DOB: Unknown
Died: 18 July 1877
The English born Thompson had studied at Cambridge University before emigrating to the Colony of Victoria in the late 1840's.
The first secretary of the Melbourne Football Club was an amateur cricketer of note who also wrote for the Argus. He was one of the men, alongside Wills, Hammersley and Smith who put the first set of laws of the game into writing but would fall out with Wills on a number of matters. He objected to the Rugby school influenced place kicks and 'marks' suggsted by Wills but lost out.
He was one of the inaugural MFC players in 1859. Thompson and Wills were again involved in controversy during 1860 when Wills used his position of captain as Richmond to demand an oval shaped ball be used in a match between the two clubs.
The two fell out for good when Wills failed to turn up to a Victorian cricket team practice match without excuse and Thompson used his column in The Argus to criticise him.
In 1861 Thompson moved to Bendigo and became both secretary and captain of the first local side, Sandhurst which commenced play in June that year. He returned to play with Melbourne in 1864.
Thompson died at the age of 48 from a combination of excessive alcohol consumption and bronchopnuemonia.
He played twice for the Victorian cricket side in 1862.
Media
"A Game Of Our Own: The origins of Australian Football" by Geoffrey Blainey
Links
Wikipedia profile