Laurence Douglas Mills (12 March 1918 – 1 December 1941) was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand in 1939 on their tour of England becoming the 280th player to do so.
Early life Mills was born on 12 March 1918 in Auckland, New Zealand. His father was Ephraim Raymond (Ray) Mills (1886–1957), and his mother was Irene Winifred Mills (nee. Brokenshire) (1889–1972). He had one sibling, an older brother, Raymond Samuel Albert Mills (1916–2007). His father had been born in Freeman’s Bay in central Auckland and had served in World War 1. The family was living in Grey Lynn at the time of Laurie’s birth on Francis Street. Ephraim was a plumber by trade which was the profession Laurie later adopted. He attended Mount Albert Grammar School in the suburb of Mount Albert in Auckland during the early to mid 1930s. He is memorialised on their school War Memorial. The family lived at 47 Old Mill Road, Grey Lynn in the 1920s into the early 1930s when they then moved to 19 Stanmore Road in Grey Lynn.
Playing career Juniors 1930–1933 In 1930 Mills was playing for the Richmond schoolboys team on the wing and on 17 May in a 15–0 win over Otahuhu Rovers he scored four tries. Earlier in the year he had played cricket and in a match for Richmond West in the Auckland Primary Schools Cricket Association competition he scored 31 not out against Brixton Road. His brother Ray was also in the team and in the same game scored 24 not out. They were attending Westmere Primary School and in December 1930 were selected for an Eden Park group team to play a Western Suburbs side in a game at Mount Albert.
In early August Laurie was selected in the Auckland central district side to play in the inter-provincial primary school representative matches for the Roller Mill Shield at Hamilton. At the end of the month he was selected for the Auckland Primary Schools representative team to play at Ngaruawahia on 12 September. In the side was Arthur McInnarney and the two would go on to be the first ever Auckland primary school representative players to be selected for the New Zealand. Coincidentally both players had been born on 12 March 1918.
In 1933 Mills had progressed to the Richmond 7th grade team. The team won the championship (Myers Cup), the knockout competition, and was awarded the Harry Johns Memorial Cup for the best Richmond club team which had been named in honour of their young senior player who had been killed due to head injuries in a boxing match in October the year prior. They also won the Lauder Cup, Walker Shield, Milicich Cup, and Harcourt Cup. A photograph of the team appeared in the 21 October edition of the Auckland Star with Laurie in the centre of the middle row.
Richmond Reserves (1937) It is unclear which teams Mills was playing for Richmond from 1934 to 1937 as the team lists were not published in the Auckland newspapers and there was relatively little coverage of the junior competitions. However it was stated several times in following years that he had played for Richmond throughout the grades before debuting in their senior side. In 1937 Mills was regularly listed in the Richmond reserve grade teams. On 28 August he played in their side which travelled to Kamo, a northern suburb of Whangarei to play the local competition winners, Kamo. He scored a try in a 27–17 win. Kamo were unable to field a full strength side and fielded five Hikurangi players and the game was still described as a fast, open match. When the score was 11–11 Mills “touched down at the end of a very nice passing bout”. In the meantime the Richmond reserves had won the reserve grade competition (Norton Cup). The competition did not have all of its results reported but of the ten games they had scores reported for they were unbeaten.
Richmond seniors (1938) The 1938 season saw Mills make his senior grade debut. He was named in their squad for a preliminary round game on 2 April against Mount Albert on Carlaw Park #1 at 3pm. He scored a try in their 24–15 loss and it was said that “two new players, Mills and Graham, showed up prominently in the second half”. The Auckland Star wrote “Richmond tried out Mills and Graham, two of their junior backs, and both did impressive work…”. He impressed enough to be named in their squad for their Fox Memorial Shield championship opening game the following weekend against Papakura. He scored another try in their 17–14 win which was on the Carlaw Park #2 field with 3,000 in attendance at the games. During the second half “the [Richmond] backs supported the forwards well and Mills scored”. The New Zealand Herald said “both Graham and Mills, promoted juniors, did really well, especially the former at centre three-quarter”. He played again in round 2 with Richmond beating Ponsonby United 18–13. In the first half with the score 5–2 to Richmond they attacked and “after a run by Mills the ball came infield and [Merv] Devine scored”. In the second half “Mills lost a try for Richmond when he failed to hold his pass”. After the game it was noted that “Mills showed speed on the wing, but his handling was uncertain”. The Herald wrote “the Richmond backs made many mistakes against Ponsonby, especially in handling. It was something unusual to see [Noel] Bickerton and [Wally] Tittleton offend while Mills, on the wing, dropped three passes and missed tries”. Richmond’s next game came against Newton Rangers in round 3 which they lost 8–7. It is unclear if Mills played after his indifferent display. Their team list was not published the day before the game and he was not mentioned in the match report though several other backs were.
He definitely played in their round 4 game on 30 April against North Shore Albions as he scored a try in a 20–19 win. The match was controversial as the referee erroneously awarded an obstruction try to be converted in front of the posts rather than out wide where the offence occurred. As a result the game was ordered to be replayed later in the season if it was going to have a material effect on the championship. Mills try came early in the second half and was converted by Frank Furnell which gave Richmond a 15–14 lead. Mills was not named in their match day squads for either of the next two games against Marist Old Boys and Manukau respectively.
Mills returned to the side for their 28 May, round 7 game with Mount Albert United and scored a try in their 29–7 win. On 4 June he played in a friendly match against the Huntly club from the Waikato to celebrate the opening of Richmond’s new club rooms at the Grey Lynn Park ground. They then beat City Rovers 19–3 on 11 June. Alf Broadhead scored a try after he “profited from a fine opening by Mills”. He and Trevor Bramley, “in the three-quarter line, showed very promising form”. His next game was in a 16–10 win over Papakura at Prince Edward Park in Papakura. They then suffered a 19–13 loss to Ponsonby on 25 June with Mills scoring a controversial try. The Herald wrote “Richmond was decidedly lucky, however, when Mills, the wing three-quarter, was awarded a try. Mills lost possession and never got near to touching down. The decision caused a demonstration from the spectators in the grandstand”. In comments on the game the Auckland Star wrote that “Bramley made a great success of the centre position, going straight and drawing his marker well before sending the ball on, with the result that Mills, on the wing, got some great chances”.
Mills then played in a 16–2 loss to Newton in round 12, and an 18–5 win over North Shore in round 13. In the latter game Lyndsay Jack “was prominent on the wing and showed plenty of initiative. Mills, on the other wing, was also good”. Then in terrible conditions Richmond lost 11–3 to Mount Albert at Carlaw Park. Jack Tristram scored a try for Mount Albert where he was pulled down from behind by Mills but managed to get over the line. Later in the first half Mills nearly scored after the ball rolled clear when Merv Devine had been stopped by the Mount Albert fullback A McLachlan. The Richmond backs struggled and “only on a few occasions did [they] get into combined action, and when they did Mills, on the wing, ran strongly and gamely”.
On 30 July Mills scored a try in a 6–6 draw with Manukau but he was also badly concussed and taken to the hospital. The Auckland Star wrote a short piece which said “concussion was suffered by Lawrence Douglas Mills, an apprentice plumber, aged 20, single of 19 Stanmore Road, Grey Lynn, while playing rugby league football at Carlaw Park, in the game between Richmond and Manukau seniors”, he along with two other players were taken to Auckland Hospital. His try came in the first half before he later left the field with his injury. It came when he started a movement “with a strong side-line dash” and who then when met by the converging defence “sent the ball in-field, and others took up the running”. The ball then went to ground but Jack McLeod gathered the ball up on the run and “finally Mills was up again in position for the last pass to cross wide out”. His injury came when he “dived in to tackle when [Jack] Brodrick broke away with the ball, and although he brought his opponent down heavily, he got a hard knock in the process”. He had to be carried from the field. As a result of his injury he missed the next two games on 6 and 20 August.
Mills returned to the side on 3 September in round 2 of the Roope Rooster knockout competition. He scored a try in their 19–6 win over Ponsonby on Carlaw Park #1. A week later in their 20–7 win over North Shore in the semi final he and Maurice Potter “were prominent among the backs”. Richmond then won the final against City, winning 20–8 on 17 September with Mills scoring another try. The wings, Keith Fletcher and Mills “showed plenty of dash when chances came their way”. The pair “showed pace, enterprise and ability to penetrate”.
Richmond then played Eastern Suburbs, the Sydney club side who were touring New Zealand. They met on 1 October at Carlaw Park. Before a crowd of 11,000 Richmond won 11–9 with Mills scoring one of their three tries. He played on the right wing opposed by Rod O'Loan. In the first half Mills “made an easy try for Wally Tittleton” except that to the dismay of the crowd he lost possession when over the try line. With Richmond leading 8–3 Mills “lowered O'Loan with a good tackle”, then a while later he charged down [Jim] Norton's attempt to clear and he scored to give Richmond an 11–3 lead at halftime. His final game of the season was in the Stormont Shield (champion of champion) game on 8 October. Richmond won 9–8 with wings Lyndsay Jack and Mills, playing "splendid football with limited opportunities”.
New Zealand, North Island, and Richmond (1939) Richmond