Early History
There are rumours of a competition near the River Clyde during the early 20th Century, famously referred to in A Game of their Own, where a number of expatriate Australians were based in Scotland either as Ship Workers or Soldiers. Had this league existed, and there is no proof it ever did, then it had died out around the time of the First World War.
An "Edinburgh Australians' Club" existed in the years between 1870 and the First World War as large numbers of Australians were studying in Glasgow and Edinburgh, including some who had played Australian rules football with clubs in the Victorian Football Association, and at one time four Australian test cricketers. On Saturday 14 April 1888, the Edinburgh Australians, having travelled down to England to play an Australian Rules game against the University of London at Balham, lost the match two goals to four. Early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University. Arthur Shrewsbury, organiser of a tour of Scottish and English rugby players who had toured Australia in 1888 playing under both rugby rules and Australian rules football, suggested that the Edinburgh Australians team at the University of Edinburgh should travel down to England to meet the Australian team in a series of demonstration matches in Lancashire and Yorkshire, although this plan did not eventuate.
Champion Australian Rules players who were members of the Edinburgh Australians Club over the next decade or two were Victorian premiership players RH Morrison, AB Timms and GF Read (Geelong); Colin Campbell and ‘Gus’ Kearney ( Essendon). Other prominent players were J (Jos) Adams (Melbourne, Essendon and Geelong), J Pender, AE Syme (Essendon); FJ Clendinnen and AW Marwood (Melbourne).
In addition there were many prominent Public School players such as WC and CC Macknight, SW Pitcher, WE O’Hara, DA Robinson, DGM Teague, W Scott, LG Pearson, HW Bryant, (son of ‘Jerry’ Bryant the publican who organised one of the first games in Melbourne), CS and CG Ryan (Melbourne Grammar), CG Timms, I Glassford (Geelong College), D Gordon, J & P Russell, AH Rutherford, RC Irvine (Geelong Grammar), GM Munro, R Fetherstone, CL Carter, T Fitchett, HF Lawrence (Wesley), Ramsay Mailer, HE Jackson and DJ Macrae (Scotch College). Testimony to the existence of the Edinburgh Australians Club are early records and photographs in the University’s Student magazine and the perpetual Cup which the Australians donated to record champion athletes and which is still on display at the University.
Read more about this topic: Australian Rules Football In Scotland
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