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Born: c.1886 – United Kingdom
Died: Deceased
Test record: 1 Test (1909) – 0 points
Tours: 1909 tour of Australia

England-born Thomas Houghton represented New Zealand on the 1909 tour of Australia as a halfback, centre and forward.

The Liverpool City player was signed by St Helens, playing for the club’s second team, before emigrating to New Zealand.

One of two sons of Northern Union chairman Joseph Houghton (Samuel would later become ARL secretary), Thomas was a prominent figure in the establishment of the Auckland Rugby League. He played for Auckland against Taranaki in 1908, and featured in the inaugural ARL club match (for City against North Shore) and in Auckland’s first officially sanctioned representative match in 1909.

Houghton was selected for New Zealand’s trip across the Tasman in 1909 and twice kicked three goals in a match in six appearances, in the tour-opening loss to NSW (26-21) – opposing the great Arthur ‘Pony’ Halloway at halfback – and a win over Queensland (27-19). He was called up at centre for the third Test, which Australia won 25-5 at the RAS Showground in Sydney.

He played for Newton Rangers in the first ARL premiership season in 1910 and later became an administrator with North Sydney.