William "Pat" Albert Harris (30 June 1876[1] – 15 June 1950)[2] was a New Zealand rugby union player who represented the New Zealand national side in 1897. His position of choice was hooker. Harris did not play in any test matches as New Zealand did not play their first until 1903.
| Birth name | William Albert Harris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 30 June 1876 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 15 June 1950 (aged 73) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Dunedin, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Engineer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
editHarris, more commonly known as "Pat", was born in Christchurch but played for the Union (now known as Alhambra-Union due to a merge of clubs) club in Dunedin.
He played 9 games for the Otago province between 1894 and 1896. The next year, in 1897 he appeared for the South Island in the inaugural North against South Island match.[3]
Based on this performance, Harris was chosen for the tour to Australia that year. He played in 8 out of the total 10 matches in Australia, including two out of the three of the unofficial tests against New South Wales.[3]
After the touring party had returned to New Zealand they played a final fixture against the Auckland province. The game was lost 11–10 and at the conclusion of the match there was an after-match gathering. Unfortunately for Harris he was found guilty of being intoxicated and using coarse language. He was thus banned from participating in any rugby union for two years.[3][1]
After his suspension had expired Harris did not reappear for his club or province again.[3]
Personal and death
editHarris may have worked as an engineer.[4]
Harris died on 15 June 1950 in Dunedin and was buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Chester, Rod; McMillan, Neville; Palenski, Ron (1987). The Encyclopedia of New Zealand Rugby. Auckland, New Zealand: Moa Publications. p. 75. ISBN 0-908570-16-3.
- ^ "the 1,109 New Zealand ALL BLACKS from 1884 – GAGE to MYNOTT :: FamilyTreeCircles.com Genealogy". www.familytreecircles.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ a b c d Knight, Lindsay. "Pat Harris". stats.allblacks.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Cemeteries search – Dunedin City Council". www.dunedin.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 July 2017.