Gordon Taylor Midgley (29 June 1915 – 25 August 1965) was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand at rugby league in four matches on their 1938 tour of Australia, becoming the 263rd player to represent New Zealand. He also played two matches for Auckland, one for the North Island, and one for Auckland Pākehā. Midgley played his junior club rugby league for the Ellerslie club in Auckland before transferring to the Marist Old Boys (Saints) club where he made his senior debut (59 games). Midgley was also a very good middle distance runner in his late teens and early 20s.
Early life Gordon Midgley was born on 29 June 1915 in Auckland, New Zealand. His parents were Arthur Midgley (1886–1954) and Ethel May Taylor (1889–1973). He had a younger brother, Sidney Midgley who was born on 13 November 1921. The family lived in the Ellerslie area of Auckland.
Junior rugby league and athletics competitions In 1929 Gordon Midgley was playing for the Ellerslie United 6th grade rugby league team. The following year in 1930 he was again playing for the Ellerslie sixth grade team. There was an “A Midgley” on the Ellerslie committee which was likely his father, Arthur.
There was no mention of Midgley the following year in any rugby league teams, however at the end of 1932 he was registered as competing at the Ellerslie Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club's meeting on 24 November. The meeting was held at the Ellerslie Reserve where the rugby league club was based and still is. Midgley was competing in the 100 Yard race. In 1933 a "G Midgley" was reported to have been elected on to the Ellerslie United rugby league club’s committee, though he would only have been aged 18 at the time.
On 18 February 1933 Midgley competed at the Auckland Amateur Athletic Centre’s annual championships at the Auckland Domain. He was entered in the Junior races (under 18 years) and ran in the 100 Yard and 880 Yard events. It is not known if he placed in the races but two weeks later the New Zealand Herald wrote that “Harrison, winner of the 100 yds junior championship, and Midgley are two most promising young sprinters”. On 3 March he finished second in the Ellerslie Athletic Club’s open race. Midgley had also won the Auckland Amateur Junior 880 Yard championship race on 18 February at the Auckland Domain. In the 100 Yard race he came 3rd in his heat and then finished 3rd in the final. In the 880 Yard final he beat F.E. Watt and Alan Sayers who dead heated for second. Midgley’s winning time was 2m 7.25 sec. He also placed 2nd in the 440 Yard championship behind W.S. Bainbridge.
At the end of the year on 6 December he won the 220 Yard Open race at the Ellerslie Amateur Athletic Club’s race in a time of 22:25s. Midgley had a 14 yard start on Allan Elliot who “just failed to catch” him. Elliot was the Auckland Amateur Athletic 100 yard and 220 yard champion at the time and had equalled the New Zealand 100 Yard record. He had also competed at the 1930 British Empire Games and the 1932 Olympic Games. Then on 16 December Midgley travelled to Hamilton to compete with teams representing the Technical College Old Boys in an inter-club event. He came second in the 220 Yard race and second in the 440 Yard race. On 17 January 1934 he ran in the Manukau Amateur Cycling Club athletic events at Western Springs Stadium. Midgley won the 880 Yard Open race by 3 yards though with a 28 yard handicap in a time of 1m 59s. The Auckland Star later wrote that “the half-mile was won in 1.59 by Midgley off 28 yards. This is an excellent run, as Midgley seemed to have control of the race at the finish, and is certainly a dangerous handicap man”. In March several well known Australian athletes came to Auckland for a large meeting at the Auckland Domain. A crowd of 10,000 turned out. Gordon Midgley finished in 3rd place in the 220 Yard Open Handicap final behind W.G. Miller and C.G. Goosman. At the end of the season in a review the Auckland Star wrote that L.H. Johnson and Midgley are “potential Auckland provincial champions. They have age on their side”.
Rugby league playing career and athletics Ellerslie to Ponsonby rugby league On 2 May 1934, Gordon Midgley transferred from Ellerslie to the Ponsonby United reserve grade side. He was named to play in their reserve grade side for their opening game on 28 April, with Eric Midgley at fullback. It is unclear if the two were related, with Eric being an excellent diver, regularly competing with Arthur Kay and Wilf Hassan, both New Zealand rugby league representatives. Occasionally Eric played in the senior side but Gordon remained in the reserves throughout the season. In June the Ellerslie club requested a transfer fee “in respect of S. Midgley, now playing with Ponsonby”. Presumably the first initial was a typo as when he had transferred in March his initials were recorded as “G.T. Midgley”. His younger brother Sidney would have only been 13 at the time and too young to have been the named player. Confusingly a month later a G. Midgley was granted a transfer from Ellerslie to Ponsonby third intermediates.
At the beginning of the 1934 Athletics season in October, Midgley competed in the Otahuhu club’s meeting at Sturgess Park in Ōtāhuhu. He won the 220 Yard senior race, and finished second in the 100 Yard and 440 Yard seniors races. He went on to compete in several of their meetings at the same venue and on 15 November he placed second by inches to Don Rae in the 100 Yard race first heat and then ran second in the final to Trevor Blockley. Later he won the 220 Yard senior race in 22 seconds. Around the same date he won the 100 Yard final at a Technical College Old Boys’ Amateur Athletic Club meeting at Blandford Park in Grafton Gully. A week later at a Thursday night meeting at Sturgess Park in Otahuhu, with one thousand spectators present Midgley faced off with Don Rae again in the heats. In the final Midgley came third by inches to C. Naden and Trevor Blockley. Later that month at an Auckland sports carnival at Alexandra Park in Epsom to raise money for Auckland Cricket, Midgley won the 220 yard race. He was competing for the Technical club and finished in a time of 23.25s. In early December Midgley won the 440 Yard race at Sturgess Park, and came second in the 100 Yard final after winning his heat in 10.25s. To win the 440 Yard event he was said to have won “a wonderful race, just beating A. Martin, who faltered at the finish”. Then a week before Christmas, Midgley was said to have given the “outstanding performance of the meeting” at Sturgess Park. He won the 120 and 220 yard senior races. He conceded up to 13 yards in the 220 yard race and won “right on the tape”. In the 120 yard race he had a one yard start “and when 80 yds had gone it looked almost impossible for him to get up with the leaders, but one of his electric finishes saw him cut down the opposition to score by inches. These successes should put Midgley well up in the points competition”. In comments on the meeting in the New Zealand Herald they said “G. Midgley was in splendid form and ran very fast to win the 120 yards and the 220 yards open handicaps. In the shorter race he registered 12 seconds from the one-yard mark, a time that can be regarded practically as evens. An ex-junior provincial half-mile champion, Midgley has now developed into a really first-class athlete”. In mid January Midgley won the 220 yard race once more at Otahuhu. He recorded a time of 23 seconds. Allan Elliot finished third after William T. Bainbridge was disqualified for running in front of him near the start. On 31 January at the same clubs meeting he “again proved his superiority over the half mile run, conceding four handicaps and winning brilliantly” in a time of 2m 2.25s.
On 2 March the Auckland provincial amateur athletic championships were arranged for the Auckland Domain. In prospects for the half mile running event it was said that “Kedgley is a brilliant” runner, “but A.R. Wilson and G. Midgley are possibilities”. The event had nominations from Auckland along with Dargaville, Whangārei, Rotorua, Thames, and Hamilton. In the senior events Midgley was entered for the 440 and 880 yard races. The 440 yard race saw him up against Allan Elliot and Alan Sayers and current holder William Bainbridge. While in the 880 yard race Kedgley was the current holder of the title. Midgley did not place in either of the events with only the first three named in the newspapers and he was not among them.
In early March Midgley ran once more in the Otahuhu Amateur Athletic Club meeting and won the 220 yard senior championship. He narrowly beat Ernie McNeil who was a Richmond Rovers rugby league senior but a novice on the track. He however won the 440 yard senior championship by 15 yards in 57 seconds. He competed in several more Otahuhu club meetings some of which featured Bainbridge and Sayers before the final meeting on 11 April. Midgley finished in a dead heat for first with G Whye in the 880 yard race in 2m 27s.
Rugby league (Ponsonby), rugby union In June 1935 Midgley was named in the Ponsonby reserve grade side. A week later on 19 June Midgley had a request for reinstatement to rugby union submitted to the New Zealand Rugby Union. It is unclear who he had played rugby union for in the past but most rugby league players had played rugby union at some point in their junior or adult years. His reinstatement was confirmed on 27 June. He then joined the Otahuhu rugby union club and was named in their senior side for games on 29 June and 20 July though it is unclear if he played as he was not mentioned in any match reports or named to play in any other games. The team lists featured 19 names so he may have been a back reserve.
In 1936 Midgley competed in an athletic meeting at Maungatapere in the 100, 150, 440, and 880 yard events.
Transfer to Marist Old Boys rugby league and senior debut The 1937 season was to be the first of Midgley’s career in the first grade competition. He transferred to the Marist Old Boys (Marist Saints) club and debuted for them on 17 April in a preliminary round game against City Rovers at Carlaw Park on the number 2 field at 3pm. The Auckland Star wrote that “Marist presented a promising three-quarter in the second half, Midgley”. On 7 May a “J Midgley” was granted a transfer from South Auckland to Auckland. At the same meeting Jack McLeod a future New Zealand team mate of Midgley’s was granted a transfer from the Taranaki area. On 1 May Midgley scored his first senior grade points with 2 tries in a round 1 Fox Memorial Shield win over Newton Rangers. The match was played on the number 2 field at Carlaw Park with Marist winning 27 to 10. The Auckland Star wrote that a fine try was recorded by Midgley early in the second spell when he got the ball near the half way peg and streaked down the side line to beat four of the Newton men. It was a great solo run. He was said to have been prominent in the first half along with Reginald Haslam, and Jack Donovan. And he “showed a lot of pace” on the wing. The following week on 8 May in a 17–10 loss to Manukau Midgley was said to be “a lively three quarter, but with a tendency to get out of position”.
Representative debut with Auckland Pākehā Perhaps somewhat surprisingly Midgley was then named in the reserves for the Auckland Pākehā side to play Auckland Māori on 12 May. Then on the day of the match he started on the wing. The Pākehā team won 24 to 14 with Midgley scoring one of their six tries. He was playing outside Arthur Kay who was centre three quarter, with Claude Dempsey at fullback and George Tittleton on the other wing. Midway through the second half Roy Powell, Arthur Kay and Walter Stockley combined with the ball to put Midgley away who “outpaced the opposition to score a nice try”.