William Frederick Peckham, better known as Tim Peckham was a New Zealand international rugby league player.
51 Facts About Tim Peckham
1.
2.
Tim Peckham played 2 tests for New Zealand in 1928 becoming the 198th Kiwi in the process.
3.
Tim Peckham played representative rugby league in the 1920s for Auckland, the sub unions of Lower Waikato, Hamilton, and South Auckland, and in 1926 and 1927 for the North Island.
4.
Tim Peckham played club rugby league for City Rovers, Huntly United, Athletic Ponsonby United, and Richmond Rovers.
5.
Tim Peckham was born on 8 December 1900 to Fanny Clara Peckham, and Henry William Peckham who had married in 1888.
6.
Tim Peckham was a diminutive halfback who began his playing career for Huntly in 1920.
7.
Tim Peckham debuted for the senior team in 1921 and went on to play 14 matches, scoring 4 tries.
8.
Tim Peckham had impressed the representative selectors enough to be chosen for the Auckland team for their Southern Tour.
9.
Auckland won 39 to 14 with Tim Peckham kicking a conversion.
10.
In early 1922 Tim Peckham moved to live in the Waikato region and joined the Huntly rugby league club where he debuted for them in a 6 May match against Ngaruawahia.
11.
Tim Peckham's father had been killed in a mining accident in Huntly 8 years earlier.
12.
Lower Waikato won 24 to 4 with Tim Peckham kicking a penalty goal.
13.
Tim Peckham was then chosen in the full Waikato side to play the touring Australian University side at Ngaruawahia.
14.
Lower Waikato won 28 to 0 with Tim Peckham scored the first try or the game and kicked 2 conversions.
15.
Tim Peckham was unable to play for the South Auckland team against the touring New South Wales team as he had injured his arm.
16.
The 1923 season saw Tim Peckham move to Hamilton and join the Athletic rugby league club.
17.
Tim Peckham played 10 matches for them during the season scoring 9 tries and kicking 3 goals.
18.
However the reporter had said that Tim Peckham denied this when they asked him directly.
19.
Tim Peckham then played several rugby league matches for Athletic over the coming weeks to confirm this.
20.
Hamilton won 28 to 13 at Hinemoa Park in Hamilton with Tim Peckham kicking a conversion.
21.
Tim Peckham was not fit, and a rest would have done him no harm.
22.
Tim Peckham was then selected for the final two representative matches of the season, both between South Auckland and Auckland.
23.
Tim Peckham played 5 matches for them scoring a try against City.
24.
Tim Peckham's play was full of the spectacular movement enthusiasts look for.
25.
Tim Peckham is always there when wanted, and his meteoric runs remind one of a hare dashing for an objective with foes seemingly everywhere.
26.
Tim Peckham then played 3 club matches though he missed 2 others for injury.
27.
Tim Peckham played 17 matches for Ponsonby during the season, scoring 6 tries and kicking 3 conversions.
28.
Tim Peckham's try came after combining with George Gardiner while the second with interchange play with Frank Delgrosso.
29.
Tim Peckham was then chosen in the Auckland B side to tour the south.
30.
In 1926 Tim Peckham was joined at Ponsonby by another brother, Kenneth.
31.
Tim Peckham played 14 matches for them, scoring 4 tries and kicking 12 conversions.
32.
Several trial matches were then played to select the New Zealand touring team to England and Wales but Tim Peckham did not play in any of them and was not selected for the tour.
33.
Tim Peckham played in 15 matches and scored 2 tries and kicked 3 conversions.
34.
Tim Peckham only played two representative matches during the season.
35.
Tim Peckham scored a try after he beat the defence and passed to Stan Prentice who returned the ball to him to score.
36.
Tim Peckham was once more playing for Ponsonby with his brothers Joseph and Kenneth, Tim Peckham was captaining the side and he turned out in 16 matches, scoring 2 tries and kicking 6 goals.
37.
Tim Peckham was named as a back reserve with his Ponsonby teammate Frank Delgrosso starting at halfback.
38.
Tim Peckham travelled south with the New Zealand team to Dunedin where the 2nd test would be played.
39.
Tim Peckham had been an emergency reserve for the test and came on to replace Frank Delgrosso.
40.
Tim Peckham finished the season playing for Richmond and made no representative appearances at all.
41.
Tim Peckham scored a try in a win over Stonex and Stormonts.
42.
Tim Peckham was still working on the Waterside in 1932 and competed in running events at their annual picnic at Redwood Park in Swanson where he won the one mile open race.
43.
Tim Peckham transferred to City Rovers and this was to be the final year of rugby league of his career ending up with the club that he made his debut at back in 1921.
44.
The New Zealand selectors had been trying to choose the side to take on the touring England team however Tim Peckham did not make the side.
45.
Tim Peckham was however at the welcoming of the English team and called out to the famous English captain Jim Sullivan from the wharf to the steamer as it arrived "hullo Jim" with Sullivan replying "hullo Tim" in return.
46.
The Auckland Star reported that Tim Peckham had become friends with many of the English players on the 1928 tour.
47.
Tim Peckham then finished the season playing for City and his final ever match was in a Roope Rooster final loss to Marist Old Boys where he did not play well as he was nursing an injured arm.
48.
Tim Peckham was registered with City for the 1935 season however he did not take the field as he retired from playing.
49.
In 1941 Tim Peckham enlisted in the army for World War II at the age of 41.
50.
Tim Peckham was a private in the Infantry Brigade in the Second NZ Expeditionary Force.
51.
Tim Peckham arrived home on 30 September 1945 on board the SS Strathmore which arrived in Wellington.