Cyril George Gove (10 January 1890 – 28 August 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family

The son of Julius Gove (1854–1922), and Catherine Gove (1860–1923), née Blyth, Cyril George Gove was born on 10 January 1890. He married Olga Macaw (1907–1984) on 27 October 1932.

Football

Gove, from St Thomas' Grammar School, Essendon, played his early football for the Collegians. A wiry wingman, he played 16 games in the 1914 VFL season and was chosen to represent the VFL in the Sydney Carnival.

Amateur jockey

In April 1914, Gove rode five winners at the Southern Riverina Turf Club Picnic Meeting in Deniliquin. At 2:00PM on Saturday 29 May 1915, Gove rode the racehorse Menthe into third place in the Springbank Corinthian Handicap, a race for amateur riders, at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Immediately the race was over, he caught a fast cab down Mount Alexander Road, Melbourne to the East Melbourne Cricket Ground, and by 3:00PM he was playing for Essendon (and was one of its best players) in its round 6 match against South Melbourne.

Death

He died in Deniliquin, New South Wales on 28 August 1973, aged 83.

Footnotes