THE LEAGUE CODE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22748, 7 June 1937, Page 16

THE LEAGUE CODE

SENIOR COMPETITION RICHMOND TEAM WINS MOUNT ALBERT DEFEATED The sixth series of matches in the senior championship of the Auckland Rugby League was played on Saturday under heavy ground conditions, while several showers made tho ball greasy and difficult to handle. In spito of the conditions, tho standard of play was good, and many lino movements were carried out.

In the principal attraction, Richmond had too much combination and team work for Ponsonby, and eventually ran out comfortable winners. Both sides lost opportunities, but Richmond was tho superior team on tho day. Marist caused a mild surprise accounting for Mount Albert in the curtain-raiser. Tho Marist forwards, well assisted by the backs, carried the day, and the team gained a welldeserved victory. On the No. 2 ground. City scored n narrow but popular win over North Shore, while Manukau accounted for Newton. Richmond is now leading in the championship by two points. Results of Saturday's senior matches were as follows: Richmond, 15; Ponsonby, 6. Marist, 10; Mount Albert, 7. City, 10; North Shore, 9. Manukau, IS; Newton, 11.

BETTER TEAM WORK DEFEAT OF PONSONBY Better team work, positional play and support of a player in trouble, gave Richmond a good win over Ponsonby. When a movement broke down Richmond was quick to set off again, and there were always players in sup port. The combined work of Richmond was more effective than that of their opponents, tho play of the Ponsonby backs being more of the individual nature. Both teams lost some great opportunities. On one occasion in the first, spell Sfockle.v, the Ponsonby second five-eighths, cut in brilliantly and left the Richmond backs standing, but lacked support. Had he veered out instead of Infield he would have connected with Kay, who was racing fast on the outside. It was a pity to see such a fine piece of play going without reward. Scrum infringements ' were frequent, especially in the early stages, and a good deal of kicking was indulged in. Richmond did the early attacking, but were driven back by penalties. Richmond wns unlucky when G. Tittleton was pushed into touch near the cor-; ner after a good run. Reward came immediately, however, as Powell worked the blind side of the scrum and sent Tittleton over. Ponsonby retaliated with a fine try. Morgan sent Kay away in a bright dash down the wing. Ka.v sent infield nnd both Petersen and Morgan attempted to take the ball. Morgan gaining possession and racing over. .Tones, the Ponsonby wing, was injured at this stage and was replaced by Nurse. Bickerton left the Ponsonby backs standing with a perfect "dummy" and raced over by the posts. Furnell converted, to make the half-time score:—Richmond, 8; Ponsonby, 3. Furnell placed his team further ahead with a penalty goal. Heavy rain militated against prood play, but the backs were always dancerous. The Ponsonby rearguard was associated in a fine combined movement, and Riley beat Wilkie, to score at the comer. Another penalty against Ponsonby saw Furnell again raise the flags. Near time G. Tittleton made a splendid run. but was well tackled on the line. From the ensuing scrum he again scored on the blind side, making the final score: — Richmond, 15; Ponsonby. 0. . For Richmond Furnell. a promoted junior, plaved a good game at fullback. It was a hard trial for him under the conditions, but he came through tho ordeal with credit. He handled well and kicked with judgment. G. Tittleton was in good form on the wing, and •nade some determined dashes. Mincham was well marked at centre, but gave some bad passes on occasions. Bickerton and At. littjefon combined effectively in the five-eighths line, while Powell, half, shone both on attack and defence. Telford. Mitchell, McLeod and J. Satherley were prominent among the forwards throughout. Rush wns not so sure in the fullback position for Ponsonby as his vis-a-vis. Riley, playing his first game of the season, gave a good exhibition on the wing, and proved very elusive in some clever runs. Kay shone on attack, but the best all-round back was Stockley. The latter played an outstanding game both on attack and defence. He was we l supported in the latter department by Halloran. Black was not so prominent as usual at halfback, and did not seem to relish tho loose rushes of the Richmond pack. Among the forwards, Morgan, Keane letersen and Brown were always in the picture. Ponsonbj was hampered to a great extent by losing possession from the majority of the scrums. Mr. T. Mcintosh was refereo.

WIN FOR MARIST SUPERIOR FORWARD PLAY Marist • pained a well-deserved win oyer Mount Albert in the curtain-raiser to the principal match. The winners adapted themBelves better to the conditions, and the forwards -were definitely superior in the loose. This type of gamo had the Mount Albert hacks palpably worried, and they found difficult v in counteracting it. The teams found the conditions difficult and it took them some time to settle down. Mount Albert attempted to use its backs but Marist smothered effectively and countered with some nice loose rushes. Iho score at halitime was 7—all. Marist gaining the winning Glover, fullback, was not so confident as ÜBual. but kicked with judgment. Midgley and H. Halsey both played well on the wings, and were dangerous when an> reasonable opportunities came their way. Haslain plaved an outstanding gamo at centre and gave an object lesson in how to d™*. a man. This was directly responsible for tho winning try. Haslam also made the opening for the first try. Gathering tho ball splendidly ho "dufnmied" Stewart and sent Midgley over. Haslam also did great work on defencc. Murdoch and McLaren (lit well at fiveeighths. and with Crocker, half, made the play for tho forwards with short kicks. All three players wero strong on defence. Breed was the liest Marist forward, and ho wasi ably supported by Bakaiicli and Anderson in tho lo °Cranch tho Mount Albert fullback, was often buslled, and his handling and kicking wero uncertain. McCallum and Stewart on the wings, received few opportunities, but tho former ran strongly when in possession. L. Schultz had a hard day at cenlre, and did good work J. Schultz and Hassan, tho fiveflitthths had a hard timo on defence. Watkins, half, was tho best back. He frequently stopped tlie Marist forward rushes in fearless stylo, while he did a lot of clever work on attack, which deserved better C. Sathcrley, Gunning and Tristram wero tho best of the Mount Albert forwards, whose close formation was effectively countered this occasion by tho opposing vanguard. For Marist Midglcy scored- two triesand Anderson kicked two penalty goals. Lcatherbarrow scored for Mount Albert, G. Sathcrley converting and also kickini? a penalty Koa . Mr. P. Rogers was referoe. NARROW VICTORY NORTH SHORE BEATEN The No. 2 ground at Carlaw Park was very heavy, but it did not prevont a fast, open (fame between North Shore and City. Tho latter was without McLaughlin and lawhai, while North Shore missed Hallows from the scrum. Play was evenly contested throughout, and tho cranio was eventually won by City by one point. City fully deserved its victory, although only solendul goal kicking by Rata gained the' advantage. Rata kicked two magnificent

goals from nearly 40 yards out on the sideline. The City backs Rave an Excellent display under trying conditions and on occasions the combination was good. The North Shore forwards played with plonty of dash, but were beaten lor possession in almost every sot scrum. , . . Early in the camo Hutchinson started a nico passing bout and Raymond, a forward, playing centre-threequartor, went clean througn the defence, only to bo culled back for a breach earlier. Persistent attacks by City were checked each time the ball 'came to Kerr, who saved splendidly Driving rain mado conditions very unpleasant and the players soon became covered in mud. rvorth Slioro took the lead half-way through the first spell, when SmUh scored and converted. The first half, however, was in favour Of City, which led by 10 points to 9. No points were scored in the second spell, which was sternly contested. North Shore did most of the attacking and was unlucky not to score on two occasions. Good defence by City was a feature of the game, and the play of tho City backs generally would have done credit to them on a fine day. For City Wyberg played a fine ganie at fullback and made few mistakes. He was, however, ovorshadowed by Kerr, the North Shoro fullback, who stopped two tries by brilliant defence. His kicking also was high class. Rata played his best gamo this season and was a thorn in tho side of the opposition. Raymond did a lot <af useful work and often cut tho defenco to ribbons by running straight. On the wing, T. McCarthy played an outstanding game and both hiß tries were full of merit. Hapi also played a good gamo, while Hutchinson wns prominent behind tho scrum. Minnix, Johnson and Donald were the best of the forwards. Webner, tho ex-Canterbury forward, has turned out a successful hooker. . For North Shore Smith, at five-eighths, was tho best of the backs. V. Scott and L. Scott did useful work on attack and Stirling was in good form behind the scrum. Simpson, Hunt and Sowter wero tho pick of the forwards. For City T. McCarthy scored two tries. Rata converted one try and kicked a penalty goal. For North Shore .T. Smith scored all the points, a try, and three goals. Mr. M. Renton was rcfcrco.

BRIGHT SECOND SPELL NEWTON TEAM IMPROVES Good work in the loose by the Manukan forwards provided strong opposition for Newton, which played a fine game in the second half, although defeated by a seven points' margin. Manukau had a strong wind behind it in the first half, and added 1 2 points, before Newton scored, 'the Manukau forwards played dashing football in the loose and often went close to scoring. The defenco, however, was always willing to tackle tho big forwards. Excellent ball control was a feature of„,the Manukau forwards' play. The backs ivere again hampered by the failure of the hooker to get the ball and in this direction Quirke wns outstanding for Newton. , The second half provided the brightest football. The Newton backs threw the ball about in great style and had a territorial advantage throughout, in one nice movement, between tho Brimble brothers and Young, Slssons just missed a try. It was only a great tackle by Broderick that saved Manukau. Behind the scrum, W. Brimble made several nico openings, but the greasy ground checked each movement. Powerful Manukau forward rushes near tho end of the game failed to beat back the defenco. There was some good tackling by Dempsey and Hollis. However, the Manukau backs gave their best display this season. Their combination in tho first half was very effective and many times Henil raced the backs intp scoring positions. But for the greasy bnll both Murton and Broughton would have scored from good openings by Broderick. For ManuKAu Hemi played a good game, although a little uncertain in the second half. Broughton and Mahima were the best, of the Manukau backs, while Broderick (lid a lot of useful work. Watene was outstanding as the hack row forward and greatly assisted his hacks. Gault and Whye were also prominent. For Newton Dempsey made few mistakes and was always keen to open up the game. Young and Hollis were prominent on attack, particularly in the second half. W. Brimble was a tower of strength to his team. Qulrke, Hinders and Proctor wero good workers among the forwards. For Manukau tries were scored by Broughton (O). Mahima and Hickett. Watone converted two tries and kicked a penalty goal. For Newton Young (2) and Hollis scored tries, Sissons converting one. Mr. *D. Taylor was referee. REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES TEAMS FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY Tho solo selector to the Auckland Rugby League, Mr. 11. Brisbane, has fihosen the following players to represent Auckland against Taranaki and South Auckland at Carlaw Park next Wednesday:— Against Taranaki.—Fullback, Dempsey (Newton); three-quarters, McCallum (Mount vAlbert). Kay tPonsonby), Riley (Ponsonby); five-eighths, Stockley (Pon6onby), W. Tittleton (Richmond); halfback, Powell (Richmond); forwards. Gault (Manukau), Brown (Ponsonby), Donald (City), Mitchell (Richmond), Broderick (Manukau) and Watene (Manukau). Emergencies: Back, Bickerton (Richmond); forward, C. Satherley (Mount Albert). Against South Auckland.—Fullback, Kerr (Devonport); three-quarters, G. Tittlcton (Richmond), Mincham (Richmond), Midglfly (Marist); five-eighths, Brimble (Manukau), L. Schultz (Mount Albert); halfback, Mahima (Manukau); forwards, Breed (Marist), J. Satherley (Richmond), Telford (Richmond), Gunning (Mount Albert), Hollis (Devonport) and Morgan (Ponsonby). Emergencies: Back, Broughton (Manukau); forward, Anderson (Marist). Any player not available Is requested to notify tho selector before noon to-day. The players a.ro to assemble at Carlaw Park this evening. # * LOWER GRADE RESULTS Senior Rcservo Grade.—Richmond. 10, Ponsonby, il; City. '2, North Shore, 2; Marist, 10, Mount Albert, 8; Newton, 39, Manukau, 7. Senior B Grade.—Richmond, 0, Mount Albert, 2: Green Lajie, (I, Manukau, 0. Third Grade. —Otahuhu, 22, Mount Albert, 0; Ellerslie, 7, Marist, 0; R.V., 0, North Shore, 5 Fourth Grade. —North Shore, 8, Ponßonby, 0. Fifth Grade.—Otahuhu. 2, City, 0; Richmond, 31, Ellerslie, 0; Fapakura, 6, North Shore, 0; Avondalo, 1-1, Northcote, B. Sixth Grade. —Green Lane, 10, Point Chevalier. 0; Mount Albert, 14, Richmond, 0. Seventh Grade. —Otahuhu, 3, Glenora, 3; Richmond, 10, Ponsonby, 3. PRIMARY SCHOOLS* MATCHES Senior Grade. —Newton, 2S, Manukau, 0; Richmond, 11, Marist, 2. Intermediate Grade.—Newton, 8, North Shore, .'5; Avondale, 22, Ellerslie, 0; Richmond, 14, Manukau, 0; Ponsonby, 03, Balmoral, 0; Otahuhu, 22, Point Chevalier, 0. Junior Grade.—Ponsonby, (5, Manukau, 8; Richmond, 3, Marist, 0; Ellerslie, 6, Balmoral, O; George Courts, 3, Avondale Convent, 0; Northcote, 9, Newton B, Oi Mount Albert, 0, Green Lane, 0. GAMES PLAYED IN PROVINCE [from herald correspondents] Whangarel.—Following aro tho results of senior matches played in the championship competitions of the Northland Rugby Leaguo: Hikurangi, 11, Kensington, r>: Kamo. 20, Whakapara, 0. Juniors: Hikurangi, 14, Kamo, 0; One Treo Point, Hi, City, 2. Third grade: Kamo, 5. Whakapara, 0. Fourth grade: Hikurangi. 10, City, 3; Kamo, 15, Kensington, 0. Huntly.—Seniors: Huntly. 10, Pukemiro, 3; Huntly South, 34, Ngaruawahia, 8. Juniors: Huntly High School Old Boys, 31, Pukemiro, 2: Ngaruawahia won front Huntly South by default. Third grmdo: Huntly South, 14, Huntly, 0. Papakura.—Tho local senior B team suffered its first defeat in three seasons when it went under to Point Chevalier by 8 to 3. Conditions wero anything but good, the ground being very soft. Papakura played definitely below form, the backs handling very poorly. Cossey, who scored for the local team, was tile best back on the ground. Point Chevalier's scoro camo from tries by Buchan and McLnrin, who converted his try. Third grade B: Papakura won by default from Newton. Fifth grade: Papakura, 0, North Shore, 0. Sixth grade: City, 11, Papakura, 7. CONTESTS IN THE SOUTH [by telegraph—rni:ss association] Chrlstohuroh. —Hornby. 17, Sydenham, 13; Limvood, 21, Waimairi, 0. Wellington.—Randwick, 12, Central, 10; St. George, 11, Petonc, 0.