Horrie Clover

Horrie Clover
Clover in 1922
Personal information
Full name Horace Ray Clover
Date of birth 20 March 1895
Place of birth Carisbrook, Victoria
Date of death 1 January 1984(1984-01-01) (aged 88)
Place of death Mordialloc, Victoria
Original team(s) Temperance, Carisbrook, Maryborough[1]
Debut Round 2, 1920, Carlton vs. Richmond, at Punt Road Oval
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Position(s) centre half forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1920–1931 Carlton 147 (396)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1922–1923, 1927 Carlton 45 (26–18–1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1931.
Career highlights
  • Carlton captain/coach 1922–24, 1927
  • Carlton leading goalkicker 1920–1923, 1926, 1928
  • Carlton Best & Fairest 1929
  • VFL Leading Goalkicker 1922
  • Victorian representative (9 games, 20 goals).
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Horace Ray Clover (20 March 1895 – 1 January 1984) was a leading Australian rules footballer in the (then) Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family

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The son of Robert James Clover (1864-1900), and Phoebe Rubina Clover (-1901), née Smith, Horace Ray Clover was born at Carisbrook, Victoria on 20 March 1895.

He married Alberta Victoria Porter (1901-1983) on 29 January 1927.[2][3]

Football

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At 6 ft. 1in., he had a long reach: his finger-tip to finger-tip span was 6 ft. 5in.[4]

Carlton (VFL)

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"There's quite a story behind Horrie Clover's entry into Carlton, showing that his connection with football was something of a freak. The bare outline of this story will be sufficient. Actually he came to Melbourne in 1919 and joined the Carlton Cricket Club, with no thought of football.
While on a cricket tour with the V.C.A. team to Mildura and Wentworth in association with the late Lyle Downs, a dyed-in-the-wool Carltonite. He and Lyle joined a group of locals having some practice kicks at Wentworth. Evidently Lyle saw enough because, as Horrie himself said, "After that he never let up on me until I put of a [Carlton] uniform". — Rod McGregor, The Sporting Globe.[5]

Clover was a high-marking centre half-forward who starred from his first game, kicking three goals and hitting the post four times.[6]

Victoria (VFL)

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He was selected to play for Victoria against South Australia on the MCG on 29 May 1920, after having only played three senior VFL games;[7] however, due to an injury he sustained in the match against Essendon on 22 May 1920, he was unable to play, and was replaced in the selected side by Paddy O'Brien.[8]

Carlton official

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Clover was Carlton's key player during his career, including stints as playing coach in 1922-23 and 1927 for 26 wins from 45 matches. He also served as club secretary, vice-president and president over many years.

Hall of fame

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Called "one of the finest exponents of the centre-half-forward position that the game has known",[6] Clover was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Cricket

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Clover played 20 games of first eleven cricket with the Carlton Cricket Club in the Melbourne District Cricket Association.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "1921 - LEAGUE PLAYERS WHO WON". The Herald (Melbourne, Vic). 10 September 1921. p. 6. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  2. ^ Horrie Clover Married, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 29 January 1927), p.3.
  3. ^ The Woman's World: Church Crowded for Sportsman's Wedding, The Herald, (Saturday, 29 January 1927), p.10.
  4. ^ The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 5 June 1929), p.1.
  5. ^ McGregor, Rod, "Unforgettable Characters in Football: Horrie Clover: A Star in His First Year", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 2 August 1941), p.7.
  6. ^ a b Atkinson, p. 35.
  7. ^ J.W., "The Interstate Match", The Australasian, (Saturday, 29 May 1920), p.25.
  8. ^ Football: Interstate Match: Victoria v. South Australia, The Age, (Saturday, 29 May 1920), p.15.
  9. ^ "Premier Cricket: Mens Records & Stats". Cricket Victoria. Retrieved 11 May 2024.

Sources

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