Arthur James McInnarney (12 March 1918 – 8 June 1986) was a rugby league footballer who represented New Zealand in 1939 on their aborted tour of England becoming the 276th player to represent New Zealand. He also went on their 1947/48 tour of England, Wales, and France playing 14 matches. McInnarney also represented Auckland, Auckland Pākehā, North Island, and the Mount Albert club in Auckland. During the war years he played rugby for Papakura Army and was a triallist for the New Zealand Military side near the end of the war before a wound ruled him out.
Early life Arthur James McInnarney was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 12 March 1918. His parents were John William McInnarney (1886–1970), and Margaret Sarah Wright (1891–1984). He had two older brothers, Kenneth (Ken) John McInnarney (1914–1986), and Raymond (Ray) Frank McInnarney (1916–1992). His father John was the secretary of the Printing Trades Union.
Sporting career Rugby league (Ellerslie) 1929–37 1929–31 Arthur McInnarney began playing football at the Ellerslie Convent School and then played rugby league for Ellerslie United around 1929 for their schoolboys team along with two other McInnarneys, most likely his brothers Raymond and Kenneth. They finished 9th of 11 teams. He then went on to captain the Ellerslie 7th grade side. It was mentioned in a brief article that the family was living on Arthur Street in Ellerslie at the time. At the end of the season either Raymond or Arthur was named in the forwards in a primary school trial match to choose an Auckland team.
Their father John, was the school boys delegate for the Ellerslie club for the 1930 season and spent many future years on the club committee. In late September Arthur was selected by E. Cowley in an Auckland Primary Schools team trial to play at Carlaw Park No. 1 on 27 September at 12:45. He was named in the second row of the A Team. Arthur was mentioned at the end of the year when Ellerslie had a picnic for their junior players at Eastern Bay. His schoolboys side had won the C section of the competition. He won the "egg in the hat" game at the picnic while Kenneth came second in the seventh grade senior running race and first in the steeplechase, and Raymond placed 2nd in the junior team running race.
In 1931 Arthur was named in the Auckland Schoolboys team to play against Ngāruawāhia on 12 September at their opponents ground. In the side was Laurie Mills who would also go on to represent New Zealand, though he was killed in the war effort in December 1941. The team was managed by Lou Rout, Freeman Thompson, and John McInnarney. Then in October, McInnarney was named in a Schoolboys match at Carlaw Park which was a curtain raiser to the touring Eastern Suburbs side who were playing Devonport United on 10 October. The match was played before a crowd of 17,000. He was named in the 'City' side which included players from City, Newton, Devonport, Papatoetoe, Ellerslie, Avondale, and Richmond. While their opponents were named 'Suburbs' and were confusingly made up of players from much the same sides including Newmarket, Avondale, Ellerslie, Richmond, Devonport, Northcote, Newton, and Papatoetoe. McInnarney's City side won 20 to 9.
Track Cycling (Papatoetoe Club) 1934–1938 Arthur was a particular good track cyclist who rode successfully at a competitive level from 1934 through the rest of the decade. His brother Ken was cycling competitively in 1932 and Ray and Arthur joined him in 1934. At the Ellerslie Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club's meeting at the Ellerslie Reserve on 7 March 1934 all three brothers were competing with Arthur riding in the One Mile Local Novice Handicap off scratch. He was 5 days short of his 16th birthday.
In late October at a Papatoetoe Club event "the three McInnarney brothers dominated both events [half mile and one mile and a half], and all are very fit. The youngest of the trio, A. McInnarney in his first ride, scored a convincing win and showed that he has cycling ability. He followed this up by winning a second event with plenty to spare". He continued to ride in their weekly club events through to the end of the year. In late November "once again the McInnarney's swept the board, scoring as many points as the other placed riders put together". Arthur was third in the half mile race which his brother Ray won, while Arthur came second in the two-mile A grade event behind Ray Beehre. On 15 January at a regular mid week club meeting he came first in the A Grade five mile race in a time of 12m 4s. Two weeks later an advertisement was placed in the New Zealand Herald for the Manukau Amateur Cycling Club who were having an event at Western Springs Stadium on the concrete banked track. It stated "see the Dwight, Pinfold, Lentfer and McInnarney Brothers In Action". The races took place on 26 January at 7:45pm. Then on 23 February Arthur competed in the Auckland Amateur Cycling Championships at the same venue. He was riding in the junior one mile championship and the Half Mile Open race where he had a 40-yard handicap which was the shortest of all the riders. He then competed in the annual Auckland Cycling Centre championship meeting at Western Springs on 27 February. McInnarney came third in the One Mile Junior Championship behind G.W. Holland, and J.H. Gilbanks and second in the Half Mile Handicap behind J.H. Gilbanks. In mid March at the Papatoetoe meeting McInnarney finished second in his One Mile A Grade heat and then finished second again in the final to Allen. On 19 March in the Three Miles A Grade race at Papatoetoe, Arthur was racing off scratch with Roy Taylor, and D. Norm Pinfold, while Ray had a 40-yard handicap and Ken a 170-yard handicap indicating that despite being two and four years younger than them respectively, Arthur was a stronger rider. He placed second behind brother, Ray who had a 40-yard start on him in a field of sixteen riders with Ray finishing in a time of 6m53s. On 8 June he failed to place in the junior 7.5 mile race but rode the fastest time in 19m 20s after racing off scratch, seven seconds faster than the first placed rider who had had a 55-second start. He continued to race through the remainder of winter and then through spring. On 15 October they began their annual Tuesday night races with Arthur and Ray named among others who were "riders likely to be in championship class". He competed through into the new year and on 7 January he came second in the One Mile A Grade final with Ray winning it in a time of 2m 23 2.5s though Arthur had ridden off scratch. And in the Two Miles A Grade final he finished second behind Ray who won in a time of 5m 4 3.5s. A week later the Papatoetoe and Lynndale Clubs continued their weekly meetings with the New Zealand Herald saying "for their combined teamwork and tactics on their home track at Papatoetoe the McInnarney brothers are outstanding and last week A.Gordon Patrick, present Auckland track champion, found them both a difficult problem when, in a desperate sprint, he finished inches back in second place to R. McInnarney, with A. McInnarney an extremely close third". In the Two Mile race Ray, Arthur, and Roy T. Taylor were off scratch and all passed Clarrie W. Allen and finished in that order.
Auckland Amateur Cycling Championships (1936) On Monday evening, 17 February the Auckland Centre of the New Zealand Amateur Cycling Association held their annual provincial championship meeting at the Western Springs Stadium banked concrete track. It was thought that the junior un-paced kilometre would be "a close contest between Joe Gillbanks, Charlie Dwight and Arthur McInnarney…". While in the junior tandem paced mile Arthur would be competing for the first time. Before a large crowd in sunny weather though with a "fairly stiff breeze" the racing took place. Arthur finished second in the Three Mile Open Handicap behind O.B. White with Ray in third. Along with star rider, Roy T. Taylor it was said that "there were others, too, to prove that Papatoetoe is not a one man club. Ray McInnarney, Sid Pinfold, Arthur McInnarney, "Bubs" Allan, Owen White, were going well, too. The three mile handicap even went altogether to club men, the McInnarneys filling second and third places to O.B. White. The brothers started from virtual scratch...a good race was brought to a thrilling finish when the back men prevailed in a ding-dong go. White unwound a furious sprint to head Arthur McInnarney, who was a length ahead of brother Ray, who was ambling effortlessly, but was boxed in and though as fresh as a daisy could not get through". The article went on to say "Arthur McInnarney found the track strange and was suffering acutely from mental distress created by so many friends giving him advice. Getting well back from the tandem added to his strain. He was a different boy when competing later in the three-miler. The 60 members of the Papatoetoe Club are still confident of his ability and are staunch on the belief that he is the city's best junior and should be packing for Wanganui as a junior representative". He was still aged just 17, a few weeks away from his 18th birthday. Days later on Saturday, 22 February Arthur competed in the third of a series of scratch race meetings on the Papatoetoe Stadium track at an Auckland Cycling Centre meeting. Before a large crowd he competed in the A Grade races for the Two Laps Sprint, One Mile Race, and Five Miles Points Race. He finished second in the first race heat, third in the following race heat and third in the final, and second in the Five Mile Points Race. Then on the following Tuesday at the Papatoetoe Cub meeting. He was involved in several races and was "first to finish in the three mile and so got points for third place, a position which he also filled in the short race, showing he is outstanding as a junior rider". In late February McInnarney finished second to E.G. Mynott at an Otahuhu Club meeting on the Sturges Park grass track. On 17 March Arthur came second in the One Mile race before attempting to break the A Grade record time when he finished in 18 seconds, just one-fifth of a second outside his brother, Ray's record.
1936/37 Season The season began in October with Arthur continuing to compete in events each week. On Monday, 15 February the Manukau Amateur Cycling Club held its annual championship at Western Springs Stadium. McInnarney competed in the Half-mile (15 yds), One Mile (30 yds), and Miss-and-Out Race. In the One Mile handicap he won the second heat in a time of 2m 2 3.5s, but finished second in the final, a length behind E.G. Mynott. While he failed to place in the other races. Two weeks later on 2 March at the Papatoetoe Club event "Arthur McInnarney, riding from virtual scratch, was outstanding in the handicap races. His sprinting was superb, for he went through the fields in the one lap and half-mile to finish third and first respectively. In the miss-and-out scratch race he was also outstanding, winning comfortably without being extended".
On Saturday afternoon and evening on 6 March the New Zealand amateur cycling championship was held at Western Springs Stadium. McInnarney competed in several of the Open and Handicap Events. He finished 3rd in the first heat of the One Mile Senior Handicap, and 3rd in the final of the Two Mile Senior Handicap. While in the Ten Laps Pacemakers' Points Race he finished in a dead heat for second with C.R. Gooder with 5 points. He competed in further Papateotoe meetings finishing among the places then in their final meeting in early April at Manurewa. The 1936 Half Season winners of points trophies showed Arthur finishing third behind R.T. Taylor (45.5pts), and C. Carter (33pts), with 31 points. He was first in the Two Miles and Over season standings with 20 points, one ahead of Taylor. For the 1937 Half Season he was second in the Under Two Miles with 21 points behind Taylor (27 pts), and second in the Two Miles and Over with 21 points, one behind W. Allan.