A sporting cup created nearly 80 years ago for an annual match between two South Canterbury rugby clubs has been awarded for the first time.
Although not the two clubs originally proposed to compete, Temuka and Mackenzie faced each other last month for the Thomas Clarke Memorial Cup.
The cup was originally created by the family of well-known Fairlie businessman Thomas Clarke following his death in 1947 and was to be awarded to the winner of an annual fixture between the Aorangi Football Club and the Zingari club in Timaru.
As far as it is known, the competition never took place.
Consequently, the cup was returned to Thomas and Elizabeth Clarke (his son and daughter-in-law) and was retained by the family until 2023, when the third Thomas Clarke (grandson of the original Thomas Clarke) donated it to the Fairlie Heritage Museum.
The cup then came to the attention of the South Canterbury rugby fraternity and consequently Thomas Clarke’s great grandson, Terry Clarke, of Timaru, who became involved in organising a new annual competition for the cup between the Mackenzie Rugby Club and the Temuka club.
Terry, a life member of the Temuka Rugby Club, said the Clarke family was delighted to see the cup finally being contested, and hoped the competition would endure.
‘‘I didn’t know of the existence of the cup until 2023.
‘‘It’s fantastic to be involved in a rugby competition for a cup with my great-grandfather’s name on it.
‘‘After all those years sitting in cupboards it’s really great to see the cup finally being put to use, albeit for a competition between Mackenzie and a different club than the family originally intended.’’
The first game of the competition took place at Fairlie on May 9, with Temuka the victors 49 points to 19.
Thomas Clarke, who was born at Shag Point in 1872, was first associated with Fairlie in the late 1890s when he was employed by local baker John O’Dowd, one of about four bakers operating in the town at the time.
He followed that with stints in Invercargill and Kurow before returning to Fairlie in 1913, when he purchased the bakery business known as Benrose Brothers.
Ten years later in 1923 he sold that business and moved the family to Southland where he bought the IXL Bakery and associated tearooms in Wyndham.
In 1938, his namesake son, Thomas, and other family members took over the Wyndham business, and he returned to Fairlie, buying the bakery and tearooms located on the corner of Main St and School Rd.
The buildings where that business was located still exist as the Fairlie Resource Centre.
He was a keen supporter of all sports, and in particular rugby.
He was president of the Fairlie Football Club and was a prime mover in the formation of the Aorangi Football Club in 1923.
He was the club’s first vice-president and first delegate to the Mackenzie Rugby Sub-Union and was also a member of the Fairlie Cash Sports Club.
