Meet Arthur Leong, believed to be our oldest living New Zeal
Sept 3, 2023 5:29:42 GMT -5
Post by helen on Sept 3, 2023 5:29:42 GMT -5
By Bruce Holloway
The “Technical Old Boys “name has pretty much disappeared from New Zealand’s football landscape these days.
But 60 years ago, in 1962, this tiny Hamilton club was the talk of the code – and certainly talk of the town — when it became the first team outside the four main centres to win the Chatham Cup.
And wrapped up in the pioneering heritage of this club — which only existed from 1949 to 1963 — is a story within a story, about a man who was its heart and soul, and is today possibly New Zealand’s oldest living All White.
Arthur Leong, who became the first player of Chinese ethnicity to represent New Zealand, when selected for a 3-2 win against Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) on June 6, 1959, enjoyed his 92nd birthday in March 2022.
In an era when there weren’t a lot of matches, Leong went on to earn 15 New Zealand caps up until 1964, playing as either left back or centre half in the old 2-3-5 formation, or as wing half.
Being just 5′ 5″ and 10 stone 6lb in the old money, Leong was a small unit for a defensively-minded player, but was blessed with great pace and agility, and was also powerful in the air despite his compact stature.
A match report of the Deportivo Saprissa game published in the Waikato Times said Leong played “extremely well” and he was “one of the New Zealanders who clearly wanted to play class soccer”.
“Leong was by far the quickest New Zealander to the tackle and if he sometimes played dangerously far forward he used the ball with more skill than he has in the past.”
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, Leong made an equally important contribution as Technical Old Boys’ coach and captain – and guiding his club to the 1962 Chatham Cup triumph is his enduring legacy.
Remarkably Leong, who lives barely a corner kick from Gower Park in Melville these days, can still fit into the New Zealand shirt he wore in playing Tom Finney’s English FA touring team in 1961, where it was his job to mark the great Finney.
www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2022/10/05/meet-arthur-leong-believed-to-be-our-oldest-living-new-zealand-international/?fbclid=IwAR0z3jCNEiHfbkQlalLmdKAV9HG-zS0k1t1S4BZnS5_ksXr2YAJYmddg4M4
The “Technical Old Boys “name has pretty much disappeared from New Zealand’s football landscape these days.
But 60 years ago, in 1962, this tiny Hamilton club was the talk of the code – and certainly talk of the town — when it became the first team outside the four main centres to win the Chatham Cup.
And wrapped up in the pioneering heritage of this club — which only existed from 1949 to 1963 — is a story within a story, about a man who was its heart and soul, and is today possibly New Zealand’s oldest living All White.
Arthur Leong, who became the first player of Chinese ethnicity to represent New Zealand, when selected for a 3-2 win against Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) on June 6, 1959, enjoyed his 92nd birthday in March 2022.
In an era when there weren’t a lot of matches, Leong went on to earn 15 New Zealand caps up until 1964, playing as either left back or centre half in the old 2-3-5 formation, or as wing half.
Being just 5′ 5″ and 10 stone 6lb in the old money, Leong was a small unit for a defensively-minded player, but was blessed with great pace and agility, and was also powerful in the air despite his compact stature.
A match report of the Deportivo Saprissa game published in the Waikato Times said Leong played “extremely well” and he was “one of the New Zealanders who clearly wanted to play class soccer”.
“Leong was by far the quickest New Zealander to the tackle and if he sometimes played dangerously far forward he used the ball with more skill than he has in the past.”
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, Leong made an equally important contribution as Technical Old Boys’ coach and captain – and guiding his club to the 1962 Chatham Cup triumph is his enduring legacy.
Remarkably Leong, who lives barely a corner kick from Gower Park in Melville these days, can still fit into the New Zealand shirt he wore in playing Tom Finney’s English FA touring team in 1961, where it was his job to mark the great Finney.
www.friendsoffootballnz.com/2022/10/05/meet-arthur-leong-believed-to-be-our-oldest-living-new-zealand-international/?fbclid=IwAR0z3jCNEiHfbkQlalLmdKAV9HG-zS0k1t1S4BZnS5_ksXr2YAJYmddg4M4
