Arthur Thomas Leach (2 March 1876 – 1 October 1948) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and Collingwood during the early years of the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Arthur Leach | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Leach in 1902 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Arthur Thomas Leach | ||
| Date of birth | 2 March 1876 | ||
| Place of birth | Heidelberg, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 1 October 1948 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Surrey Hills, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Boroondara | ||
| Debut | Round 9, 1897, Essendon vs. Collingwood, at Victoria Park | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1897 | Essendon | 4 (2) | |
| 1898–1908 | Collingwood | 173 (92) | |
| Total | 177 (94) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1908. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Family
editThe son of Thomas Leach (1847-1916),[1] and Emma Bunkin Leach (1847-1893), née Stuckey,[2] Arthur Thomas Leach was born in Heidelberg, Victoria on 2 March 1876.[3]
Brothers
editHis two brothers, John Frederick "Fred" Leach (1878–1908) and Edward Hale "Ted" Leach (1883-1965) also played for Collingwood.[4]
Football
editLeach was used either on the ball or up forward.
Essendon VFL)
editHe joined Essendon in 1897 (the inaugural VFL season). His first match was Essendon's defeat of Collingwood (the team included his brother Ted) 6.10 (46) to 5.7 (37) at Victoria Park on 3 July 1897.[5] In all he played in four games for Essendon and kicked 2 goals.[6]
Collingwood VFL)
editIn 1898 crossed to Collingwood where he would spend the next 11 seasons. Leach played in a total of four Grand Finals, for premierships in 1902 and 1903.
He captained Collingwood for part of the 1906 season and for all of 1907.[7]
Law
editOn 15 July 1897, the Full Court ("consisting of the Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Holroyd, and Mr. Justice Hood") admitted Leach to practice as a barrister and solicitor in Victoria;[8] and, along with William Rogers Thomson (1872-1932)[9] — who was also treasurer of the Moonee Valley Racing Club and, later, Lord Mayor of Malvern (in 1914/15) — Arthur Thomas Leach was a partner in the firm of Leach and Thomson, Solicitors, 386 Bourke Street, Melbourne.[10]
Death
editHe died at Camberwell on 1 October 1948.[11]
Footnotes
edit- ^ Deaths: Leach, The Argus, (Friday, 6 October 1916), p.1.
- ^ Deaths: Leach, (Saturday 9 December 1893), p.5.
- ^ Births: Leach, The Australasian, (Saturday, 11 March 1876), p.25.
- ^ The three brothers appear in the photograph at File:Collingwood_1902_premiers.jpg of 23 Collingwood First XVIII players, taken in 1902 (the same photograph, with all individuals identified by name, is at [1]).
- ^ The Football Season, The Argus, (Monday, 5 July 1897), p.6.
- ^ Maplestone (1996), p.440.
- ^ A Retiring Footballer, The (Box Hill) Reporter, (Friday, 3 April 1908), p.4.
- ^ News of the Day, The Age, (Friday, 16 July 1897), p.5.
- ^ William Rogers Thomson was admitted to practice in Victoria as a barrister and solicitor in 1897 (More Lawyers, The Herald, (Monday, 1 March 1897), p.1); obituary at: About People, The Age, (Thursday, 19 May 1932), p.6.
- ^ Notice of partnership between Arthur Thomas Leach and William Rogers Thomson at: Judicial and Law Notices, The Argus, (Saturday, 10 March 1900), p.11; (News Item), The Argus, (Monday, 8 March 1920), p.6.
- ^ Deaths: Leach, The Age (Monday, 4 October 1948), p.9.
References
edit- Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
- Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
External links
edit- Arthur Leach's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Arthur Leach at AustralianFootball.com
- Essendon Football Club profile
- Arthur Leach, Collingwood Forever.