# 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain

The 1929–30 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain was the fourth Kangaroo tour, and took the Australia national rugby league team all around England and also into Wales. The tour featured the ninth Ashes series which comprised four Test matches and was won by Great Britain. The team sailed on the SS Orsova via the Panama Canal and played an exhibition game in New York before arriving in England.

## Touring squad

A total of 28 footballers were selected to go on the tour: 13 from clubs of Sydney's NSWRFL Premiership, 4 from clubs of the Toowoomba Rugby League, 3 from clubs of the Brisbane Rugby League premiership, 3 from clubs of the Ipswich Rugby League and 5 from elsewhere in country New South Wales and Queensland. In Sydney on 24 July 1929, the day before the Kangaroos were to sail to England, Queensland's Tom Gorman was named captain of the squad. He was the first Queenslander to captain a touring Kangaroos side and would be the last until Wally Lewis in 1986 (Herb Steinohrt was to have led the 1933–34 Kangaroos but declared himself unavailable to tour). South Sydney's Arthur Hennessey joined the tour as non-playing coach, the first such appointment till Clive Churchill in 1959. The tour manager was Harry Sunderland.
The players were paid £4 10s per week from the time they left Sydney till they returned. The English and Australian Leagues agreed on strict rules prohibiting English clubs from signing the Australian players during the tour.
| Name | Posit. | Club | Tests |
| Vic Armbruster | Forward | Fortitude Valley | 3 |
| George Bishop | Hooker | Balmain | 2 |
| Bill Brogan | Forward | Western Suburbs (Sydney) | 3 |
| Joe Busch | Half | Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) | 4 |
| Dan Dempsey | Hooker | Tivoli | 1 |
| Arthur Edwards | Half | Fortitude Valley | 0 |
| Cec Fifield | Three-quarter | Western Suburbs (Sydney) | 4 |
| Harry Finch | Three-quarter | South Sydney | 0 |
| Tom Gorman (c) | Three-quarter | Brothers (Brisbane) | 4 |
| Arthur Henderson | Hooker | Booval | 0 |
| Jack Holmes | Half | Newtown (Sydney) | 0 |
| Arthur Justice | Hooker | St. George | 2 |
| Harry Kadwell | Half | South Sydney | 0 |
| Jack Kingston | Forward | Cootamundra | 2 |
| Fred Laws | Half | Newtown (Toowoomba) | 1 |
| Mick Madsen | Forward | Brothers (Toowoomba) | 2 |
| Paddy Maher | Three-quarter | South Sydney | 0 |
| Frank McMillan | Fullback | Western Suburbs (Sydney) | 4 |
| Wally Prigg | Forward | Central Newcastle | 2 |
| Alan Ridley | Three-quarter | Queanbeyan | 0 |
| Eddie Root | Forward | South Sydney | 0 |
| Les Sellars | Forward | Starlights (Ipswich) | 0 |
| Bill Shankland | Three-quarter | Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) | 4 |
| Bill Spencer | Three-quarter | ? (Bundaberg) | 4 |
| Herb Steinohrt | Forward | Valleys (Toowoomba) | 3 |
| George Treweek | Forward | South Sydney | 4 |
| Jack Upton | Fullback | Souths (Toowoomba) | 0 |
| Eric Weissel | Half | Temora | 3 |

## Matches

* Saturday, 7 September
| Rochdale Hornets | 3 – 36 | Australia |
* Athletic Grounds, Rochdale Attendance: 6,521
* Wednesday, 11 September
| York | 11 – 32 | Australia |
* Clarence Street, York Attendance: 4,729
* Saturday, 14 September
| Batley | 5 – 27 | Australia |
* Mount Pleasant, Batley Attendance: 6,000
* Thursday, 19 September
| Widnes | 13 – 37 | Australia |
* Lowerhouse Lane, Widnes Attendance: 6,000
* Saturday, 21 September
| Broughton Rangers | 8 – 21 | Australia |
* The Cliff, Broughton, Salford Attendance: 6,514
* Thursday, 26 September
| Lancashire | 14 – 29 | Australia |
* Wilderspool, Warrington Attendance: 24,000
* Saturday, 28 September
| Wakefield Trinity | 14 – 3 | Australia |
* Belle Vue, Wakefield Attendance: 9,786
* Thursday, 1 October
| Keighley | 9 – 15 | Australia |
* Lawkholme Lane, Keighley Attendance: 3,000

## 1st Test

In the tour matches leading up to the first Test, the Australian team had won 7 of their 8 games. The English team was weakened by the absence of their usual captain, Jonty Parkin (who was suffering from lower back pain), as well as Brough and Ellaby
* Saturday, 5 October 1929
| The Lions | 8 – 31 | Australia |
| Tries: Jack Feetham Alf Middleton Goal: Joe Thompson (1) | | Tries: Bill Shankland (2) George Bishop Wally Prigg Bill Spencer George Treweek Eric Weissel Goals: Eric Weissel (5) |
* Craven Park, Hull Attendance: 20,000 Referee: R. Robinson
| The Lions | Posit. | Australia |
| Tom Rees | FB | Frank McMillan |
| Emlyn Gwynne | WG | Bill Spencer |
| Roy Kinnear | CE | Cec Fifield |
| Billy Dingsdale | CE | Tom Gorman (c) |
| Alf Frodsham | WG | Bill Shankland |
| Les Fairclough (c) | SO | Eric Weissel |
| Billo Rees | SH | Joe Busch |
| Harold Bowman | PR | Peter Madsen |
| Nat Bentham | HK | George Bishop |
| Joe Thompson | PR | Bill Brogan |
| Bill Horton | SR | Vic Armbruster |
| Alf Middleton | SR | George Treweek |
| Jack Feetham | LF | Wally Prigg |
Australia had scored four tries by half time. England's first try came 14 minutes into the second half. This was England captain Les Fairclough's last match against the Australians.
* Wednesday, 9 October
| Castleford | 2 – 53 | Australia |
* Wheldon Road, Castleford Attendance: 4,000
* Saturday, 12 October
| Huddersfield | 8 – 18 | Australia |
* Fartown, Huddersfield Attendance: 18,560
* Wednesday, 16 October
| Leigh | 16 – 19 | Australia |
* Mather Lane, Leigh Attendance: 8,000
* Saturday, 19 October
| Barrow | 10 – 13 | Australia |
* Little Park, Barrow Attendance: 10,000
* Wednesday, 23 October
| Leeds | 10 – 13 | Australia |
* Headingley, Leeds Attendance: 10,000
* Saturday, 26 October
| Hull F.C. | 2 – 35 | Australia |
* The Boulevard, Hull Attendance: 10,000
* Saturday, 2 November
| Oldham | 10 – 18 | Australia |
* Watersheddings, Oldham Attendance: 18,000

## 2nd Test

In response to their loss to the Australians in the previous Test, the British made several changes to their side for the 2nd Test.
* Saturday, 9 November 1929
| The Lions | 9 – 3 | Australia |
| Tries: Artie Atkinson Goals: Jim Sullivan (3) | | Tries: Bill Shankland Goals: |
* Headingley, Leeds Attendance: 31,402 Referee: R. Robinson
| The Lions | Posit. | Australia |
| Jim Sullivan | FB | Frank McMillan |
| Alf Ellaby | WG | Bill Spencer |
| Artie Atkinson | CE | Tom Gorman (c) |
| Billy Dingsdale | CE | Cec Fifield |
| Stanley Smith | WG | Bill Shankland |
| Billo Rees | SO | Eric Weissel |
| Jonty Parkin (c) | SH | Joe Busch |
| Dai Jenkins | PR | Herb Steinohrt |
| Nat Bentham | HK | George Bishop |
| William Burgess | PR | Peter Madsen |
| Martin Hodgson | SR | George Treweek |
| Albert Fildes | SR | Dan Dempsey |
| Fred Butters | LF | Wally Prigg |
England, with the help of Parkin closed the gap between themselves and the Australians, with Sullivan's goal kicking giving the home team a winning margin of 9–3.
* Wednesday, 13 November
| Bradford Northern | 17 – 26 | Australia |
* Birch Lane, Bradford Attendance: 7,000
* Saturday, 16 November
| St. Helens | 18 – 18 | Australia |
* Knowsley Road, St. Helens Attendance: 9,500
* Wednesday, 20 November
| Yorkshire | 12 – 25 | Australia |
* Belle Vue, Wakefield Attendance: 7,011
* Saturday, 23 November
| Halifax | 9 – 58 | Australia |
* Thrum Hall, Halifax Attendance: 8,440
* Saturday, 30 November
| Swinton | 9 – 58 | Australia |
* Station Road, Swinton Attendance: 9,000
* Tuesday, 3 December
| English League XIII | 18 – 5 | Australia |
* Central Park, Wigan Attendance: 9,987
* Saturday, 7 December
| Cumberland | 8 – 5 | Australia |
* Lonsdale Park, Workington Attendance: 3,500
* Wednesday, 11 December
| Glamorgan/Monmouth | 9 – 39 | Australia |
* White City Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 3,000
* Saturday, 14 December
| St Helens Recreation | 8 – 22 | Australia |
* City Road, St. Helens Attendance: 9,000
* Wednesday, 18 December
| English League XIII | 22 – 32 | Australia |
* St James' Park, Newcastle Attendance: 9,690
* Saturday, 21 December
| Warrington | 17 – 8 | Australia |
* Wilderspool, Warrington Attendance: 12,826
* Wednesday, 25 December
| Hunslet | 18 – 3 | Australia |
* Parkside, Hunslet Attendance: 12,000
* Thursday, 26 December
| Hull Kingston Rovers | 5 – 10 | Australia |
* Craven Park, Hull Attendance: 12,000
* Saturday, 28 December
| Wigan | 9 – 10 | Australia |
* Central Park, Wigan Attendance: 8,000

## 3rd Test

England had held the Ashes for almost 20 years, and this match would decide whether they were to continue doing so.
* Saturday, 4 January 1930
| The Lions | 0 – 0 | Australia |
| Tries: Goals: | | Tries: Goals: |
* Station Road, Swinton Attendance: 33,809 Referee: Bob Robinson
| The Lions | Posit. | Australia |
| Jim Sullivan | FB | Frank McMillan |
| Alf Ellaby | WG | Bill Spencer |
| Artie Atkinson | CE | Tom Gorman (c) |
| Hector Halsall | CE | Cec Fifield |
| Stanley Smith | WG | Bill Shankland |
| Jack Oster | SO | Eric Weissel |
| Jonty Parkin (c) | SH | Joe Busch |
| Arthur Thomas | PR | Herb Steinohrt |
| Nat Bentham | HK | Arthur Justice |
| William Burgess | PR | Bill Brogan |
| Albert Fildes | SR | George Treweek |
| Martin Hodgson | SR | Vic Armbruster |
| Fred Butters | LF | Jack Kingston |
It was a freezing afternoon for the deciding test, which Australia dominated yet was still unable to put points on the board. With only a few minutes remaining and the scores locked at nil-all in the third and deciding test, Australian halfback Joe "Chimpy" Busch collected the ball from a scrum win 30 metres out and scooted down the sideline. He crashed over the try-line in the corner with England's loose forward Fred Butters on his back making a last-ditch attempt to stop him. As the corner post went flying the crowd spilled onto the field in excitement. Referee Bob Robinson looked set to award Australia the try and the game (and with it the Ashes) when the touch-judge Albert Webster emerged through the crowd (which was overflowing and allowed on the pitch to avoid crowding) claiming Busch had taken out the corner post before grounding the ball. Even though Robinson believed it was a fair try he had no option other than to rule 'no try'. The referee was reported to have said to the Kangaroos "fair try Australia, but I am overruled", while England's captain Jonty Parkin shook Busch's hand and congratulated him before the touch-judge intervened. The match finished as a 0–0 draw, leaving the series tied at one match apiece.
For the remainder of his life (he died on 29 May 1999 at the age of 91), Busch insisted he scored the try, quoted as saying "I got it down all right…it was a fair try." The corner where Busch scored the disallowed try in Swinton, was in the following decades still officially known as Busch's Corner.
* Saturday, 11 January
| Salford | 5 – 21 | Australia |
* The Willows, Salford Attendance: 8,000

## 4th Test

After much deliberation the controversial decision was made to play a fourth Test a week later. This was the first and only time that a fourth test has been played on any Kangaroo tour.
* Wednesday, 15 January 1930
| England | 3 – 0 | Australia |
| Tries: Stanley Smith Goals: | | Tries: Goals: |
* Athletic Grounds, Rochdale Attendance: 16,743 Referee: R. Robinson
| England | Posit. | Australia |
| Jim Sullivan (c) | FB | Frank McMillan |
| Stanley Smith | WG | Bill Shankland |
| Stan Brogden | CE | Cec Fifield |
| Artie Atkinson | CE | Tom Gorman (c) |
| Tom Blinkhorn | WG | William Spencer |
| Billo Rees | SO | Fred Laws |
| Bryn Evans | SH | Joe Busch |
| Arthur Thomas | PR | Herb Steinohrt |
| Nat Bentham | HK | Arthur Justice |
| Billy Williams | PR | Bill Brogan |
| Hector Crowther | SR | Vic Armbruster |
| Albert Fildes | SR | George Treweek |
| Harold Young | LF | Jack Kingston |
In this match Cec Fifield broke his ankle and was unable to play the remainder of the tour. In an enthralling and especially brutal match, the deadlock was only broken by Stan Smith's solitary unconverted try so England won 3–0, to retain the Ashes.

## Wales

This was the first rugby league international to be played at Wembley Stadium.
* Saturday, 18 January 1930
| Wales | 10 – 26 | Australia |
| Tries: Steve Ray Mel Rosser Goals: Jim Sullivan (2) | | Tries: Jack Upton (2) Arthur Justice Wally Prigg Bill Spencer George Treweek Goals: Fred Laws (2/3) Bill Spencer (2/4) |
* Wembley, London Attendance: 20,000 Referee: A. Harding
| Wales | Posit. | Australia |
| Jim Sullivan | FB | Frank McMillan |
| Steve Ray | WG | Bill Spencer |
| Mel Rosser | CE | Jack Upton |
| Tommy Parker | CE | Tom Gorman (c) |
| Johnny Ring | WG | Bill Shankland |
| Dai Davies | SO | Fred Laws |
| Billo Rees | SH | Joe Busch |
| Billy Williams | PR | Herb Steinohrt |
| Les White | HK | Arthur Justice |
| Joe Thompson (c) | PR | Bill Brogan |
| Frank Stephens | SR | Jack Kingston |
| Arthur Evans | SR | Wally Prigg |
| Jesse Meredith | LF | George Treweek |