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History of Canadian Soccer
by Colin Jose
BRITISH COLUMBIA |
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Canada
Provinces |
Westminster Royals, 1927–28 Player Biographies (cont.) Adam Kerr – Outside Right or Left Born: Glasgow, Scotland. Died: Vancouver, B.C., March 23, 1947. Started playing as a junior with Cedar Cottage in 1918 and then played for the team run by the Longshoremans International Union. From there, he joined two of Vancouver’s best known teams, St. Saviours and St. Andrews, for short spells before signing for the Royals. A winger and sometimes inside forward, Kerr won two national championships with the Royals in 1928 and 1930 and also played on B.C. select teams against the English F.A. in 1926, the Scottish F.A. in 1927 and the Welsh F.A. in 1929. He was considered to be a player of moods, and when he was on, he was really brilliant and could use either foot with the same precision and was a deadly shot while on the run.
Born: Birkenhead, England. Came to the coast from Edmonton Vets and joined the Royals. He was fast and centred well when on the run, and had a strong shot. He could require a great deal of stopping.
Born: Liverpool, England. Played soccer in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge and for the Empire Stevedores in Vancouver before joining the Royals. Considered to be an artist on the field, cool, calculating and clever, who worked the triangular movement to perfection with his right wing. With Russell and Delany, it was said that he formed one of the finest half-back lines seen in B.C., the deft combination between the three being hard to surpass.
Born: Maidstone, Kent, England. Played in Winnipeg before moving to the west coast where at first he played for the Vancouver Street Railway team, then for St. Saviours for four years before joining B.C. Sugar Refinery. He joined the Royals in June of 1928. Reports of the time say he had a safe pair of hands, good anticipation and was sound in his clearances. Played for the B.C. All-Star team against the touring Scots in 1927 and awarded the medal as the best player for the B.C. team.
Born: Glasgow, Scotland. Had a trial with Hearts before coming to Canada, and after a season or two with Vancouver North Shore United, joined the Royals. In his playing days, he was considered to be the peer of all centre halves on the coast. Said to possess boundless energy and to cover a tremendous amount of ground, while he was well nigh perfect in feeding his forwards by short or long passes. It was thought he would make the grade on an Old Country team were he on the other side of the water. He played for the Vancouver All-Stars and the Pacific Coast League All-Stars against the English F.A. team in 1926, the Vancouver and B.C. All-Stars against the Scottish F.A. in 1927 and for the Lower Mainland All-Stars against Wales in 1929. Returned to North Shore after playing for the Royals.
Born: Nanaimo, British Columbia. Died: Vancouver, B.C., January 5, 1985. Began playing in 1922 with Sapperton and was transferred to Westminster Royals in June of 1928 just for the Dominion series. He returned to Sapperton, and the following June, he transferred to Kerrisdale, again for the Dominion series. He began the 1929–30 season with that team, but by early November 1929, he had signed with the Royals. As a goalkeeper, he was considered sound rather than showy, and had a huge kick. Following World War Two, he was secretary and then manager of the Royals, and was in charge when the Royals won the national championship again in 1953 and 1955. In 1958, he became a member of the B.C. Soccer Commission and was chairman from 1962 to 1965 and a member of the executive of the Canadian Soccer Association from 1962 to 1972, vice-president of the CSA from 1965 to 1968 and president from 1969 to 1972. Away from soccer, he was vice-president and comptroller of Cunningham’s Drug Stores and a member of the Chartered Accountants of B.C.
Born: South Shields, England. Came to the Royals from Edmonton in time for the 1927–28 season but ran up against bad luck in the way of injuries. A short, stocky forward, he had perfect ball control, was a clever schemer and distributor and packed a wicked shot: was too good to be left off any team.
Born: Bedlington, Northumberland, England. Died: Vancouver B.C., November 9, 1942. First attracted attention on Vancouver Island with his play for Ladysmith when they reached the national final in 1921 and then again when Nanaimo won the national championship in 1923. In 1924, he was a member of the Canadian team that toured Australia and was awarded a gold medal by the Australians as the team’s most consistent player. He joined the Royals from Nanaimo Davenports in July of 1928 just before qualification for the national championship began. He left before the team won its second national title in 1930, then returned to play for the 1931 championship winning team. When he joined the Royals, it was said that “He seems to have taken on a new lease on life and is playing with all the pep it is possible to wish for. Deadly in front of goal with head or feet, a born schemer, he is also a wonderful half back, either in attack or defence.” Alexander “Sandy” Strang – Full Back or Forward Born: Edinburgh, Scotland. Played for Ladysmith before moving to nearby Cumberland to Canadian Collieries and played in the national final at the end of the 1925–1926 season. He was a versatile player that could perform anywhere on the team but goal. Said to be a glutton for work, he was fast and packed a tremendous shot when playing on the attack. Joined the Royals in June of 1928, just before qualification for the national championship began.
Born: Bolton, Lancashire, England. Said to have learned all his soccer in New Westminster and never to have played with any other team until he signed with North Shore United for the 1928–29 season. Not a showy player but a grand one, kicking and tackling in high-class style. A hefty back who could shoulder a man off the ball with ease.
Born: Ayr, Scotland. Played in Edmonton and for Ladysmith before joining the Royals in 1926, and was captain of the team. Said to be a gentleman on and off the field, and always willing to play when called upon.
Born: Edinburgh, Scotland. Died: Victoria, B.C., April 6, 1989. Was brought to Canada in 1914 by his parents who settled in Edmonton, where he grew up and played soccer for Edmonton South Sides, and played for the Edmonton All-Stars in 1924 against the Corinthians with his friends George and Jimmy Graham. Shortly afterwards, Dave and George left for the west coast, and on the way played for Calgary CPR in the Black Cup Final. On reaching the coast, they played briefly for St. Andrews and then ended up on Vancouver Island where they played for Canadian Collieries in Cumberland. Dave scored a hat trick for Cumberland against Nanaimo, then the national champions. It wasn’t long before the inseparable pair were on the move again, this time to the professional American Soccer League on the east coast. There George played for Fall River Marksmen and Dave for nearby New Bedford Whalers. They didn’t stay there long before they were both in Toronto playing for Ulster United. Then cupid played a role, and George remained in Toronto while Dave moved back to the west coast. While still with Ulster United, Turner toured New Zealand with the national team playing in three of the four internationals, making his international debut in Christchurch and scoring a goal. In 1928, he was with Westminster Royals and remained with them until he ended his career in 1937. During that time, he led the Royals to four national championships, 1928, 1930, 1931 and 1936. In those days, he was considered to be the best forward in Canada. His footwork was described as being delightful, his shooting terrific, with either foot, and he was a terror around goal with his head. It is claimed that as a schemer he was unsurpassed, and that to see him feinting and drawing the opposition toward him and then flicking the ball to a teammate was uncanny. One report says “He looks too big to be fast, but his pace in the last yard is tremendous and completely fools the opposition. “ Dave Turner was voted Canada’s Player of the Half Century by the Canadian Press in 1950. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1955, the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966 and in 2000 into The Soccer Hall of Fame (Ontario).
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