Rev. Charles Page Wood organized the match during July 1867 at the Spa Ground in Gloucester as a so-called Glamorganshire eleven, including his father and brother, turned out against the Gloucester club.
His father, Charles Frederick Bryan Wood, had been educated in the town before serving as a vicar in various parishes close to the town before moving to Penmark, near Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan. With many friends and family still living in the Gloucester area, the game was part of a jolly celebration for the Wood’s with Charles scoring 10 and 0 in the drawn match.
Educated at Cowbridge Grammar School and Jesus College, Oxford, Charles had a decent playing record with both the Cardiff and Cowbridge clubs. Like many elder sons of the clergy, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and after being ordained he served as Curate of Calstock in Cornwall from 1869 until 1871 before moving to Devon and being Curate of Lynton in 1872.
Whereas his father had served in various ministries in the UK, Charles opted to work abroad and was Curate of Georgetown in Guyana from 1873 until 1877. He then moved to South Africa and served as Principle of the Diocesan Grammar School in Kings Williamstown from 1878 until 1881.
He then spent a couple of years as Curate of Gray College before moving to St. Mary’s in Potchefstroom where he was Curate until 1891. This was followed by brief spells in the Transvaal at Christiana and Zeerust, Transvaal before returning to the UK in 1901 and working as Vicar of Ash in Surrey and Denford in Northamptonshire.
It appears that he missed the milder and warmer climes of the Cape as in March 1925 he emigrated to South Africa. He died in a nursing home in Durban two and a half years later.
WOOD, Rev. Charles Page
Born: Penmark, Glamorgan, 21 January 1845.
Died: Durban, Natal, 9 November 1927.