17th June….
Fred Smith and Walter Guerin had a day out in Ipswich in South East Queensland for the next game of the 1914 tour. It proved to be an easy game as the tourists won 45-8.
18th June….
The first ever Test match between Australia and Northern Union (Great Britain) in Australia was held today at The Royal Agricultural Showground, Sydney. A 42,000 crowd turned out to see a Northern Union side with Billy Batten on the wing and Billy Jukes in the forwards. On his Lions test debut Jukes scored a hat-trick of tries, the only player to achieve this it is believed. Batten also chipped in with a try as the NU won 27-20.
The 1932 Tourists were in Brisbane today for the second test with Les White at hooker. Having won the 1st narrowly 8-6 they will have been hoping to have wrapped things up today. In a keen game which was “too rough” at times GB were 10 points behind at the break and when Dempsey the Aussie hooker went off witht a broken arm and two other forwards carrying injuries they should have come back to win but a last minute try and goal saw the Aussies home.
The 1963/64 Retained and Released List gives us a date for the registering of forward Ken Hepples. He had signed the previous September for £50 and made his first team debut in March 1966. He was with the club through the tough years of the late 60s, making 75 appearances and scoring 3 tries.
Stand-off Ralph Ormondroyd was registered today in 1947. Making his debut in October 1950, he appeared in the first team 32 times scoring 8 goals. In 1953 he was transferred to Dewsbury with Billy Metcalfe in exchange for Don Hatfield.
