RUGBY LEAGUE

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27687, 17 June 1955, Page 5

RUGBY LEAGUE

TWO AUCKLAND TEAMS SUSPENDED ENDING OF GAME IN BRAWL (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. June 16. Both the Marist and Ellerslie senior reserve Rugby League teams were suspended for two playing Saturdays by the executive committee of the Auckland Rugby League last night. A brawl developed when these teams met on Saturday, and the game was stopped about 15 minutes before full time. The evidence about the incident took nearly two hours, during which the meeting went into committee. When the committee resumed in open meeting the chairman (Mr D. A. Wilkie) issued a statement that the teams would .be suspended. In additon, M. Herewini (Ellerslie) and G. Molloy (Marist). were to be severely reprimanded, he said. M. Malneline, of the Marist Club, had been ordered to appear at the next meeting and had been suspended in the meantime. In reply to charges that there was a lack of appreciation by sports bodies of the work done by the St. John Ambulance, Mr Wilkie said that over the year “we have had every confidence in the splendid work done by the St. John Ambulance.” Mr Wilkie referred to a report on the Marist-Ellerslie game which said that an ambulance officer had been kicked in a melee on the ground. It was not proved, he said, that the kick was deliberate. The incident occurred when the officer became involved in the brawl. However. it was deeply regretted. SELECTION OF N.Z. TEAM (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 16. The first serious trial matches for the selection of the New Zealand Rugby League team will be played at Carlaw Park on Saturday, when Auckland will meet Canterbury. The main match and the curtain-raiser, between Auckland A and B teams, will be watched by the North Island and New Zealand selectors.