BIO
C. Hunt was captain of the struggling North Adelaide team towards the end of the 1884 season before joining Norwood as a defender in 1885.
Hunt had an unfulfilled season with Norwood, which finished second to South Adelaide. He played at least three senior games with mixed success. After his debut in the opening game, in which Norwood thumped Adelaide 6.15 to 1.2, ‘Goalpost’ commented in the Evening Journal: “Hunt was useful in assisting Waldron and Bragge.”
Norwood lost to the Victorian team Hotham, 5.17 to 3.7, at Kensington Oval a week later and ’Goalpost’ stated: “Hunt did not do so well as expected.” Newspaper reports say Norwood was without the services of Hunt for matches against Adelaide on 15 August and Port Adelaide on 12 September. After Norwood beat Port 6.16 to 1.13 at Alberton Oval on 22 August, ‘Goalpost’ wrote: “Shaw was brilliant back, where he received valuable assistance from Roachock and Hunt.” That was the last mention of Hunt at Norwood.
We know little about Hunt the man. He emerged as a member of North Adelaide junior football and cricket teams in 1880. He joined the Albion Cricket Club in 1881 and was captain in 1882, with future Port footballer Bill Bushby as his deputy. Both played with the Albion Football Club in 1881 and 1882. In April 1882 Hunt represented the newly formed Adelaide and Suburban Football Association in a preseason match against Victorian, a foundation club of the SA Football Association. The result was a draw, each team scoring two goals. Hunt and Bushby switched from Albions to Victorian in August 1882.
Still wearing its familiar orange and black, Victorian rebadged as North Adelaide in 1883 but continued its sad slide to extinction, finishing bottom in its last two seasons. There was a remarkable upset at Kensington Oval on 13 September 1884 when North scored its only win of the season, defeating an inaccurate Norwood 4.4 to 2.10. Hunt was one of North’s best men that day and quite likely captain. Former Port player F. H. Wedd was named North captain for 1884 but ‘Goalpost’, in his end-of-season summary in the South Australian Register, lists both “Hunt (captain)” and Wedd among those who worked hard to keep the club afloat.
After Norwood, Hunt played a final season with SAFA newcomer Hotham in 1887.
P. Robins, D. Cox Nov 2021