William Horace Bray "Horrie" Bant (22 September 1882 – 6 May 1957) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Horrie Bant
Bant in 1907
Personal information
Full name William Horace Bray Bant
Date of birth (1882-09-22)22 September 1882
Place of birth Clunes, Victoria
Date of death 6 May 1957(1957-05-06) (aged 74)
Place of death Perth, Western Australia
Original team(s) Ballarat Imperials
Position(s) Centre half-back, Fullback
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1905 West Perth 15 (1)
1906–1909 St Kilda 52 (1)
1910 Essendon 12 (0)
1911–12, 1914, 1916–18 Subiaco 59
1913 Prahran
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1918.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Bant, who played mostly used as a centre half-back and fullback, started and ended his senior career in Western Australia.[1] After originally playing for Ballarat Imperials, in early 1904 Bant moved to Western Australia and after playing in the Goldfields League for a few months was cleared to West Perth. He was a member of West Perth's 1905 premiership winning side.[1]

He joined St Kilda for the 1906 VFL season and from his debut played 39 consecutive games.[2] This included St Kilda's first ever final in 1907, with Bant the vice-captain.[3]

After a season with Essendon in 1910, Bant returned to the West Australian Football League, this time playing for Subiaco.[1] He played in another premiership in 1912 but missed their 1913 premiership win as he spent the season in Victoria with Prahran.[4] Bant then returned to Subiaco and played for them in 1914 but missed another premiership the following year when he did not play a senior game.[1]

He was involved in a fatal traffic accident in 1928 when the truck he was driving missed a corner and collided into a telegraph post.[5] His passenger, former Subiaco teammate and coach Phil Matson, crashed into the pole and died two days later in hospital. Bant himself was injured but survived.[1]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e Australian Football: Horrie Bant - Player Bio
  2. ^ "Horrie Bant". AFL Tables.
  3. ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5.
  4. ^ "William Horace B. Bant". Essendon Football Club website. Archived from the original on 17 March 2011.
  5. ^ Western Mail, "Phil Matson Is Remembered", 12 June 1952. p. 21