Looking at 140 years of Katikati rugby
This year marks amajor milestone in the Katikati Rugby and Sports Club’s history — 140 years since the first game was played in 1880. Former Katikati rugby player Steve Graveson looks back at the club’s history..
As you will have read previously, the rugby club is probably the oldest original organisation still surviving, having been established in 1880, only a couple of years after the second ship the “Lady Jocelyn” arrived bringing the last big group of Ulster Irish settlers to Katikati.
The club has been verymuch part of the fabric of our community— in telling the story of the grounds, it also reflects onhowKatikati has developed.
Whenthe Lady Jocelyn arrived, it brought a lot of themore affluent, gentry-levelmembers of society.
These weremenwhohadmoney, been landowners, had attended “private” schools and would probably have played or seen rugby being played. The earlier settlers had been more frequently working-class, they would have beenmore into football.
The second group of settlers was also going to be, in a lot of cases, the movers and shakers in the Katikati community, so this could well have been the reason rugbywasplayed so early and the clubwas established so quickly.
In 1880, theTauranga County Football Club invited themen of the Katikati district to a rugbymatch— the fixture was to be played at Katikati on Saturday, June 28.
Thiswas the first recorded game in the Bay of Plenty region (the first game intheThames Valley region was recorded in 1870). Thematch was to be hosted by Katikati and would be played at “Hunter’s Paddock”.
The teamwasnamed the “Taurangaites” and they departed Tauranga withmuch interest on Friday evening — five by horseback and six in adrag.
The remainder of the players travelled by steamer on the day of the match, bringing with them the goalposts and flags.
At 2.30 on that Saturday afternoon, the respective teams proceeded fromthe Uretara Hotel to Hunter’s Paddock.
TheTauranga teamarrived two players short so the Katikati team, with a full squad, elected to play with equalnumbers.
The following were themen chosen to represent Katikati for the first time: Butterworth, Ellis, Good, Gledstanes, Hoyle, Hunter, Johnston, Ralston (captain), Stewart (2) and Tanner (3).
Hunters Paddock was on the corner of WharawharaRdand what isnowthe Main State Highway 2, just south of Katikati, where the Seeka packhouse isnowsited.
This propertywasownedby Rev John Crossley, whohad been allocated 151 acres on the western side of the Main Road between Wharawhara and Henry Rds.
Itwasbeing farmed in conjunction with John’s son-in-law, Robert Hunter. The farmhousewas named
“Fairlight”. Teams would travel to Katikatimainly via boatup the Uretara River, meet at the Uretara Hotel and goup to the paddock in drags. Therewas also ahorse racetrack that crossed over the Main Road, not something that could be attempted today.
The second rugby ground, and a lot closer to the Katikati township, wasknownas the “Lockington Paddock”, ormore affectionately the “Pub Paddock”, as the Uretara and later theTalisman hotels were almost across the road.
There are no dates available telling uswhenthey first used this ground.
This block of landwasownedby James and MaryAnneLockington, whohad arrived inNewZealand in 1874. James had heard about the Katikati land and had walked over fromThames to select a block.
The land had been originally allocated toThomas Sandford, but James took over the farm.
The property covered the land west of the Uretara Riverup to about Busby Rd, which included the river flat where the rugby ground was located.
Later, in the 1920s, the railway was to divide the farm. The original farmhouse is still standing today, it overlooks the site of the rugby ground and above where the railway stationwas built.
The third ground used was “Preston’s Paddock”. The first recorded game there was in August 1889, whenKatikati played a team fromTe Aroha.
The ground was on property ownedby Williamand Margaret Preston. The 120 acreswaspart of the Papakura Flat Block; itwas allocated to the Prestonswhenthey arrived aboard the “Carisbrooke Castle” in 1875. It covered the land on the north side of Beach Rd.
In February 1879 they sold 1 acre to the Katikati SchoolCommittee for £15, which became the site for theNo 2 School.
Later, in 1922, it became Katikati Central School, before being renamed Katikati District High School in 1953 and, eventually, Katikati Primary School.
The schoolwas well established by the time rugbymatches were played on this ground, so itwasprobably located behind the classroom building, andwas possibly part of the playground or the “horse paddock” where the children would have left their horses during the school day.
The original school classroomis still on the same site today.
The fourth ground and the first official playing surface for the club wasat whatwenowcall the Uretara Domain. The clubmoved to whatwas then called the “KatikatiDomain” in 1912.
The domain grounds would host the firstA&PShowin 1913.
In 1914, thenewtown librarywas built; it still stands today, inside the entrance to the right. TheMemorial Gates were unveiled in 1921, they are a tribute to the 10 localmenwhodied on active service during WorldWar I.
The club had a clubroomon the site, which burntdownin the 1940s. The teams would change in theA&P building across the road. In the 1950s, to improve player conditions, the committee installed showers and a toilet. Formany years this rugby groundwasprobably the best surface to play on in both theThames Valley and Bay of Plenty unions.
The fifth and final ground is Moore Park, the home ground of the Katikati Rugby Football Club today.
The park was part of thenew Tauranga County Council subdivision development named the Gilfillan Block, which had been started in the late 1960s.
MacMoore, Tauranga County Council chairman at the time, played a big role in getting the park developed, hence the rugby club committee was in total support of the grounds being named Moore Park.
The grandstand was constructed in 1969— 1970by local builder and rugby supporter Hilton Rayment, whohad a lot of help fromclub members. It was extended in 1984 to include a kitchen, bar and clubrooms. The showers and toilets were alsoupgraded.
In2007, the park grounds were enlarged, with the addition of football fields and a cricket pitch on land behind the grandstand complex. Western Bay of Plenty District Council also constructed Middlebrook Dr, which runs along the western boundary.