The Lower Clarence
Tug of War Team
Where sport is concerned, time has a way of making each generation think that they are faster, smarter and stronger.
The Lower Clarence Tug-of-War Team
BACK ROW, L-R: Bert Cooke, Lou Phelan, Peter Marshall, Wilfred Marshall, Ernie Marshall, Wilfred Lawrence (Anchorman)
FRONT ROW, L-R: Bob Taylor, George Grant, Bill Phelan, Harold Ernst, Allen Veinott, J.E. Lawrence (Coach)
Not Pictured: Fred Fiske, Leon Fiske
Photo taken in 1946 at Cunningham Studios, Queent St., Bridgetown.
Photo Courtesy of John Ray Lawrence, grandson of Wilfred E. Lawrence.
While it is true that improved training techniques and better equipment often do make generational athletes more skilled and more successful, it is hard to imagine that any group of men today could successfully compete against the men being honored with this induction.
The Lower Clarence Tug of War Team was formed in the 1940’s and “pulled” for nearly 20 years. The Clarence team was comprised of farmers and woodsmen and later on, workers from Acadian Distillers. Tug-of-War was a very popular sport during those two decades and this team became a feared competitor.
Once formed, the team began meeting every night at the home of J.E Lawrence and trained by running up hills with rail ties on their shoulders and by pulling trucks, weighted barrels and telephone poles.
For the uninitiated, “Pulling” is a pure team sport and not a sport for the faint of heart. Competitions were held on Saturdays and teams existed in nearly every community in the Province. With considerable community interest and support, pride was always on the line. In this area, the Clarence Team did their home pulls at the Lawrencetown Exhibition Grounds. Early on, pulling one Saturday against a Bridgewater team that actually had matching
boots and matching uniforms, the big Dutchmen dubbed our local boys the “Apple Pickers”. It was not meant to be a nickname of respect. Coach Lawrence responded by telling the team “Now boys, when you get the rope in your hands don’t stop until you get to the river”. Clarence won the pull.
Pulls between strong teams could last a long time and it was not uncommon to see men on the line vomit or faint. These were men used to hard endless days of physical labor so it is obvious that pulling demanded an incredible amount of determination, dedication and discipline. It was the coaches role to teach technique; how and when to get rest, when to pull, when to pull hard and when to dig down deep for the victory. Tug-of-War requires everyone on the rope to work as one unit.
Team members were as follows: Bill Phelan, Harold Ernst, Wilfred Lawrence (Anchorman), Allen Veinott, Wilfred Marshall, Peter Marshall, George Grant, Robert “Bob” Taylor, Ernie Marshall (Big Ernie), Lou Phelan, Bert Cooke (Manager), John Lawrence (J.E.) (Coach), Fred Fiske and Leon Fiske.
The team began to win consistently. Their longest pull lasted 46 minutes against a team from Middleton. No breaks, just a continuous physical effort with victory at the end. In 1947, they even pulled against an elephant, and won.
Over time the “Apple Pickers’ earned the title of “Kings of the Rope” and the title was always used with respect.
Over a period of eleven years this team went undefeated. It is hard to imagine that such a record could ever be equaled, in any sport.