Hunslet v Australia

Hunslet v Australia - 7th November 1908

Hunslet went into the game having won eight of the last nine games and Australia had already beaten Yorkshire. Dally Messenger had played as a guest for the New Zealand tourists the previous season in the game at Parkside and so it was with great expectations that a crowd of around 8000 had packed into the ground for the visit of the first kangaroos.

Hunslet :- Place, Farrar, Eagars, Hoyle, Batten, A Goldthorpe, Smith, Wilson, Jukes, Randall, Higson, Cappleman & Smailes.

Australia :- Bolewski, Messenger, Devereux, Morton, Anderson, Deane, Holloway, O'Malley, Walsh, Graves, Abercrombie, Davis & Hardcastle.

At 3pm the Aussie captain kicked off and the home side were immediately under pressure. The line was soon breached as Holloway touched down and the skipper converted. Hunslet then took the attack to the visitors and a Goldthorpe kick was collected by Batten who put Jukes in wide out. There was no goal. Deane intercepted on half way and after a terrific run in which he beat several players he touched down near the posts and Messenger converted. Later in the half good play by the terrible six led to a Batten try and Goldthorpe goal. Half time, Hunslet 8 Australia 10.

The lead increased in the second half with a Morton drop goal. Messenger who had been well policed was forced to leave the field during the second half and whilst he was receiving treatment Walsh moved into the back division . The referee denied the tourists a chance to increase the lead when a Walsh pass to Devereux was ruled forward. Further pressure from the home side saw Randall score an unconverted try but it was to little to late as it finished,

Hunslet 11 Australia 12

The Australian forwards proved to be more than a match for the famous Hunslet pack in what was probably one of the best games seen at Parkside for a long time. The Leeds Mercury reported that he big names were overshadowed by Walsh who was by far the best player on the field.

Thanks to Pat Walsh in Australia for the information on this page.

P B Walsh
Man of the Match

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