Inglis Ivan Irwin Levers Littlewood (20 October, 1902 – 26 July, 1951) was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand for the first time in 1925. In so doing he became Kiwi 181. He also represented the Lower Waikato, South Auckland (northern Waikato), and Auckland representative rugby league teams from 1919 to 1927.
Early life
Ivan Littlewood was born on 20 October 1902 in Taupiri, in the Waikato region of New Zealand. He was the son of Sarah Jane and Frederick Walker Littlewood. Ivan was the second youngest of twelve children with 8 older sisters; Mary Esther May, Ruby Ethel Wardlow, Laura Mabel Hamilton, Ivy Eleanor Muriel, Alice Eliza Pearl, Gladys Evelyn Elsie, Eileen Frances, and Bertha Margaret, a younger sister; Ada Dorothy Winifred, and two older brothers; Frederick Henry Carlton, and Albert. His father Frederick died on 26 May 1914 in Taupiri.
Playing career
Waikato beginnings
Ivan Littlewood began his playing career in the Waikato region. The first record of him playing was for the Lower Waikato representative side against the touring Australian team on 18 September 1919. He would have been a month short of his nineteenth birthday. Littlewood played in the three-quarters, setting up his sides only try in a 58–5 loss.
In 1920 he again appeared for Lower Waikato and played in a match against King Country on 17 July. Lower Waikato won the match 15–7 with Littlewood scoring one try. A week later he played for the South Auckland representative side against the touring England side. The South Auckland team were well beaten by 49 points to 10 in front of 7,000 spectators at Steele Park in Hamilton. Littlewood was forced from the field with an injured shoulder.
Move to Auckland
In April 1921 Littlewood transferred to Auckland where he joined the Maritime club who played in the Auckland Rugby League competition. He initially played in the Maritime 2nd grade side for the 2nd and 3rd rounds before making his senior debut on 14 May against Newton Rangers where he scored a try in a 12–10 win. Littlewood went on to score 12 tries in first grade matches for Maritime which placed him second highest try scorer behind future Kiwi, Ben Davidson who scored 13. Maritime finished runner up for the Monteith Shield for the first grade championship, and runner up for the Roope Rooster knockout competition losing to City Rovers in the final. Littlewood was also selected to play for Auckland in their representative match with Wellington on 20 August. Auckland won 23–21 at the Basin Reserve in Wellington with Littlewood scoring a try under the posts to give Auckland a 13–8 lead.
The 1922 season saw a name change for Littlewood's Maritime club with them becoming known as ‘Athletic’. He played 7 matches for them, scoring 5 tries before transferring to Ponsonby United on 2 August. For Ponsonby he scored a remarkable 8 tries in just 3 matches, including 5 in the Roope Rooster semi final against Newton Rangers giving him 13 total for the season (again the second highest try scorer in Auckland rugby league). This form saw Littlewood again selected for the Auckland team where he played 4 matches against New Zealand Māori on 20 May which was lost 18–28 in front of 7,000 spectators at Carlaw Park. He then played 2 matches against the touring Australian University side in mid-June where he scored a try in the first match which was lost 12–13, before a 7–18 loss in the second match with over 12,000 spectators present. Littlewood then played against the touring New South Wales side on 16 September in a 25–40 loss though Littlewood did cross for a try in the match played on the Auckland Domain in front of a massive crowd of 20,000.
Move back to Waikato
In mid-September, following the match with New South Wales, Littlewood moved back to the Waikato and the following weekend he played for South Auckland against the same New South Wales side. He was again on the losing side with the visitors winning 17–12 at Steele Park, Hamilton. He played New South Wales 2 days later for a King Country XIII which was made up of players from far and wide. They were trounced 87–16 in the match which was played at Taumarunui though Littlewood did cross the line twice. The first saw him field the ball on his own goal before "dodging Toohey and Proctor [and running] the length of the field" while the second came after "a dash down the line".