Bill Pearson's VAFA career

[worbod]

This is the VAFA career of Bill Pearson, who kicked over 1000 goals in just seven seasons. Anybody who owns a copy of Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Australian Rules Football, But Couldn't Be Bothered Asking, would have read about Pearson briefly in the Scores and Scorers chapter (page 116). He also receives brief mentions in For the Love of the Game, the book commemorating the centenary of the VAFA.

Pearson's final goal total is often quoted as 1,023, but after looking through the relevant microfilm, I have him finishing with 1,022. The error would seem to come from the 1935 season. After round 7 that season, both The Age and The Argus list Pearson as having kicked 53 goals to that stage. After his next game, in which he kicked 5 goals, he is quoted in both newspapers as now having 59 instead of 58. Pearson's total is then extended to 68, not 67, after he kicked 9 in his next game, and it is this total with the "extra goal" that keeps being added to as the season progresses.

And so, this is what I have discovered about Bill Pearson. He played his seven seasons in the A section for Old Scotch Collegians. I have read that he played in the Essendon District League after World War II, but I have no info on what he achieved there.


Season Games Goals Avge Best 10 plus Finals Goals
1931 . . 21 . .95 . 4.52 12 . . 1 . . 3 . . 14
1932 . . 20 . 126 . 6.30 12 . . 3 . . 2 . . 10
1933 . . 20 . 168 . 8.40 17 . . 7 . . 2 . . 15
1934 . . 21 . 220 .10.47 30 . .11 . . 3 . . 21
1935 . . 18 . 137 . 7.61 16 . . 4 . . 2 . . .8
1936 . . 17 . 126 . 7.41 14 . . 5 . . - . . .-
1937 . . 19 . 150 . 7.89 13 . . 5 . . 2 . . 17
TOTALS .136 .1022 . 7.51 30 . .36 . .14 . . 85


Pearson played in premierships in 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934. Old Scotch were runners up in 1935.

 

[worbod]

Pearson's record versus each opponent.


Team . . . . . . . Games Goals Avge
Brighton TSOB . . . 3 . . .22 . 7.33
Brunswick . . . . . 4 . . .61 .15.25
Collegians . . . . 17 . . 117 . 6.88
East Malvern . . . .8 . . .59 . 7.37
Elsternwick . . . .16 . . 131 . 8.18
E. S. and A. Bank . 2 . . .17 . 8.50
Geelong . . . . . .11 . . .87 . 7.90
Ivanhoe . . . . . . 2 . . .12 . 6.00
Murrumbeena . . . . 2 . . .19 . 9.50
Old Melburnians . .15 . . 113 . 7.53
Old Paradians . . . 4 . . .26 . 6.50
Ormond . . . . . . .2 . . .11 . 5.50
State Savings Bank 14 . . .97 . 6.92
Teacher's College . 5 . . .32 . 6.40
University Blacks .18 . . 127 . 7.05
University Blues . .7 . . .38 . 5.42
West Brunswick . . .4 . . .37 . 9.25
West Hawthorn . . . 2 . . .16 . 8.00

Brighton TSOB: TSOB stands for Technical School Old Boys
ES and A Bank: ES and A stands for English Scottish and Australian

 

[worbod]

Highest percentage of team's goals in a game.


Percent Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pearson Old Scotch
86.66 . vs Geelong, round 5, 1937 . . . . . . 13 . . .15
86.66 . vs Elsternwick, round 6, 1937 . . . . 13 . . .15
86.66 . vs Elsternwick, round 15, 1937 . . . .13 . . .15
85.00 . vs University Blacks, round 18, 1934 .17 . . .20
80.95 . vs State Savings Bank, round 13, 1933 17 . . .21
80.00 . vs Old Paradians, round 12, 1933 . . .12 . . .15
80.00 . vs Collegians, round 17, 1931 . . . . .4 . . . 5
77.41 . vs University Blacks, round 9, 1934 . 24 . . .31
75.00 . vs Brunswick, round 15, 1934 . . . . .30 . . .40
73.33 . vs University Blacks, round 1, 1936 . 11 . . .15
72.72 . vs Elsternwick, round 12, 1935 . . . . 8 . . .11
72.72 . vs State Savings Bank, round 18, 1935 .8 . . .11
72.72 . vs Old Melburnians, round 9, 1936 . . .8 . . .11
71.42 . vs Old Melburnians, round 15, 1936 . .10 . . .14
70.58 . vs Old Melburnians, round 16, 1932 . .12 . . .17
70.00 . vs Collegians, round 13, 1935 . . . . .7 . . .10
70.00 . vs Collegians, round 10, 1936 . . . . .7 . . .10
70.00 . vs University Blacks, round 12, 1937 . 7 . . .10

 

[worbod]

Percentage of team's goals each season.


Season Pearson Old Scotch Percentage
1931 . .95 . . . 226 . . . 42.035
1932 . 126 . . . 291 . . . 43.298
1933 . 168 . . . 338 . . . 49.704
1934 . 220 . . . 402 . . . 54.726
1935 . 137 . . . 279 . . . 49.103
1936 . 126 . . . 241 . . . 52.282
1937 . 150 . . . 302 . . . 49.668
TOTAL 1022 . . .2079 . . . 49.158

 

[worbod]

Goals in a game instances.

1: 2
2: 6
3: 12
4: 12
5: 19
6: 13
7: 11
8: 14
9: 11
10: 10
11: 5
12: 8
13: 5
14: 2
15: 1
16: 1
17: 2
24: 1
30: 1

• Pearson played in 101 wins (kicking 845 goals for an average of 8.36 per game), 33 losses (164 goals, 4.96 average) and 2 draws (13 goals, 6.50 average).
• At one stage during 1932 and 1933 Pearson played in 16 successive wins, to which he contributed 132 goals (8.25 average).
• From round 14 to round 18 in 1934, Pearson kicked bags of 15, 30, 10, 11 and 17.

 

[worbod]

Games needed to reach milestone goal totals.

100: 23
200: 37
300: 51
400: 64
500: 73
600: 82
700: 94
800: 108
900: 121
1000: 133

Pearson passed the milestones of 400, 500 and 600 goals all during the 1934 season. He began the season with 389 career goals and finished with 609.

The highest point his goalkicking average reached was 7.56 after 125 games and 945 goals.

 

[worbod]

Games required to reach 50 and 100 each season.


Season 50 100
1931 . 10 -
1932 . 10 16
1933 . .6 13 (18 for 150)
1934 . .7 11 (15 for 150, 19 for 200)
1935 . .7 13
1936 . .8 13
1937 . .6 13 (19 for 150)

 

[worbod]

As far as I can determine, Pearson's total of 168 goals in 1933 is the highest total of goals which did not result in a player leading the league goalkicking. The winner that season was Allan La Fontaine of University Blacks who kicked 197. Other high totals I know of which did not top the league are:


Goals League . . . . . .Player . . . .Team . . . Leader's total . . . . . . . Season
145 Hume FL (NSW) . . . Daryl Jordan .Walbundrie .177 Peter Gibbons Brocklesby 1984
145 Kyabram DFL (Vic) . Troy Mitchell Lancaster . 149 Perry Meka . .Ardmona . .2006
143 WAFL (WA) . . . . . Ted Tyson . . West Perth .152 George Doig . East Freo .1934
143 WAFL (WA) . . . . . Ray Scott . . West Perth .167 Bernie Naylor South Freo 1952
143 VFL (Vic) . . . . . Peter McKenna Collingwood 146 Peter Hudson .Hawthorn . 1970
141 VFA (Vic) . . . . . Laurie Nash . Camberwell .183 Bob Pratt . . Coburg . . 1941
140 Ellinbank DFL (Vic) Owen Fitzpatrick Catani . 167 Ryan Donaldson Longwarry 2007

 

[UpForGrabs]

Awesome. Can honestly say I'd never heard of Bill Pearson before.

Most I ever kicked in a game was 8. The feeling I had at the end of that game was amazing. Can only imagine how awesome the feeling would be to kick 30.

 

[worbod]

Another aspect of Pearson's career is his interstate career for Victorian Amateur teams. When Pearson kicked his 1000th goal for Old Scotch there was an article printed in The Argus on August 16, 1937 to celebrate the feat. It mentioned that Pearson had also kicked 57 goals in interstate games with a highest total of 16 against Tasmania. I have not been able to trace the date for this Tasmanian game, but have been able to trace the other 41 goals he kicked.

1935 12 vs South Australian Amateur Football League
1935 6 vs NSW Amateur Football League
1936 11 vs South Australian Amateur Football League
1937 12 vs South Australian Amateur Football League

The last mentioned effort was in a losing team, with Pearson kicking 12 out of 14 goals (85.71 percent).

 

[the croucher]

Another aspect of Pearson's career is his interstate career for Victorian Amateur teams. When Pearson kicked his 1000th goal for Old Scotch there was an article printed in The Argus on August 16, 1937 to celebrate the feat. It mentioned that Pearson had also kicked 57 goals in interstate games with a highest total of 16 against Tasmania. I have not been able to trace the date for this Tasmanian game, but have been able to trace the other 41 goals he kicked.

1935 12 vs South Australian Amateur Football League
1935 6 vs NSW Amateur Football League
1936 11 vs South Australian Amateur Football League
1937 12 vs South Australian Amateur Football League

The last mentioned effort was in a losing team, with Pearson kicking 12 out of 14 goals (85.71 percent).

The match versus Tasmania was played on Thursday 28 September 1933 as per report in The Argus:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/11696908

 

[Todman]

And so, this is what I have discovered about Bill Pearson. He played his seven seasons in the A section for Old Scotch Collegians. I have read that he played in the Essendon District League after World War II, but I have no info on what he achieved there.

It was a different Bill Pearson who later played for Essendon.

Bill Pearson VAFA got struck off the amateur list for accepting the train fare to play cricket against NSW in Sydney during the summer of 1937-38.


Full nameWilliam Ernest Pearson
BornNovember 10, 1912, Kerang, Victoria
Died September 11, 1987, Melbourne, Victoria (aged 74 years 305 days)
Major teams Victoria
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium

.....................Mat....Inns.....NO.....Runs...HS...Ave...100...50...Ct..St
First-class......14.....18........2.......467.....91...29.18..0.....4....19..0
Bowling averages
....................Mat.........Runs.......Wkts..........BBI......Ave...5w....10m
First-class.....14...........729........26...........3/55......28.03..0.....0
Career statistics
First-class span1936-1938

 

[Todman]

Name PEARSON, WILLIAM ERNEST
Service Australian Army
Service Number V270208
Date of Birth 10 Nov 1912
Place of Birth KERANG
Date of Enlistment 16 Dec 1941
Locality on EnlistmentUnknown
Place of Enlistment HAWTHORN, VIC
Next of Kin PEARSON, NANCYE
Date of Discharge 8 Dec 1942
Rank Private
Posting at Discharge BULK ISSUE PETROL OIL DEPOT
WW2 Honours and GallantryNone for display
Prisoner of WarNo

 

[worbod]

Bill's record in Victorian District cricket A grade games. He played for St. Kilda, plus one game for Camberwell.

BATTING

Matches | Innings | Not Out | Highest | RUNS | Avge | 100 | 50 | Ct
\191|199|35|166|4947|30.16|6|26|113

BOWLING

Wickets | Runs | Avge | Best | 5wi
\189|3882|20.53|6-32|7