William Frederick Peckham, better known as Tim Peckham was a New Zealand international rugby league player. He played 2 tests for New Zealand in 1928 becoming the 198th Kiwi in the process. He also played representative rugby league in the 1920s for Auckland, the sub unions of Lower Waikato, Hamilton, and South Auckland, and in 1926 and 1927 for the North Island. He played club rugby league for City Rovers, Huntly United, Athletic (Hamilton) Ponsonby United, and Richmond Rovers.
Early life
Tim Peckham was born on 8 December 1900 to Fanny Clara Peckham (née Smith), and Henry William Peckham who had married in 1888. He had 10 siblings; Kate (b.1888), Harry (b.1889), Bert (b.1896), Joseph (b.1899), John Ashby (b.1903), Ivy May (b.1905), Lillian Mary (b.1906), Kenneth (b.1907), Edith Myrtle (b.1909), and Marjory (b.1911). His father Henry was killed in the Ralph Mine disaster in Huntly on the morning of 12 September 1914 which claimed the lives of 43 miners. Henry was aged 45 at the time of his death with Tim aged 13.
Playing career
City Rovers and Auckland debut’s
Tim Peckham was a diminutive halfback who began his playing career for City Rovers rugby league club in Auckland in the junior grades, starting with their 5th grade side. He debuted for the senior team in 1921 and went on to play 14 matches, scoring 4 tries. That season City won the Monteith Shield for winning the 1st grade championship. They also won the Roope Rooster knockout competition when they defeated Maritime 30–14 and took the Thacker Shield off Ponsonby United with a 25–10 win. Peckham had impressed the representative selectors enough to be chosen for the Auckland team for their Southern Tour. He debuted against Wellington on 20 August. He scored a try in a 23–21 win at the Basin Reserve, in Wellington. He played again against the West Coast on 24 August at Greymouth in a 47–7 victory before playing 3 days later against Canterbury at Sydenham Park in Christchurch. Auckland won 39 to 14 with Peckham kicking a conversion.
Move to Waikato, Huntly, Athletic, and representative football
In early 1922 Peckham moved to live in the Waikato region and joined the Huntly rugby league club where he debuted for them in a 6 May match against Ngaruawahia. His father had been killed in a mining accident in Huntly 8 years earlier. Huntly won the match 51 to 8. He was selected for the Lower Waikato representative team for a 27 May match with King Country which was for the Endean Shield. Lower Waikato won 24 to 4 with Peckham kicking a penalty goal. Peckham was then chosen in the full Waikato side to play the touring Australian University side at Ngaruawahia. The Australian team was made up of players from Sydney University and Brisbane Universities but rested some of its first choice players after two wins over Auckland. They were thrashed by the local team 25–0 with Peckham scoring twice, the first after “fast following up” and the second when he received a pass then “dummied and put in a fine swerving run, beating several men and diving across the line”. Two weeks later he played another Endean Shield match for Lower Waikato against King Country before a crowd of 1,000 in Huntly. Lower Waikato won 28 to 0 with Peckham scored the first try or the game and kicked 2 conversions. Huntly had won the Lower Waikato competition and on 19 August they played a match with United from the Hamilton competition for the right to play the Auckland champions (his old City Rovers side). He scored a try for Huntly in a 25–6 win over United. Their match with City was played on 21 October at Carlaw Park and saw the City side win easily by 42–14 though Peckham did cross for a try after running in support of Sullivan who had broken through.