The 1952–53 Kangaroo tour was the eighth Kangaroo tour, in which the Australian national rugby league team travelled to Great Britain and France and played forty matches, including the Ashes series of three Test matches against Great Britain and three Test matches against the French. It followed the tour of 1948-49 and the next was staged in 1956-57.
The squad's leadership The team was captained by Clive Churchill with Frank Stanmore as vice-captain. Tour co-managers were Doug MacLean and Norm Robinson. In the matches in which neither Churchill nor Stanmore played, the Kangaroos were captained by Duncan Hall on 4 occasions (Wigan, Swinton, Dewsbury, and Selection de Midi) and Albert Paul on 3 occasions (French Selection, French Selection, Paris-Lyon). Three players captained the team in one match: Keith Holman (Doncaster), Ferris Ashton (Wakefield Trinity) and Noel Hazzard (French Selection).
Touring squad The Rugby League News published a photo and details of the touring team including the players' ages, weights, heights, and occupations. Match details - listing surnames of both teams and the point scorers - were included in E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Yearbook, as was a summary of the players' point-scoring. Crocker, Davies, Flannery, Hall, Hazzard, McCaffery, McGovern, and Rooney were selected from Queensland clubs. Carlson, Duncan, Gill, Paul, and Wells were selected from clubs in New South Wales Country areas. The balance of the squad had played for Sydney-based clubs during the 1952 season.
Player Age Weight Club TestsonTour Games Tries Goals FG Points Ferris Ashton 26 14.7 (92) Eastern Suburbs 5 22 9 0 0 27 Roy Bull 23 14.1 (89) Manly-Warringah 4 17 2 0 0 6 Brian Carlson 19 12.9 (80) Newcastle Northern Suburbs 3 19 29 3 0 93 Clive Churchill 26 11.10 (74) South Sydney 6 23 4 17 0 46 Arthur Collinson 22 14.4 (91) Western Suburbs 3 20 9 0 0 27 Harold Crocker 25 15.0 (95) South Brisbane 2 17 3 0 0 9 Brian Davies 22 15.0 (95) Brisbane Brothers 6 24 8 0 0 24 Col Donohoe 23 11.2 (71) Eastern Suburbs 1 16 4 0 0 12 Rees Duncan 20 13.3 (84) Kurri Kurri 0 18 9 0 0 27 Denis Flannery 23 13.0 (83) Ipswich Brothers 1 14 23 0 0 69 Col Geelan 25 12.7 (79) Newtown 4 20 10 0 0 30 Charlie Gill 29 13.9 (87) Newcastle Northern Suburbs 1 20 4 0 0 12 Duncan Hall 27 14.7 (92) Toowoomba Newtown 6 25 7 0 0 21 Greg Hawick Utility Back 20 13.0 (83) South Sydney 2 16 8 0 0 24 Noel Hazzard 27 13.7 (86) Bundaberg Natives 6 23 6 0 0 18 Keith Holman 27 11.9 (74) Western Suburbs 5 16 10 8 0 46 Ken Kearney 28 13.3 (84) St George 4 20 1 0 0 3 Ken McCaffery Utility Back 22 12.5 (78) Toowoomba Souths 0 12 9 0 0 27 Des McGovern 24 13.2 (83) Toowoomba All Whites 0 10 17 0 0 51 Albert Paul 24 14.0 (89) Lakes United 1 21 9 4 0 35 Noel Pidding 25 12.4 (78) St George 4 22 18 87 0 228 Jack Rooney 25 15.11 (100) Toowoomba All Whites 0 17 5 0 0 15 Tommy Ryan 22 13.9 (87) St George 4 20 24 0 0 72 Kevin Schubert 25 15.11 (100) Manly-Warringah 2 19 1 0 0 3 Frank Stanmore 23 12.4 (78) Western Suburbs 5 21 4 0 0 12 Tom Tyrrell 25 13.8 (86) Balmain 1 17 8 0 0 24 Harry Wells 20 13.10 (87) Wollongong 2 14 5 0 0 15 Ron Willey 24 12.0 (76) Canterbury 0 17 5 63 0 141
Test Venues The three Ashes series tests took place at the following venues.
Leeds Swinton Bradford Headingley Station Road Odsal Stadium Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 60,000 Capacity: 60,000
Match Results The touring party departed the eastern states before the conclusion of the Sydney, Brisbane and various regional competitions. On July 27, 1952, they played a match against Western Australia in Perth, winning 883. Travelling aboard the , the team arrived in England on August 24, 1952. Australia played 27 matches in England before moving in mid-December to France for a further 13 matches.
1st Test
Great BritainPositionAustralia Jack Evans FB Clive Churchill (c) Arthur Daniels WG Noel Pidding Ron Ryder CE Noel Hazzard Ernest Ward CE Harry Wells Frank Castle WG Brian Carlson Willie Horne (c) SO Greg Hawick Ted Toohey SH Keith Holman Alan Prescott PR Duncan Hall Alvin Ackerley HK Kevin Schubert Jim Featherstone PR Brian Davies Charlie Pawsey SR Ferris Ashton Bob Ryan SR Albert Paul Ken Traill LF Harold Crocker
2nd Test
Great BritainPositionAustralia Jack Evans FB Clive Churchill (c) Arthur Daniels WG Denis Flannery Ernest Ward CE Noel Hazzard Doug Greenall CE Col Geelan Frank Castle WG Brian Carlson Willie Horne (c) SO Frank Stanmore Ted Toohey SH Col Donohoe Alan Prescott PR Duncan Hall Tom McKinney HK Kevin Schubert Jim Featherstone PR Charlie Gill Charlie Pawsey SR Brian Davies Dave Valentine SR Tom Tyrrell Ken Traill LF Arthur Collinson
3rd Test
Great BritainPositionAustralia Jack Evans FB Clive Churchill (c) Dai Bevan WG Noel Pidding Doug Greenall CE Noel Hazzard Ernest Ward CE Col Geelan Frank Castle WG Tommy Ryan Willie Horne (c) SO Frank Stanmore Ted Toohey SH Keith Holman Alan Prescott PR Roy Bull Tom McKinney HK Ken Kearney Jim Featherstone PR Duncan Hall Charlie Pawsey SR Brian Davies Dave Valentine SR Ferris Ashton Ken Traill LF Arthur Collinson
1st Test
FrancePositionAustralia Puig Aubert (c) FB Clive Churchill (c) Vincent Cantoni WG Tommy Ryan Jacky Merquey CE Col Geelan André Carrère CE Noel Hazzard Raymond Contrastin WG Noel Pidding Gilbert Benausse SO Frank Stanmore Jean Dop SH Keith Holman Jean Dedieu PR Duncan Hall Gabriel Genoud HK Ken Kearney Louis Mazon PR Roy Bull Élie Brousse SR Ferris Ashton Rene Bernard SR Brian Davies Christian Duple LF Arthur Collinson
2nd Test
FrancePositionAustralia G. Rives FB Clive Churchill (c) Raymond Contrastin WG Brian Carlson Claude Teisseire CE Noel Hazzard André Carrère CE Harry Wells Vincent Cantoni WG Tommy Ryan Joseph Crespo SO Frank Stanmore Gilbert Benausse SH Keith Holman François Rinaldi PR Roy Bull Gabriel Genoud HK Ken Kearney Gabriel Berthomieu PR Duncan Hall François Montrucolis SR Ferris Ashton Édouard Ponsinet SR Brian Davies Élie Brousse LF Greg Hawick
3rd Test
FrancePositionAustralia Puig Aubert (c) FB Clive Churchill (c) Raymond Contrastin WG Noel Pidding Claude Teisseire CE Noel Hazzard André Carrère CE Col Geelan Vincent Cantoni WG Tommy Ryan Gilbert Benausse SO Frank Stanmore Joseph Crespo SH Keith Holman Louis Mazon PR Roy Bull Gabriel Genoud HK Ken Kearney François Rinaldi PR Duncan Hall Élie Brousse SR Brian Davies Édouard Ponsinet SR Ferris Ashton François Montrucolis LF Harold Crocker
The tourists returned from France to London to meet the , departing England on the evening of February 2, 1953. The ship arrived in Fremantle on March 6 and to Sydney on March 17. The players were welcomed home by local League authorities. A team selected from the touring Kangaroos played a match against The Rest of Australia on April 15, 1953. The Kangaroos won 33-21.
Sources Acronym Item Years Database App Notes Direct Online Access RLN Rugby League News 1920-1973 Trove Team Lists, Team Photos, Articles RLP Rugby League Project 1907–present RLP Website Test Match teams & scorers. CM The Courier-Mail 1933-1954 Trove Match Reports, Articles by Eddie Waring as well as the AAP. Truth Truth 1894-1954 Trove Match Reports, Articles by Harry Sunderland as well as the AAP. Various Australian newspapers 1952-1953 Trove Match Reports written by the Australian Associated Press and amended by local editors. The Brisbane Telegraph, Cairns Post and Maryborough Chronicle typically published longer versions of the AAP articles. WARL History of Western Australian Rugby League 1947–Present Website Images of the programme, Western Australia v Australia, including team photo and pen profiles of the tourists. Offline Resources EECYB E.E. Christensen's Official Rugby League Year Book 1946-1978 Copies at State Library of NSW Teams, Point Scorers, Report. 1953 Yearbook covers the 1952-53 tour. - Ipswich Rugby League - The Bulimba Cup Era 1925 to 1972 1925-1972 Copies at SLQ & NLA Given Names & Club of Brisbane, Ipswich & Toowoomba Players
References
External links 1952-53 Kangaroo Tour at Rugby League Project