Alfred Hamersley

Rugby union 1871 England squad with Nomads player Alfred St. George Hamersley highlighted Hamersley had played football under the Marlborough College interpretation of Rugby School rules and upon leaving education and moving to London, joined the once famous, but then newly established Marlborough Nomads. He was described as a tall, powerful forward, with a reputation for working tirelessly in the scrum and "first-rate at getting the ball on its being thrown out from touch". He was selected to play in England's first international in 1871 and played in each annual international fixture in the first four years of international rugby. His captain for the first three games was Frederick Stokes and with his retirement after the 1873 match, Hamersley was made captain in 1874, making him England's second rugby union captain. This proved to be his final appearance for England at international level.

Soon after the match against Scotland in 1874 he emigrated to New Zealand. There he practised law but continued to indulge his passion for rugby by helping to establish the game in the South Island of New Zealand. He was one of the founders of the South Canterbury Football Club, the Canterbury Rugby Union and then the South Canterbury Rugby Union. Hamersley's pivotal role in the history of rugby in the region was commemorated in 2010 with the introduction of the Hamersley trophy, a tall silver trophy, for the winners of the senior rugby competition of South Canterbury. It was commented that his departure for New Zealand "did much towards improving the colonists' game [but] was a great loss to England". After fifteen years in New Zealand he moved to Canada in 1889. Once again he proved to be rugby union missionary by helping to found Vancouver RFC and he was the first president of the British Columbia Rugby Union.

Personal life Hamersley married Isabella Maud Snow in 1876. She was born 1853, the daughter of Charles Hastings Snow and christened in Winterborne Stickland, Dorset. She lived to be 102, dying on 27 January 1955.

They had a number of children including: Cecil St George Hamersley (12 August 1877 to 13 October 1877) died at Timaru, New Zealand of inflammation of the lungs Edward Hamersley (1877- ) Hugh St George Hamersley (1878–1960), married Marguerite Eveline Sutton, and later Marjorie Scales Helen Constance Hamersley (1880–1973) Harold St George Hamersley (1882–1925), married Martha Carter Maud D'Oyley Hamersley (1888–1974), married Major Frederick Marcus Oliphant Alfred Hastings St George Hamersley CBE MC (1892-1977), Commandant of Police, Bahrain