THE LEAGUE CODE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 212, 7 September 1926, Page 11

THE LEAGUE CODE.

THE END IN SIGHT. OF CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP. The result of Saturday's games leaves the club championship to be fousrht out between City and Ponsonby. and it is expected that when the Management Committee meets to-morrow evening it will be decided to play the final on Saturday. The present po-itinn of the teams in the A and B grades is as under:— A SECTION. I'.iiuts <_'h. P. W. 1.. D. K. A. Its. City .... !•_• Hi 2 — 27n I."S I'u Ponsouby .11 n 2 — 24.'. ir.o i^ M.irist ... 11 7 4 — 177 14.1 14 Devonport 11 7, cj — -j-j.4 14!) 10 Richmond 11 :; s — n:; 17G <> Newton .. ] l :; s — rjj :-tu4 r> Graftim ..11 2 y — 112 -JIS'J 4 T. SECTION. Tuiuts Ch. p. \v. i.. n. v. a. its. Xnrthcote 13 U :: l I4t; 186 li> KliiKslaud is s r> — Hit; :it iv K!>-rsiie .. ]3 7 4 2 101 S7 1C Mangpre . l.'i ti li l 147 12". 13 iHaliiihu . 13 :{ s i> 711 i:i2 ;■■ Parnt'll .. v.j ;; n> — iao 0 THE OLD RIVALS. Once again those old rivals, City and Ponsonby, will light out the season's championship, and never did a competition promise such a fitting wind-up as this year. Throughout the season both teams have gone along winning their matches and showing the very best club football, and if the Auckland Kugby League, as is anticipated, decide to play the tinal on Saturday there will be a big crowd present.

CITY FORWARDS' SURPRISE. While perhaps few outside Devonport's own supporters would be surprised at their defeat by City on Saturday, because it takes a team out of the ordinary to down the wearers of the red and black, it was the general opinion that in the forwards at least Devonport would show to advantage. That the City pack would hold their own, and be going the stronger at the end was not

expected, and the way they were finishing up their job after one of the most strenuous games played at the Park, was the surprise of the match. Evidently they realised that if City were to win the forwards would have to render every assistance, and they certainly rose to the occasion. Every man of the six played Hkp a champiou, and though they did not throw the ball about to the same extent as the Devonport pack, their brilliant following :;p was disastrous to the Devonport backs. In this respect no two players contributed more to the defeat of Devonport than the Townsend brothers. They gave the opposition no peace, and were smothering clearing kicks all the after-

noon. ' Mackie, Hawkes, Reid and Mitchell were good, playing hard, solid football. Wetherill was the best of the backs, not because of anything he did in attack, but for the number of times he got his side out of trouble. Wade showed a lot of determination in his running, and had bad luck in not scoring at least one try. On the Devonport side all worked hard. O'Brien was the best forward, and next to him Douglas, while Dixon also played his usual solid game. The best back was Stewart, who made some very nice runs and provided openings which always left his team with a scoring chance. K. Scott was also good and played right up to his best form. OTAHUHU V. ELLERSLIE.

When Otahuhu met Ellerslie on the latter's ground on Saturday, a good, hard game was expected, bu' hopes were doomed to disappointment. Otahuhu carried the day by 17 points to 10, after a game that left a. lot to be desired. Tbe Ellerslie pack seemed to be right off form, or too tired to get going. Otahuhu played a fast game from the start, and while not brilliant, certainly made I Ellerslie attend to their defences Ellery, Eustace, Kirkland, Brady, and Scarborough were mostly in the limelight for Otahuhu. the two former being the pick. Had their combination been better the points would have been considerably increased. Williams, McGlure and Shand played out for Ellers-' lie, but the support was weak, and their efforts were nullified. It was only in the second spell that Ellerrlie wakened up a bit, but it was too late. R. Johnston, who played fullback, was showing out well for Ellerslie towards the finish, but the opposition was too strong. In short, it was a scrappy game that did not impress. PONSONBY SCRAMBLE HOME. By a matter of seconds, Ponsonby qualified for the play-off in the championship, in fact at something even after the much quoted eleventh hour, for they were a beaten side by Marist on Saturday when time was actually up. The fact that the ball was still in play gave Ponsonby a desperate and slender chance, and they achieved the seemingly impossible, the whole team for one fleeting moment rising to it in inspired fashion, and, with a wonderful piece of combined attack, they pulled the game out of the fire with a "spectacular try. Though fast ar>d hard, the game did not reach the highest League plane. The forwards were well matched and battled away in whole-souled fashion, but on neither side could the backs give the finishing touch that was necessary. The Ponsonby inside backs were resourceful and clever, but tbe attack usually broke at L T sher in the centre, and the wings were literally starved. On the other hand, the Marist inside backs could not team, the passes were often taken standing still, and there was not the thrust nor penetrative skill to give the three-quarter line proper scoring chances. Individually there were players in the game who did well. Pickering, at fullback for Marist. more than satisfactorily filled the gap that has been left by Gregory's departure with the Xew Zealand team, and gave a splendid display of faultless fielding and defensive kicking that had a wonderful length. .Sweeney, in the three-quarter line, was sound, and Hansen scored a brilliant try during which he had to elude three opponents with little ground to work in, and at the same time keep on sufficient pace to evade a diving tackle from behind. For all-round play, Crewtber. at five-eighths, was about the best of the Marist backs. The greens rearguard included three players who are just from the sister code, and allowance should perhaps be made for the fact that they are not a3 yet initiated into the intricacies of the League code. O'Brien, Noble and Stormont were the pick of the Marist vanguard, the latter being up with the play right through the game.

On the day the Ponsonby back-; were disappointing and they will need to do letter next Saturday to record a ■win. The weak spot was Usher at centre Lhree-quart-er, although there were occasions when he went well. Littlewood. who was nursing an injured leg, was rather colourless; Donovan was sound a≤ usual;

while Grey and Peckham played sk:l- j fully in an attempt to trot t'leir rc.ir-1 1 guard moving. Payne s'. »r.l ..i;t the

most of a very even pack. Tlil , jime for Ponsonby was a case of "All's well that ends well,"' but there was ;;o doubt that the lateness of the run that they niaoe cave their supporters tho shock of their