OCTOBER 1952
St George Dragons’ star, Noel Pidding’s brilliant play at fullback saved Australia from an even more embarrassing score-line as Great Britain powered their way to a 19-6 win over the Kangaroos in the First Test of the 1952-53 Northern Hemisphere tour.
A crowd of 33,000 packed into Headingley Stadium, Leeds, despite the fact the match was televised live by the BBC. A new ‘entertainment tax’ meant that gate takings were not as generous as the Australians anticipated. (It was a Conservative Government, under the leadership of Winston Churchill, in case you were wondering).
Britain scored three tries to nil, and finished the match with 12 men, after lock, Ken Traill was carried from the field unconscious, after a Pidding kick saw the ball hit him in the head, at close range. The footballs in those days were leather, and became heavy in the wet conditions.
It was an often, heated match, with a number of injuries. Australian skipper, Clive Churchill (no relation to Winston) retired hurt in the 35th minute with an ankle injury, with Pidding taking his place at the back, and lock forward, Harold ‘Mick’ Crocker playing on the wing.
Pidding’s kicking game was exceptional. With one clearing kick from a scrum, he found touch 70 metres upfield. Churchill, returned to the field in the second half, but was there merely to make up the numbers, and packed at lock. Britain led only 12-4 when the future ‘Immortal’ courageously emerged from the dressing rooms, but then disaster struck. Australian halfback, Keith Holman tried a clearing kick, but Churchill got in the way, and Arthur Daniels snapped up the deflected ball to score between the posts. Skipper, Willie Horne converted to give Britain a 17-4 lead.
Australian five eighth, Greg Hawick was completely outplayed by Horne, a reversal of the situation when the Kangaroos beat Horne’s club side, Barrow. There were suggestions the Poms had played Hawick into the Test side, because they knew they could exploit him.
The Courier-Mail’s Jack Reardon wrote that Australian prop, Duncan Hall probably should not have played, because he was suffering from a respiratory complaint, the same complaint which saw him return to Australia early, from the 1949 tour.
“Australia can have no grumbles at the result,” wrote BBC commentator, Eddie Waring in a column for ‘The Courier-Mail’.
The tourists were in top form in the lead-up to the Test, beating Featherstone Rovers 50-15, with Toowoomba winger, Des McGovern crossing for six tries, while fellow Queenslander, Denis Flannery, from Ipswich, scored three. The English Test side were spectators at the game. On form, Flannery probably should have been in the Test side ahead of Pidding, but Pidding’s kicking ability saw the Maitland product get the nod.
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