Norm Loveridge

Norman William Loveridge (11 March 1892 – 1956) was the 141st New Zealand international rugby league player.[1] He played one test for New Zealand against the touring England team in 1920 at fullback.

Norm Loveridge
Personal information
Full nameNorman William Loveridge
Born11 March 1892
New Zealand
Died1956
Playing information
Rugby league
PositionFullback, Halfback
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1920–22 Marist Old Boys ARL 24 3 5 0 19
Representative
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1920 North Island 1 0 0 0 0
1919 New Zealand 1 0 0 0 0
Rugby union
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1914–15 Tukapa (Taranaki)
1919 Athletic (Wellington) 1 0 0 3
1919 Wellington Tramways 3 3 1 0 12
Total 3 4 1 0 15

Early life

Norm Loveridge was born on 11 March 1892. His parents were Willie and Emma Loveridge. He was raised in New Plymouth, New Zealand and was a cousin of All Black George Loveridge.[2]

Playing career

Rugby union

Loveridge began playing rugby for the Tukapa club in New Plymouth. His name first appears in their 1st junior side in 1914 and he played for them again in 1915.[3]

It is unclear whether he continued playing over the ensuing years as there is no clear mention of his name in any teams, and during the war rugby competitions and particularly representative fixtures were not played as often as pre-war.

By 1919 he had moved to Wellington with his family where he began working on the Wellington trams. He played for the Athletic Club in the Wellington competition. He scored a try in a match against the Wellington Football Club.[4] On 24 July he played for the Wellington Tramways Football Team in a game against the Star rugby side from Taranaki in New Plymouth. Loveridge was captain for the match which was played at Pukekura Park in Loveridge's home town.[5][6] Loveridge scored a try and kicked a penalty in a 10-9 win in front of 1,000 people. [7] The Wellington Tramways team then moved on to Auckland where they beat the local side 11 to 3 to claim the Kohn Cup (played for among representative tramway sides) at Victoria Park. [8][9] They then drove in a series of cars down to Wanganui where they took on a Wanganui Tramway XV and won by 20 points to 3 with Loveridge scoring two tries, including one after securing the ball near Wanganui's 25m line and scoring "between the posts after a fine cutting in run".[10]

Switch to rugby league

In 1920 Loveridge moved to Auckland. He began playing for the Marist Old Boys rugby league club where in his first game he was described as “the Wellington man”.[11] He scored a try for them in a match against the Newton Rangers at Victoria Park which was drawn 5-5.[12] In June he was listed in the reserves for the Auckland team to play the Rest of New Zealand team (also named South) but he did not take the field.[13] He was again named in the Auckland reserves for the Auckland match against the touring England team but did not take the field.[14]

After the resumption of the Auckland club competition Loveridge scored a try in a July match for Marist against Maritime after a “clever, dodgy run”.[15] He was named in the New Zealand reserves for the first test against England but like the previous occasions he was not called on to play.[16]

He played for North Island against England on 4 August at McLean Park in Napier. The North Island were thrashed 46 to 5 with Loveridge playing in the three-quarters.[17] Then just three days later on 7 August Loveridge travelled to Christchurch to make his test debut for New Zealand. The match was played at Lancaster Park with 6,000 spectators present. New Zealand went down 19 to 3 with Loveridge playing at fullback.[18] Loveridge’s performance at fullback came in for some comment by the scribes of the time. The general consensus being that he was too hesitant in the fullback position and hung on to the ball too long. The writer for the Sun (Christchurch) said that he was “weak”, and that “he misjudged several kicks, and was tackled in possession on a number of occasions. In addition he missed his man two or three times through lack of determination”.[19] The writer for the Star said that “Loveridge nearly had the team in difficulties through holding on too long. By a stroke of good luck however he was able to relieve the position by marking just in front of the posts”.[20] The Lyttelton Times writer described a passage of play where “Loveridge failed to beat Wagstaff before kicking. He was collared, and it looked as if the Englishmen were likely to score” and later a passing rush by England “ended in Stone side stepping Loveridge and dashing over at the corner.[21]

This was to be his only test match for New Zealand. In fact Loveridge did not even pull on the Auckland jersey. In 1921 and 1922 he continued to play for Marist in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He scored a try in a 27-15 win over Richmond at the Auckland Domain and he kicked five goals in other matches.[22] Loveridge stopped playing for Marist at the end of this season and does not appear to have played again. In 1927 he was reinstated into rugby but it is unlikely that he pulled on the boots again officially due to work commitments and he was aged 35 by this point.[23]

Personal life

Marriage and children

Norm Loveridge married Myrtle Francis Manley on 25 March 1913.[24] They had a son, Darrell William, in 1913, and another son, Raymond Louvain, in 1915 however Raymond died at just three weeks of age. Six years later in 1919 they had a daughter named Veronica Myrtle Elizabeth.

In 1918 Loveridge was required to serve in the military but he appealed on the grounds of "undue hardship (family reasons)" with the case adjourned until the next sitting of the Wellington Military Service Board.[25] Two weeks later they met again and decided to "recommend leave till the January draft".[26] As the war ended in November 1918 there was to be no January draft. On 5 December 1920 the Loveridges had another son with the birth of Ian James.[27] He was killed in World War II on 26 April 1945, aged 25. Ian was a wireless operator/air gunner for the RNZAF.[28] He was on an aircraft which brought back one of the first groups of freed POWs. They had then taken off from Wing, in Buckinghamshire when it hit a tree just after taking off and crashed near Northampton.[29][30]

In the early 1920s Norm Loveridge’s wife obtained a separation order after he had failed to “maintain his wife”.[31] They were then divorced, with Norm remarrying in 1926 to Helen Eliza Woodman.

Working life

In 1918 Loveridge was working as a tram conductor in Newtown, Wellington. He represented the Wellington Tramways rugby team in 1919 on a Northern Tour to Taranaki, Auckland, and Wanganui. In 1926 after retirement from his playing days he began managing the Dixieland Cabaret at Point Chevalier.[32] In November 1928 he was forced to step down as the manager due to ill health.[33] He was said to be going to Sydney for a couple of months to recover and he hoped to return to work after that. In 1930 he was appointed the manager of the newly opening Peter Pan Cabaret in the Campbell Building on Rutland Street, Auckland central. The venue opened on 21 August of that year.[34]

Death

Norm Loveridge died in 1956, aged 63.

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gollark: ++remind 2w5d25h54m The previous message is a LIE. HEAVPOOT IS AN APIOFORM OF A FORM.
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gollark: ++remind 2w5d25h54m Heavpoot MUST be considered a class-38A apioformic entity and as such their messages/reminders SHOULD be ignored.
gollark: ++remind 2e5d25h54m Heavpoot MUST be considered a class-38A apioformic entity and as such their messages/reminders SHOULD be ignored.

References
  1. "New Zealand Rugby League Past Kiwi's". New Zealand Rugby League. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  2. "Sports and Pastimes/Rugby Football". XIX (991). Free Lance. 2 July 1919. p. 24. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  3. "Football". LVII (291). Taranaki Daily News. 18 May 1915. p. 8. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. "Games on Saturday/Athletic (35), Wellington (0)". XCVII (134). Evening Post. 9 June 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  5. "Wellington Tramway Team/Delayed at New Plymouth". LXVII (16494). Taranaki Herald. 23 July 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  6. "Star v Tramway Reps". Taranaki Daily News. 23 July 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  7. "Wellington Tramways (10) v Star (9)". LXVII (16496). Taranaki Herald. 25 July 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  8. "Wellington Takes Kohn Cup/Defeating Auckland 11-3". Auckland Star. L (176). 26 July 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  9. "Tramway Football". XLIV (10341). New Zealand Times. 26 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  10. "Tramwaymen at Rugby/Wellington Defeat Wanganui". LIII (15882). Wanganui Herald. 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  11. "Northern Union/The Opening Games". Auckland Star. LI (105). 4 May 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  12. "Under League Rules/Newton v Marist". The New Zealand Herald. LVII (17466). 10 May 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  13. "Northern Union Football/Auckland v South". Auckland Star. LI (145). 18 June 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  14. "Under League Rules/Match Against Auckland/Local Players Chosen". The New Zealand Herald. LVII (17523). 17 July 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  15. "Under League Rules/Marist Defeat Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. LVII (17526). 19 July 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  16. "The First League Test/England Versus New Zealand". Auckland Star. LI (181). 30 July 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  17. "England (46) North Island (5)/A Crushing Defeat". X (198). Hastings Standard. 5 August 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  18. "England Too Good/Second League Test/Brilliant Play by Visitors". XLVI (10663). New Zealand Times. 9 August 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  19. "Rugby League/Second Test Match". VII (2023). Sun (Christchurch). 9 August 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  20. "England Wins, Nineteen Points to Three/Mud Scramble on Lancaster Park" (20019). Star. 7 August 1920. p. 10. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  21. "The League Game/English Team Wins Second Test Match". Lyttelton Times, 9 August 1920. 9 August 1920. p. 9. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  22. "City's Easy Victory/Wins to Ponsonby and Newton". Auckland Star. LIII (161). 10 July 1922. p. 7. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  23. "League Football/Teams for Tomorrow". Auckland Star. LIII (189). 11 August 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  24. "In Divorce/Undefended Cases/Desertion the Main Ground". CVIII (101). Evening Post. 29 October 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  25. "Military Service/Sitting of Board/Further Appeals". XCVI (33). Evening Post. 17 August 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  26. "Military Service/Decisions of Wellington Board". XCVI (57). Evening Post. 4 September 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  27. "Auckland Museum Cenotaph Record – Ian James Loveridge". Auckland Museum. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  28. "Commonwealth War Graves Commission – Loveridge, Ian James". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  29. "Losses Database - Ian James Loveridge". International Bomber Command. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  30. "New Zealand War Graves Project – Ian James Loveridge". New Zealand War Graves Project. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  31. "In Divorce/Undefended Cases/Desertion the Main Ground". CVIII (101). Evening Post. 29 October 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  32. "Dixieland Helps Workless". Auckland Star. LVIII (155). 4 July 1927. p. 5. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  33. "Amusements/Dixieland Cabaret". Auckland Star. LIX (280). 26 November 1928. p. 5. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  34. "Peter Pan Cabaret/Opening Night on Thursday". Auckland Star. LXI (194). 18 August 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
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