William Varnham Millton (10 February 1858 – 22 June 1887) was a New Zealand rugby union player and cricketer. He was the first captain of the New Zealand national rugby union team, leading them on their 1884 tour of New South Wales, and represented Canterbury in both rugby union and cricket.
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| Birth name | William Varnham Millton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 10 June 1858 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 22 June 1887 (aged 29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Christ's College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Edward Millton (brother) John Anderson (brother-in-law) John Anderson (father-in-law) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Barrister | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1877/78–1886/87 | Canterbury | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First-class debut | 28 December 1877 v Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last First-class | 24 February 1887 v Otago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricket Archive | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and family
editBorn in Christchurch on 10 February 1858,[1] Millton was the eldest son of William Newton Millton, a sea captain and runholder, and his wife Caroline Millton (née Stockman).[2][3] He was educated at Christ's College from 1869 to 1876,[1][4] and went on to become a barrister and solicitor.[5] On 23 April 1885, Millton married Elizabeth Anderson at St Paul's Church in Christchurch.[2] She was the youngest daughter of John Anderson, who served as the second mayor of Christchurch,[2][6] and her brother, also called John Anderson, played rugby for Scotland against England in 1872, and was the first New Zealander to appear in a rugby international.[1][7]
One of Millton's brothers, Edward, also represented New Zealand in rugby union.[8]
Cricket
editA batsman,[9] Millton was captain of both the United Cricket Club in Christchurch and the Canterbury provincial side.[5] Between the 1877–78 and 1886–87 seasons, he played 12 first-class matches for Canterbury, scoring a total of 298 runs, at an average of 14.19 and a high score of 57. He made one 50, and took six catches.[9] He captained Canterbury and hit the equal-highest score of the match, 35, when Canterbury had the better of a draw against the touring Australians in November 1886.[10]
Rugby union
editMillton was a Canterbury rugby representative from 1876 and captain of the side from 1878. In September 1882, he captained Canterbury against the touring New South Wales team in the first major rugby union match at Lancaster Park.[11][12] While visiting Auckland and Wellington with the Canterbury cricket team, he met with rugby officials and suggested a tour to Australia. Subsequently, in 1884, the first New Zealand national rugby union team was selected to tour New South Wales, with Millton as its captain. He led the side in their first-ever match, a pre-tour fixture against a Wellington XV at Newtown Park in Wellington, in eight of the nine tour matches in Australia, including the three encounters with New South Wales, and was unbeaten as captain. In all he scored 35 points, including four tries. Three of his tries came in the 23–10 win against Wallaroo and University, and he scored another try in the final match against New South Wales.[1] Millton did not appear in any Test matches because New Zealand did not play its first full international until 1903.
Millton also served as secretary of the Canterbury Rugby Football Union.[1]
Death
editMillton died of typhoid at his home in Christchurch on 22 June 1887,[1][5] and was buried in St Peter's churchyard, Upper Riccarton.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Luxford, Bob. "William Millton". New Zealand Rugby. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ a b c "Marriage". The Star. 29 April 1885. p. 2. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ Burgess, Robyn (24 November 2014). "Birch Hill Station Cemetery, Glentui (List No. 9251, Category 2)" (PDF). Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ "CCOBA membership: William Millton". Christ's College Old Boys' Association. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ a b c "Obituary". The Star. 23 June 1887. p. 3. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ Lowe, Peter. "Anderson, John". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ Palenski, Ron (2015). Rugby: a New Zealand history. Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781869408367. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ Knight, Lindsay. "Edward Millton". New Zealand Rugby. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ^ a b William Millton at CricketArchive (subscription required)
- ^ "Canterbury v Australians 1886-87". CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
- ^ "Intercolonial Football Match". Lyttelton Times. Vol. LVIII, no. 6730. Lyttleton: National Library of New Zealand. 22 September 1882. p. 5. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Slatter, Gordon (1974). "4 - New South Wales Rugby Team". Great Days at Lancaster Park. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs, a division of Whitcoulls Limited. p. 32. ISBN 0723303894.
- ^ "News of the day". The Press. Vol. 44, no. 6786. 24 June 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 26 February 2023.