Roy Hardgrave
Roy Arthur Hardgrave was a rugby league player. He represented New Zealand rugby league team in 3 tests in 1928. In the process he became the 189th player to represent New Zealand. Hardgrave also played for Newton Rangers, St Helens, Mount Albert United, York, and Toulouse rugby league clubs, along with the North Island, and Auckland representative sides. His father Arthur Hardgrave also represented New Zealand from 1912 to 1914.
Early life
Roy Arthur Hardgrave was born in New Plymouth on 28 July 1906. His parents were Una George Hardgrave and Arthur Hardgrave. He also had a brother, Edgar Louis who was one year his junior, born on 1 October 1907. Roy's father, Arthur, was a prominent rugby player in the Taranaki area before switching to rugby league and representing the first ever Taranaki team in 1908. The Hardgrave family moved to Auckland in 1912 where he joined the Manukau club. Arthur represented Auckland, and New Zealand from 1912 to 1914.Playing career
Manukau rugby league club
Roy Hardgrave's "first football was played at Onehunga when he captained his school team to victory on many occasions. On leaving school he followed in the footsteps of his father, who had made football history, and played juniors for the Manukau club". In 1922 and 1923 Hardgrave was playing for the Manukau rugby league club's 6th grade side. In the same team was Cyril Brimble, whose younger brothers Ted Brimble, Walter Brimble, and Wilfred Brimble all went on to represent New Zealand, and Hardgrave's younger brother Edgar. By 1924 he had moved up into the 4th grade side. In July 1924 the entire Manukau club switched to rugby union after becoming unhappy with their treatment by the Auckland Rugby League. Soon after Hardgrave joined the Otahuhu Rovers club where he played for their fifth grade side. In a match against Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers he scored 2 tries and kicked 4 goals in a 17–7 win.Newton Rangers
Late in the 1924 season Hardgrave moved to the Newton Rangers club which is an inner city suburb of Auckland. He played in their 5th grade side initially but made his senior debut on 4 October in a round 1 match for the Roope Rooster knockout competition. Teams often debuted younger players in this competition which took place late in the year. He scored both of Newton's tries in a 17–8 loss to rivals City Rovers which ended their season. The Auckland Star misspelled his name as "Hargreaves" which was a common misspelling in the early years of his career. His first try came when he "dribbled the ball over the line, and ran on to score". The second came after Arthur Mansill took an intercept and Hardgrave ran in support, taking the pass before "scoring a brilliant try near the posts".Over the summer Hardgrave competed in athletic competitions including the Athletic Club Sports day which was held at Waiuku to mark their anniversary day. In the 75 yards handicap he was awarded a five and a half yard handicap. He did not place, though his teammate Arthur Mansill ran second.
In 1925 he became a regular in the Newton senior side, playing in 11 matches and scoring 4 tries. In a round 2 championship match against City Rovers on 9 May he was involved in a try after combining with Clarrie Polson "in a clever passing movement" with Alan Clarke scoring. The New Zealand Herald said that Hardgrave was a "young player who showed promise". The Herald again mentioned him following the match against Richmond Rovers on 16 May when they said that he was a "good player… who shows cleverness when attacking". In a loss a week later to Marist Old Boys the Auckland Star said that he played "a great game". In the next round against Devonport United at the Devonport Domain he scored a brilliant try after collecting a kick from Devonport's Bert Laing he "performed the neatest piece of work in the game by making a clear dash through to score between the posts". The Herald reported later in the week that he had gone off injured in the second half which affected the closeness of the match. They also said that his "form was brilliant. Last season played in the fifth grade, and although very small, is one of the most promising players in the league game". Newton were struggling with 6 losses to start the season but they secured their first win against Athletic on 13 June with a 38–11 win at Victoria Park, with Hardgrave scoring 2 tries. The Star reported that he "stood out on the Newton side, and he was ably supported by Polson and Wally Somers| Somers".
Following his strong form Hardgrave was named to play in one of the five eighths positions for the Auckland A team to play Auckland B in a trial match. It was to be a curtain raiser to the North Island v South Island match at Carlaw Park on 27 June to help the New Zealand selectors choose the squad to tour Australia. His ‘A Team’ lost the match 5–0 though the Herald stated that "the Newton colt,… upheld the reputation that his club claims for him. He certainly shows great promise". Hardgrave missed selection to the tour which was perhaps unsurprising given his young age and relative inexperience however he was chosen to make his Auckland debut in a match against the New Zealand side which was soon to depart. He was paired with Hector Cole in the five eighths, who had been his partner there in the trial match also. Auckland lost 16–9 at Carlaw Park on 2 July.
He then returned to his Newton side and played 5 more matches for them, scoring a try, although it was awarded after he was obstructed in their final match of the season against Ponsonby United on 1 August. Overall it was an unhappy season for Newton, winning just 1 match and coming last in the Monteith Shield first grade championship. Hardgrave was then chosen as an "emergency player" for Auckland's match against South Auckland on 19 August but he did not take the field. He was also chosen as an emergency player for Auckland B's match with New Zealand and for their southern tour where they would play West Coast in Greymouth. His final game of the season came for Auckland B against Wellington on 16 September where he scored a try and kicked a conversion in a 68–9 thrashing at Newtown Park in Wellington.
The 1926 season saw Hardgrave play 10 matches for Newton, scoring 3 tries. Newton fared slightly better than the previous season, winning 3 games but still only managing 6th place of 7 teams. During the round 4 match with Richmond Rovers on 15 May he allegedly broke his collarbone though it was later reported that he had just received a bad kick to that part of his body. The Auckland Star said "he went down gamely to stop a Richmond rush when the suburban vanguard had a full head of steam up, and when he lay writhing on the ground there was a rush to help him. The first diagnosis was a broken collarbone. He was carried off on a stretcher, but a further inspection revealed that had sustained a kick on the shoulder, and that his collarbone had escaped". There was a photograph of him on the stretcher published in the newspapers. He did however miss three weeks and did not return to play until Newton's round 7 match against Devonport on 12 June. A week later he scored 2 tries in Newton's 34–20 loss to City Rovers. Hardgrave was then chosen in the reserves for the Auckland A v Auckland B trial at Carlaw Park on 10 July but did not take the field. He also showed that he was nearing selection for Auckland when he was pulled into the squad to meet Otago on 7 August after his Newton teammate Alan Clarke informed selectors he would be unavailable. He then finished the season playing 4 more matches for Newton with the last being their round 1 loss in the Roope Rooster loss to Richmond.
Tramways rugby union club and Auckland RL debut
saw Hardgrave play 12 matches for Newton and his try scoring ability began to show through with him registering 7 tries. Newton also had a remarkable turn around in their fortunes when they went from second to last in 1926 to first, winning the championship for the first time since 1912. They contained current New Zealand players Craddock Dufty and Wally Somers, and future New Zealand representatives Alan Clarke, Trevor Hall, and of course Hardgrave.In April it was reported that Hardgrave had been granted reinstatement to rugby union. He played 5 matches for the Tramways senior side in the B Division of Auckland club rugby scoring a try in one match and kicking a penalty in another from April 30 to May 28. He then returned to rugby league and played in Newton's May 7, round 5 match against Marist Old Boys where he scored a try. It came after a break by Craddock Dufty with A. McLeod and Hardgrave in support, "finally Hardgrave, after sending to McLeod, gathered an in-pass perfectly to go across and score". Despite this moment, however, the Auckland Star noted that "Dufty, Hardgrave, and McLeod all showed up, but they had no real combination, and until they learn to get the ball swiftly to the wings, one cannot see Newton getting points commensurate with the work of a good pack in front of them". The New Zealand Herald also stated that " and McLeod were below form at five-eighths. Both appeared to have little understanding on attack". After their round 8 match with Richmond it was said that "Little and Hardgrave stood out with brilliant dash in attack, their work carried sting right through the game". Hardgrave was playing on the left wing now and scored a try in a 19–11 win. He followed this up with tries in consecutive games against Ponsonby, City, and Marist. The try against Marist was particularly brilliant, where the Star wrote "Andrew O'Brien | O'Brien passed to Jack Kirwan | Kirwan, for Knott. Hardgrave flashed into the gap, intercepted the pass, and tossed his head back. A growing crescendo from the Newton supporters turned into a roar as the tricky Newton wing stranded Charles Gregory | Gregory in a lightning side-step to sail in unopposed. It was a single-handed try, fitting reward to daring opportunism". Two weeks later after wins over Marist and Grafton Athletic the Star said he "possesses a big burst of speed and is a dangerous scoring man" After another win over Devonport Newton needed to beat Ponsonby in a playoff for the championship. They won the match 6–3 before a large crowd of 12,000 at Carlaw Park on 27 August. Hardgrave "shone in defence and was reliable on attack". Newton were knocked out of the Roope Rooster competition in the first round but by virtue of their championship win they qualified for the Stormont Shield, which they won 25–14 over Richmond in a match which featured multiple serious injuries. Hardgrave scored a try despite getting "few chances … but his play was reliable throughout".
After Hardgrave's impressive form he was named in the reserves for the Auckland team to play South Auckland on 15 October, although it was their final match of the season. However, on the day he started on the wing and scored a try in a 29–12 loss at Carlaw Park before 4,000 spectators. It was said that he "played brightly on attack". At the end of the season Hardgrave's father Arthur led an 'old timers' team in a charitable match for the unemployed at Carlaw Park.