Morrie Wood Explained

Morrie Wood
Birth Name:Morris Edwin Wood
Birth Date:9 October 1876
Birth Place:Waipawa, New Zealand
Death Place:Paraparaumu Beach, New Zealand
Ru Position:Second five-eighth
Weight:79kg (174lb)
Ru Nationalyears:1901–04
Ru Nationalcaps:2
Ru Nationalpoints:(0)
Ru Province:Bush



Ru Provinceyears:1894–97
1898–99
1900–01
1902–03
1904
Ru Provincecaps:



1

Morris Edwin Wood (9 October 1876 – 9 August 1956) was a New Zealand rugby union player and athletics champion. As second five-eighth, Wood represented the provinces of Bush,,,, and . In athletics, he was New Zealand long-jump champion.

Wood was a member of the New Zealand national team from 1901 to 1904. His 12 matches included New Zealand's first international test, against Australia.[1] In his final match, he captained the Auckland province to a 13–0 defeat of the touring British and Irish Lions.[2]

Wood's 1903 long jump of 21feet would have been the New Zealand record,[3] but was eventually assessed as being wind-assisted and so was not ratified.[4] He went on to win the long jump at the 1904 New Zealand athletics championships, his leap of 19feet taking the title from Te Rangi Hīroa.[5] [6]

Personal life

Morrie Wood was born in Napier, one of four children born to English migrant parents. He had four children with his wife Clara Ritchey. After her death, he married Kate Donne in 1947. They retired to Paraparaumu, where he died in 1956 at the age of 79.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Match Centre: Morrie Wood . Ponsonby District RFC . New Zealand Rugby Union . 9 October 2015.
  2. THE AUCKLAND-BRITAIN MATCH. A PLAYER'S VIEWS . Star . 22 August 1904 . 8095 . 4 May 2019.
  3. Athletics: Canterbury's Team for Saturday . New Zealand Times . 6 January 1904 . LXXVI . 5166 . 4 May 2019.
  4. Amateur . Athletics . Otago Daily Times . 16 June 1904 . 13001 . 4 May 2019.
  5. Web site: National champions 1887–2014 . January 2015 . Athletics New Zealand . 9 October 2015 . Stephen . Hollings . 37.
  6. The Athletic Championship . Evening Star . 11 January 1904 . 12090 . 4 May 2019.
  7. Web site: Morris Edwin (Morrie) Wood . Geni . 9 November 2019.