Willows member Clive Geary established a fine record in both rugby and cricket in Otago, including captaincy of the New Zealand Services rugby team which toured the British Isles at the end ofWorld War II.
Clive is an old boy of Kings High School, where he played in both the 1st XI and 1st XV for four years, captain of both in his last year. A left-handed batsman, he also excelled in boxing and tennis while at school. While at Teachers College in 1941, he played cricket for the Carisbrook Club alongside lain Gallaway, with whom he later played for the Army rugby team in Wellington. He represented Otago in the 1941-42 and 1942-43 seasons.
Whenever he could, Clive played cricket in England and was in the New Zealand Services XI, captained by former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken James, who had been playing for Northamptonshire. Others with whom Clive played were the famous New Zealand all-rounder Roger Blunt, and towards the end of the war Martin Donnelly, a wonderful cricketer as well as a brilliant rugby player.
The captain of the opposing eleven in ·the final match at Trent Bridge was the England player Cyril Washbrook. Geary’s team included New Zealanders, Australians, one West Indies player, a Rhodesian and the remainder from England.
On returning to Dunedin, Geary played for Carisbrook for a season under W. A. Hadlee. The side won the competition and included Gallaway and Les Miller (brother of Australian all rounder Keith Miller). Geary then began a long career with the Universiry Club.
Clive still recalls the thrill he received when he was advised he was to appear at Swansea in 1944 for the New Zealand Services rugby team. A very successful tour in 1945-46 included a drawn match 8-8 against the Australians. In this fiercely contested encounter, Ian Batting (who went to South Africa in 1949 with the All Blacks) came back on after being injured to score a try of which he later had no recollection. Many men destined to make their mark in All Black teams were in the New Zealand Services team at various periods.
The Services side recorded victories over Cambridge and Oxford Universities, as well as their South African counterparts. Clive was also one of five New Zealanders included in a Combined Dominions XV which lost to Great Britain at Leicester.