I saw Gasnier in the first ever Ashes match played at Wembley in 1963 and he was electric scoring 3 tries in a demolition of the GB side who the previous year had triumphed in Australia. As a very young captain he then took the side to Swindon where the Aussies ran up 50 points to win the series. Certainly a magnificent centre and one of the best the game has produced.



The disappointing English performance in this series was matched by the crowd turnout at the Wembley fixture where a great Aussie rugby league performance was seen by less than 14,000 people.

I was at the Swinton match and I think Gasnier scored 3 trys in that match as well, his centre partner that day was big Harry Wells who being such a big man used to draw the defence allowing Gasnier the space to destroy GB with his pace.

Australia played a system then of an outside centre and an inside centre, Gasnier was always the outside one, whereas the UK game as always been a left and right centre.

Are you sure you are not thinking of the 1959 series Swinton match when Gasnier partnered' Bomber' Wells and scored 3 tries- I was at the decider in this series at Central Park won by GB which was the last time they won an Ashes series on home soil. I remember a young Graham Langlands partnering Gasnier in the 1963 series as Wells had finished his representative career. Incidentally I saw the Aussies on their first post-war tour in 1948 when they played Hull giving me my one and only sight of the' Little Master'- Clive Churchill.

Good find that Rogues. I had forgotten that Dave Bolton left Wigan to ply his trade in Oz. Very successfully too as he led Balmain to a Grand Final win and was later installed in their Hall of Fame. I understand he still lives down under.

Bolton scored one of the best tries I have ever seen. At Central Park he broke towards the scoreboard (hen pen) end and turned the fullback so they were both running towards the scoreboard. As the fullback looked over his left shoulder Bolton moved right. The fullback looked right and Bolton moved left. This continued for about forty yards until Bolton put the ball down under the posts and that's when the opposition fullback next saw him.

Memory might be playing tricks again, but one of the first matches i went to was Wigan v Australia.......i remember the Aussies scoring a try when Gasnier and Wells ? interchanged about 7 or 8 passes and went down the left side leaving Wigan defenders grasping thin air

Went to see this Grand Final in 1969 after permanently settling in Aus in late '68. Bolton was at the end of his career but still a wonderful player. Another lad called Len Killeen( winger/goal-kicker) was also in that Balmain side- he was a South African and played for St Helens. They were the only players from English rugby league playing in Australia when I came here but were soon joined by Tommy Bishop and Cliff Watson at Cronulla('69). In 1973 Bill Ashhurst came with Mike Stephenson to play at Penrith.

Freddie, you are correct. When I saw your post regarding Gasnier I never took in that you where talking about the 1963 series, all I could remember was the Gasnier performance at Swinton in 1959.



The ground was packed and all we could do was applaud the Australians.

My fondest memory of Dave Bolton was at the Wembley final against Hull in 1959. I can still see him scorching up the middle of the park with no Hull player anywhere near him and we were already well in front.

What?

Ah, you had to be there.



Thinking more of around 00:06.





Interesting that in those days most of the Australian games were played on cricket grounds. Not much danger of players damaging themselves on the boundary fence. Unlike today's game at OT... The game was still regionalised in those days, talk of expansion to Cronulla and Canberra (?) on the soundtrack.



Going to Swinton must have been an eyeopener. Good story about Roger Millward not wanting to play on the frozen pitch but Johnny Raper saying it was like a hard OZ pitch!



Food for thought how the strength of the game in the various countries has changed over the years. As late as the 80s the French leg of the tour was referred to as being tough.

Just been on Youtube to see if the 1959 final was shown. It was but the Dave Bolton try wasn't included. However there was a clip of him kicking for Billy B to chase and score. If anybody thinks that Billy wasn't a speed merchant I suggest they have a look at that video on Youtube.