Monty Stephens

OVERALL STATISTICS

BIRTHAGESIGNED ONFROM
15-8-1911
N/A
16-02-1935
Newton RFC Auckland
DEBUTLAST MATCHLEFT
16-02-1935 v Halifax
Barrow
1937- Rochdale Hornets
CAREERAPPEARANCES (SUBS)
1934-1936
56 (0)
TRIESGOALSDGOALSPTS
20
0
0
60

Biography of Monty Stephens



HERITAGE NO : 429
Mortimer Stephens by Alex Service

Mortimer, Mort or Monty Stephens arrived at St.Helens in February 1935 as a 21 year-old left-winger. At just over 12 stones and nearly six feet he was a speedy player with a baffling sidestep. A shade over even time he was described by the St.Helens Newspaper as "alert, keen and determined." A former member of the Newton Club in Auckland, he played against the visiting Australians in 1934 at provincial level and scored a brace of tries.
He came to St.Helens on the recommendation of Trevor Hall, who was eventually transferred to Rochdale Hornets. Stephens himself went to the Athletic Grounds in 1937. Monty proved to be an extremely popular and effective winger at Hornets, who finished off the clever centre play of Jack Cutbush. In April 1938, Monty decided to return Down Under with his chum Cyril Balcklaws. Both caught a ship to Sydney, Australia and finally back to New Zealand.

Blacklaws and Stephens were Papakura Sea Eagles juniors, a South Auckland club. They moved to Newton Rangers for the 1933 and 1934 season because Newton were in the senior grade and Papakura were a second grade side doubtless wanting to play first grade footie. Newton is an inner city suburb in Auckland and one of the foundation clubs, they later merged with City Rovers after WW2 to form City Newton Dragons but then around 20 years ago the club folded due to demographics as not many young people were living in the inner city and the suburban teams took over. Both players were signed by St Helens while at Newton.

When they returned to New Zealand the chums went back to play for Newton Rangers. Monty settled in Tauranga, abooming port on the East Coast of New Zealand. Stephens was married to Marjorie Myola Johnston on October 18, 1940 and enlisted in the war effort and departed for battle soon after. Later he worked as a Mechanic and Vehicle Inspector. He died in Tauranga in April 1992, aged 80. If anyone has any further information regarding this player after he left Rochdale Hornets, we would like to hear from you.

Thanks to Jamie Murdoch, the Auckland Rugby League Historian, for information about his career in the Auckland RL Competition.


SEASON STATISTICS

Season (Official Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
1934~353 0 0 12
1935~36 15 0 0 35
1936~37 2 0 0 9
TOTALS:20 0 0 56
Season (Other Matches)TriesGoalsDGoalsMatches
TOTALS:

ALL MATCHES

DateMatchPosOpponentsCompVenueFTFTOTGDG
16th Feb 1935 1
L
 5 Halifax L H 3 4 VIEW
23rd Feb 1935 2
W
 5 Leigh L H 25 5 1 VIEW
2nd Mar 1935 3
L
 5 Castleford L A 4 14 VIEW
9th Mar 1935 4
L
 5 Warrington L H 2 14 VIEW
16th Mar 1935 5
L
 5 Salford L H 8 26 VIEW
23rd Mar 1935 6
L
 5 Salford L A 5 9 VIEW
30th Mar 1935 7
W
 5 Leigh L A 8 7 1 VIEW
6th Apr 1935 8
W
 5 Wakefield Trinity L H 6 4 VIEW
13th Apr 1935 9
D
 5 Bradford Northern L A 5 5 VIEW
19th Apr 1935 10
L
 4 Wigan L A 6 26 1 VIEW
23rd Apr 1935 11
W
 5 Oldham L H 15 5 VIEW
1st May 1935 12
L
 5 Broughton Rangers L H 2 8 VIEW
11th Sep 1935 13
W
 5 Streatham and Mitcham LC1 H 10 7 VIEW
25th Sep 1935 14
D
 5 St. Helens Recs LC2 H 2 2 VIEW
28th Sep 1935 15
L
 5 Swinton L A 3 46 1 VIEW
30th Sep 1935 16
W
 5 St. Helens Recs LC2(rep) A 21 8 1 VIEW
2nd Oct 1935 17
W
 5 Swinton L H 11 2 1 VIEW
5th Oct 1935 18
W
 5 Featherstone Rovers L H 14 7 3 VIEW
9th Oct 1935 19
L
 5 Salford LCSF A 6 19 VIEW
2nd Nov 1935 20
L
 5 Barrow L H 2 8 VIEW
9th Nov 1935 21
L
 5 Leigh L A 5 9 VIEW
16th Nov 1935 22
W
 5 Bramley L H 31 3 3 VIEW
23rd Nov 1935 23
W
 5 Halifax L H 22 15 VIEW
30th Nov 1935 24
W
 5 Bradford Northern L A 13 10 1 VIEW
7th Dec 1935 25
W
 5 Oldham L H 12 4 VIEW
14th Dec 1935 26
L
 5 Featherstone Rovers L A 6 18 VIEW
25th Dec 1935 27
W
 5 St. Helens Recs L A 3 0 VIEW
26th Dec 1935 28
L
 5 Wigan L H 0 14 VIEW
28th Dec 1935 29
D
 5 Streatham and Mitcham L A 3 3 VIEW
1st Jan 1936 30
W
 5 St. Helens Recs L H 5 3 VIEW
4th Jan 1936 31
L
 5 Oldham L A 2 10 VIEW
11th Jan 1936 32
L
 5 Liverpool Stanley L A 5 14 VIEW
1st Feb 1936 33
W
 5 Leigh L H 9 4 1 VIEW
8th Feb 1936 34
L
 5 Hull CC1 A 6 16 1 VIEW
15th Feb 1936 35
L
 5 Halifax L A 6 9 VIEW
20th Feb 1936 36
L
 5 Broughton Rangers L H 6 14 VIEW
22nd Feb 1936 37
L
 5 Bramley L A 4 22 VIEW
29th Feb 1936 38
L
 5 Liverpool Stanley L H 7 10 VIEW
7th Mar 1936 39
L
 5 Broughton Rangers L A 0 23 VIEW
14th Mar 1936 40
L
 5 Batley L H 8 10 2 VIEW
21st Mar 1936 41
L
 5 Batley L A 6 18 VIEW
28th Mar 1936 42
W
 5 Streatham and Mitcham L H 22 11 1 VIEW
4th Apr 1936 43
L
 5 Salford L A 7 21 VIEW
10th Apr 1936 44
L
 5 Wigan L A 0 14 VIEW
11th Apr 1936 45
L
 5 Warrington L H 5 10 VIEW
13th Apr 1936 46
L
 5 Rochdale Hornets L H 0 2 VIEW
20th Apr 1936 47
L
 5 Barrow L A 7 19 VIEW
29th Aug 1936 48
L
 5 Widnes L A 0 28 VIEW
12th Sep 1936 49
W
 5 Liverpool Stanley LC1 A 14 3 VIEW
19th Sep 1936 50
D
 5 Leigh L H 4 4 VIEW
23rd Sep 1936 51
L
 5 St. Helens Recs LC2 A 4 10 VIEW
28th Nov 1936 52
L
 5 Streatham and Mitcham L A 2 3 VIEW
5th Dec 1936 53
L
 5 Rochdale Hornets L AB H 0 4 VIEW
19th Dec 1936 54
W
 5 Newcastle L A 15 8 1 VIEW
14th Jan 1937 55
W
 5 Rochdale Hornets L H 11 5 1 VIEW
16th Jan 1937 56
L
 5 Barrow L H 2 15 VIEW
*Unofficial Match. **Non Playing Sub.
WINS : 19 | LOSSES : 33 | DRAWS : 4

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