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1860 Chronology

 

Overview
Won 1, Drew 3, Lost 2, Goals For 5 , Goals Agst 5.
Captain: Tom Wills
Uniform: Red riband over left shoulder of cricket whites
Ground: Richmond Cricket Ground
Membership: 30 (approx.)

Ground:
During the winter of 1860 the RCG is levelled and resewn, a wooden fence replaces the iron railing, and the refreshment area is enlarged. Cricket club member and Royal Hotel proprietor Gideon Elliot erects a “shelter from the sun” at the ground.

APRIL
April 25 The first Richmond Football Club is founded at the Royal Hotel.
Tom Wills is Richmond’s secretary and about 30 members are enrolled.

MAY
May 12

1st half
2nd half
MELBOURNE 1 1
RICHMOND 0 1

Goal: Nicholls
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Richmond plays its first game against Melbourne on the MCG. It results in a draw, one goal apiece.
G. M._ Nicholls kicks Richmond’s first ever goal.
Richmond played 14 men against Melbourne’s 18.
Richmond wears a red riband over the left shoulder of their cricket whites.
An oval football is used for the first documented time in Melbourne. Oval footballs were developed at Rugby School in England and it’s use today was advocated by Richmond’s captain Tom Wills, an old Rugbian.


May 19
Richmond’s game against Scotch College on Richmond’s ground is abandoned due to inclement weather.


May 28
Richmond is one of nine clubs represented at a meeting to codify football throughout Melbourne. The clubs agree to play according to a code almost entirely derived from Melbourne’s rules. A copy is to be sent to Geelong.


JUNE
June 2

RICHMOND 0
MELBOURNE 0
Richmond’s Ground
Richmond and Melbourne play drawn match but what could have been a match winning goal was denied Richmond when the ball glanced off a small boy’s head and touched a goal post.
This is the first game to be played on “Richmond’s ground”, though it is unclear where in Yarra Park it is.


June 9
Richmond’s game against St. Kilda is abandoned because not enough Richmond players showed. The Richmond and St. Kilda footballers therefore joined Melbourne and Melbourne Grammar players in a scratch match.

June 16
MELBOURNE 1 2
RICHMOND 0 0
Melbourne’s Ground

MELBOURNE 0
RICHMOND 0
Melbourne’s Ground
Richmond plays two games in the one afternoon. Melbourne defeats Richmond two goals to nil in the first match. The players then decide to begin another game though neither team will have time to score before dusk.

June 30
RICHMOND 1 1 1
MELBOURNE 0 1 2
Goal: Wills
Richmond’s Ground
Richmond lose to Melbourne two goals to one. Each team played 15 men.
Richmond’s captain Tom Wills kicks Richmond’s goal after he had placed his men “right down to the goal.” Bell’s Life in Victoria described the tactic as a “coup de main”.


JULY
July 25
Dick Wardill replaces Tom Wills as Richmond’s secretary. The report of the replacement in Bell’s Life in Victoria on July 28 states that, “all challenges are to be addressed to the former gentleman Wardill at the Royal Hotel.”


July 28
Richmond’s game against University is abandoned. Each club will accuse the other of not showing up.

AUG
Aug. 4
'OTHER CLUBS' 1 1
RICHMOND/MELB 0 0
South Yarra’s Ground
Richmond and Melbourne combine for a match against “other clubs” at South Yarra.

Aug. 18
RICHMOND 1 2 3
MELBOURNE 0 0 0
Goals: ????, ????, ????
Richmond Cricket Ground
The earliest (documented) football game on the RCG is played. Richmond defeats Melbourne three goals to nil.
Melbourne “the invincible whites” lose a game for the first time in the club’s history.
The Argus will report that some players made “great complaints” about the “interference of the bystanders.”


Aug. 25
A scratch match is played on the RCG. Colden Harrison and Sidney Woolley select the teams.


SEPTEMBER
Sept. 1
Melbourne draws on Richmond players for its game against Geelong at Geelong. Tom Wills was expected to play for Geelong but he was unable to attend.
Sept. 8
A scratch match is played by Melbourne and Richmond players on the RCG to prepare for their forthcoming game against players from the other clubs. Colden Harrison and Sidney Woolley again select the teams.


Sept. 15
RICHMOND/MELBOURNE 0 0
“UNITED CLUBS” 1 1
Richmond Cricket Ground
The RCG hosts the match between a combined Richmond and Melbourne team and the “United clubs”.
The Argus describes the oval ball used for the match as unpopular.


Club Office Bearers 1860
Secretary Tom Wills (res. 25/07),
Dick Wardill (from 25/07)
Treasurer John Kerchevall
Committee WA Basevi, Alex Bruce, Colden Harrison, GM Nichols, Dick Wardill
Captain Tom Wills

 Further Reading
First Richmond FC