Moors All Blocks Arrive Sn Whangarei

Northern Advocate, 12 August 1948, Page 5

Moors All Blocks Arrive Sn Whangarei

A very tired team of New Zealand Maori All Blacks with their manager (Mr W. S. Henderson) and assistant manager (Mr W. Barclay) arrived at Whangarei this afternoon. There were 21 in the party, which travelled from Auckland by road. Ceremonial spears, baskets, straw hats and mats, souvenirs from the Fijian tour, were strapped to suitcases.

Although strenuous the tour had been a lovely one, said Mr W. Barclay. The Fijians had played splendid football.

Asked about the game with Auckland yesterday, Mr Barclay said he had no excuses to make, but pointed out that it had been a very tired and jaded team which turned out against the strong Auckland side. BEFORE AUCKLAND MATCH

The Maori tourists were up at 4.45 a.m. on Tuesday morning prior to leaving Fiji. They had spent 10 hours on the plane coming to New Zealand, and it was asking a lot of a team to turn on good football immediately afterwai'ds. ,

The team did not practise this afternoon and the players rested. R. Jacobs, the halfback, came North with the party, but the injury which he received in the game against Auckland will keep him out of football for the remainder of the season.

A. W. Blake, the Wairarapa and exKiwi forward, will stay on in Whangarei and join the Wairarapa team when it arrives here next week. The XV to play Northland will be chosen tomorrow. NorflhScsnd Team Northland’s 19 players assembled under the managership of Mr D. K. Ross at noon today. They are quartered at the Whangarei Hotel. After a practice this afternoon the selector (Mr Ted Griffin) will make his final selection. The team will be announced tomorrow.

Constable P. Clemence has taken up duty at the Whangarei police station as assistant district clerk. Transferred from Ngaruawahia, Constable Clemence has served previously in Northland, having been stationed at Whangarei for three years from 1924 and then moved to Houhora, where he remained until 1939, when he went to Ngaruawahia. Two years ago he was severely wounded when he was shot by a Maori.