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The Aberavon Wizards were always a great team when I was growing up and always seemed to have players on the great Welsh teams. I can imagine that the game was very rough as the Welsh lads were all from the mines and factories and tough cookies and Rugby in Cork in those days was for the more privileged members of society. The Cork crowd were no shrinking violets but the Aberavon lads would have perceived them as "soft". The knee protection was probably just that as the game in the pack in those days was very rough with "hacking" as a normal practice though I think that it had been outlawed by then. Hacking was literally kicking your opponent on the shin to clear him out of your way! Nice shot

so amazing

They are still alive, kicking and sometimes providing players to the Ospreys. I think they would like to see this picture! www.aberavonwizards.co.uk/1876-1914.htm

Brian Mulligan Great idea! I just tweeted them a link, so we'll see...

Ruggers!

wonderful shot

jesus, 1912? looks like it could've been taken yesterday...

See www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2449487564 for more about the cycle race round Madison Square Garden these Swiss brothers were in town for. The NYT spells their name "Suter" consistently. And that's the spelling on sports123.com/tcy/mw-sta.html and www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2004/may04/hainleite04 too.

1912 story on a six-day race at Madison Square Garden featuring the Suter brothers in the New York Times here: query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9404EEDC103CE633A...

swanq: Thanks for citing the sources that suggest the brothers' last name is misspelled in our description. It looks as though there was some uncertainty as to spelling at the Bain News Service when they made multiple tries at writing the identification on the negative! We'll alter the spelling in the description we maintain locally and reload it.

I read one time that before that match some of the dignitaries including Collins had a bit of a puck around and that he (Colins) showed great skill at doubling on the ball overhead and seemed to be a proficient hurler. Doubling is the art of striking the ball in mid flight to drive it further on or to potentially score without catching or slowing the ball down and takes great skill and hand to eye coordination! Do you see the Kilkenny player on his mobile phone telling the folks back home that he has met the "Big Fella"?

Swordscookie A good story anyway (about the doubling)! Everyone I've shown this photo to has laughed about the Kilkenny player on "his mobile"... :)

I wonder if he actually played wearing those sock suspenders.

philip ward It is very odd. All of his team mates have proper thick knee length socks. Do you think he got on the train or bus to Dublin without his playing socks and had to wear his normal ones?

Given how difficult it was to travel in those days and the risks that were still there it may be that he was a former player who was pressganged into the role. It would not have been uncommon for less well off people to play in their street clothes and I saw matches in the 50's where guys in shirts, trousers and football boots played full games!