Albert Laing

He played club rugby league for Devonport United from 1931 to 1934 and made 4 appearances for Auckland, and 1 for the North Island.

His parents were originally from Norfolk Island but moved to New Zealand with several young children in 1901 and lived at Rocky Point in Auckland.

Albert was part of a very large family with 13 siblings; Edgar Nolton (1890-1969), Henry Bircher (1893-1968), Alice May (1895-1895), Edith Esther (1896-1992), Julius Cecil Churchill (1900-1982), Norman Paul (1900-1975), Edward Alfred Robert (1902-1983), Jessie Elizabeth (1903-1966), Rita Anne Annie (1905-1990), William (b 1906), Robert, Augustus Buffett, Helena Buffett, and Alphonso Bennett.

[2] The following season he won the Brown Medal for the best 2nd Grade player at the Devonport club and was also selected at fullback for the Auckland junior representative side.

They were said to have had “difficulty in securing an inside five-eighths left the selectors in a quandary, and finally Laing, a Devonport reserve grade player, was obtained”.

[6] A week later on 3 October Laing did make his long awaited senior grade debut for Devonport in the Stormont Shield final 25-6 win over Marist Old Boys.

The New Zealand Herald reported that he played a “splendid game” along with Ted Brimble and Allan Seagar.

Later he “beat several defenders before passing to Thompson…”, in the second half he made another break but was stopped by Frank Delgrosso and nearly scored before full time, being tackled on the line.

It was said that he “gained his place on the sheer merit and versatile display at the weekend, added to which his club performances have been a recommendation”.

The Auckland custodian has given good displays in club matches, but he lacks experience in comparison to Sullivan, who is likely to make Laing’s task a more difficult one”.

A short time later the English wing Alf Ellaby “beat Laing badly and scored a nice try”.

Later in the match England, through Evans intercepted a pass from Lou Hutt and “Laing made no attempt to tackle Ellaby” who had received the ball from Joe Thompson.

Laing then returned to play for Devonport in their final round match of the Fox Memorial against City Rovers.

[18] On 9 September he travelled with the Devonport side to Pukekura Park in New Plymouth to play an exhibition match against a Ponsonby XIII.

He was concussed in their round 3 match with Newton Rangers on 12 May and taken to Auckland Hospital in a St. John ambulance with his condition reported to have been “satisfactory” that night.

[29] Then on 2 October Laing played for a Ponsonby XIII against the touring Western Suburbs who had won the New South Wales premiership.