AT CARLAW PARK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 157, 5 July 1937, Page 12

AT CARLAW PARK.

LEAGUE HONOURS.

DEFEAT OF MOUNT ALBERT. MANUKAU IK FORM. Although the going was heavy at Carlaw Park on Saturday, interesting football was provided by the senior teams engaged in the Auckland Rugby League's championship. The first of the aeries of matches in the. second round was decided and another big crowd filled the stand and lined the terraces and followed the games with interest. There were no surprises and Richmond retained their lead : of the ladder by eclipsing Mount Albert m the main attraction of the day. In the curtainraiser, Manukau, who IWill probably prove Richmond's toughest proposition in the games ahead, were again in form, and accounted for North Shore 'With comparative ease. In the early game .on No. 2 ground Marist cantered home against. Newton, while later in the day Ponsonby gave a polished display to beat City by a comfortable margin. Results of matches were as follow:— Richmond 15, beat Mount Albert 2. Manukau 31, beat North Shore 11. Ponsonby 27, beat City 8. Marist 22, beat Newton 0. The positions of the teams are as under:— Points Cn. P. W. I*. D. F. A. Pts Richmond ....8.7 1 - 171 81 14 Mt. albert ... 8 5 3 - 93 60 10 Marist ,8 5 3 - 120104 10 Ponsonby .... 8 4 3 1 104 71 9 Manukau .... 8 4 3 1 123 108 9 North Shore .88 4 1 74 99 7 City .......... 8 2 5 1 70 137 5 Newton .8 - 8 - 30 148 -

RICHMOND SUPERIOR.

By prodaclng fine collaborative effort at times Richmond were definitely superior to Mount .Albert, who up till Saturday were only two points behind theuj in the race for championship ton ours, and finished np the winners toy tile clear .cut margin of 15 polnta to 2. It was Richmond's greater polish, and Ability to' press home advantages that carried them through to victory, and had they received as much of the ball from the scrums- as their opponents it Is difficult to say ho'w many points they would have piled up. Particularly in the second spell Mount -Albert had a feast of the ball, but their backs, too often were standing too flat footed to become dangerous on attack. Furthermore, they nullified scoring opportunities by mishandling in the face of the quick-covering defence of the opposition. All things considered the advantages were with Mount Albert," but they just could not rise to the occasion and were beaten by a better side. Richmond had the misfortune to lose the services of N, Bickerton, their clever and nippy liveeighths, before the Interval, and this necessitated a reshuffling of their backs and playing the loose forward H. Tetley at five-eighths and wing three-quarter. Bickerton was In fine form up till the time of his retirement,. and in addition to scoring his side's opening try, he was backing up with fine anticipation and lending additional thrust to the Richmond chain. On one occasion he chimed into a passing rush three times. He was ever ready for the In-pass from W. Tittleton and the alert Mlncham. Both the last-mentioned players were- always looking for the opening, and were sound both on attack and defence. F. Furnell emerged with, honours thick upon him and he shaped well both at full-back and at first five-eighths. Of the Richmond forwards MacLeod was outstanding, while Telford was a grafter from bell to bell. Gunning, €. Satherley, Herring and Hansen were prominent amongst the Mount Albert forwards, who gave their backs every opportunity. Watkins, behind the Mount Albert pack, was a trier all the way, and gave good service from the base of the scrum, while Cranch, the custodian, made few mistakes. The wingers, McCallum snd Stewart, received few opportunities for the reason that the 'ball rarely got past the centre, L. Sennits. The latter was well marked 1 by Mlncham, and time and again was bustled into errors or caught in possession. The game was fast and open throughout, 'with Richmond usually playing confidently In a winning way.

PONSONBY»S BRILLIANCE.

In a game that rose to the best heights in the second half, as far as Ponsonby were concerned, City Rovers, an Improving side, went down to Ponsonby to the tune of 8—27, after the.winners had led at halftime by 11—8. The pace and cohesion of Ponsonby unquestionably carried the day. It was in the open where City failed as compared with the methods and pace of their opponents, 'who were supported by a rearguard, which, once in its stride, took a deal of stopping. Nothing better in inside buck play has been seen in Auckland this season than the exhibition given by Hallorun, whose thrust, judgment and well timed passing paved the way to tries which can be classed as polish in team work. I'otier, Rata and Tawhai—the latter making some superb tackles—found it most difficult to circumvent the resource of Hallorun. Stockley, with his vlm : and coolness, and the buoyancy of Kuy. Riley was too much for winger McLaughlin, and on the other flank Nurse was superior to Bluett, the Whakatane player, who, nevertheless, was a trier under new conditions. Black, at halfback for the winners, suited bis play admirably to requirements, and his backing up was most noticeable. Mataira found the pace trying in his second game for the Rovers, but he showed glimpses of experience. His best associates In the vanguard were Johnson. Wehner and Donald, McCarthy and Raymond appearing to lack form. Pick rung was not as outstanding as expected, but should soon strike his condition for Ponsonby, who have a decided asset in Cootes, the Wellington recruit. Morgan and Davis were always in the thick of play, and Brown again is to be complimented for his consistent hooking. Ponsonby will be hard to beat from now

MANUKAU IN FORM.

Once more It was demonstrated just what an asset the Chase brothers, Manukau's latest recruits, are to their side, for on Saturday when last season's champions met North Shore In the curtain-raiser, they were continually In the picture and each registered tries. Quick to dart through the gap, they were a continual thorn In the side of the Shore backs. Both were in line form, but the beautifully built R. Chase was perhaps a trifle more polished than his more stocky brother. Their fine understanding of each other's play was a feature, and they seemed equally at home at second five-eighths and centre when they elected frequently- to exchange, positions. Manukau were definitely on top all the way, and after leading -by 15 points to 5 at the interval, ran out easy winners by 31 points to 11. North Shore battled valiantly to hold their opponents, but they were overshadowed both forward and back. Once more Mahlma gave good service behind the Manukau pack, while R. Brimble was nippy in the fire-eighths line and always ready to go on either side of the scrum. Hemi was superior to the North Shore custodian, Kerr, who was not so sure as usual, and beside notching points with penalties and conversions, scored a fine try as a result of backing up in the second spell. Rutherford, another newcomer, raked the ball consistently for Manukau, while forwards who were usually to the fore were Broderlck. Gault and Kawe. Hollows was the pick.of the North. Shore pack, while others who battled gamely were Hunt, Sowter and Rogers.- Stirling defended well in the. Shore five-eighths line and showed up for several good runs, while Len Scott, gave' little away on the wing and scored his customary try with strong running.

MARIST ALWAYS ON TOP. In rather a one-sided matcn Marist outpointed Newton /by 22 to 0 in the early game on No. 2 ground at Carlaw Park on Saturday. ~ Both aides attempted to throw the- gresn* ball about, and it was not surprising that there was aa entire lack of good back play. Territorially Marist always held the upper band, and In the first spell put on twelve points. Their inside men were a little more accurate in handling than Newton, and on several occasions it was only the greasy ball that nullified clean passing bouts. Newton made several attempts to open their taMy, but something invariably went wrong at the initial moment. After the change-over Newton livened up a great deal, and had Marist hard on the defensive for some ten minutes. They were unable to penetrate a rock-like defence.. Marist were quick to seize the slightest opening, and made the most of their opportunities, with the result that a further ten points were added. When the final whistle went Marist were victors by 22 to 0. For the winners Glover gave a splendid exhibition of sure and accurate kicking. while Midgeley displayed a fine turn of speed on the left flank.. Haslam was the brains of the attack: He varied bis play splendidly, and frequently caught the opposition out of position. Anderson was one of the best forwards on the field. He was in line kicking form and converted five goals. Dempsey saved his side on innumerable occasions, but did not receive much assistance. Crook was the pick of the threequarters, the handling of the others being Indifferent. Young made several nice openings, but was inclined to hold on too long. Glnders and Quirke were the best of a fine pack, and had it not been for the work of the forwards Marist would have had a much greater margin. Tries were scored for Marist by Midgelev (2), Murdoch and Matson, while Anderson kicked five goals. Mr. A. Simpson was referee.

GRADE GAMES. SENIOR RESERVE. Richmond 25, beat Mount Albert 0. Ponsonby 6, beat City 2. Shore 31, beat Manukau 0. Marist 30, beat Newton 8. SENIOR B. Point Chevalier 43, beat Newton 0 Green. Lane 33, beat Mount Albert 5. THIRD GRADE. Richmond beat Papakura by default. Marist 16, beat R.V. O. City 43, heat Manukau O. Mount Albert 15, beat Shore 6. FOURTH GRADE. Richmond 3, beat Ellerslle 2. FIFTH GRADE. Richmond 13, beat Papakura 2 City 20, beat Ellerslle O. Otahuhu 17, beat Northcote 0. - SIXTH GRADE. City 8, beat Mount Albert 3. Green Lane 23, beat Papakura 5. SEVENTH GRADE. Richmond 13, beat Glenora 8. & GAMES IN THE PROVINCE. MANUKAU. Senior B.—Papakura 21, beat Northcote 10. Sixth Grade. —Richmond 13, beat Papakura 2. HUNTLY. Hutttly 17, beat Huntly Sonth 8. Ngarnawahia 20, beat Pukemiro 8. GAMES IN THE SOUTH. < : ;;, CANTERBURY.. Aldington 18, beat Hornby 2. . Linwood 20, beat Sydenham 8. ' WELLINGTON. St. George 15, beat Central 13. HOLDER'S FLANS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.)/' WELLINGTON, this day. E. Holder (member of the 1932 All Blacks in Australia), who left New Zealand in October to play Rugby League for Streatham and Mitcham Club, London, later transferring to the Wigan Club, Lancashire, arrived in Wellington by the Kangitiki on holiday. He plans to remain in England another three years before returning to New Zealand for good. 4 _, M