Horace Neal was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand in one test match in 1919 against Australia at halfback.
[5] On October 18, 1915, Horace and his brother Archibald were part of 52 recruits who were called up to “proceed to Wellington” by train to join the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own).
[10] During his service overseas Horace spent time in Egypt in 1916, and joined the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the same year.
[13] After returning Neal was discharged on the 11th of April, 1919 and gave his intended address as 41 Edendale Road, Mt Eden.
[15][16][17] Following his return to New Zealand after the war Neal began playing for the Ponsonby senior side early in the 1919 season.
His height and weight when he enlisted were recorded as 1.65m and 62 kg respectively so unsurprisingly he was playing in the halfback position alongside the brilliant young Frank Delgrosso who was also in his debut season in the senior side at first five eighth and fullback.
The Auckland Star reported that he had put his “best effort forward” while the Observer said “little Neal, Ponsonby's half-back, is to be complimented”.
[21][22] In a 19-3 round 8 win over Newton he was said to be “more adroit and resourceful than the half-back who opposed him, and consequently the Ponsonby back division was able to monopolise the attack”.
[31] On July 25 Horace was back in the jersey of Ponsonby in a round 1 Roope Rooster match with Newton Rangers.
[32] It was reported that Neal “got the ball away a little slicker” than his opposite, Jack Keenan, on the Newton side who he had been up against in the match against Auckland also.
[33] Following the game he was chosen at halfback with Bert Laing at standoff in the side to play Hawke's Bay at the Auckland Domain.
[34] Unfortunately the weather was particularly bad and the Hawke's Bay side were held up on board the Mokoia by rough seas at Gisborne so the match was postponed.
[39] In a critique of the match the Auckland Star said that “Neal is a good boy, but he is inclined to that machinery-work for which Ponsonby halves have for quite a while been notorious”.
[40] The Observer said that “Neal, at half-back, set the machine going in good style, and on his form this season will be in the running for a game against the Australians”.
[41] At noon on August 15 Horace Neal was named to play in the first test against the touring Australian side at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
[45] Earlier in the match he had thrown an interception after he had “worked the blindside” to Harold Horder who “side-stepping, beat seven men and scored”.
He was also involved in a passing bout with Karl Ifwersen and George Bradley which nearly took New Zealand to the line when the score was 23-17 to the visitors.
[49] For the second test to be played in Christchurch Neal was named in the reserves with the selectors choosing Mike Pollock at inside halfback.
[57] He played in matches for them against City Rovers and Fire Brigade which was his previous club, Grafton Athletic's new name.
It was said that “following on an argument in a city motel on Saturday afternoon, a man named Horace Richard Neal sustained a blackened optic, with the result that James A. Lee (24) was charged ... with assault”.
[60] The Justice of the Peace, Mr. Edmond George Twohill said “I know about you Lee boys,... you have a penchant for going around the hotels, looking for drunken men...” to fight.
[62] On June 29, 1921, he married Dorothy Madge Baker at St Stephens Church on Khyber Pass Road.