Charles Woolley (rugby league)

Charles Woolley

Personal information
Full name	Charles Alexander Woolley
Born	7 May 1893 Adelaide, Australia
Died	1 November 1966 Rotorua, New Zealand
Playing information
Height	163 cm (5 ft 4 in)
Weight	91 kg (14 st 5 lb)
Rugby league
Position	Wing, Centre
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1914–15 City Rovers 10 2 0 0 6 1920–22 Grafton Athletic/Fire Brigade 26 5 7 0 29 Total 36 7 7 0 35 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1920–22 Auckland 9 3 0 0 9 1920–21 New Zealand 3 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1919 Grammar Old Boys 7 3 0 0 9 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1919 Auckland 4 3 0 0 9 1919 Returned Soldiers 1 0 0 0 0
Source: [1]

Charles Alexander Woolley is a New Zealand international rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand. ^[1]

Background

Woolley was born in Adelaide, South Australia. ^[2] He worked for the Fire Brigade in Auckland and in 1922 was awarded service bars for 15 years service at the City Fire Brigade's annual social. ^[3]

Playing career

Woolley 2nd from the left in the 'New Zealand' team to play Auckland on May 21, 1921

Woolley second from the left in the Auckland team to play the 2nd match against the Australian Universities side at the Auckland Domain on June 24, 1922

He played for the Grafton Athletic club in the Auckland Rugby League competition and represented Auckland against the 1914 Great Britain Lions.

Woolley fought in World War 1 with his period of service totaling 4 years and 6 days, including 3 years and 209 days overseas. He spent 1915–16 in Egypt, and 1916–18 in Western Europe. Woolley was promoted to sergeant on June 16, 1918. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. ^[4] After the war he joined the Grammar Old Boys rugby club in 1919 and then in 1920 returned to rugby league, playing for Grafton Athletic. That same season Woolley was a part of the Auckland side that defeated the 1920 Great Britain Lions, 24–16 on 24 July and becoming the first New Zealand team to defeat Great Britain on New Zealand soil. He then represented New Zealand, playing in all three test matches against the Lions. ^[1] He toured Australia with the Kiwis in 1921, but no test matches were played during the tour. ^[5]

References

1. "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
2. JESSUP, PETER (15 October 2004). "League: Webb easily able to put team before country" . Retrieved 20 November 2017– via www.nzherald.co.nz.
3. "Fire Brigade Social". New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18230. 25 October 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
4. "WOOLLEY, Charles Alexander - WW1 23/962 - Army". Auckland Museum. p. 4. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
5. Coffey, John Oliver; Wood, Bernie (20 November 2017). 100 Years: Māori Rugby League, 1908-2008. Huia Publishers. p. 51. ISBN   9781869693312 . Retrieved 20 November 2017– via Google Books.