Albert "Abbie" Shadbolt (29 May 1887 – 13 July1971) was a New Zealand

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

and professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

Early life

Albert Edward Shadbolt was born on May 28, 1887, in

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

. His father was also named Albert Edward Shadbolt and his mother was Jessie McIntosh. His father was on the Foxton Borough Council in the early part of the century and stood for mayor in 1907. he had originally been from

Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Kāi Tahu Māori for "Long Harbour", which would be spelled in standard ...

, in Canterbury before moving to Wellington where he learned the butchery trade and opened a butchery in Foxton. He sold this business in 1906 and bought the Manawatu Hotel. Albert senior was heavily involved in sports, particularly the New Zealand Athletic Association which he was vice-president of.

Playing career

Shadbolt originally began playing rugby in the Wellington area. He played for Athletic in the 1908 season and made the Wellington side after being selected for the Wellington B team prior but not being able to play. He played in matches against Canterbury, Manawatu, Taranaki, and Otago. In the 1909 season he switched to the Poneke club and was selected to play for Wellington against Wanganui but was transferred to Christchurch for work prior to the game. After he moved to Christchurch he joined the Merivale club. There he was alongside fellow future New Zealand rugby league international Bill Mitchell. He represented Canterbury XV in 1909 and 1910. In 1912 Shadbolt switched codes and was part of the first ever Canterbury rugby league side. Canterbury went down 4–5 to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 7 September.Coffey, John. ''Canterbury XIII'', Christchurch, 1987. In 1913 Shadbolt played for St Albans in the new

Canterbury Rugby League Canterbury Rugby League is the regional body that administers rugby league in Canterbury, New Zealand. CRL manages local competitions from senior level down to age group competitions. Canterbury Rugby League also manages the Canterbury rugby lea ...

competition and again played for Canterbury. He was selected in the

side that toured Australia and played against

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

during the season. He didn't play for several years but resumed playing in 1920 when he joined the Federal club, and he played for Canterbury in the same season. In 1921 Shadbolt toured Australia for New Zealand under coach

Jim Rukutai Puhipi James Rukutai (1877 – 11 January 1940) was a New Zealand rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played representative rugby league (RL) and coached New Zealand. The Auckland Rugby League's minor premiership, the Ruku ...

. After retirement Shadbolt served as a referee.

Personal life

He married Eleanor Kermode Radcliffe on January 11, 1911. They had 5 children: Verona Althea (b.1911), Rawene (b.1914), Christina Eileen (b.1915), Peggie (b.1919), and Owen Radcliffe (b.1921). He separated from his wife and remarried in 1926 to Catherine Gertrude Thomas. Albert died in 1971 in Trentham, Upper Hutt.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadbolt, Abbie Manawatu rugby union players Wellington rugby union players New Zealand rugby league players New Zealand national rugby league team players Canterbury rugby league team players Rugby league locks New Zealand rugby league referees Canterbury rugby union players New Zealand rugby union players Place of birth missing Place of death missing 1887 births 1971 deaths