RUGBY FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 April 1937, Page 11

RUGBY FOOTBALL

SEASON OPENS TO-MORROW The West Coast Rugby Union’s J 937 season will open to-morrow, when the principal attraction, United v. Excelsiors on the No. 1 ground at Rugby Park, should attract a large attendance.

Excelsiors won the senior championship last season, and will again be led by R. R. King. United will field a much-improved side, notable inclusions being W. Vincent, who represented the South Island at League last season, and J. Polson, a South Island representative of two years ago, who is making a re-appearance, after an enforced spell last season. With the United rearguard composed of W. Vincent (half-back), S. Hendry and G. Gilbert (five-eighths), J. Polson (centre), and D. Caldwell and E. Kibble (wingers), they should be able to turn on the fireworks. Gilbert is sacrificing what chance he had of making the New Zealand team as full-back against the South Africans, this season, by playing at second five-eighths for his club. Costello will play at full-back. Excelsiors are reported to be even stronger than last season, so to-mor-row’s match should be a great attraction.

On the No, 2 ground at the Park, Stars and Blaketown will meet. Here again, there will be a number of new players to the Coast, and their performances will be watched with interest. Two new senior teams, Celtic and Ross will meet at Ross, and the newly-formed Kumara senior team will try conclusions with Cobden, at Kumara. The other senior fixture, Kiwis v. Pirates will be played at Hokitika. There will be two curtain-raisers on the No. 2 ground at Rugby Park, and one on the No. 1 ground, with two other matches at Cobden.

TEAMS FOR TO-MORROW Star seniors: Nelson, Connolly, Mann, Noonan, Aiderton, Williams, Innes, Donovan, Patterson, Hammond, Bailey, Stewart, Leng. Davies, Learmont, J. Walsh, Adamson, O’Hara, Mathieson, Hinds. Assemble Park Hotel 2.15. Star juniors: Spark, Minchin, Bennett, Dittman, McPherson, Muir, Mills, Fitzgerald, Sheppard, Minchin, Hogarth, Divers, Wilson, Jackson. Henderson, Watson. Meet Post Office 1 p.m.

Star thirds, at Cobden 1 p.m.— Dixon, Coles, De Lore, Dittman, McLaughlin, Wasley, z Lowe, Quinn, Jones, Baker, Wilson, McLennan, Henderson, Arnott, Holmes and Crankshaw. Celtic Seniors v. Ross: Heaphy, McDonnell, Berridge, Murray, Duffy, Clancy, Foreman, Knowles, Honey (2), Shaffrey, Dudley, Cullen, Rae, O’Connell.

Celtic juniors v. Blaketown: Morley, Christie, Clancy, Davis, Reid', McNamara, Carroll, Marshall, McLennan, Shaffrey, Hansbu,ry, Doyle, Pfahlert, Brown, Bcirne.

Celtic third grade team to play United thirds at Rugby Park at one o’clock to-morrow: —Horrack, W. McGuire, M. Curtis. H. Kennedy, ,T. McGuire, J. Culling, L. Sweetman, J. Beirne, J. Taylor, C. Rond, J. Johnson, D. Shuker, W. Rea, F. Blake, 0. Quinlan, D. Sweetman, 0. Beirne. Blaketown Seniors: Meet at Union Hotel 2 p.m—McHerron, Olsen, Pedrotti, Furness. Millett, Bateman, Minchen, Scandrett, Daly, Hoenack, Shepherd, Scott, Pascoe, Bruhn, Hogarth, Eyington, Elder, Olsen. Blaketown juniors v. Celtic: Kroening, Brown, Cameron, J. Currie, Foster, Garth, Goodall, Black, Hadcroft, Shannon (capt.), Fleming, Preston, Firth, Hector, Wasley. Emerg. Goodall, Morley, Tones. Blaketown thirds v. Technical (assemble Park 1.45): Gifkins, McHugh, Straker, Mathieson. Kent, Watson, Panther, McKendry (2), Smith, Jamieson, McGirr, Bennett, Lamont, Ross, Leitch, Lawry, Hill. Cobden Seniors v, Kumara: Lindbom (2), Vaughan, Williams, Collins, Eggelton, Gilmour, Kirkwood, Thompson. Manning, Barlow, Tait, Gilmore, King, Griffiths. Bus leaves Cobden 1.15, Post Office 1.20.

Cobden Juniors v. United at Cobden: Clai;k, Gilmour, Hector, McPherson, Allan, Keddie, Boucher, Burn, McMillan, Cook, Rankin, Walls, Croft, Jackson, Kittelty. Meet at Cobden 2.30 p.m. Cobden Thirds v. Star at Cobden: — Groufsky, Guy, Dowell, Vaughan, Jacobs, Pike, Sorrensen, Kelly, Gibson, Burrell (2), Wilson, Skeats, Rothwell, Devlin, Watkin. Meet Cobden 1 p.m. United Seniors v. Excelsiors: —Hopkinson, Ironside, Ackhurst, Glen, McKenzie, Rose, Daly, Blair. Adams, Vincent. Hendry, Gilbert (capt.), Kibble, Polson, Caldwell, Costello, Grooby. United Juniors v. Cobden: Denton, Kyle. ITamilson, Smith, Win, Watson, Hopgood, Garde, Ogilvie, Whibley, Ashby, Bellis (2), Rathbun, Ferguson. Chapman, Thomas. ' United Thirds v. Celtic: Leitch; Dewar, Nott, Rea (2), O’Brien. Kiely. Groom, Arthur, Lewis, Lovell, Batty. Crankshaw. Bellis, Fagerlund, Conza, O’Callaghan, Allen. W E 1.. LI N G TON GROU N D S. WELLINGTON, April 16. t Lively discussion by members of the City Council, on the allocation of grounds for winter sports, drew heated remarks from the speakers. Cr. W. Appleton alleged that the Reserves Committee had been very unfair, and that the Rugby League had not been given a fair spin. He moved that the Committee’s recommendations lie referred back for further consideration.

Defending the committee. Cr. M. F. Buckie said there were 160 Rugby teams playing in Wellington, and they had only 31 grounds. The Rugby League was doing' nothing' to encourage youngsters, whereas Soccer and the Rugby Union were doing their utmost to promote their respective games.

Another speaker said that the League had asked for the use of the Basin Reserve, which had been the homo of soccer for years. The motion to refer the allocations back was defeated.