LEAGUE SEASON OPENS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 97, 25 April 1921, Page 8

LEAGUE SEASON OPENS.

5,000 ON VICTORIA PAKE. CITY? TEAMWORK DEFEATS TYKES. FIREMEN BEATEN BY A POINT. NEWTON I-".. PONSONBY It. The IH2I League football season was opened on .Saturday on Victoria Park and at the Domain in typical lootbali weather, the ground wet. yet fairly linn, the kill greasy, light showers occasionally railing, and the general conditions such as would bring out [he Ih-si in the phi vers. On the Park, where (lie iwo first games were placed, there was an attendance that ran well ..ii-r ."..nOO persons. and (here was enough interest in the meeting between City aud Maris! (lid Boy, to keep the inlercst of the spectators well sustained. Although City beat ihe wearers of the green i» the tune of 22 p<.in:s t.» 5 ihere was by no means this difference iv the two teams. Ho- principal Mnri*i failing being a weakness in concerted team work, and the rawness of • or two individuals. •The misplacement of Stormoni and Singe, two tine forwards who were played in the five-eight line, was also remarked. City, on the other hanu. fiisplayoU capital combination iv both departments ..f ihe game, their backs especially making the mosl of mauy opportunities. Laing. al ceutre-lhreeciunr-ler, was a tower of strength, an.l he and his team-males were often responsible for the openings thai enabled YV. Davidson to score so frequently.

On No. 2 ground l-'ire ISrigade made their detiut in the League- -.une against North Shore. Both teams contained a sprinkling of senior players, hut neither was up to the best senior, standard in the average. Throughout North Shore showed a better understanding of Hie game than did the tiremen. most of whom were obviously raw Leaguers, and though they hud the weight they were generally outplayed. Shore won by the narrowest <>t' margins, the score at the .finish being three points tji two. hut if they had refrained fr.un off-side play iv the open and in the scrum they would have added largely to lueir score.

The firsi spell of the match between Newton and Ponsonby on ihe Domain was a very strenuous contest, ami the meeting between these two old rivals attracted a considerable number of spectators. Newton crossed tin- Ponsonby line only once, and the spell ended with them ihree points ahead of the men from Three Ulinps. I'onvonby began to liven up in ihe second spell, and soon a powerful forward push made ihe scores even. Newton were nippier than their opponents iv the backs, bnt in the forward division, the Ponsonby pack, notably Meadows. (Edwards and llanlen. invariably came out ahead in Ihe close work. Ten points were tacked on by the Newtonites iv the second spell, mainly through the agency of Poison, the half. Cloke, and the pack, who worked well together as a team. The game ended with Newton ahead by 13 .points to .'I. De-tailed reports follow: — NEWTON V. PONSONBY. Ponsonby kicked off. and Xrw-nn began to press hard on their opponents. Bass. Virtue, and James passing tbe ball forward. McClymont. the Ponsonby live-eighths. broke up the attack, and the game swung to Newton's quarter, whore Delgrosso and Norman took the ball over the line, but were unsuccessful in scoring. Newton recovered, and a strong forward rush took tbe play into I'onsonby's danger zone. Cloke got a hold of the ball, and hard pressed by tbe ponies succeeded in crossing the line near the posts and registering the first try of the day. Dufty took the kick, but failed to add to Newton's points.

From a scrum the ball passed from Walsh to MeClytnont. to McGregor, to .Mormon, but fumbling at the end of the line spoiled the ponies' chance of a likely score. Delgrosso and McClymont combined in a rush, but a penalty going against Ponsonby. Huffy diverted with a good kick down Hold. Meadows, in the forward row. brought Virtue down smartly. From play near the side line the ball passed to Mormon, who passed again to McGregor, on the wing. McNeill broke away, giving the ball to Meadows. Duffy saved for Newton, and another kick from the same plavei- gave n mark, taken by I'nllantvne. In' the sharp shower that was falling the ball became slippery. I'onsonby was awarded a "free" which was taken by llanlen. The kick was a straight one. but fell short of the bar. Walsh broke away, and the ball passed to Chatfield, and resulted in a force by Newton. Biggs put in a dribbling rush, and Somers coming up to support, kicked the ball over the line, where MeClvmont got in first and forced. Newton started off the second half with a strong pass along the hacks, which stopped at Illggs. Hie I'onies .-losing in. From the scrum Newton took the ball down field, where Ballantyne saved Bass broke away, but Delgrosso getting the ball and passing to Mormon. I'onsonbv followed up, and Poison fumbling' llnnloii and Sutherland came up. and Edwards getting the ball crossed the line and evened the scores. llanlen took the kick, but failed to register another two points. The game livened up considerably, and Edwards, Meadows, and llanlen did -nod work amongst the forwards of the Ponies' combination. Newton were awarded a penalty kick later. Duffy took the shot which went wide. Newton followed up. and a scramble near the posts resulted In Poison scoring. Dufty goaled. Newton were getting the ball out smartly, and Duffy end Lovelock were handling the ball well amonthe backs. A pass at the end of the line to IVewdiek gave him a chance to score in the corner. The goal was kicked by Duftv. Newton , n Ponsonby " . '_ '•'

CITY V. MAKIKTS. This came w-as fast. ; willing from rbe hl m r!vJ",'-\, ""' r : ' r , ly sl! "'"' s ™ r " marked - 1 ( " ty au *' tIlPn Mnrlsts showing to advantage. A run by Ben Davidson 'and «;Tw , d ll - tave . the rp,ls » Position from Which their forwards broke over the Jlarist line, where Townshend scored a try i"' Da "'- Kn » to goal. Wetherall. Laing and W. Davidson were prominent In a number of C-tty attacks that marked the play for the rest of the spell, while Hing and Stormont were outstanding Iv a couple of raids on the City goal. bnt. tiie --pell ended with City still live points ahead. Shortly after the second spell opened a long kick by Stormont and a mull by I:nine put the Tykes at City's goal-line, where Stormont forced his way over for a try. This was followed shortly afterwards liv a goal by Stormont. and the scores were equal. From this point City, playing with excellent combination. practically tool-, charge of the game, and tries were scored by Laing. W. (Davidson, and Ilawkes. while W. Davidson goaled four times, making the final score 22 points to five. Right to the end the Tykes showed up as well as their opponents in individual work, but they lacked the cohesion and nippiness of their opponents. "When the Marists team is properly organised it will he a formidable proposition.

NORTH SHORE V. FH'.E BRIGADE. The new ite-im in their all-white uniform (Fire Brigade) had a solid pack that kept Shore down to defence iv the first live minutes, and Innes and J. aud ('. Woollev gave early evidence -that they would nave to be watched. A favouring wind a long shot at goat put Shore on the attack, but they were slow developing any inroad, till Boryer, a nippy half-back made an opening from which ©odick just missed a score, being down at tbe line, and Brigade forced. Way now opened up. and Shore were more than holding their own. The blacks kept the whites busy by throwing the ball about, and Wynyard just, missed registering points with a pot at goal. The score was delayed, but very briefly, for Borver opened up a passing bout among the hacks which 'Price finished with a strong run and a try. The kick went aside. In tile second spell, nippy handling by rhe blacks and fumbling by tire Brigade saw Shore at the whites' line, but a breakaway by ('. Woolley was carried on at foot, aud the whites wer" at -Shore's goal, where ,T. 'Woolley put the ball just ltuiler the bar from 51 free. Shore* game was marked by infringements, and •they were lucky when C. Woolley missed a shot at goal from a free close up to the posts rihore, showing much the better knowledge of the game, worked back to tlie attack by eomibined pl.iv, when the whites broke away in a dribbling rush to s ''"?:.- 11 "'. ■"» ''bicks immediately retaliated. With nun now l'.-illin-' steadily and the ball too greasy to ha, d ,' itbecame a question of kick and rush, with North " T VaDta K* b >" reason of handling intelligently when tbe chance came. The blacks kept up a constant attack m combined forward rushes, but lost chances by off-side play, and a success™,; of frees put the whites on the safe side \ Sta? T h V ß , orJC ', a " d 5M,e P* lore's star in the ascendant till c v-™!... n^^v?^', 11 .■JP°« »'" 1-nitU -rf¥S field to the blacks' line. Fire Brigade were •forced back, but a free gave them a chance and C. Woolley landed",, goal. This was the sum total of the scoring, ami Shore won by 3 points to 2.