RUGBY LEAGUE Bright Start For New West Coast Season

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 April 1948, Page 8

RUGBY LEAGUE Bright Start For New West Coast Season

The 1948 Rugby League season on the West Coast got away io a good start yesterday. Weather conditions were ideal, in I'aet a little too summer-like from the players’ point of view, and at Wingham Park a new attendance record was set for an opening day fixture, the meeting of Blackball and Runanga and the first anpearauce ul mo.'it of the’West Coast Kiwis since their return from England proving a draweard. _ _ _ , . , Runanga proved too good for the 194/ champions and moi id a decisive and deserved victory in a fast, though rather tight game. Marist and Ngahere had even more decisive victories, over Hokitika and Cobden respectively, but the losers were not outclassed.

For the first matches of the season, the football was of a good standard! and the players generally “saw out the distance” well, indicating that there! had been some early training. The handling was the worst feature of the Blackball-Runanga game, and this was a general complaint. Infringements were numerous and the strict interpretations of the referee of the principal matijh at Wingham Park worried both teams. Results in all grades were as follows: — Senior. —Runanga 15, Blackball 6; Marist 37, Hokitika 16; Ngahere 23, Cobden 7. Senior Reserve. —Marist 25, Cobden ■ 11; Brunner 47, Runanga 0; Blackball 23, Ngahere 3; Rapahoe 6, Lake Brunner 5. Third Grade. —Brunner 45, Marist 3. Fourth Grade. —Marist 5, Runanga 3; Kohinoor 27, Cobden 2. Fifth Grade.—-Hokitika 32, Brunner 2; Kohinoor 13, Runanga 3; Blackball 41, Marist nil.