LEAGUE BENEFIT DAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 95, 23 April 1928, Page 13

LEAGUE BENEFIT DAY.

CROWD AT CARLAW PARK.

STACK FUND BENEFITS BY £500.

EXCELLENT MIXED PROGRAMME.

The appeal for assistance for "Dick" Stack, a prominent and popular member of the Newton Rugby League football team, was not made in vain, as this afternoon over ten thousand people gathered *t Carlaw Park, and a gum of £500 wae paid at the gates. The case of Stack had aroused wide sympathy. Injured in a League game near the close of last season, he has been an inmate of the Auckland Hospital ever since, and one of his legs has been amputated. He cannot follow his former occupation, and in order to help him a fund, in charge of trustees, under the direction of Mr. W. J. Hammill, ex-chairman of the Auckland Rugby League, has been established, and the fine response will considerably add to it. The Auckland Amateur Athletic Club, the Northern Boxing Association and the Auckland Rugby League joined forces. The result was a mixed athletic programme of merit, and patrons of Carlaw Park had quite a feast of good things, culminating in eight of the senior League teams playing matches, and giving exhibitions in which the form was really good and auguring well for the football programme ahead. A Win for Ponies. There were many new faces in the ranks of Ponsonby and Newton when the teams lined out with Peckham and Dufty respectively in the lead in the first genuine "pipe-opener" of the season. While the game that was provided gave a fair indication of the merits of the individual players, it was not a true indication of team strength, owing to the shortness of the duration of the match. Eventually Ponies defeated last season's champions by a margin of 13 points to nil. Tykes Down Shore. Excellent tackling on both sides that prevented the lightning changes that characterise the League game was the keynote of the practice game between Devonport and Marists, which culminated in victory for the latter by a bare three points. Richmond Try Out City. The match between City and Richmond was largely in the nature of a "try out," the latter finishing victors by 10 points to nil. The game was bright and interesting. Both teams played with heaps of sparkle, and used every chance to send the ball on. City rearranged their team at the midway spell, principally for the reason that they wished to give some of their promising juniors a testing in view of the cup matches ahead. Ellerslie Defeated. The Athletic and Ellerslie fixture was hard fought from end to end, and exciting to a degree. Athletics finished up with a two points margin, a result that gave wonderful satisfaction to the Athletic supporters, seeing that this season they will play in the B grade competition, while their opponents, as the result of a challenge match at the end of last season, have qualified for the A grade.