Tom Cross

Yvonne Chisholm

Those who attend the main match of our 125th Anniversary Weekend will be following in the footsteps of the 3,000 people who, on 10 April 1926, made their way to the Petone Recreation Ground for one of the opening matches of the senior rugby championship – Petone v Poneke. It was a particularly special match as Saturday’s will be - a benefit for one of Wellington’s and Petone’s best known rugby players Tom Cross - who was seriously ill and who had been banned for life from rugby union for “defecting” to rugby league.

Tom (Thomas William) Cross was born in Dunedin on 21 January 1876. He started his rugby career with the Kaikorai Club and played for Otago from 1898 to 1900. In 1899 he married Jeanie Garrett and they had a large family - nine children, seven girls and two boys, are listed on both their death certificates.

In 1901, Tom started moving north, first to Christchurch, where he played for Linwood and Canterbury in 1901 and 1902, New Zealand in 1901 and the South Island in 1902.

Such was Tom’s rugby fame that by the time he moved from Christchurch newspapers like Wellington’s New Zealand Free Lance and Dunedin’s The Otago Witness gave a running commentary of his movements speculating where he might settle and for which club he would play.

Tom came to Wellington. He played for Poneke in 1903, moving to the Petone Club in 1904. He represented Wellington from 1903 to 1907 and the North Island in 1904 and 1906. He played for New Zealand in 1904 and 1905.

Tom was considered for the 1905 “Originals” tour. The Otago Witness considered that some players, including Tom and another Petone player, “Joe” Calnan had missed selection “not because they cannot play football but because their accent is pure colonial unconfined, and their fancies don’t turn to “biled” shirts and “stingraee”. With the “Originals” away he played for New Zealand in 1905 against Australia.

While he was with Petone there was speculation that Tom would continue to move north possibly to a club in Palmerston North or to the Newton Club in Auckland. This did not eventuate and Tom stayed put in Petone until he moved up to Korokoro/Maungaraki about 1915.

In 1907 Tom, with other Petone players, joined Albert Baskerville’s All Golds rugby league team for the tour of Australia and England. As a working man it must have been a challenge for Tom to raise the 50 pounds each player had to contribute and difficult for his family without him and his income from August 1907 to June 1908. The tour bonus of 350 pounds would have been needed.

Tom, aged 31 when the team left New Zealand, had a successful tour adapting well to rugby league and playing in all three tests. He was (in the words of the historian of the tour John Haynes) “one of the ten or eleven players, who barring injuries, commanded regular top-team places.”
For Tom’s benefit match trains and buses came from “town” at fifteen minute intervals and people could buy their tickets (one shilling) beforehand from any member of the Petone or Poneke Club. The press expected an even match – but Petone won easily, the final score being 21-6.

Tom, whose wife had recently died, was too ill to attend the benefit match. His health had probably been affected as a result of an industrial accident in March 1909 when a new steel roof he was working on at the Gear Meat Works collapsed. His side and back were injured and he seems to have been off work for about a month. There were comments he would not play rugby again. His game for the Wellington Rugby League team in September 1909 seems to have been his last. Tom died on 4 July 1930 aged 54 and is buried in Karori Cemetery.

Tom was a colourful character - a big man for the time whose playing weight was around 93kgs (14stone 8lb) and probably between 178cm (5ft 10ins) and 183cm (6ft) in height. He had a robust playing style, which resulted in sendings off and suspensions over the years. He was also known as a “noisy player”.

Tom had at least two nicknames in rugby circles “The Burly One” and “Angry”.

Tom’s wit was laconic. The New Zealand Free Lance reported on 20 August 1904 that “At the smoke concert tendered to the visiting team by His Excellency, the Governor, cigars were served out to each member of the party. A small spirit lamp was provided at which the cigars could be lighted, and there was a footman in waiting to attend on the guests. Tom Cross, in his usual sang froid style, remarked to the said footman “Pass me the gas stove bloke, I want to light my cheroot”.

When Tom died The New Zealand Free Lance said of him “A great forward and one of the best was Tom…” The Otago Witness commenting on the former Otago player “considered he was one of best players who ever played for Petone”.


See: “Petone Rugby played big part in 'All Golds'’ on this website for more information on Petone’s contribution to the All Golds.

John Haynes book “All Blacks to All Golds” is a great read about the All Golds Tour, especially the challenges faced including learning a new game, weather conditions, illness, travel and the hospitality.

Memoirs archive