RUGBY FOOTBALL CURTAILED GAME LEADS TO BRAWL

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1947, Page 5

RUGBY FOOTBALL CURTAILED GAME LEADS TO BRAWL

(P.A.I AUCKLAND, August 11. Players and spectators were involved in a brawl after the referee had called off a Rugfcy football match at Tauranga on Saturday 15 minutes before full time. The referee closed the game because of rough play. The teams were Tauranga Cadels and the Motiti Island Maori team.

When the game began several of. the Motiti players appeared to con--1 centrate on a member of the Cadets team, who is a police constable in Tauranga. Play became rough and a spectator who criticised the Motiti team was struck by a Maori player who left the field for the purpose. Fists and boots were freely used during the game, which developed into a free-for-all. As the referee signalled the end of the match, the movement of a friend of one of the Cadets players towards the players caused a surge of spectators on to the ground and players and spectators became involved in fighting. Many spectators -tried to prevent the fighting and to help a police constable to restore order, but blows were struck in spite of their attempts. The Cadets had: a comfortable grip on the game when it was called off, having a lead of 19 points to nil. WESTLAND TEAM FOR DITTMAN SHIELD GAME AT WATAROA The Westland selector (Mr M. Davidson) has chosen the following team to play South Westland on Saturday, at Wataroa:— Full-back, R. Stoop; three-quarters, M. Stoop, E. Walker, R. Teller; five eighths, W. Amberger (2nd), P. Hurren; half-back, H. Tainui; front row, R. Eastgate, J. Walsh, P. Eastgate; breakaways, R. Weiblitz, J. Henderson; locks, G. O’Dell, R. Godfrey; last-man-down, C. Lewis. Emergencies.—Forwards, D. Haddock and G. Mackay; backs, A. Kitchen and T. Hanrahan. G. Davidson and G. Stapleton were not available. ■

Buller Players Training For Seddon Shield Match The following Buller players have been selected to train for the Seddon Shield match against Golden BayMotueka on Saturday:— F. Neighbours, H. Kerr, A., Neighbours, R. Hawes T. Hansby, H. Eckersley, J. Blair, W. Dixon, A. Luff, O. Smallholme, P. Mullan, A. Moseley, J: Nicholson, W. Mumm, M. Ryan, D. Neighbours, J. Beveridge, C. McHerron, T. Anderson, H. Williams, J. Stuart and T. Phipps. R. Beveridge was not available. Auckland Marist The Marist Old Boys’ team won the Gallaher Shield and the Auckland Rugby Union’s 1947 club championship by defeating Grafton by 8 points to 3 last week. Marist and Grafton were level on points at the end of the championship games and the extra (match was arranged to avoid a tie. | T. R. O’Callaghan, formerly of Greymouth, scored five of Marist’s points by converting a try and kicking a goal from a penalty.