Bill Davidson (rugby league)

Last updated

Bill Davidson
Bill Davidson 1927.png
Personal information
Full nameWilliam John Davidson
Born21 January 1897
Auckland, New Zealand
Died13 July 1977(1977-07-13) (aged 80)
Auckland, New Zealand
Playing information
Position Fullback, Centre
Club
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1915–23 City Rovers 88501511454
1915 Thames Old Boys (exhibition)12108
1917City/Newton (exhibition)11003
1917Combined (City, Newton, N Shore)10408
Total91531561473
Representative
YearsTeamPldTGFGP
1920–23 Auckland 121124083
1922Auckland Province10306
1919–21 New Zealand 16729079
Coaching information
Club
YearsTeamGmsWDLW%
1938 Ponsonby United 201001050
1948 City Rovers
Total201001050
Representative
YearsTeamGmsWDLW%
1924 Auckland 530260
1927Buller10010
Source: [1]
As of 2 September 2022
Relatives Ben Davidson (brother)
George Davidson (brother)

Bill Davidson is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. [1]

Contents

A brother, Ben, also played for New Zealand while another brother, George, represented New Zealand at the 1920 Olympic Games.

Rugby league

Playing career

Davidson on the left in the 'New Zealand' team to play Auckland on 21 May 1921. New Zealand rugby league team on May 21, 1921.jpg
Davidson on the left in the 'New Zealand' team to play Auckland on 21 May 1921.
Davidson on the left in the Auckland team to play the 2nd match against the Australian Universities side at the Auckland Domain on 24 June 1922. Auckland v Australian Universities, June 24, 1922.jpg
Davidson on the left in the Auckland team to play the 2nd match against the Australian Universities side at the Auckland Domain on 24 June 1922.

A goal kicking fullback, Davidson played for the City Rovers between 1915 and 1923 in the Auckland Rugby League competition. Even as a young player his goal kicking became well known. In 1914 when he was still in the City 2nd Grade team he was reported thus: "this boy, Davidson, of City, is said to be a remarkable place kicker and half a dozen goals in one afternoon has been no uncommon achievement for him this season. He kicks them from all angles and all ranges, and many old players and officials have described him as easily the best goal kicker in Auckland". [2] He made his first grade debut in Round 1 of the 1915 season and scored a try, however because of his age he was deemed still too young (18) for the top side and spent the rest of the year in City's champion second grade team. [3] At the end of the season he was selected in the three quarters for the Junior Auckland side to play Junior Waikato. [4]

Davidson represented Auckland and scored 5 tries in his debut against Canterbury. [5] He also played in a 1919 defeat of Australia, a 1920 victory over the Great Britain Lions and a 1923 tour of the South Island. [6]

In 1919 he was first picked for New Zealand, playing against the touring Australians. He played his second test match in 1920, against Great Britain. [7]

The 1919 New Zealand team to tour New South Wales and Queensland. Bill Davidson is sitting on the ground on the extreme right. The 1919 New Zealand rugby league team to tour Australia.png
The 1919 New Zealand team to tour New South Wales and Queensland. Bill Davidson is sitting on the ground on the extreme right.

In 1922 he played for Auckland against the touring New South Wales team where Auckland lost 40 points to 25. He played against the same team days later for the Auckland Provincial team who also went down by 21 points to 20.

Coaching career

In 1927 Davidson coached the Buller side in their match against Auckland. Buller were badly outmatched and lost heavily but still managed to score 33 points in the 60-33 result. [8] In 1938 he coached the Ponsonby United team along with fellow ex-New Zealand international Gordon Campbell.[ citation needed ]

Administration career

Davidson later served as an administrator in league, swimming and athletics. He represented the City Rovers on the Auckland Rugby League board and also represented the Canterbury Rugby League on the New Zealand Rugby League Board. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Ifwersen</span> NZ dual-code rugby international footballer

Karl Donald Ifwersen (1893–1967) was a New Zealand rugby football player who represented New Zealand in both rugby league and rugby union.

The 1914 New Zealand rugby league season was the seventh season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.

The 1919 New Zealand rugby league season was the 12th season of rugby league that had been played in New Zealand.

Alwin John "Dougie" McGregor (1889–1963) was a dual-code rugby footballer who represented New Zealand in both rugby union and rugby league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Delgrosso</span> New Zealand international rugby league footballer

Frank Delgrosso was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand.

The City Newton Dragons are a defunct New Zealand rugby league club that was based at Victoria Park, Auckland. The club was created in 1948 by a merger of two original clubs, the City Rovers and Newton Rangers. Both the Rovers and the Rangers participated in the inaugural Auckland Rugby League competition in 1910. In 2004, the club was absorbed by the Ponsonby Ponies, who play a match in the City Newton colours annually to keep the heritage of the club alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Bass</span> New Zealand international rugby league footballer

Nelson Bass (1894–1963) was a New Zealand rugby league player who represented New Zealand in four test matches between 1919 and 1921.

James Clark was a New Zealand rugby league footballer.

The 1915 season, and 7th of Auckland Rugby League saw the First Grade competition begin on 8 May featuring the same 6 senior clubs who had competed in 1914.

The 1917 Auckland Rugby League season was its 9th. Due to the large number of players now serving in the First World War it was agreed to relax transfer rules to allow players from stronger teams to join weaker teams to even the competition. It was noted how many men from various clubs had been killed in battle by the beginning of 1917. They were Cecil Walker, Doug Dawson, T Marshall, Charles Savory, Frank McWhirter, Graham Cook, N Vause, Victor McCollum, Alf Gault, T Lambert, E Tiernan, F Stubbs, W. G. Handle, B Hart, Frederick Gladding, A Powley, Chas Mann, William Moeki, G Jones, W Harris, Sam Magee, S Greer, Alan Miller, Charles Sinton, and Leslie O'Leary (Sunnyside). City Rovers had 'sent' ninety men to war by this time and twenty-one had been wounded and five killed. The Sunnyside club had only nine members left and one of those who had gone to the war said that in the trenches he had made a list of league players from various clubs which totaled 120. All three of the Sunnyside secretaries had enlisted and the executive was also gone. Ponsonby had also had over eighty of its members join the war effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1918 Auckland Rugby League season</span>

The 1918 Auckland Rugby League season was its 10th since its inception in 1909. It was again severely affected by the ongoing war with several hundred players serving overseas and 44 killed who were named in the annual report. North Shore Albions withdrew from the competition early in the season and on other occasions teams played short-handed. There was also a truncated representative program with only a trial match and one full Auckland representative match versus Canterbury, which was played at the Auckland Domain in front of 10,000 spectators.

The 1919 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 11th. It was the first season post World War I and unsurprisingly it saw a resurgence in playing numbers with 56 teams across the six grades. North Shore Albions who had previously dropped out of the senior competition again fielded a senior side. As did Otahuhu, who had dropped out during the 1917 season. Ponsonby United won their third consecutive first grade title, while Newton Rangers won the Roope Rooster trophy.

The 1921 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 13th. Seventy two teams played across its six main grades.

Arthur Matthews (1889–1951) played for the New Zealand rugby league team in 1919 on their tour of Australia. He was Kiwi number 117. He played in 3 tour matches but did not play in any tests as there were none played on this tour. He lived in Auckland and played for the Ponsonby United and North Shore Albions senior teams from 1915 to 1920.

William George Walsh was a New Zealand rugby league player. He first played for New Zealand in 1919 on the tour of Australia and became Kiwi number 122. He ended with 8 matches for New Zealand in total playing one test against Australia. He played his entire club career with the Ponsonby United club in the Auckland Rugby League.

Arthur Thompson "Tom" Haddon was a New Zealand rugby league player. He was Kiwi number 136 after playing two tests for New Zealand against Australia in 1919.

Maritime was a rugby league club in Auckland. They competed from 1918 to 1930 under the name Maritime for 4 seasons, Athletic for 4 seasons, Grafton Athletic for 3 seasons and Kingsland Athletic for 2 seasons, before the club was 'forced' to join with Marist Old Boys in 1931.

Edward Joseph Bennett was a New Zealand rugby league footballer. Bennett played in the second row position. He represented the New Zealand rugby league team in two test matches against England in 1920. In the process he became the 144th player to represent New Zealand. He also played for the Waiuku rugby club, and the Newton Rangers, and Grafton Athletic rugby league clubs. Bennett also represented the Auckland and North Island rugby league teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neville St George</span> New Zealand rugby league footballer

Robert Neville St George was a rugby league footballer. He represented the New Zealand rugby league team in 2 test matches in 1925. In the process he became the 178th player to represent New Zealand. He also represented the North Island and Auckland representative side. St George played his club rugby league in Auckland for the Marist Old Boys side initially before moving to Devonport United where he spent most of his career.

The Thames Old Boys League Football Club was a rugby league club in Auckland, New Zealand which existed from 1915 to 1920. They competed in the Auckland Rugby League lower grade competitions. They were made up of former Thames residents who had moved to live in Auckland partly as the Coromandel Gold Rushes came to an end.

References

  1. 1 2 "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Notes and Comments". New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15664. 19 September 1914. p. 4. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "Grafton Beats Ponsonby/City's Easy Win/The Champions Extended". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LII, no. 15913. 10 May 1915. p. 11. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "Junior Match". New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16017. 19 August 1915. p. 11. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  5. ↑ "Auckland Defeats Canterbury/Forty-Five Points to Nine". New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16956. 16 September 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  6. ↑ Coffey, John and Bernie Wood Auckland, 100 years of rugby league, 1909-2009, 2009. ISBN   978-1-86969-366-4.
  7. ↑ William John DAVIDSON, William John (1919 - 21) [ permanent dead link ]nzleague.co.nz
  8. ↑ "Representative Game". Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 237. 7 October 1927. p. 10. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  9. ↑ Coffey, John. Canterbury XIII, Christchurch, 1987
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.