NORTHERN UNION.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 126, 28 May 1918, Page 3

NORTHERN UNION.

NEWTON* AND POXSOXBY. Xevvton and Ponsonby provided a thoroughly attractive game at Victoria Park. A conspicuous feature of th e same I wa 8 the intelligent and fast work of the New-ton forwards, who, time and u»-ain carried the offensive right on to° the' j Ponsonby line by sheer spew! and combination. When it is remembered that tlie ball was in anything but a good condition for handling ac a result of the wet weather, this display of concerted attacking by the Newton" forward pack is all the more praiseworthy. The Ponsonby players proved adequate for each assault, and were able to turn the tide I successfully, but their play was marked by solid defensive qualities more than initiative. In the first ten minutes Ponsonby get the pace, and then Newton answered the challenge, with the result that the speed became very fast, but this livening up did not interfere with intelligent play, so that the spectators were | treated to plenty of willing and spectacular play that at times was as good as anything we have seen on Victoria Parki for many a long day. There were lapses in the game when the pace became slower, but on the whole, both teams succeeded in keeping it going throughout the con- i test without much resting. The greasy : state of the ball helped quick changes to take place, whan there would be a rapid reversal of the offensive, bu.t this served to keep the excitement of the onlookers

at high pitch. The final score was Ponsonby 8, Newton 7, and just before the final whistle blew the Newton pack were extending themselves in an effort to break through. GRATTON V. CITY. This game narrowed itself down to a one-point victory for City after a strenuous struggle in which, there were no slack moments. Through the sloppy nature of the ball anything in the way of brilliant movements by the backs was out of the question, but this did not deter the back divisions in at times mak- } ing an effort to open up the game. Honours in this direction went to Grafton, who accounted for the best try of the day shortly after the commencement of the second spell, when McGregor galloped across after his colleagues had done well in keeping possession in a fast passing rush. This slight advantage to Grafton was more than compensated for by the City pack, who were more than a match for their opponents, I both in open and close play. One outstanding piece of play by the City forwards was the screwing of a scrum at the corner flag that gave Hogan a chance which he was quick to snap up. Diving into the thick of it he whipped the oval up and went across, registering one of City's best tries. That the game was fairly even can be gauged from the fact that apart from the one point that gave City victory the scoring was done alternately up to when the score read 8-7 in City's favour, and although they were the losers Grafton were the last to score. Of Graf ton's backs Ifwerson put in a lot of solid work in attack and defence. He was ably assisted by Tremain. The forwards all got down to it well, but were not quite as heavy or as fast as their opponents amongst whom Francis Haddon and Rukutai were conspicuous. Of the City backs Hogan and Paki showed up prominently. The present position of the different teams In the competition is:— Points <jn. Played. W. L. For. Ag'at. Fca. Ponsonby ».. 2 2 — 25 IB 4 City 2 2 — 26 23 4 Newton 2 1 1 37 10 2 ♦Maritime ..2 1 1 13 15 2 Graf ton 2 — 2 19 -JS — Shore 2 — 2 2 30 — * Won by default.