The Origins of the "All Blacks"

There has been three distinct phase's in the career of the Hull Football Club. The first its old-public schoolboy origin, the next was its absorption by a younger and more vigorous rival and the third its formation into a public company for the pursuit of professional football. These three stages are typical of the development of many football clubs throughout the area both under the handling and dribbling codes.

The exact date of the formation of the Hull Club is not known. There are no records and the memory of players still living who took part in the earliest exploits is not to be trusted when a date has to be recalled. There can be no doubt however, that the club is 38 or 39 years old season 1864-5 being the date or origin thought to be by those who were among its original players.

The claim has been set up that Hull is the oldest football club in Yorkshire, but I doubt if it can be confirmed. The Bradford Club was formed by Mr. Oates Hogan in the winter of 1863, while the Sheffield Club was established so far back as 1855 and a minute book for 1857 is still in existence. What appears to be correct is the claim that Hull was the first club to join the Rugby Union on its formation in the years later.

Mr. W. J. Close whose association with the club in what may be called its reminiscence and also with Yorkshire Football is well remembered has been at considerable trouble in tracing out the early history of the club and recording its more modern developments. I am indebted to him for most of the information in which this article is founded and acknowledge the indebtedness with much pleasure. Mr. Close now resides at Sutton-on-Hull and too much engrossed at home to follow the game today, although he is a life member of the club.

A sportsman who died recently Mr. Beever Lambert a popular figure in Hulls social life told Mr Close that the first match played away from home by the Hull Club was against Lincoln in 1866, the next taking place at the beginning of 1867. The first captain of the club was Mr Edward Waltham and after him came Mr Beevor Lambert, while the first player was Mr W H H the Baron Hutchinson.

The last named gentleman has told me that the first match played in Hull in 1866, but having to go to Germany for personal purposes it was not until 1868 that he was to become a regular player. He adds it was 1869 that the club took up the Rugby rules proper although I should say that even then, while we practiced rugby rules on our own ground , we played a mortal code possible with other clubs away from home as long as we could get a game of some sort.

Mr Close has in his possession the earliest book of rules that the Hull Club understood to be in existence. They were passed at the George Hotel on October 10, 1870 They were provided that the uniform of the club dress consist of a striped scarlet and white jersey apparent and white cap (if any) with white flannels.

It will be appropriate here to trace the development of the clubs uniform to its old funereal garb of Black. The scarlet and white alluded to in the rules above proved to be colours resembling those of Lancashire, Cherry and white, with the local coat of arms.

Three Crowns in a black badge, the Hull White Star Club into which as I shall show the original Hull Club was merged, commenced with a blue and white jersey, which was altered to a black jersey with white star on the breast, black knickers and black stockings. At the fusion of the clubs the black jersey was retained with the three crowns in blue and again on the breast.

There came an outcry as to the dismal appearance of the uniform and its unpleasant suggestiveness of happenings of woe.

A mixture of Oxford and Cambridge blue was suggested but Mr Close and the late Mr Gilbert Harrison were instrumental in the re-adoption of the cherry and white. The colours however, were never satisfactory they ran too much in the washing so reversion to All Black with white knickers took place and as All Blacks the players have been known ever since. The white knickers take away the old funeral aspects of the uniform.

According to the book of rules of 1870 referred to above, the game of football as then played must have been of a fearful and wonderful character. I quote the rule:

It shall be a goal if the ball goes over the bar, whether it touches it or no,
			without having touched the dress or person of any player:
			but no player may stand on the goal bar to interrupt its going over.

It is curious to know what kind of football blooding there were in those days to be thought capable of standing on a cross-bar to prevent a goal being scored.

Another rule provides what a man may do provided he is not off his side

		This was the quaintly the round-about way of referring to off side

		Nowadays the interpretation in football as of his side would have a very different interpretation.

Mr. W H H Hutchinson has stated that the main inspiration why Rugby was first taken up in the district in preference to the dribbling code is that several old Rugby boys lived in the city and neighbourhood and they naturally carried on the game that they had been trained in at Rugby School.

That was just my own position, I did try my hand at the association game proper, the results were interesting, on two occasions I was the unwitting cause of serious injury to opponents and finally I went head first through some palings and skinned my arms and face. After these experiences I came to the conclusions that the Association game was not my forte.

By the way Mr. Hutchinson who now resides at Filey and has a son at Cambridge who I am told is developing as a football player. He will probably be available to the ranks of the Hull and East Riding Club, It would be appropriate to find a son of Yorkshire first county captain figuring in the county colours.

Having a ground at North Ferriby, the Hull Club in 1871 established a sort of halfway house at Selby for the convenience of visiting teams. It was a ground near the Londesborough Arms, of which the footballers had free use by the landlords permission.

The experiment of meeting a team halfway was not continued long, a ground was taken in Hull known as the Rifle Barracks field. Subsequently moved to Newland to a field known as the Haworth Arms ground and afterward to Anlaby Road where the West Park now Stand.

Holderness Road ground became the clubs home on the amalgamation with White Star and as every one interested in football knows the club, or rather company, has been the proprietor of the splendidly equipped enclosure at the Boulevard for nearly ten years past.

It may however, have been forgone that a scheme was on foot in 1887 for the purchase of the Botanical Gardens and there are people in Hull who may today that a mistake was made when that project which would have provided a united cricket, football and athletics ground for the city was abandoned.

It has been said that the first captain of Hull Club was Edward Waltham, there is not I am told any family of that name well known in Hull to-day, but there is a Waltham Street which is presumed was named after the family of which the first Hull captain was a member.

Four members of Hull Club played in the first county match in which Yorkshire took part that with Lancashire at Leeds on March 28 1870 Their names being Waltham, Wood, Lambert and Hutchinson.

Other famous players of the club early days include the four brothers Hodgson, Richard, William, Edward and Arthur. R J and E W Wade, F A Scott, S and F Moss and the Harrisons Gilbert for (Gillie) Harrison was the most famous in later times of the Harrisons as few readers will need to be reminded.

There were four brothers, all old Cheltonians connected to the club. Two, E. W. and Brian Harrison were among the original members, Gilbert and Leonard came later. Another brother Frank N Harrison was a member of the club but did not play.

I had hoped to include in this article some reminiscences of the Hodgson family, but Mr. William Hodgson who is partner in the firm of solicitors Holden Son and Hodgson tells me with regret, that he has no memoranda whatever regarding the football days of his brothers and himself and cannot carry his memory back to give me reliable details or he would have been very glad to do so.

The object of the old school boys who formed the Hull Club has however been aptly put by Mr. W. H. H. Hutchinson in his remark We played under any mortal rules possible so long as we could get a game.

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