THE LEAGUE GAME.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 176, 27 July 1926, Page 9

THE LEAGUE GAME.

NOTES ON THE PLAY.

RICHMOND'S GREAT GAME.

"City don't seem to do any good when they are off Carlaw Park," a spectator was heard to remark on the sideline at the Richmond-City match at Victoria Park on • Saturday. This observation i was made at half-time, and up tiU that time his words adequately described the run of the play. The second spell saw : them more than emphasised, and right up to within a couple of minutes of the end it "looked as if the veterans would be beaten by the team of colts. It was quite evident that the City players, and especially those whose reputation for good judgment as footballers are • well known, as well as two members of the New.. Zealand League team for England, had the "wind up" when the red and blacks were only a point ahead, and, with five minutes to go, Richmond attacked and defended withgreat spirit. A win to City meant they would be in the final for the senior competition, as on Saturday Marist and Ponsonby were equaL with them as far as points were . concerned. .*' As it 'turned outj however, Marists were defeated and City and Ponsonby won, their respective matches. Had Richmond any luck at all Tonsonby would have undoubtedly been in the lead by two points. Evidently this predicament suddenly flashed through the minds of tried players such as Brown, Wetherill and -B. Davidson. First Brown ana then the other two tried a "pot" to make"the game tolerably safe in the last few strenuous minutes. . But their efforts .were, lamentably weak, and the opinion was freely, expressed that each of the players named would have assisted their side to. much better advantage had they adopted running and passing' mcthodß. As it wag Richmond''were given chances which they were not slow to accept, and everyone round the ground was on the tip-toe.of excitement when the colts swooped down the field with the ball. There was a big crowd present and the high standard of football generally was much appreciated. It was a good, hard, clean game played in the. best of spirit, but it appeared that in tlie first spell at anyrate, City, playing against a strong wind, took their, opponents too cheaply. Richmond led by three to nil at half-time, and with luck it would have been eight to niL When ends were changed, City had to extend themselves all out to keep Richmond from scoring. On the other band, the defensive tactics adopted by the colts had the veterans thinking hard. Time was up, and the referee was only waiting for the Jjall to go out of play to blow his final whistle, when Richmond got away in splendid style, only to be held up on the line. Had attry been scored then the; would have been two points- tip- and '* City would have ' been defeated.; But the more mature team knew a .thing "or two,- and in a last final blind rush the oval was swept down' field at a terrific pace, and Base finally passed it on to Ghent for the. latter to run round behind the posts and touch down..i.' The goal didn't matter, for the red and- blacks had just won, and had met and played'a team which had given them the .most' sporting; "go" this season.

PONSOIfBT'SL JSASY WIN. , . It was expected that Ponsonby would have no undue difficulty in accounting for Newton, and such proved to be the case. Newton struck out gaily at the commencemeent, and in less than" ten minutes had a clear ten points lead—two converted tries. But that was tbe end of the section as far as Newton was .concerned. Ponsonby pulled themselves together and put on points with such a monotonous consistency that at the final whistle they had a 27 points' margin. It. was a good display to watch by reason of the open play, although it was evident that an interlude of rep. matches and the cessation of cup games had affected the standard of play. Forward the Ponsonby six had but a slight advantage over the opposing vanguard, but as far as backs were concerned the advantage was very much with Ponsonby. Newton wilted near the finish, and some of the players lost heart, but there were others who battled on bravely to the bitter end. With Poison and Mansill away Newton were unable to adequately replace them, and the back division was disorganised. Little and Herewini made.the most of the few opportunities that came their way, while Hand, formerly of the'; Berhampore Rugby Union Club at Wellington, returned to the fold, and made a very creditable debut at five-eighths. The best of the Newton forwards were Stack and Hammond. The Ponsonby back division was minus Riley and Cole. To assist to bridge the gap Grey, one of the best League backs of a few seasons ago, was included in the side, and partnered Usher at five-eighths. Grey gave a display of inside back play that was marked by fineness, and brilliancy, one of the best exhibitions seen on the park this season. Delgrosso played a heady game behind the Ponsonby packs, but on play was marked by too much selfishness on occasions, and he will have to improve ih that connection on tpur. Gardiner played splendidly at centre-threequarter, and if he keeps up his present form he will thoroughly vindicate his selection for the New Zealand touring team. Littlewood and Goodley, on the wings, were often in the picture. The latter disclosed a brilliant turn of speed in attack, while Littiewood gave a display which confirmed,a opinion that he has been very unlucky to miss the trip Home. -Except for one mistake at the. start Donovan was soundness personified at fullback, and is one of the best all-rounders that Ponsonby has. 9

Payne was the most prominent of the Ponsonby forwards, while Dempsey also did good work. Some of the scrumming in the game left a good bit to be desired, and the ball was at times not given the chance to be properly in. DEVONPORT'S GOOD WIN. That Devonport might beat Marist was always on the cards, but few expected the seasiders to score such a decisive win as to leave a margin of 18 points in favour of the men from across the harbour. The Devonport men were seen at their best, and they gave the finest display of League football seen at Carlaw Park this season. From the outset they threw the ball about in great style, the backs and forwards combining well and playing all over Marist, who gave a mediocre display, For men selected to go on tour to England, Kirwan and Brisbane were rather disappointing, particularly Brisbane, and though he made one or two nice runs during the two spells, taken all through his efforts \vere a long way below even good club standard. Kirwan tackled as solidly as usual, but he was continually missing his passes, particularly when he attempted to take the reverse pass. Marist's best back was Crewther, and he did more good work than any two others on the side. Of the forwards O'Brien. was always prominent, and though he gave away a couple of penalties by being offside, there was rever a movement in which he was not taking part. Stormont .was also a solid worker, but he is always doing his bit in any game. The Devonport men were an evenly balanced lot, and kept well together. The forwards beat the Tykes' pack, and took a lot of stopping. O'Brien, Ruby and Dixon were in the spotlight from whistle to whistle, and their form was up to the best standard, Seagar was the bright spot in the backs, his dummying and cutting in being responsible for more than ore score. The seasiders, on the form shown, should have no difficulty in downing Grafton next Saturday. ELLERSLIE V. MAN6ERE. The teams that turn out at Carlaw Park are the pick of the League men, but the match, Ellerslie v. Mangere, on Saturday, was worthy of a better setting than the Ellerslie ground. The game throughout was fast and spectacular, and would have given Carlaw Park patrons ample scope to make use of their vocal attributes. The teams reached a high star, dard, and gave an exhibition that ranks as one of the hardest fought games this season in the senior B grade. The weighty Mangere men set a solid, pace from the start, but the nippy Ellerslie team played a great defensive game. Although Mangere repeatedly, and in fact nine times out of ten, got the ball out of tbe scrum, they could not get away quick enough. The tackling by Ellerslie was a feature, and the Mangere forwards ran into trouble, especially if they essayed to pass Hettet, the fullback. This man played the best game of the season. As safe as a church, he brought down every man be went for with a certainty, that ..was a delight to witness. He played a. consistent game throughout,/and was a big factor in his team. Grogan,. on this wing, was also in great form, and played a splendid -game. ' Cook,' I_ William-, McGlure md R. Johnston, were at the top 1 of form, and were always in the r frorit~ when r wanted... For Mangere Wilson Junr. was :the .^ck e ' >: player,, and ; ;Waa_the.'jn*an«.bf .ratifing last' l which brought the scores leveL Rail, W.. Hapi, Daniels, Pai and Paul were the hardest : . workers. . They' *eceived fair rapport from, the rest, and were able to startle Ellerslie by piling on 13 points in the , last jpeU,. which equalled the total.of Ellerslie. NEW ZEALAND TEAM. POSSIBLE CHANGES IN PERSONNEL. On Tuesday next the New Zealand League team will leave Auckland on the Aorangi, and if rumour is to be relied upon, it is possible, when the 26 players line up at the gangway, there will be several who were not in the contingent of certainties chosen by the selectors a fortnight ago. L. Vivian has already notified tbe selectors that he will -be unable to make the trip, and J. Menzies, the Waikato forward, who played sucn good football in the trials, has filled the vacancy caused by Vivian's withdrawal.

Menzies is a very fine breakaway man, possessing a good turn of speed, and can be relied upon to be on the premises whenever there is a scoring chance. J. Kirwan up till noon to-day had not received any reply to his application for leave of absence, and with just a week to go before the team sails the Aucklander is beginning to have doubts about getting away.

Another Aucklander is mentioned as doubtful, but something definite should be known to-morrow. Should a winger drop out, Littiewood goes in; if an inside back,'Eekhoff and Bileyinthat order; if a front row forward, O'Brien (Devonport) goes in; if a second row forward, Hutt will be included.