TOWN BEATS COUNTRY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 131, 5 June 1945, Page 7

TOWN BEATS COUNTRY

BENEFIT LEAGUE MATCH

By the narrow margin of 21 points to 19, Town beat Country in a Rugby League match staged at Carlaw Park yesterday afternoon for the benefit of J. Chalmers, a member of the Marist Club, who has returned from the war severely injured. There was a good attendance. The Town team comprised Marist and City players and the Country team was made up from the Otahuhu and Manukau Clubs.

Through the first half the match was played in a care-free spirit and as an exhibition it did not reach the best League standard. At half-time Town led by 15 points to 8. In the second half both teams played open football and the issue was in doubt to the last minute of the game.

R. Martin, the representative full-back of last season, gave a clever exhibition of positional play and often ran his backs into attacking position. R. Grotte, a former New Zealand representative, made his first appearance of the season at halfback and showed cleverness at opening up the play. Interest in the country team largely centred in the appearance of R. Speedy and J. Murray, who have been chosen as the five-eighth line for the Auckland representative team. Individually both played brightly, but the pair did not combine smoothly. Butler, who has not been chosen for the representative team, was the outstanding wing of the match.

For Town, tries were scored by James, Matthews, Anderson and McLeod (2). Anderson converted three. For Country, tries were scored by J. Speedy, Te Tai, Butler and Simmons (2). Two tries were converted by Butler.