THE LEAGUE CODE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23352, 22 May 1939, Page 15

THE LEAGUE CODE

north shobe wins M X. ALBERT'S FIRST DEFEAT easy Victory for manukau Before a large attendance at Carlaw Park on Saturday North Sliore scored a very . popular victory over Mount Albert, t/ie leading team in the senior championship of the Auckland Rugby Leaf ruo. Hitherto Mount Albert had an unbeaten record. Staged as the principal attraction )lav fast drilling throughout nn'd tli° spectators were highly excited on ilianv occasions. The fast, loose raul•n<r of ihe North Shore forwards, the splendid tackling of the team as a whole n a the Quickness with which the nlavcrs turned mistakes oi the opposition to advantage carried North Shore to a well-deserved victory. North Shore ] P <;t. three players, including two I'orvanK 'through injuries, but the vanguard'stiH held the advantage over the Mount Albert pack. \s a result of its defeat Mount Albert nowVias only a point lead in the eluimpioiiship from Ponsonby North Shore is third, two points behind the leaders. In the curtain-raiser to the chief • riatc h at Carlaw Park Manukau had an easy win at the expense of City with a j„ar<nn of 21 points. City failed to . srorc . ()n the No. 2 ground Ponsonby maintained, its improved form by defeating Marist. In the match at Papnkura the homo Fiile put up a surprisingly good showin-* against Richmond, which took the honours by six points and gained ihe advantage only in the final stages. 1). Solomon, the former All Hl.irk and ~ud Rugby representative, made liis first! appearance for Richmond and plaved an outstanding game. Weather conditions were fine and dull ami although rain threatened at the Start of,the principal match it held oil. The grounds were in splendid order. The results of senior matches on S;rtunlnv were as follows: North Sliore. 15: Mount Albert, I'-. Manuka)). 23; City. 0. Ponsonby, 13; Marist, 7. Richmond, 23; Papakura, 17. FAST FORWARDS EXCELLENT DEFENCE - VUhousrh Mount Albert scored four tries ♦/i its opponents" three, North Shore thorough* deserved its win. If Donaldson, Mount Albert usually a reliable place-kirk, had been in form, however, the result would have been different. Donaldson made some floor efforts on Saturday and finished by missing a conversion from in front of the posts From the commencement ?\orth Shore went Into the fray with vigour and determination and continually harried its opponents. Ihe fast raiding tactics of the forwards and ex- ' celletit defence upset Mount Albert's usually smooth' combination and the leading team made feme bud errors, two of which resulted in'tries for North Shore. The North Shore vanguard kept together well and its splendid loose rushes* took a power of stopping. At other times the close passing formation of the Norjh Shore pack had Mount Albert palpably ' troubled. For once the Mount Albert p?,ck was overshadowed. The chief reason for this was that Ihe forwards played more as individuals. Thev failed to keep together and seemed at n. loss to counter the close formation of the North Shore pack. The winners' forwards were superior in the loose. Other factors in North Shore's success were its splendid tackling, cover defence and sprcd with which the players dashed into breaches

made !>.<■ tl»c opposition. The North Shore backs played rijrht on top of their opponents and their. quick_.sjnotlierjng...often-.upset... the Mount" Albert rearguard. Mount Albert lost tome good chances through wild passing and t*ice the player in possession sent his transfer the wrong way when tries looked certain. In the second spell a brilliant low tackle by Smith, the North Shore fullback, saved a certain try when McNeil was grounded just short of the line. On another occasion Herring, the Mount Albert forward, lost a try on (he Xcfrth Shore line through attempting to score himself. The score at the interval was 3 —all, each tide registering a try. Although it had lost t«o forwards through injuries the players *ho replaced them helped North' Shore to maintain the fast pace it had set in the first spell. ,It appeared doubtful whether the North Shore forwards would withstand the pace, bat the players were trained to the minute and were the fitter side at the finish. For a short time near the end of the second Fjiell North Shore had inly 11 players on the field, but even then Mount Albert lost possession through kicking into the safe hands of 'J. Smith or V. Scott. Although North Shore played one short for about the last 10 minutes it was attacking strongly at the final whistle. For the winners J. Smith was in form at fullback and played a fine all-round game. Lash and Bennetts showed dash on the wings, while V.j,Scott, centre, was a thorn in the side of the opposition on defence. He often nullified passes iu Mount Albert's rearguard attacks and once in the second spell intercepted cleverly With only the fullback to pass, however, he elected to kick with two Players in support, and MacLachlin raced back and saved (he position in fine style. , Brown, first five-eighths, played a good all-round ( game and his strong defence kept in check for a greater part of the matcu. vvilkie, second five-eighths, was playij.f. we ". U P to the time of his injury and w|, °. Replaced him, filled the position ' credit. Sterlinir played his usual sound v m c , a L bac k- Of a fine set of forwards, 1T,,. Morgan, Fields and Jones were Xfll pron " nen '- but the whole pack played * •„I he i u iIou ", t Al,)crt fullback, MacLachlan, hi™ 6 i! oUt? ' l - a ' afternoon with credit, thin- i ® un< '. dMay being sound. Hardgravo naa i m better form on the wing and a ' Ma >' s dangerous. He was unfortunate a '"jury :n the second spell > • ,)ercd llis si'eed. Marshall did sound at t?^! Ve at 'entre, but had to copei „ n !! ts wifeh some poor passes 'lroin Donaldand Donaldson, the five-eighths, uiu not work together so well as usual. Biannual,'? tr>o se 'fi- s h and fried to do too shir, 3 , ne " other times he was con--iint -° US for .S o °d openings. Donaldson vra;; „ J'? Prominent as in previous games He jl. ? °n e "ice try when he short-kicked over „ i h "ds - of the North Shore backs and S !d possession on the full again. The halfjV j. J played a fine all-round game, nin-i? yeoman service on defence in very ' py. style and sent good passes from the v , Gun ning, Hansen and Tristram were _?est of the Mount Albert forwards. Pitt - N>or 'b Shore were scored by Fields, ,„ i , ? I J ( ' Brown. Smith converted one try 4iK ' c * !et ' penalty goals. Tries for Mount nert were scored by Hardgrave. McNeil. ■Donaldson and Leatherbarrow. "• G. Kelly was refrece. SUCCESS OF PONSONBY marist weakened a v ® r - v evenly-contested came until \t,,;\ ,". le second half Ponsonby defeated - arist, which was not up to full strength. \ a n ing-lhreequarter. played in the ei.»h?u and ii reserve grade |)la.ver at fiveshn.'.ii 'l e m »rgin in favour of Ponsorlby k i,i ",.. " av e been larger, taking into con--1,-inji i° n (he number of times the backs "i ''all- Flanagan is undoubtedly -, K w "" considerable success as a hooker •p. ls a decided acquisition for Ponsonby. KPtJi" , onsonby backs took a long time to lion* "■ : "" 1 lll( ' ,U( 't (hat the key posiaJiJ a . re /'hanged in almost every game may wlm I, 1 . >Cir . 01 combination. McManus, was k '' several games on the wing, The n^0,,8' l, '" ,O the five-eighths position, liio onsonhy forwards have improved of Hip;, a " JHtlc fault < mi lit tie found with nnlnM- ,v 0,1 Saturday. Maris! has been anil «« i OM ,l "' score of illness and injuries fielrif.,l ii :l different team has been w as „ However, its form against Ponsonby thn score being no indication of in tiii'V /I 1 ' 11 *- Each team scored a try fonhv . 1 , a,lt ' in 'be second PongjorJ , lroS: >ed the Marist line on three occaSonhv I l i' iH superior speed of the PonMir, /Ih'it beat Marist. ii jjjat fullback for Ponsonby, gave Part- u ■ £ ' (|nal to anything- seen at Carlaw * ball An if He never once missed a ud thl .i fu ," a " d was not afraid to open quarto?- by running to his tbreeKav M url1 " kicked with good judgment, gen'eraiiv i Dot so impressive as usual and manv . ? orm v >'as disappointing. On ■ { hreenn^ C ( as!on ". I l '- Passed too soon to the next 1,1?.. . } v 'thout attempting to run the "line J' r i" Kl ' or '»sr pbsition. His tackm , , ? unproved. Dormer did not play lone i,, e '" n !' the scrum, and held on too into ih„ WW "S bouts. He ran (oo much fesnltorf . srrn, l s when a pass may have L- ln/ , tries being scored. McManus «>eral fine openings at five-eightlis

and used his speed to good advantage. Riley plaved a splendid game at centre, a position he'appears to suit. Nurse, on the wing, played well, but Funnell tackled weakly on occasions. Petersen was tho„ best forward on the ground, and in the loose took a prominent part in two tries. Morgan was also prominent, and Bell's sound knowledgo of front-row forward play greatly nsaisicd the hooker. "Watson shoved improved form. For Maris!, Grotte. behind the pack, did a lot of sound work and his defence was splendid. Chalmers, at five-eighths, was good on attack and compared very favourably with any of the Ponsonby backs. Haslam was a tower of strength^to his side. He repeatedly beat the defence with his characteristic bursts. Anderson, Erickson and \Y. Grotte were the pick of the forwards. Haisey also played a good game in a strange position. For Ponsonby, Riley and Watson scored tries. Kay kicked two penalty goals. For Marist, Haisey scored a try and Anderson kicked two penalty goals. Mr. M. Wetherill was referee. CITY DISAPPOINTS BACKS OUTCLASSED City gave a very disappointing display against Manukau and failed to cross its opponents' line. The City backs, who were outclassed by the opposition, lacked combination. The first lntlf wa< fairly even, but in the second spell Manukau dominated the name and scored on four occasions. The combination of the inside backs, Mahima, halfback, Chase and Brimble. fiveeighths. was a feature of the game. Manukau would be wise to leave these players in their present positions. On attack the trio took part in almost every try. The City forwards battled on well and were equal to the Manukau set. Behind the scrum for Manukau Mahima played a splendid game and made several nice openings which resulted in tries. Little fault could be found with his defence. Henii played well at fullback and proved a good substitute for Nepia, who was standing down owing to an injury to his arm. Hoini, who rarely missed a chance to open up the play for the backs, paved the way for two tries. The five-eighths, Chase and Brimble, played good games, especially the latter, whose form was an improvement on that of earlier games. Chase has played in many positions this season and did some brilliant work on attack. Wiberg played well at centre and his accurate kicking got Manukau out of many difficulties. Ririnui and Marsh were prominent among the forwards, particularly ihe latter. G a tilt was outstanding in the loose and tackled soundly. Shilton played his best game this season. The City backs were very disappointing and few ' stood out prominently. Greer, at fullback, was off form and appeared very slow in his movements. Rata, centre, and Silva. five-eighths, played well, especially the former, who with better support would have scored on two occasions. "Whittle, five-eichths, kicked 100 much. Gould, on the wing, showed a lot of speed, but lacked opportunities. Mataira played a splendid game amonc the forwards and was well supported by Hapi, whose fast following up checked ' several attacks. For Manukau. tries were scored bv Mahima (3), .Ririnui and McGuire. Hemi converted tVo tries and kicked a penalty goal. Mr. J. Donovan was referee. PAPAKURA IMPROVES RICHMOND HARD PRESSED Play territorially was very even in the match between Papakura and Richmond at Prince Edward Park. The Papakura forwards played a great game and were on top until near the close when the score was 17-all. Richmond, however, was too clever in the final stages and ran out victors by 23 points to 17. The game was one of the most brilliant of the code seen locally and was played before a large attendance. But for the fact that D. Solomon, the ex-All Black, turned out for Richmond, Papakura would in all probability have won. In the first half Solomon broke through repeatedly to make nice openings for his backs. A rearrangement of the Papakura backs in the second half proved effective in stopping him. after which he was not nearly so dangerous. The honours of the match must go to the Papakura forwards, who outclassed the Richmond six in every department of the game. Milliken was this best forward on the ground. For Richmond McLcod and Mitchell were the best forwards and Solomon and Graham the best backs. Crocker, Cossey and Clarke were the best Papakura backs. Behind the scrum Crocker played a good game, varying his play cleverly. For Richmond Watkins (2), Mitchell (2), Solomon, Furnell agd Mitchell scored tries, Devine converting one. For Papakura Crocker (2) and Mclnnes scored tries. Cooke converted one and kicked three penalty goals. Mr. O. Chalmers was referee. LOWER GRADE RESULTS -' Senior—Reserve-—Grade. —Richmond, • 41. Papakura. S; Ponsonby, 30, Marist, 6; Mount Albert, 22, North Shore, 2; City, 13. Manukau. 3. „ T Senior B Grade.—Otahtihu, i, Green Lane, 7; Point Chevalier, 35, Northcote, 3; Ellerslie. 1!). -R.V.. 2. Third Grade. —Mount Albert, Gl. Newmarket, 4; Otahuhu, -14, Newton, 2; City A, 14, Marist, 11: Papakura, 2, Manukau, 0: Richmond, IG, Northcote, 10; Air Force, 6, Manukau A, 3; R.V., 4, Ponsonby, 0. Fourth Grade.—Richmond, 13, Ponsonby, 0; Papakura, 7, Northcote. 3; Mount Albert, S. Green Lane, 2. Fifth Grade. —Richmond, 22. Papakura, 7- Point Chevalier, 9, Newmarket. 3: Manukau, 13, Glenora, 5: Technical Old Boys, 5, Newton, 3; Avondale, 6, Ellerslie, 3. Sixth Grade. —Richmond, 10. Otahuhu, 5; Ellerslie. 9. Mount Albert. 2. Seventh Grade. —Richmond. 31. :\orthcote, 0. „ .

SCHOOLBOYS' GAMES Senior Grade. —Otahuhu, IS, Northcote, O; Newton, 0. Ellerslie. 0: Richmond, S. Mount Albert. 3. Intermediate Grade.—Green Lane, 13, North Shore, 0; Richmond, 1-1, Newton, 0; Ponsonby, 11. Mount Albert, 0; Newmarket, 9 St. Patrick's, 0; Point. Chevalier, 3, Avondale, 0; Ellerslie, 29, Manukau, 0. Junior Grade. —Newmarket, 11. Northcote, r>; St. Patrick's, 0, Glenora, 0; Point Chevalier. IT, Manukau, 0. Seven-a-side. —Mount Albert, G, >»orth Shore, 0; Marist, 6, Ponsonby, 0. GAMES AT WHANGAREI SELECTOR IN ATTENDANCE [by telegraph—own correspondent] WHANGAREI, Sunday Plaving his first game in New Zealand. •\nderson, the St. George (Sydney) League forward was seen in action yesterday afternoon when the Newton (Auckland) senior team beat a combined Portland-Hikurangi team at "Whangarei by 28 points to 18. In the first spell the local- combined team, playing for the first lime together, could not itet "oing and Newton had a rather easy time "in putting on 10 points to 0. In ihe second spell the local team settled down and 'had the better of the play. Try-getters for Newton were Brimble, B. and D. McKcnzie Kendall. Stevens, Cinders, Dempsey and Saunders, while Anderson and Saunders converted. For the local team Springfellow, of Hikurangi, scored twice, as did Flesher, of Portland, while C. Hamilton, of Hikurangi, added the major points to three of these' Iries Mr J. A. Redwood, president of the New Zealand League Council, and a New Zealand selector, watched the game from the sideline. Mr. Redwood was on the look-out for talent for the New Zealand team for England and France, and at the, conclusion of the game he staled that another Auckland team would be visiting Whangarei before the New Zealand team was selected. He expressed himself as impressed with the standard of play and said that arrangements were in train for player-coaches to visit the whangarei district to assist .the code. Tt, was probable that the. first of these players would arrive in AYliangarci during the coming * In the junior competition Portland, 12. beat Kensington. 0. GAMES IN THE SOUTH [BT TELEGRAPH —rRESS association] Wellington.—St. George, 3S, Rnnrhvirk, 18; Petone, 47, Newtown. 15; Central. 18. Miramar, fi. Christchurch. —Riccarton, 7, Waiinairi, r»; Sydenham. 10, Hornby, G; Rnkaia. JG. Addington, 11