Wikipedia

1953 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand

The 1953 Kangaroo Tour of New Zealand was a mid-season tour of New Zealand by the Australia national rugby league team. The Australians played nine matches on tour, including three tests against the New Zealand national rugby league team. The tour began on 24 June and finished on 18 July.[1]

1953 Kangaroo tour of New Zealand
ManagerDudley F. Locke
George McLeod
Coach(es)Clive Churchill
Tour captain(s)Clive Churchill
Top point scorer(s)Noel Pidding 63
Top try scorer(s)Des McGovern 19
Top test point scorer(s)Noel Pidding 13
Des White 24
Top test try scorer(s)Ken McCaffery 2
Harry Wells 2
Ron McKay 3
Summary
P W D L
Total
09 07 00 02
Test match
03 01 00 02
Opponent
P W D L
 New Zealand
3 1 0 2
Tour chronology
Previous tour1949 to
1952 to
1952-53 to
Next tour1956 to
1952-53 to
1961 to

Leadership edit

Clive Churchill was both the captain and the coach of the touring side. He appeared in eight of the nine matches.
In the one game in which Churchill was absent, against Northland, Ken McCaffery captained the Australian team.
The team was managed by Dudley Locke of Wollongong and George McLeod of Maryborough.[2]

Touring squad edit

The Rugby League News published the touring team including the players' ages and weights.[3] Match details - listing surnames of both teams and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring.[4]
Crocker, Davies, Drew, Hornery, Banks, McCaffery, McGovern and Watson were selected from Queensland clubs. Carlson, Gill and Paul were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney based clubs during the 1953 season.

Player Position Age Weight Club Tests
on
Tour 		Games Tries Goals FG Points
Ferris Ashton Second-row 26 14 st. 8 lb. (93 kg)   Eastern Suburbs 1 5 4 5 0 22
Roy Bull Prop 23 14 st. 4 lb. (91 kg)   Manly-Warringah 3 6 2 0 6
Brian Carlson Wing 20 13 st. 3 lb. (84 kg)   Newcastle Northern Suburbs 2 6 16 5 58
Clive Churchill Fullback 26 11 st. 7 lb. (73 kg)   South Sydney 3 8 1 0 0 3
Les Cowie Lock 28 13 st. 4 lb. (84 kg)   South Sydney 1 5 0 0 0 0
Harold Crocker Lock 24 15 st. 0 lb. (95 kg)   South Brisbane 3 5 0 0 0 0
Brian Davies Prop 22 15 st. 0 lb. (95 kg)   Brisbane Brothers 3 7 3 0 0 9
Bernie Drew Second-row 24 13 st. 7 lb. (86 kg)   Ipswich Railways 1 5 9 2 0 31
Charlie Gill Prop 30 13 st. 12 lb. (88 kg)   Newcastle Northern Suburbs 3 7 1 1 0 5
Greg Hawick Five-eighth 21 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg)   South Sydney 2 6 1 3 0 9
Keith Holman Halfback 25 11 st. 9 lb. (74 kg)   Western Suburbs 1 4 2 2 0 10
Alan Hornery Hooker 27 13 st. 6 lb. (85 kg)   Brisbane Western Suburbs 0 5 1 1 0 5
Ken Kearney Hooker 27 14 st. 2 lb. (90 kg)   St George 3 4 0 0 0 0
Bob Banks Five-eighth 22 12 st. 6 lb. (79 kg)   Toowoomba Newtown 3 7 4 2 0 16
Ken McCaffery Centre 23 13 st. 0 lb. (83 kg)   Toowoomba Souths 3 6 8 0 0 24
Des McGovern Wing 24 13 st. 4 lb. (84 kg)   Toowoomba Newtown 1 6 19 1 0 59
Albert Paul Second-row 25 14 st. 2 lb. (90 kg)   Lakes United 0 5 1 1 0 5
Noel Pidding Wing 26 12 st. 6 lb. (79 kg)   St George 3 8 9 18 0 63
Alex Watson Centre 20 13 st. 4 lb. (84 kg)   Brisbane Western Suburbs 0 5 6 1 0 20
Harry Wells Centre 21 14 st. 2 lb. (90 kg)   Wollongong 3 7 7 0 0 21

Tour edit

The Australians played nine matches on the tour, winning seven matches and losing two, both being tests against the Kiwis.

Wednesday 24 June
West Coast   11 – 17   Australia
[5]
Wingham Park, Greymouth
Attendance: 2,003

First test edit

Saturday 27 June
New Zealand   25 – 5   Australia
Tries:
Ron McKay (2)
George Davidson
Jimmy Edwards
Des White Goals:
Des White (4/4)
John Bond (1/1) 		[6]
 Tries:
Ferris Ashton
Goals:
Noel Pidding (1/1)
Rugby League Park, Christchurch
Attendance: 5,509
Referee: Wally Wilkinson  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
New Zealand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Australia
FB 1   Des White
RW 2   Jimmy Edwards
RC 3   Ron McKay
LC 4   Tommy Baxter
LW 5   Bevin Hough
FE 6   Bill Sorensen
HB 7   Jimmy Haig (c)
PR 8   John Bond
HK 9   George Davidson
PR 10   Bill McLennan
SR 11   Bob Neilson
SR 12   Frank Mulcare
LF 13   Alister Atkinson
Coach:
  Jim Amos
FB 1   Clive Churchill (c)
RW 2   Brian Carlson
RC 3   Harry Wells
LC 4   Ken McCaffery
LW 5   Noel Pidding
FE 6   Bob Banks
HB 7   Keith Holman
PR 8   Roy Bull
HK 9   Ken Kearney
PR 10   Charlie Gill
SR 11   Brian Davies
SR 12   Ferris Ashton
LF 13   Harold Crocker
Coach:
  Clive Churchill
Tuesday 30 June
South Island 9 – 66   Australia
[7]
Tahuna Park, Dunedin
Attendance: 2,956

Second test edit

Saturday 4 July
New Zealand   12 – 11   Australia
Tries:
Ron McKay
Bob Neilson
Goals:
Des White (3/3) 		[8]
 Tries:
Ken McCaffery
Brian Carlson
Goals:
Noel Pidding (1/2)
Basin Reserve, Wellington
Attendance: 5,394
Referee: Wally Wilkinson  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
New Zealand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Australia
FB 1   Des White
RW 2   Cyril Paskell
RC 3   Ron McKay
LC 4   Tommy Baxter
LW 5   Jimmy Edwards
FE 6   Bill Sorensen
HB 7   Jimmy Haig (c)
PR 8   Bill McLennan
HK 9   George Davidson
PR 10   John Bond
SR 11   Bob Neilson
SR 12   Frank Mulcare
LF 13   Alister Atkinson
Coach:
  Jim Amos
FB 1   Clive Churchill (c)
RW 2   Brian Carlson
RC 3   Harry Wells
LC 4   Ken McCaffery
LW 5   Noel Pidding
FE 6   Bob Banks
HB 7   Greg Hawick
PR 8   Roy Bull
HK 9   Ken Kearney
PR 10   Charlie Gill
SR 11   Brian Davies
SR 12   Harold Crocker
LF 13   Les Cowie
Coach:
  Clive Churchill
Monday 6 July
Taranaki   3 – 62   Australia
[9]
Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Attendance: 1,950
Wednesday 8 July
South Auckland 11 – 63   Australia
[10]
Davies Park, Huntly
Attendance: 1,044
Saturday 11 July
Auckland   4 – 26   Australia
[11]
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 8,556
Wednesday 15 July
Northland   7 – 98   Australia
[12]
Okara Park, Whangarei
Attendance: 1,051

Third test edit

Saturday 18 July
New Zealand   16 – 18   Australia
Tries:
Jimmy Edwards
Frank Mulcare
Bob Neilson
Des White
Goals:
Des White (2/4) 		[13]
 Tries:
Harry Wells (2)
Bob Banks
Noel Pidding
Goals:
Noel Pidding (3/4)
Carlaw Park, Auckland
Attendance: 16,033
Referee: Roland Avery  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
New Zealand
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Australia
FB 1   Des White
RW 2   Jimmy Edwards
RC 3   Ron McKay
LC 4   Tommy Baxter
LW 5   Vern Bakalich
FE 6   Cyril Eastlake
HB 7   Jimmy Haig (c)
PR 8   John Bond
HK 9   George Davidson
PR 10   Bill McLennan
SR 11   Bob Neilson
SR 12   Frank Mulcare
LF 13   Alister Atkinson
Coach:
  Jim Amos
FB 1   Clive Churchill (c)
RW 2   Des McGovern
RC 3   Harry Wells
LC 4   Ken McCaffery
LW 5   Noel Pidding
FE 6   Bob Banks
HB 7   Greg Hawick
PR 8   Roy Bull
HK 9   Ken Kearney
PR 10   Charlie Gill
SR 11   Brian Davies
SR 12   Bernie Drew
LF 13   Harold Crocker
Coach:
  Clive Churchill

References edit

  1. ^ "Kangaroos Tour 1953 - Rugby League Project". www.rugbyleagueproject.org. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  2. ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Manager For N.Z." The Rugby League news. 34 (5 (18 April 1953)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. nla.obj-643706177. Retrieved 17 Jan 2021 – via Trove.
  3. ^ New South Wales Rugby Football League. (1920). "Sound Side For N.Z." The Rugby League news. 34 (16 (20 June 1953)). Sydney: N.S.W. Rugby Football League. nla.obj-643864189. Retrieved 16 Jan 2021 – via Trove.
  4. ^ E.E.Christensen (1954). "Players' Records in N.Z.". E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook. 8. Sydney: E.E.Christensen.
  5. ^ 1953 West Coast vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  6. ^ 1953 New Zealand vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  7. ^ 1953 South Island vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  8. ^ 1953 New Zealand vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  9. ^ 1953 Taranaki vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  10. ^ 1953 South Auckland vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  11. ^ 1953 Auckland vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  12. ^ 1953 Northland vs Australia – Rugby League Project
  13. ^ 1953 New Zealand vs Australia – Rugby League Project
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