Improved Standard In Week-End Rugby League Fixtures

Northern Advocate, 31 May 1939, Page 3

Improved Standard In Week-End Rugby League Fixtures

rjpiE PAST WEEK-END WAS A NOTABLE ONE IN NORTHLAND RUGBY LEAGUE CIRCLES.

Saturday’s games were noted in the senior division for a standard of play well above the best of last year, despite the fact that they were only the third series of the season.

Playing dazzling football of a cl ass which, if maintained, will make this team the toughest nut to crack in the League, City gave the re-organ-ised Kensington team a severe lesson by 24 points to nil.

At Portland the home team sprung ,a surprise by defeating Hikurangi by 22 to nil'.

The other feature of the week-end was the first trial game for the selection of Northland’s representative team.

changes were made during the progress of play, revealed a good standard of League, with the final score B—all.

The representatives are to journey to Auckland on" Saturday, June 24, to meet Taranaki at Carlaw Park. This match will give Northland players a chance to appear before the New Zealand selectors for the Kiwi team to leave for England and France in July. Personnel of Teams. The teams took the field as follows: A team: P. Child (City), E. Pickerell (Hikur.angi), Moses (Hikurangi), R. Hamilton (Hikurangi), E. Child (Kensington), Thompson (Portland), Raisbeck (Hikurangi), Hirtzell (City), Crump (Kensington), F. O’Callaghan (Hikurangi), V. Payne (City), Laird (Hikurangi), Harris (Hikur.angi). B team: Mackie (Portland), Stringfellow (Hikurangi), Parkes (City), Hedley (Kensington), Murray (City), Hollows (City), Bradley (City), G. Pitman (Hikurangi), Tooth (Portland), McMillan (Kensington), L. Payne (City), P.aki (Portland), Pickrang (City). At half-time Tooth and Crump changed places, while in the A team Gough replaced Moses on the wing, and Popata replaced Raisbeck at half. Play, although hard, was not in the main of a spectacular nature owing to the teams not being used to playing together. Backs and forwards, however, comX bined in a number of brilliant moves once they settled down. Payne And Pickrang.

L. Payne .and Pickrang several times came out of the pack to join in with the backs, and Pickrang’s methods of fooling the opposition with his sidesteps and dummies moved the gallery to mirth. Phil Child came up to his usual good form as full-back, but Mackie, while playing ,a fair game, several times found himself out of position and trapped with the ball.

There was little to choose between the hooking of Tooth and Crump. Thompson and E, Child as fiveeighths were th 6 basis of the A team’s line. V. Payne was a heady forward while Pickerell justified the faith Hikurangi has placed in him with a dashing game at centre.