Extracts from this story have been sourced from Tony Ford’s book Men From Ironbark which covers the great Rushworth teams of the 1930s.
There have been some incredible goal kicking feats in my time but topping my list for the best individual feat was Katandra full forward Ted Wright almost 100 years ago.
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In 1925 Katamatite kicked a remarkable 78.19 (487) to defeat an undermanned Wattsville (east of Benalla) side 1.3 (9) at Katamatite in the Katandra Football League.
Ted Wright kicked 42 goals - yes 42 - of those Katamatite goals.
Wattsville were short on players and many were just in their teens but those who put their hand up to play had to make their way through floodwaters to get to the game which Katamatite insisted be played because it had to win to make the finals.
But the premiership still eluded he Katty boys in that season. But they did claim the flag two years later.
Legendary Rushworth and Stanhope player Bill Buzza was in that flag winning Katty team of 1927 before going onto play in five Rushworth premiership sides in its golden era in the 1930s and also was vice-captain of Stanhope first Kyabram District Football Association (League) winning side in 1931 which still has the reputation of being the greatest team in the club’s history.
All up Buzza played in eight premiership sides – five with Rushworth, two with Stanhope and one with Cobram.
Buzza’s Cobram flag came after the World War 2 when he was well into the veteran stage.
Bill Buzza.
He answered an SOS call from the Cobram club, decimated with an outbreak of measles when preparing for a grand final in 1947.
Buzza was one who obliged 20 years after he had started his playing career.
In a fairytale ending the patched-up Cobram side won the 1947 Murray League flag, kicking 15.15 to Numurkah’s 13.12.
X Extracts from this story have been sourced from Tony Ford’s book Men From Ironbark which covers the great Rushworth teams of the 1930s.
NEXT UP IN GUS UNDERWOOD’S FREAKISH SPORTING FEATS: ALLAN CORRY (CRICKET)
Tongala cricketer, the late Allan Corry, shot to local sporting fame and into the history books with an extraordinary bowling feat at the annual Bendigo Country Cricket Week carnival in 1953.
Corry was representing the Kyabram District Cricket Association at Bendigo Country Week that year when he turned on a lethal bowling stint which has stood the test of time.
On that historic day Allan took all 10 Gladstone Cricket Association wickets in the first innings.
His bag of 10 wickets for 15 runs included a hat-trick.
Corry wasn’t satisfied with his first-innings heroics with the ball, taking the first four wickets to fall in Gladstone’s second innings before being banished from the Kyabram attack by Kyabram captain Frank Howley.
– Read Gus Underwood’s take on Corry’s ‘Freakish Sporting Feat’ in next week’s Free Press.
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