LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 91, 18 April 1921, Page 9

LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

THE PRELIMINARIES,

I'RasPECTS IOR THE SEASON'

Ihe League football preliminary trynute were run on Victoria Park arid the .'■■m;i;ii on Saturday, and it iv ; u surprising to see how many individuals i were interested spectators. On Victoria i-ark especially was this public interest manifested, and probably a thousand onlookers watched the more enthusiastic members of Newton Hangers Ponsonby L'nited and City Rovers Clubs in action. While many of the men who donned jerseys of whatever colour they couid !ind for the afternoon must be i rlaospd as juniors, quite a number of I them on \ ietoria Park are well-known to Uajme supporters as seniors ( »f last year, and s-everal were newcomers. _ Fur Newton, Poison, the little half, iJufty. who was often seen last season !as the kicking full-back, Cloke the j three-quarter, together with Lovelock . and Biggs, also backs, and Ually I vomers, WilHams and Gregory turned ■ out. while City representatives of lust season included 0. Paid, Wotherall and Ilarley, a junior man who lias been discovered as a first grade full-back. The Davidson brothers. Bill and Ben, were also among the players, while the Ponsonby colours were upheld by a team of enthusiasts that were sufficient, in their numbers at any rate, to jrive credit to any club. "Scotty"' McClymont donned his okl club colours, and with him were Sutherland, Locke, Blaokey and McNeil, all new men, while Hnlliday was also out, and so were Walsh, Southernwood and Henderson. One of these j latter old-timers did nothing more than stand on the line. It is almost a. certainty that Marist >will j have this year a stronger team than last year, for present information points to the club running the ve.ry gToat majority of its old members, while iv addition, there has I'eeii a certain amount of secretive wlii-porinji. which all \cnds to (rive the impression that one or two well-known Rugby men are g-oinp; to join up. As for Maritime, il we take the word of the officials for it. they will be playing a junior team this season, but tiiat remains to be seen, and it if> at lx->t a risky business to forecast the personnel of either of these two teams until ihere lias been an opportunity to see the players actually upon the field. To nig-ht the Auckland will meet at Fordi-"; Rooms, Devonport. to diFcnsa football at the North S'icie Last year North Shore Albion amalgamated with funnyside, and so far as can be ascertained ihe results have not of this meeting is to revive intense in j Shore football." THE EXCrbISH TOUR. Criticism of the proposed Knglisli j tour ha 9 not yet been settled in AuckIsnd. and it is on the cards tha-t in view of the certain visit of the Australasian team to the O'd Country a change will be made in the local competitions, ■so that the absence of probably ten Auckland men with the New Zealand team iv Australia will not deprive the championships of all interest. There has been something said of the! te-Tms on which the N>w Zealand-era j will go across to Australia, and the' cream of T-hem home to Kngland, but in view of the fact that these New Zeaj tanders are not |>ermitteJ by the Dominion rules to take anything more than their out of poek-et expenses it i» possible, nay probable, that one or two at any rate of the likely ones will not be atble to see the.r way clear to make the trip. NORTHERN" UNION* OHALLKNGE a. , p. The Wellington League has already written up to challenge Auckland for the Northern Union Challenge Cup. This cup was presented by the English Nor- ' them Union League at the time of the English visit in KM 1-12, for interprovincial competition in the Dominion. Thk is the first challenge received by Auckland this year. but the looal League expects to get a challenge from ! every centre in New Zealand during the .' forthcoming season. Carlaw Park i« ■ expected to be in commission by the ; beginning of Jury, at latest, and with this, ground available the interest of the southern Leagues will be very i much enhanced, for the condition under > which they may undertake a visit to j Auckland will "be rendered very much more stable by the fact that the Auck- I land League can place at their disposal a ground that will always be under its own control. ',