THE WORLD of SPORT

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 266, 9 November 1926, Page 11

THE WORLD of SPORT

THE LEAGUE GAME.

N.Z. TEAM IN ENGLAND.

HEWS OP THE EASLT GAMES.

INCIDENTS OP PLAY AND TRAVEL.

|By E. H. MATR, Coach and Team's Manager.)

HARROGATE (England), October 3.

The second match of the tour was at Leigh, against the home side, on their ground at Mather Lane. We left Harro. gate at 9.30 in the morning, reaching Leigh by special ealoon at 1.30 p.m. Awaiting us at the station were the Mayor and councillors, Mr. T. Collier (who toured 'Australia and New Zealand •with the Englishmen in 1924), Messrs. J. Darwell and W. Mooney (two of the Leigh footballers, who were members of that same side), and thousands of spectators. A pleasant surprise awaited the New Zealanders, a Darktown jazz band, with weird kinds of gowns and instruments, taking their position in front of the char-a-banc. A mayoral reception was tendered the team at the Hope and Anchor Hotel, when the usual jkoasts were proposed and responded to.

The Leigh Game.

Our team took the field thus:—Fullback, C. Dufty; threequarters, G.Gardiner, B. Davidson, L. Brown; five-eighths, H. Brisbane and J. Sanders; halfback, W. Hall; forwards, W. Devine, A. Carroll, E. Herring, L. Mason, N. Mouat, and' B. Avery (captain).

Within five minutes from the start Dufty fielded near the half-way line, and raised a great cheer by landing the 'prettiest field goal witnessed on the Leigh ground. Encouraged by this success, the

All Black attack<sd strongly, and in a clever movement Davidson neatly drew the defence, and sent to Gardiner, •who forced his way over at the corner. Dufty's kick from the touch-line rang true, and the All Blacks led by 7 to 0. Davidson again was responsible in the main for Gardiner's second try, the movement being a repetition of the previous try. Dufty again from the touch-line raised the flags. Just on half-time a rush between Herring, Avery, and Carroll ended in the latter scoring. Dufty goaling made the interval scores 17 to 0 against the home side. The first half •was all in favour of the All Blacks, but in the second spell Leigh came more into their own, scoring 16 points to our 6. Within ten minutes from the resumption Bithell came through an opening, and sent Blackburn over for a try, which Clarkson converted. It was certainly Davidson's day out, he being the best player on the ground, for the next try was secured by him. Brown ran threequarters of the field, and in-passed to Davidson, who had headily ran into position. Dufty failed. Myers then crossed for Leigh, and Clarkson, kicking for goal right in front of the posts, went too close, and the ball went underneath. Herring then went over for New Zealand, the try being unconverted. Leigh were attacking strongly in the closing stages, Clarkson and Osborne scoring tries, one of •which was converted, making the final scores 23 points to 16 in New Zealand's favour. The Unemployment Trouble. Considering the state of unemployment in Leigh through the strike, the attendaance was remarkable. The sum of £540 was taken at the gate, 7500 paying for admission. The capacity of this ground is 35,000, and the record attendance 22,000 (representing £1190), at the match between Leigh and Warrington, in the Northern Union Cup, on March 12, 1921. From a financial aspect the position is encouraging, £1500 being now taken in the first two matches. Large numbers of unemployed broke down the fences, forcing their way in. This feature of the present English mining trouble has affected the itinerary in other ways beside finance, several matches having to be changed round. The most notable of these is Castleford, where 99 per cent is out of work.

To go to this game it was necessary to change into three trains going to the match, and into four coming home. Leagueites will be interested to know that Joe Darwell and Walter Mooney, from Leigh, have played their last Test football for England, both retiring after returning from the 1924 trip. Leigh defeated New Zealand in 1907-8 by 15 points to 9, defeated the Australians in 1908-9 by 14 to 11, beaten by the Australians In 1911-12 by 13 to 12, and again defeated by Australia in 1921-22 by 17 to 4. New Zealanders will be interested to know that it is 40 years since the Maoris visited Leigh. Up to this match Leigh had the honour of winning three out of their five matches with colonial teams, Leigh scoring 53 points to their opponents' total in all matches of 53 also.

Two interested spectators at the game were Charlie Seeling (the famous New Zealand forward) and E. A. McDonald, of Australian Cricket Eleven fame. The Loss at Hull. The third match of the itinerary was against Halifax, at Halifax. Their ground is at Thrum Hall, with a capacity of 35,000. Their record gate is 29,122, at the match between Halifax and Hudderefield, in the Yorkshire Cup, on November 1, 1913. Over 13,000 were present, producing the splendid gate of £1034, despite the effect of the strike ther§. To the day it wae 40 years

when the Halifax ground was opened. Halifax defeated New Zealand in 1907-8 by 9 to 4, Australia in 1908-9 by 12 to 8, lost to Austrlia in 1911-12 by 23 to 5, and lost to ? Australia in 1921-22 by 35 to 6. Cole's knee made it necessary for him to stand down at the last minute. The New Zealanaders v were:—Fullback, C. Dufty; threequarters, W. Desmond, B. Davidson, G. Gardiner; five-eighths, J. Kirwan and H. Brisbane; half-back F. Delgrosso; forwards, J. Menzies, A. C*arroll, E. Herring, L. Mason, N. Mouat, and B. Avery (captain). Bert Avery lost the toss, and New Zealand missed the first half's advantages. First score went to Halifax through a penalty, Young raising the nags. Halifax kept up the pressure, and a movement between King, Todd, Young and Young culminated in H. Young going over, the kick failing. The. home forwards were getting the ball from the scrum and in a back movement between Watkins, Todd, Rhoades and King ended in the latter scoring. The kick missed. Half time came with Halifax eight points to the good, with the honours of the first spell all theirs. Bishop Frodsham (one time in charge of the R;C. Northern district in Queensland, but now Bishop of Halifax) kicked off in the second half. H. Young scored early in the second half for Halifax, the shot failing. The All Blacks for the first time in the game commenced to play international football. .on onslaught launched by Mouat just missed by inches, and Avery was all but over in the next rush. The Blacks' skipper was not to be denied, scoring five minutes later, for Dufty to goal. Halifax 11, New Zealand 5. Referee Criticised. Todd then went .over for Halifax after running half the field, the kick missing. It was from this stage that the All Blacks fought desperately to secure the lead. Good work by Mason and Mouat ended in Avery scoring his second try, Dufty missing the goal. It was then that the best movement seen on the Halifax ground came to pass. Halifax pressed, carrying play to New Zealand's line. Dufty was hemmed in, and passed to Desmond, who again passed to Dufty. Down the field the attack went, seven players handling the ball, Bri&'bane eventually scoring the try in the movement, which was from goal poet to goal post. Dufty goaled, and the All Blacks were one point behind.

It was then that the referee came in for much criticism. Bert Avery, right under Halifax's goal posts, tried to get up on four occasions, only to be dumped. A free kick was the only decision, so glaring were the infringements, but he ordered a scrum to the amazement of everyone. This was the turning point of the game, and before the New Zealanders could recover their surprise Halifax broke away, for Townsend to be as surprised as the spectators when awarded a try. Young goaling made the final scores 19 to 13 ij Halifax's favour. One thing is certain, \it although there are over 30 matches still to play, this referee, Mr. W. Wood (Oldham) will never officiate in our itinerary again. Hβ did not please either team or the spectators. The large attendance were not slow to show their appreciation of the inspiring football played in the second spell by the New Zealanders, who were unlucky to lose.

Another feature which has been broadcasted by the Press was the sportsmanlike manner in which they played their game on the field, and that they can be just as modest in victory as they are spontaneous in their congratulations to their opponents in defeat. The gate takings at this game has brought the total to £2534 for three matches. A Change of Itinerary. The fourth match of the All Blacks itinerary should have been with Caetleford, on September 21, but owing to 99 per cent of the population being affected by the strike this club changed dates with Rochdale Hornets for January 3 New Zealand defeated the Hornets on December 7, 1907, by 19 to. nil; Australia defeated them by 5 to nil in 1908-9; Australia defeated them again on December 23, 1911, by 18 to 6, and again by 16 to 2 in 1921-22. The weather was ideal for the game, and the gate better than anticipated. Some 7600 paid for admission, resulting in a gate of £586—a total of £3120 for four matches. New Zealand's players were: Full-back, C. Gregory; three-quarters, W. Desmond, B. Davidson, and J. Parkes; five-eighths H. Brisbane and H. Cole; half-back, W. Hall; forwards, W. Devine, E. Herring, A. Carroll, L. Mason, B. Avery (captain) and N. Mouat.

From the first scrum Mason landed a beautiful goal for the All Blacks' for a penalty. A minute later Mason just missed another from over half-way. After a quarter of an hour's play the Hornets took the lead. Evans prettily intercepted a pass from an attacking movement, swerved round Gregory, and scored at the corner. The kick just missed the uprights. Langshaw was then responsible for a brilliant try for the Hornets, sprinting down the touchline with little room to move, beating two opponents to score at the corner. Wild missed the goal. Five minutes before half-time the Hornets scored again, May going through with a dribble, and picking up sent to Tetlow, to Walker, to H. Evans, to W. Evans, who scored a fine try. Wild, missing again, made the half-time scores 9 to 2 in favour of the Hornets. A Very Close Go. Early on resuming the Hornets were penalised, Mouat landing the goal. The All Blacks were rising to the occasion grandly, and from the scrum Hall sent to Avery, to Davidson, to Parkes, who raced over at the corner, for Mason to land a beautiful goal from the touch line, which equalised the scores—9 all. Mason just missing a goal from the half-way iine, and Farkes crossed the line, but was unfortunate to get dragged back by the time the referee arrived at the scene. Time was drawing nigh, and Mouat landed a goal from a penalty, putting his side ,in front. Bight on full time the Hornets were given a penalty near the posts, but it missing, the All Blacks won a memorable game by 11 points to 9.

On arrival at Rochdale the All Blacks were met at the station by the League officials, and tendered a civic welcome t the Town Hall by the Mayor, aldermen, and Leagueites. A miniature Rugby ball was presented to Bert Avery by the director of the Rochdale Hornets, Mr. R. Brierley. On it was inscribed, "From a little Hornet to a little All Black," presumably for Bert's little heir. The Game at Barrow. The game with Barrow was keenly contested. To get to Barrow from Harrogate it was necessary to leave in the morning, arriving at Barrow at 5.15 p.m., after changing into three trains. Out of the 35 matches we have to play, there are only six matches in which we will have to travel the day before. New Zealand fielded the following team: Fan-

back, C. Dufty; three-quarters, F. Delgrosso, B. Davidson, W. Desmond; fiveeighths, H. Brisbane and H. Cole; halfback, W. Hall; forwards, W. Devine, E. Herring, A. Carroll, L. Mason, B. Avery (captain), and N. Mouat. Referee, Mr. A. Brown (Wakefield).

The game was played on a wet ground. Rain affected the attendance, and the sum oi £477 was taken at the turnstiles. This is a remarkable gate for Barrow at the present time, where there is so much unemployment, and thousands are on the dole. Barrow had the misfortune to lose its magnificent ground during the war, it being resumed for war purposes. Since then they have had to go to Little Park, at Boose, to play their games. This ground has a capacity of 25,000, and its record receipts were £560.

This is a peculiar ground, having a decided slope all one side, particularly at one end. Players had the experience of running uj> hill, and is a big advantage if a side knows how to use it.

In the first five minutes Herring was obstructed waen following up to touch down, and was awarded a penalty try, Dufty's kick just missing. Twenty minutes from the commencement Hall secured from the scrum, and, drawing his man, sent Desmond over for a neat try. Dufty's kick was a poor one. Delgrosso now saved a try by kicking the ball into touch when Scott was about to touch down. Davidson, Deyine and Avery then combined in a passing bout, the latter touching down with several Barrowites hanging on. Mouatt made no mistake with the kick. Just on half time Burgess landed a penalty goal, and the scores read 11 plays 2 at the adjournment.

New Zealand scored first in the second spell, when Delgrosso finished a fine movement by scoring a typical Delgrosso try—w/iich reminded mc of the try he scored against Queensland in the second Test last year in Brisbane. Mason failed to goal. Barrow then asserted themselves strongly, Carr scoring after good play on the part of Scott, and the second by Doyle after Desmond had mulled. Beth shots at goal missed.

Then occurred an incident which aroused the crowd's displeasure New Zealand attacked, and when in the act of stopping Avery, Carr was held by the arm. The referee either failed to witness the incident, or decided that as there were three opponents to Carr, the stopping of Avery would not have saved the try. Dufty goaled. Just on full time Cummins dived over from a scrum. Burgess failed, and the final scores read 19 to 16 in the All Blacks' favour. A Rock-like Referee

The sixth match of the tour—against Widnes—eventuated on their ground at Lowerhouse Lane on September 29. Once again the gate was affected by the strike, there being barely 5000 present, the receipts being £460—a total of £4057 for six games, an average of £676 per match.

Windes is the principal club in the Northern Union game that boasts no importations, all the members being locally "bred." Their idea may take them longer to get there, but they are solid on the point that it is the better system in the long run.

New Zealand fielded C. Gregory, fullback; L. Brown, H. Brisbane, B. Davidson, F. Delgrosso, three-quarters; H. Cole and W. Hall, halves; F. Henry, E. Herring, A. Carroll, J Wright, L. Mason and N. Mouat, forwards. B. Avery, W. Desmond and C. Dufty were absentee)) through injuries sustained at Barrow. The two first-named recovered sufficiently to play in the first Test yesterday, but Dufty, although selected to play against York next Wednesday, is doubtful owing to his Barrow injury. The referee in this game was the Rev. F. H. Chambers, and he proved as big in temperament as he is in physique. The spectators were easily the most "out-

spoken" in their outcries from whistle to

whistle met to date, and things did not look too nice for him at the conclusion of the game. There are three things he is very firm with—halves retiring,

players questioning the decisions (unless it is the captain), and players using adjectives. He handled an awkward game splendidly, and unlike some other referees—the crowd do not affect his rulings with their voicings. The All Blacks will welcome this reverend gentleman at any time. Henry and Wright were playing their first game, leaving Thomas and Webb the only two players in the side that had not had a match. It was certainly the best display given by the All Blacks to date, though the match was not attractive to watch, certainly an improvement of 50 per cent on our match •with Rochdale. The blacks won the game on their merits, and it showed them to be in better fettle for

their first big task a few days later than

had been the case in the opening matches. It is a strange thing about New Zealand footballers that they should produce their best form in the second half. Two forty-fives suit them better than two forties always. Their scrummaging in this match was also the best to date, and they were unfortunate in not landing several more tries, Brown going over three times only to be called back for forward passes. The team to a man in the second half never let up for a second, and although Widnes scored in the last minute—a namesake of the blacks' full-back—they never looked like winning, in the second epell in particular. Gregory's Day Out. It was certainly Gregory's day out. He played such a faultless game at fullback that had even Dufty been well it would have placed the selectors in a quandary who to put in the first Test against Cngland. In finding the line with clever grubbers, following his ball and getting his man, always in position, fielding and kicking tlae sphere, picking the ball ofi the feet of Widnes 1 forwards, and tackling, he was the ideal full-back. The home side took the lead early in the first spell with a goal through obstruction by one of the All Blacks forwards. When Davidson passed to Cole to score, the crowd let themselves loose, contending tlie former was offside. However, the referee was correct in letting the plaj' go on, as the ball touched a Widnes player in its flight. Mouat, who was skippering the team, added the extras. There was no further score up to half time.

Early in the second half Mouat scored from a follow up, and again raised thw flags. The best try of the day was scored by Brown in the closing stages, after Brisbane had beat the opposition. It was a typical winger's try, that delighted the crowd, and they were not slow to show their appreciation. Mouat did the necessary. Gregory scored for Widnes near the end of the game, and the game finished 15 points to 5 in New Zealand's favour—the biggest win of the six games.

After the match Widnes entertained their guests at a banquet, and a feature of the function was the menu cards done in gold with a small resume of the game that day. .. '^

To give an idea of the changing of trains the All Blacks had to do ou the day of their Widnes match, they left Harrogate at noon, changed at Leeds, again at Manchester and at Farnsworth, then to Liverpool Central, across to Liverpool Exchange, thence to Southport, where we spent four days concentrating for the first Test. It was useless going back to Harrogate from Widnes, there being no connection on the Wednesday. Thursday was the earliest, and it meant leaving the next morning for Wigan, so the team was taken straight to Southport, and were quartered at the Prince of Wales Hotel.