St George DCC and its Rugby League Connections Part V - Lyall Wall and Bill Ives
St George Cricket Club | May 07, 2026
Lyall Wall is a name unfamiliar even to devoted followers of cricket and rugby league, yet he holds a unique and precious place in the history of both St George clubs. Born at Birchgrove and beginning his sporting life with Balmain, Wall has the remarkable distinction of being a member of both the First Grade cricket and rugby league teams when they entered elite competition in 1921 — rugby league on 23 April (fittingly, St George’s Day) and cricket on 3 October.
Lyall Wall
Wall was instrumental in securing victory for both clubs in their first appearances at Hurstville Oval, a ground the council and local residents had worked tirelessly to prepare. After an 11–9 win over Newtown at the Sports Ground, more than ten thousand people packed into the unfenced Oval on 28 May for St George’s only home rugby league match of the season. With minutes remaining, Wall converted Clarrie Tye’s try to seal a thrilling 19–16 victory. One of only six players to appear in all eight matches that year, he also served on the club’s first management committee. By season’s end he had kicked twenty-four of the team’s twenty-seven goals.
When cricket season arrived, Wall’s fitness again proved decisive. On 10 October he combined with Ted Adams to dismiss Central Cumberland for 148, securing a first-innings win in St George’s inaugural First Grade match. The team had posted 178 five days earlier on the Labour Day holiday.
Not all movement between the cricket and rugby league clubs was as seamless. In 1928, cricket captain Bill Ives was involved in a wild brawl during a rugby league match against Western Suburbs at the Sydney Cricket Ground and was suspended, though his three-match penalty was reduced on appeal. “Big Bill,” as he was known, was a prominent sporting figure of the 1920s, representing New South Wales in both cricket and rugby league. A right-handed all-rounder who began his career at Glebe in 1914–15, Ives brought invaluable knowledge and experience to the fledgling St George DCC. In 1927–28, at the age of thirty-two, he succeeded Ted Adams as captain.
Bill Ives
Ives became the first of the club’s long-serving captains and played a significant role in the early development of Don Bradman as both a player and a future tactician. Their rapport may explain why Ives was selected alongside Bradman for Arthur Mailey’s strong Australian side that toured Canada and the USA in 1932. Between social engagements and meetings with celebrities such as Babe Ruth, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow, Ives delivered outstanding performances, taking 92 wickets at an average of 7.51.
He was still captain at forty, having shaped a generation of cricketers. His First Grade career at Hurstville Oval produced 2,407 runs at 21.9, including two centuries, and 212 wickets at 18.8.
Ives’ rugby league career spanned nine seasons from 1920 to 1928. He played 101 games, including a grand final win for Eastern Suburbs in 1923, scored 15 tries, kicked 8 goals and represented New South Wales in eight matches. His brother Clarrie Ives played for North Sydney and represented Australia in one Test.
