Australia v Canada, a long but sparse tradition

Competition between Australia and Canada got off to a flying start in 1924. The visiting Canadians played 6 Tests against Australia and 1 game against an Australian selection as well as a number of regional games. The Tests averaged an attendance of 8000, neither abysmal nor impressive. More impressive was the 20,000 that turned up to see NSW beat Canada 5-2.

Northern Star (Lismore), 19 May 1924, page 7

The Brisbane Courier summarised the series on 19 July, explaining why it had to be extended to a sixth Test.

By defeating, the strong team that represented Australia in the fifth test match at Adelaide, Canada has drawn level with Australia, and now divides the honours, each side having won two games, while the other one was a draw.

The results are as follows:

• First test, at Brisbane, Australia won 3-2
• Second test, at Sydney, Canada won 1-0
• Third test, at Sydney, Australia won 4-1
• Fourth test, at Newcastle, drawn, no score.
• Fifth test, at Adelaide, Canada won 4-1

Action from Victoria v Canada at Fitzroy
Cricket Ground, Wednesday 16 July 1924.
The game was a 1-1 draw.

Remarkably, as the Courier reported, the goals for and against were even at 8 a-piece. This provided a reason for a further Test. Perhaps typically, this game was given to Sydney.

It will be seen that neither side even has an advantage in the matter of the goal average," for each has scored eight goals. This is a remarkable position and probably unprecedented in the history of sport.

The controlling authorities have now determined to stage a sixth test match to determine who will gain the "ashes" for the first series of international contests between Australia and Canada, and Sydney has been chosen as the venue.

The all-important match will, take place on Saturday, July 26th, and the Soccer authorities have made application for the Show Ground for that match.

Ozfootball shows that the deciding Test was won 1-0 by Australia.

Players and officials of the Australia soccer team that played the fifth and final test match against Canada in Adelaide on Saturday 12 July 1924. Back row L-R: H. Spurway (NSW), Fred. Gallen (NSW), T. Bristoe (Vic), G. Cartwright (NSW), G. Storey (NSW), G. Raitt (Vic). Front row L-R: C. Williams (NSW), William (Bill) Maunders (NSW), E. Lukeman (Commonwealth Secretary), James (Judy) Masters (NSW) captain, W. Bellis (South Australian Secretary), Jim Orr (Vic), Fred. Ramsay (NSW).

Players and officials of the Canadian soccer team. The team played South Australia on 9 July 1924 winning 2-0 and Australia on 12 July 1924 winning 4-1. Back row L-R: R. (Dickie) Stobbart (Nanaimo), William (Bill) Linning (Lethbridge Veterans United), Leslie Ford (Regina Thistles), William Sanford (Montreal Blue Bonnets), George Forrest (Toronto Ulster United), Jack Armstrong (Vancouver St. Andrews). Middle row L-R: M. McLean (Calgary), H. Noseworthy (Montreal), Fred Dierden (Toronto Willys-Overland), Jim Wilson (Edmonton Royals), J. Hood (Brandon), Fred Bowman (Saskatoon Radials). Front row L-R: Robert (Bob) Harley, captain, (Winnipeg United Weston), James Adam manager (Victoria B.C.) Lord Mayor of Adelaide C.R.J. Glover, T. Thompson, president South Australian B.F. Association, W. Bellis (Adelaide South Australia).

Of course another (and perhaps more fundamental) reason a further Test was desirable was because the series had lost over £1100 and this was a chance to recoup some of those losses.

It was to be a long, long time before Australia met Canada again. In 1993, with World Cup qualification at stake, each country won 2-1 at home in a two-legged fixture before Mark Schwarzer pulled off his first set of penalty heroics for the country.

Unfortunately we were to be knocked out in the end by a 1-goal defeat over two legs at the hands of Argentina.

Then there was last night/this morning (depending on your location). Australia won 3-0, luckily according to some. Nine games. Five wins; three losses; one draw. Fifteen goals for; eleven against. It's a sparse tradition.

It is interesting that in the 89 years since the two nations met, the total number of games between them has not yet reached ten, even after playing 6 times in 1924. It says something about the changes over time in Australian soccer that at stages we have been very keen to play against teams from the Commonwealth -- we have a very rich history of games against New Zealand and South Africa. Yet today our focus is on qualifying the World Cup and to a lesser extent the Olympics so our opposition is chosen for strategic and not sentimental reasons. Our removal from the Oceania Confederation has sadly minimised the frequency of games against New Zealand, our most passionate contest.

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1903

Slim pickings in 1903

Thursday 2 July

H.M.S Royal Arthur 3 H.M.S. Ringarooma 2 at Port Melbourne Cricket Ground

Thursday 9 July

H.M.S Royal Arthur v.H.M.S. Ringarooma at Port Melbourne Cricket Ground

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1908

1908 was the year of resurgence. Led by Harry Dockerty, the game came out of its slumbers in a series of meetings and practice matches ready for the upsurge in 1909. The British Association Football League of Victoria was formed in late July. By September 152 players has joined the association and usually 6 teams were able to be formed for practice games.

Saturday 25 July

Practice Matches at Middle Park (60 players involved at the first players gathering of the British Association Football League of Victoria)

Saturday 1 August

Practice Match 1 at Middle Park
Practice Match 2 at Middle Park

Saturday 8 August

Practice Match 1 at Middle Park
Practice Match 2 at Middle Park

Saturday 15 August

Victoria 6 SS Persic 1 at Middle Park
B v C at Middle Park 

D v E at Middle Park

Saturday 22 August

League def Kerr's Eleven at Middle Park
Practice Match 1 at Middle Park 

Practice Match 2 at Middle Park

These games were advertised as follows
'League v. Dunlop Rubber Co.,
"A." v. Kerr's Eleven, and
"C." v. "D.'

Monday 31 August

Victoria 4 HMS Powerful 1 at Richmond Cricket Ground

Saturday 5 September

Practice Match 1 at Middle Park 

Practice Match 2 at Middle Park

Saturday 12 September

Scotland 3 England 0 at Middle Park
Practice Match 1 at Middle Park 

Practice Match 2 at Middle Park

Saturday 26 September

St. Kilda v. Albert park at Middle Park
Carlton United v. Fitzroy at Middle Park
Prahran v. South Melbourne at Middle Park

Saturday 3 October

Exhibition game  "between two of the association's best elevens" at North Melbourne Cricket Ground (curtain-raiser for VJA football final)

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1902

The only games recorded in Victoria in 1902 are in Bendigo. The local English Association formed two teams, the As (playing in Cambridge and Oxford blues) and Bs (initially white then changing to Chocolate and Gold). The games lasted 75 or 80 minutes (including half time) and were played on a Wednesday, usually as a curtain raiser for the local Australian rules competition. The games below may not be a full list. I suspect one or two have been missed.

Wednesday 21 May

Ashley's team (A) 2 Hartley's team (B) 0 at Sydenham Gardens, Bendigo

Wednesday 28 May

Ashley's team (A) 1 Hartley's team (B) 0 at West Bendigo

Wednesday 4 June

Bendigo A v Bendigo B at Back Creek, Bendigo

Wednesday 11 June

Bendigo A 3 Bendigo B 1 at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Wednesday 25 June

Bendigo A v Bendigo B at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Wednesday 2 July

Bendigo A v Bendigo B at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Wednesday 23 July

Bendigo A 1 Bendigo B 0 at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Wednesday 30 July

Bendigo A v Bendigo B at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Wednesday 6 August

Bendigo A v Bendigo B at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Wednesday 13 August

Bendigo A 1 Bendigo B 0 at Upper Reserve, Bendigo

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1904

Very little this year (which is more than the previous few years)


Saturday 18 June

H.M.S. Euryalus v. H.M.S. Katoomba at Port Melbourne Cricket Ground

Saturday 25 June

H.M.S. Euryalus 4 R.M.S. Australia 0 at Port Melbourne Cricket Ground

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1897

Organised soccer is played in Mildura this year and, apparently, nowhere else in Victoria.


Thursday 8 July

Mildura 0 Renmark 1, at Mildura

Saturday 10 July

Mildura 0 Renmark 1, at Irymple Valley

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1891

No fixtures have been found in the Argus in 1891. Will check the Age but don't hold much hope. However, the year was not without incident and excitement on the Melbourne soccer front. One-time capatin of Carlton, Robert Amson was charged with the theft of the George and George Cup and the Beaney Cup.

The Argus reported:

ALLEGED LARCENY AS A BAILEE.

At the City Court yesterday, Robert Amson, formerly a member of the Carlton Football Club playing the British Association game of football was charged with the larceny as a bailee of two silver cups, valued at £65, the property of Mr W. K. Spence and other members of the British Football Association of Victoria. Mr Panton P. M., presided and Mr Gillott appeared to defend the accused. The offence alleged against Amson was that as captain of the Carlton Club which won the cups in competitions during 1888 and the two following years he took charge of them, and on the 1st of April, 1890, pawned them at Magner's pawnshop in King street, for £7 10s. The cups which were presented to the association by Messrs George and George and Dr Beaney were not released by Amson,   but were subsequently sold at auction and bought for £10 by a Mr Lewis of Broken Hill. The Bench, having heard the evidence committed the accused to stand his trial at the Central Criminal Court on the 10th inst Bail was allowed in one surety of £100. Argus 12 June 1891

The report fills in one blank for me in that it indicates Carlton won the Beaney Cup in 1889. It also suggests that no competitive play was held for the Cups in 1890 given that the trophies were pawned on April Fool's Day, early in the football season.

The sums of money involved in the case seem to my mind substantial. The Historical Inflation calculator I accessed suggested that £100 in 1891 translates to $5,000 today. In the end Amson got off and the cups were last identified as being in Broken Hill. Amson's stated reason for pawning the trophies seem legitimate and suggest an association in a state of demise. The Argus revisted the case after the trial.

Robert Amson was charged with the larceny of two trophy cups, the property ot the British Football Association, and was defended by Mr Pennefather. The prisoner was a member of that association mentioned, and pawned the cups when he had temporary charge of them. The defence was that the association owed the prisoner money, and that he pawned the cups when he was in difficulty intending to redeem them. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and the prisoner was discharged. Argus 26 June 1891

The case attracted a bit of interest around Australia and was reported in Launceston, Broken Hill and Adelaide newspapers. The Wagga Wagga Advertiser gave more detaiils about what happened than most. The following piece suggests that the trophies were returned to the police.

Curious Charge of Larceny.      

A.SINGULAR case of alleged larceny as a bailee came under the notice of the Melhourne bench on Saturday. In the morning Detectives Levie, D. G. O'Donnell and Johnston   arrested a respectably dressed man named Robert Amson, on warrant charging him with the larceny as a bailee of two silver trophy caps, valued about £55, the property of Robert Spence and Robert Lewis. The nominal owners only hold an interest in the trophies, which are known as the "Beaney Cup," and tbe "George and George Cup." The cups are football trophies, offered by the British Australian Football Association nearly two years ago. Amson was then partner in a firm trading as bay and corn merchants, but since insolvent. He was custodian of the cups, and it is alleged he pawned them for £7 10s, with Joseph Magner, pawnbroker, of King-street, in April, 1890. Magner sold the cups with other unredeemed pledges at Lyons and Co.'s auction rooms in March last, when Mr. George Lewis, of Broken Hill, became the purchaser at £10 Mr. Lewis had the inscriptions removed, but upon ascertaining the cups bad been wrongfully disposed of, he undertook to hand them over to the police. The circumstances having been detailed, the Bench remanded the accused until Friday next. He was subsequently admitted to bail in £100. Wagga Wagga Advertiser 4 June 1891

I wonder if the trophies still exist. 

Oh. And in August, the BFA people challenged the Government Printers to a game of Australian rules. I'll try to dig up more.

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1896

A bleak year for soccer in Melbourne. The beginning of a long drought that comes to an end in 1908 with the dramatic resurgence of the game. During this 12-year hiatus only occasional games are played between locals and visiting ships' crews. Sometimes only the crews of competing ships are involved.

1896 begins with a curious note in the Argus on 11 March.

FOOTBALL.

The Victoria British Association Football Union. - A general meeting of the above will be held at the Clarence Hotel, opposite the General post-office, this evening, at 8 p.m.

Does this refer to a soccer body or is it a misnamed rugby body? In any case soccer seems not to have been played in Melbourne in any organised form in 1896.

A candle is kept burning in Mildura. A writer in the Mildura Cultivator in July noted that there was one club playing "Victorian rules" and one club playing the "English Association game". Presumably they played intra-club games as well as games with other towns. An interesting question is the extent to which soccer in Mildura and Renmark might have benefited from the apparent evacuation of soccer players from Melbourne.

Mid July

Renmark v Mildura Renmark

Monday 3 August

Mildura 2 Renmark 2 Recreation Ground Mildura

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1895

1895. So little to report that I have included the scratch matches -- which indicate a culture trying to organise competition. A new entity, Yarraville Wanderers seems to be the strong team. Soccer first appears in Mildura in this year.

Teams

• Yarraville Wanderers
• Prahran
• Melbourne 
• Mildura
• Korumburra

Saturday 6 April

Practice match at Royal Park

Saturday 13 April

Practice match at Middle Park

Saturday 20 April
          Scratch match at Middle Park
Saturday 27 April

          Scratch match at Middle Park
Saturday 4 May

Practice match at Middle Park

Saturday 18 May

Exhibition Match, Recreation Ground, Mildura.

On or before Friday 24 May

BFA 2 Korumburra 1 at Middle Park 

Friday 24 May

Scratch Match, Recreation Ground, Mildura

Saturday 25 May

BFA v Korumburra at Middle Park

Friday 31 May (Queen's Birthday)

Mr. Alder's team 2 Mr. Newman's team 0, Recreation Ground, Mildura.

Saturday 15 June

Married v Single at Middle Park

Saturday July 13

Korumburra 1 BFA 5 at Korumburra

Saturday 3 August

Prahran v. Yarraville Wanderers at Middle Park

Saturday 10 August

Melbourne v. Yarraville Wanderers at Middle Park

Saturday 24 August

Yarraville Wanderers 1 Prahran 0 at Middle Park (Hamilton Cup)

Saturday 31 August

Yarraville Wanderers 3 Melbourne 0 at Middle Park (Hamilton Cup final)

 Saturday 14 September

Yarraville Wanderers v combined at Middle Park

Victorian Soccer Fixtures and Results 1894

Mainly scratch matches in 1894.

Saturday 9 June

A Team 6 B Team 3 at Middle Park

Saturday 16 June

Scratch match at Middle Park

Saturday 23 June

Scratch match at Middle Park

Saturday 30 June

Corinthians 1 v Rangers 0 at Middle Park

Saturday 7 July

Scratch match at Middle Park

Saturday 14 July

McKinley's team 2 Tipping's team 1 at Middle Park

Saturday 21 July

Scratch Match at Middle Park

Saturday 28 July

Corinthians 1 Rangers 9? at Middle Park

Saturday 4 August

Combined Melbourne 7 HMS Katoomba 1 at Middle Park (1000 spectators)

Saturday 11 August

Combined Melbourne 7 HMS Katoomba 0 at Middle Park

Saturday 18 August

Present players 2 Past Players 0 at Middle Park

Saturday 1 September

England v Scotland at Middle Park

Saturday 15 September

Harbinger v British Association Club at Middle Park

BRITISH ASSOCIATION RULES.
A match will be played at Middle Park between a team of midshipmen from the Harbinger and one picked from the British Association club, to commence at 3.15, Harbinger: Ballantyne (captain), Brandan, Campbell, Green, Hodgson, Kennedy, Martin, Mackrell, Osborne. Price, Richardson and Smith. B.A. team : Agate, Boden, Clarke, Fothergill, Haigh, Harris. Hartley, Kerr, M'Kinley, Richards, Stewart, Tallis, Tipping and Walker.