Centenary of Australian Men’s first international hockey match

This year marks 100 years since an Australian men’s hockey team first took to the field in an international. Their opponents that day – New Zealand.

The centenary fittingly comes in a year where the two countries are playing off in a 4-match Trans-Tasman Series in Auckland. Watch the Trans-Tasman Series between the Kookaburras and the Black Sticks LIVE on LIVEHockey.

The best sporting rivalries stand the test of time and the cross Tasman one between Australia and New Zealand on the hockey pitch is no different.

Current Kookaburras Head Coach Colin Batch summed it up well.

“Every time we play New Zealand it’s a competitive series and it’s nice to have that history that we’re reflecting on because we don’t tend to do that as much as some other sports,” said Batch.

“To be playing against each other competitively for 100 years is quite incredible given that hockey would not have been played for long in either country.”

That first match took place on 27 September 1922 as a touring Australian team headed across the Tasman Sea bound for the New Zealand north island city of Palmerston North.

Since that first encounter, Australia and New Zealand’s Men’s Teams have played 152 times over the past 100 years. The nations’ women’s teams have met 151 times following the completion of their recent 4-match Trans-Tasman Series.

As the Kookaburras prepare to embark on their Trans-Tasman Series against the Vantage Black Sticks, we take a look back at that first encounter that began a rivalry that has reached a century and continues to grow. Here is an account of how the match unfolded…

Setting the scene
Playing in a ‘dark green shirt with gold sateen collar and pocket, blue serge shorts and green and gold socks’, this was the first men’s hockey team to represent Australia.

That match took place at the Palmerston North Sportsground (now Fitzherbert Park). The umpires were Harry Hatch and Sid Holland, who later become Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1949 and 1957.

Teams
Australia

New Zealand
E. McLeod, N.R. Jacobsen, C. Johns, E. Heaphy, S.A. Mander, P.G. Martin, T. Watchman, O.K. Perrin, H. Snooks, C. Watts, W.L. Bell, E. Watts,

Match Report
A ‘’fair attendance’’, estimated at 1,500, perhaps swelled by the public holiday granted, enthusiastically greeted both teams. According to the Manawatu Standard’s match report, ‘as the Australians appeared it broke forth into hearty applause, which throughout was strictly impartial.

New Zealand made an excellent start, Auckland centre forward Eric Watts opening the scoring, with Heaphy and Bell adding two further goals to take New Zealand to a 3-0 half-time lead.

Seaman opened Australia’s account shortly after half-time but Heaphy scored again to extend New Zealand’s lead to 4-1. Australia were not done, however’. Craig and Seaman scored in quick succession to take their team to within one goal of New Zealand. Watts then extended New Zealand’s lead to 5-3 before Seaman scored his third goal, the match finishing in a 5-4 win to New Zealand.

New Zealand were somewhat fortunate to win, the match report asserting Heaphy was clearly off-side when he scored New Zealand’s fourth goal.

Following the match both teams were entertained ‘at a complimentary dinner’ which ‘concluded at a late hour’. They, along with 80 couples, were then invited to a dance at Zealandia Hall on Broadway, which was decorated in green and gold in their honour. Shields with green and black halves, with the letter ‘’A’’ on the green side and a silver fern on the black side adorned the walls.

Directly above were representations of the Kangaroo and Kiwi with crossed hockey sticks.

From a report researched by Geoff Watson who teaches sports history at Massey University.
Thanks also to hockey historian John Sanders for sourcing much of the information.