Roy Horton – Obituary

Life Member Dies

Taihape Pirates lost a former hard-working life member with the death of 89-year-old former Whanganui representative player and selector Roy Horton.

The well-known shearing contractor played a leading role when the club built its own club rooms in Taihape, never missing a working bee.

He was elected a life member along with his wife Joan, who pre-deceased him, for their years of dedicated service to the club which won a hat-trick of of Taihape domestic championship titles in 1953-54-55 during his playing career.

Roy Horton, five times club president during the 1970’s, served as a Whanganui rep selector alongside Eric Weir and Jim Wallace in 1975.

That busy season the team finished with an even record of nine wins and nine losses from the union’s busiest ever rep programme.

Wanganui beat Taranaki 34-23 here on Queen’s Birthday Monday thanks to Bob Barrell landing six penalty goals and two conversions and also scored home victories over NZ Services 11-6 plus scalping South Island visitors Southland 19-15, South Canterbury 10-7 and Nelson Bays 19-11 as well as beating Buller 13-6 in Westport.

Barrell scored 151 points and winger Paul Sharland 10 tries for the team that had held Tonga to 18-15.

Roy Horton, who played mainly as a lock or prop, represented Wanganui eight times including six games in 1954, making his debut as a replacement in a  6-31 loss to Taranaki on Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

In his first full game he scored a try in a 9-22 defeat at the hands of NZ Maoris.

He also played, as a prop, when Wanganui held Canterbury to 17-13 in a strong Ranfurly Shield challenge on Lancaster Park.

His brother Ron repped 29 times for Wanganui between 1958-60 as a loose forward.

Current Whanganui rep forwards Hadlee and Peter Travis Hay-Horton are relatives of Ron and Roy.