Vale Kelly Allsop

By Ken Casellas

Kelvin Allsop, an outstanding player with Claremont in the mid-1950s, died on Monday, leaving club stalwarts with fond memories of his bright personality and his magnificent skills as a strong-bodied, nippy rover with a wonderful goal sense.

Better known as Kelly, he studied at St Louis School in Claremont and was recruited from his home town of Balingup where he had won his association’s fairest-and-best award for the three previous years.

Allsop made his league debut for the Tigers in the round one match against Swan Districts at Subiaco Oval on April 16, 1955, when he was one of eight debutants, the others being the new captain-coach John Hyde, Neville Roberts, John Caffel, Murray Ward, Bob Gabrielson, Ron Hall and Doug Hogue.

Injuries restricted Allsop to ten of a possible 20 matches, in which he scored 20 goals. Then, in 1956 Allsop stamped himself as one of the best rovers in the State. He was one of two Claremont players to appear in all 19 league matches (the other being star defender Peter Jago).

He booted 46 goals and was the club’s leading goalkicker for the season in which he also won the club’s fairest-and-best award. He was outstanding when he scored six goals to play a major role in Claremont’s two-point victory over Perth at Claremont Oval on July 21. He scored four of the side’s 11 goals in a five-point win over West Perth the following week, and he also starred with five-goal hauls against West Perth and East Perth.  

Allsop was one of five men to appear in all of Claremont’s 21 matches in 1958 when his tally of 38 goals that season included five-goal efforts against East Fremantle and Subiaco.

Allsop played in Claremont’s opening four matches in 1958 before he found it was too difficult to combine a league career in the metropolitan area with running a trucking business in the country. He made 54 league appearances for Claremont and scored 106 goals.

The Claremont president Grant Povey, directors, staff, players and supporters offer their sincere condolences to his wife Margaret and the family on the passing of a true club champion.