Billy James in the 1921 Kyabram premiership team picture.
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Bill James is a famous VFL/AFL one-gamer for Richmond who, amazingly, in 1920 was plucked midweek by the Tigers from Kyabram to play in the VFL grand final against Collingwood.
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No-one was more surprised to see James training with Richmond at its Punt Rd oval at its final training night on the last day of September in 1920 than another Kyabramite, Frank West.
West was in Melbourne at the time and was gobsmacked because James had played the previous day in Kyabram’s premiership side on Wednesday.
But West had told a Richmond committeeman about James’ footballing prowess previously and when one of the Tiger players, George Bayliss, was ruled out of the grand final due to injury the clever Kyabram small man was tracked down at Kyabram’s Wednesday premiership celebrations and invited to train with Richmond the following night.
Talk about a rush.
James made an early morning trip to Melbourne on a smoke-bellowing steam train and, although, promised nothing by Richmond trained in its Thursday night session and was then selected in the team to meet Collingwood in the VFL grand final at the MCG on Saturday, October 2.
(No last day in September 105 years ago).
West was also one of the spectators at that premiership showdown.
‘‘It was a tight, low-scoring game and near the finish there were a lot of players fighting for the ball out in front of the Richmond goals,’’ West said.
“Bill picked up the ball and kicked it over his shoulder for a goal. It put Richmond in front and the final siren sounded shortly after.’’
James, the unknown “Kid From Kyabram’’ who worked at Pratts Store in the town, had etched his way into the VFL/AFL history books and football folklore for eternity.
And in an ironic twist to this fairytale story, West later became James’ brother-in-law, marrying one of his two sisters, Vera.
A shooting accident in January 1925, in which he lost part of his foot, was initially thought to have occurred in the summer after his grand final heroics and was widely accepted as the culprit of his Richmond career ending.
But the real timeline was uncovered about a decade ago.
Either way, he continued to play and hold administrative roles with Kyabram for several years up to and after the mishap.
James was one of seven James brothers — Tom, Les, Clarrie, Ernie, Cecil and Eric were the others — who were all talented footballers.
Eric (known as Bub or Bubby because he was the youngest of the brothers) won Goulburn Valley League Morrison medals playing with Shepparton in 1935 and 1937.
This was after a brief stint with Kyabram as a teenager before being switched to Shepparton in his employment with jewellers Fred C Johns.
The James family was raised near McCoys Bridge on the Goulburn River at Wyuna near Kyabram.
Bill James and his wife Lil pictured in the 1950s.
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Billy James in the bottom right.
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NEXT UP IN GUS UNDERWOOD’S FREAKISH SPORTING FEATS: Paul Newman (cricket)
Paul Newman is acknowledged as one of sports-minded Kyabram’s greatest ever sportsmen, with some uncanny performances on the cricket and football fields across the Goulburn Valley and beyond.
He has a large file of uncanny personal sporting feats and one cricket innings he produced a couple of years ago was simply mind-boggling.
– Read Gus Underwood’s take on Newman’s Freakish Sporting Feat in next Friday’s News.
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