over as captain
for many years and not only was he a very good player but
he was an expert coach and organiser. William Brown must
have had much experience in soccer before he came to Australia
and with Peter Hunter and Tom Thompson to assist him quickly
developed a high standard of play for the Balgownie Club
to enter the Gardiner Cup which most likely occurred in
1886 or 1887 due to transport problems related to travelling
to Sydney. Teams from Sydney certainly could not travel
to the Illawarra until the railway link was completed in
1888. However, in 1890 Balgownie Soccer Team was a very
strong team as it beat the previous years champions Minmi
Rangers although they did not win the competition. Captain
William Brown played a great part in the team’s successes
that year.
Balgownie Rangers
Football Club, Premiers 1895 & 1896
Top Row: Tom Cook (hon. pres.), Charlie York, Charlie
Campbell, Jim Campbell, Harry Murdoch (pres.)
Middle Row: Bill Logan, Peter Hunter, Tom Thompson (capt.),
Jimmy Syms, Bill Shaw
Front Row: Bob Vardy, Mick Fitzgibbons, Bob Campbell.
It
is interesting to note that although the mining village
was called Cramsville this name was not used as a soccer
club title and it was not until 1889 that the name Cramsville
was changed to Balgownie. Probably the reason for this
was that the whole area between Mt Pleasant to Reidtown
and Tarrawanna was called the Balgownie Estate since
the 1830’s. In the 1880’s 20% of the local population lived
outside of Cramsville but in the Balgownie Estate and were
involved in the sport of soccer.
With
the forming up of other soccer clubs in North Illawarra
the question of club colours was discussed. The people
were too poor to spend money on sport so the logical
choice for Balgownie Soccer Football Club was to use their
red
pit flannels as their competition colours. Their knee
long white shorts were made out of calcio material and
their
boots were their pit boots with some leather bars on
the sole. This dress caused some amusement among some Sydney
clubs when they first observed it and casual comments
were
often heard that "here come the dirty miners, they
are still in their pit clothes".
While
on this subject throughout this century and most
common in the Illawarra is the expression "Dirty Balgownie" which
has been heard not only in the sport of soccer but
in other sports in which a Balgownie team or player is
not involved.
It is usually heard at a sports venue when a player
does some unfavourable action although legal to his opponent
or opponents. This expression was created by the
Balgownie
Soccer team in the late 1890’s by kicking the ball
out as far as they could when they were in front
during the
second half of the match. This was very effective
on their home ground as it took a long time to get
the ball from
the nearby creek. Usually only one spare ball was
available. Balgownie used these tactics early this
century and as
a result the term "Dirty Balgownie" stuck with them
to this day but in a jokingly way. The expression
is heard
at various places around Australia by people who
would not know how or were it started. I was amazed
to hear this
expression at the Oval, in England during a cricket
game, Australia was playing the MCC Eleven. This
happened in
June 1953 when there were many Australians in England
during the Queen’s Coronation. There could have been
5,000 Australians at this cricket match. I was sitting
with the Australian
team members and talking to Don Tallon, the wicket
keeper. Australia was batting, Craig hit a ball hard
back towards
the bowler Lock, he began to run but Lock caught
the ball and threw it hard back to stump Craig who
had his back
towards the bowler as he scurried back. The ball
hit Craig in the back and from somewhere in the noisy
Australian
section of the crowd the term "Dirty Balgownie" was
heard. Judy Masters was in England at this period
but I do not
know whether he was at this cricket game and I do
not think he would ever say this remark if he was.
The Early 1900's
At the turn of the century the
Balgownie Soccer Football Club
was very strong and could put two first grade sides
into the district competition. At this period their
colours
were still red, but had discarded their pit flannels
for red shirts and many players had football boots.
In the
period 1910-11 the club decided to change their
red colour to black and white stripes. Balgownie School
had previously
adopted the Magpie as their school emblem and this
may have influenced the Soccer Club to do likewise
as for many
years they were known as the Balgownie Magpies
and
is still used today.
Judy
Masters in his report has mentioned many great
soccer players including himself. Not all these players
were tall and
robustly built. In the early years soccer was
a very
rough game with very few fouls given for rough
play. To gain
a place in a top soccer team a player had to
be able to rough up his opponents with legal knocks besides
taking
the hard knocks from his opponents. Also, he
had
to have the skills to retain his position of
play. Even goal keepers
could be flattened with a legal knock or tackle.
Balgownie had some very rugged and tough players
such as the Rhodes
brothers and the Figtrees’. These miners were built
of hardened muscles, were tall and frightened of
no one. Probably
one of the most rugged players that ever played for
Balgownie was huge "Black Mick" Fitzgibbons, on the
field he tackled all players even goal keepers like
a mean wild boar, it
has been said he has kicked ball and goalie into
the net. Balgownie was not the only club that had
rough players,
rival miners in the Newcastle area were very rough.
It was under these conditions that lightly built
international
players such as Masters, Ward and Thompson had to
contend with to reach the top of the soccer world
in Australia.
These three players not only
were very good players individually they had an excellent
team combination
and even retained
this teamwork in the Australian Test Team.
Masters, centre forward; Ward, inside left and Thompson,
left
wing. Judy
Masters in his reports mentions some of the
important men who assisted greatly to promote the soccer
game
in Balgownie
in the early years. Some mention should be
given of their background and of others who gave wonderful
support to
Balgownie Soccer Football Club. William Brown
has
been mentioned and became Balgownie Club’s first
captain. He came from Scotland and was well acquainted
with the soccer
football code. He had played first class soccer in
Scotland and was able to organise the game at a high
standard in
Cramsville. Peter Hunter already a good player improved
greatly under the guidance of William Brown and was
one of Balgownie’s main players and club supporters
until late in life. His son Peter Hunter also became
a great player
for his home village for many years.
Robert Vardy was a great sportsman,
from 1890 to early in the
1900’s and he excelled in soccer, cricket and also
was a champion clay quoits player. Balgownie lost
a great all
rounder when he left the area to live in the Wombarra
area. Charlie Campbell the pioneer goalie who was
not very robust
but his agility, alertness and judgement kept him
in the top goalie position until the turn of the
century. Tom
Thompson (senior) assisted greatly to promote soccer
in its early days with William Brown and after Brown’s
departure he took over the coaching, the captaincy
and most of the
club’s administration for many years to follow. Mainly
through his great efforts Balgownie Soccer Football
Club achieved great heights throughout the 1890’s.
It must have given this men a great feeling to see
his son Tom play
in Australia’s first ever international test at the
age of eighteen years old. There has been very little
ever
mentioned about Bill Shaw as a soccer player. He
came with his parents to Australia in the 1870’s
when living conditions were poor, most miners lived
in roughly built huts at Mt
Pleasant. His father worked in the mine and later
Bill got a job there at a very early age. He had
no experience
in football but was there to kick that first ball
around with Peter Hunter. He was a keen player and
made the top
team immediately. He held his position in the first
grade team for fifteen years. In 1896 he was awarded
a gold watch
and chain for the highest number of goals scored
in the district competition. Bill Shaw was still
a great club
supporter in the 1920’s and followed every game they
played. Tom Ward, another early versatile player
of several positions,
spent most of his games in the second team due to
his skills as captain and the great record that the
second team achieved
in the district competitions. On occasions his team
beat the star studded first team of Balgownie. Very
little is
known of James Syms who at the age of 16 was a brilliant
player with the second team and still at an early
age played in the first team. In 1894 he left the
district and Balgownie
lost a very skillful player in the peak of his form.
There were so many other great players not previously
mentioned
such as: Alex, Alf and Herb Masters, Charlie York,
Jack and Mark Green, Tom Dixon and Bill Chapman.
From the 1880’s until the Second World War soccer
was a religion in Balgownie and at all times the
club had
an abundance
of players and officials in depth that ensured it
always was one of the strongest soccer clubs in
N.S.W.. This was
achieved by those pioneer players, coaches and administrators
that put the standard of soccer in Balgownie so high
that it created the interest of this sport to roll
on to greater
achievements. Judy Masters has mentioned his achievements
when he played for Australia and gave some mention
to his achievements and to his two team mates. More
detail of
these players will follow.
Already
many supporters and officials of Balgownie
Soccer Football Club have been mentioned but just as important
are the
heads of families who were living in
poor conditions
with many children and still gave great
assistance to the club
and encouraged their sons to play soccer.
William Masters was such a person, with a very large family
he gave great
assistance to the club in many ways before
his eldest
boys had left school. His self example
in community matters
including soccer no doubt influenced
most of his family to do likewise in later years. George
Ward
came to Balgownie
in the early 1890’s and immediately become involved
in various sports. He had eight sons who all became
dedicated
soccer players and played for Balgownie. It has been
mentioned many times, that for several years in the
late 1920’s,
the Masters’ and the Wards’ could have made up a
first grade team to equal the best. Thomas Rhodes
and the Rhodes’ boys
is another great example of family promotion of Balgownie
sport. There were many other heads of families who
did not play sport in their early days (not able
to) but gave
great encouragement to their children. This dedicated
attitude in a close knit Balgownie community had
a great effect
in the early days of developing the standard of soccer
in later years.
James "Judy" Masters
The
name Masters has been mentioned in
Balgownie soccer more than any other name since the 1880’s. The main
reason for this are the great achievements of Judy
Masters who was
called by the media and many state officials as "the
little master" of soccer. Without any doubt Judy
Masters’ outstanding
records in the sport of soccer has
not been equaled in the Illawarra
this century.
James
William (Judy) Masters was born in
the Balgownie area on the 21st of May
1892 and died at his home, one hundred
metres
from
the soccer
ground where
he played most
of his football, on the 2nd of
December 1955. As a boy he lived
in Hunter Street only
two hundred metres
from Balgownie’s first soccer ground which was situated
in Lang’s paddock at the north end of William Street.
It was here that he learnt the skills of soccer football
from
the coaching of Tom Thompson (senior) and his elder
brothers Alex and Charlie. Judy had one disadvantage
he was not
tall and he was lightly built and to overcome the
robust play of the "heavies" in that era he mastered
the art of agility and ball control. He was very
young when selected
in the first team and soon given the key position
of centre
forward. His goal scoring ability against the states
top teams was uncanny and he was selected in the
district team.
At the age of sixteen years he represented N.S.W.
on several occasions playing inside right.
By
1914 he was considered one of the
best centre forwards in the state and the competition at
that period was
very strong. He enlisted into the
army during World War I
and his early training was in Liverpool
Camp. However, he still
played soccer, at first he played
a few games with the Newton Club and then his old rival
club Granville
got
him to play centre forward for
them until he went overseas. He saw active service at Gallipoli
and
France. During
the
breaks from the front line he captained
army teams in France and England.
After World War I
It
took some time after the First
World War for the soccer clubs to reorganise, old players
returning
from the war
had to contest the young up
and coming players. By 1920 there were many changes in
the
Balgownie first
grade
teams but the talent and the
numbers still existed. The next
ten years would see Balgownie
soccer reach its greatest heights in its history and
fortunately many of the
old pioneer soccer supporters
were
alive to see these great
events.
.jpg)
Title on Photograph:
Balgownie Rangers Soccer Club Undefeated; Undefeated
Premiers 1921
Top row from left: W. Dixon (Manager), Herb Masters,
Tom Batey, Peter Hunter, Wadie (Trainer)
Centre row from left: "Scotchy" Learmonth, W. Johnston,
Richard Johnston, "Hilly". Johnston (Captain)
Front row: George Guest, Dave Ward, Judy Masters, Tommy Thompson,
Arthur Mc Mahon.
By
1922 and 1923 six players from Balgownie Soccer Football
Club at various times were representing district, state
and Australia. In 1922 Judy Masters was selected with
his team mates Tom Thompson (junior) and Dave Ward to play
in Australia’s first international tests in New Zealand
but was unable to attend.
Tom Thompson
Tom "Titchie" Thompson
was born in Balgownie in 1904 and quickly rose to soccer
fame with the Balgownie Soccer Football Club. Encouraged
by his well experienced father, although his was only 5
feet 4 inches tall, he soon overcame the hard knocks by
bigger opponents and due to his agility and speed, developed
a style of attacking football rarely seen in that era.
Although a natural left foot player he developed his right
foot just as good as his left foot. Due to his speed and
attacking play the left wing was his usual position in
district and state teams. What made Tom Thompson so outstanding
was his ball control, an art he developed as a youth and
it certainly confused his opponents. One commentator was
heard to say "Thompson can trap a ball, turn on a tripeny-bit
and make off leaving his opponent dumbfounded".
Tom Thompson had his 18th birthday
while a member of the first Test Team on a ship travelling
to New Zealand.
The first Test was played at Dunedin on the 17th May
1922 and although Australia were beaten by two goals
to one, the hero of this test was Thompson. The New
Zealand crowd were soon amazed at this small man’s "tricks" with
the ball and his speed. In the second half on numerous
occasions the crowd roared as Thompson turned defence into
attack. After the game Thompson was mobbed by a section
of the crowd patting him on the back for his spectacular
display of soccer never seen before in New Zealand. He
played at left wing in all three tests in New Zealand and
this paved the way for future international games for Australia.
Another incident worth recording
was during the first soccer Test
played in Australia at the Gabba ground in Brisbane.
It was the Australian crowd that was soon barracking Thompson
when he turned defence into attack. The score was
one all
and there was less then a minute remaining until
full time. With great tackling and ball control Thompson
stopped the
opposing forwards not far from his goal line then
took off at fast speed, at the centre line he crossed to
the
right winger Mitchell who immediately crossed back
to Thompson on the left wing. Another Australian Maunder
kept pace
with them in the centre and he received a strong
grubber ball along the ground from Thompson and Maunder
with his
left foot fired it into the net as the full time
whistle blew. The huge crowd mobbed the field and both "Pudge" Maunder
and Tom Thompson were carried off by the enthusiastic
spectators.
Thompson played many times for
Australia, in 1925 he was
awarded
the best player of the match against an England
XI. In 1928 he played for Australia against the Dutch East
Indies
(now known as Indonesia). In this country he
played 19 games including tests and scored 19 goals. The
soccer
recorded publication on the 2nd of
June 1927 states "Tommy
Thompson still in his early twenties is one of the most
brilliant and versatile players that New South Wales has
produced, with outstanding performances against New Zealand
in 1922 and 1923, Victoria 1923, Canada 1924, England 1925,
China and Czechoslovakia in 1927. With his own club he
can play at any position, he is a trier at all times and
can drive wonderful shots at goal. He will keep the Queensland
goalie busy next weekend at the Gabba Ground". Australian
Rugby Union Captain of the 1920’s Alex Ross who followed
the soccer tests claimed "I have seen Thompson play many
times and never seen any soccer player in Australia or
England to execute ball control as brilliant as Thompson".
Tom Thompson like his father
was devoted to the Balgownie Soccer
Football Club and played in the top grade until
the Second World War. A small man but with a tough character
and he
could combat any rough player in the sport.
On one occasion he broke an opponents leg in normal play
and from that
day on he was classed as a "dirty" player by some opponents.
In the latter part of his career when he had lost some
of his speed he played most of his football in the defensive
roll usually as fullback and few if any could play this
position as good as Tom. In those years he encouraged the
improving young players especially when they played with
him in the top grade. I have watched him play many times
and never have I seen him ever be the aggressor but if
an opponent used rough tactics on one of the junior players
he would certainly be seeking that player for the rest
of the game. I have seen some of the known rough players
in the district avoid Thompson throughout a match if they
thought he was after them. That was the reputation he had
and he was not frightened of anyone. In any sport it is
difficult to judge any person as the best ever due to the
changing rules and the time gaps. However as a result of
my research into Balgownie Soccer Football Club, my interviews
with old residents some of whom were young when the club
formed and my own observations from the 1920’s I am of
the opinion that Tom Thompson (junior) was the most skillful
soccer player in Balgownie Soccer Football Club from 1920
to 1930. To be able to play efficiently in any position
including goalie with his small build in first grade soccer
is a feat so difficult to equal in the soccer world.
Probably one of the most popular
soccer players of Balgownie Soccer
Football Club was David Ward. He was born
in Hunter Street where so many great soccer players lived
in their early
years. At the age of 21 years he was selected
in the first Australian Test Squad. With Tom Thompson he
played in the
first ever test against New Zealand at Dunedin
in 1922. His normal position was inside left and he combined
well
with Thompson on the left wing. Like Judy
Masters he was an expert in the appraisal of any situation
and so skillful
in positional play. He could shoot well with
both feet and be switched to the half back position if
required.
The combination of these skills placed him
in a favourable light with selectors and as a result he
played many games
for Australia during the 1920’s. The greatest chapter in
Dave Ward’s life was his involvement in so many community
matters and his assistance to his fellow men over a long
period.
Original text
from Vince Ward.
