PROVINCIAL RUGBY FINAL

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1930, Page 4

PROVINCIAL RUGBY FINAL

OLD BOYS TO PLAY HAWERA. HISTORY OF SHIELD CONTESTS. This afternoon .will see the curtain rung down on the 1930 Rugby senior shield competition, when at Stratford the final of. the provincial competition for .the McMasters Shield will be played. .. The divisional winners this year are. Hawera. (southern), which has held the. championship on. six occasions besides being runners-up several other times, and Old Boys (northern), which team-. lias been prominent in northern football for some years but has reached the finals for the first occasion this season, • Since the first competition for the McMasters Shield was . held'ini 1902 there have been 25-cup finals-decided (there .were, none in the years 1916, 1917 and. 19.18 owing to- the-warL Southern teams, have, held .the eup. s on ■l4 occasions and northern teams. 11 times, llawpra and Waimate have each "won it. on six occasions . (ITawera's 'last occasion,’, being in 1924), ; Stratford has held it fiye times, Tukapa four times', Star, .. Okaiawa, Clifton and Opnnakc once each, Opunake being the present holder.

There have been some classic struggles;., for, the -provincial finals--, and’today’s .promises'to be. a good one, particli’lifrly' if the weather is fine. Each team is in good condition. A glance at the personnel of the teams will'’indicate ' their strength. The Jlawefa pack," Ic’d by Robinson Bros., Malcolm and Vvilliann?, is a formidable proposition capable of giving its backs plenty of the ball. The Hawora three-quarter lino, with the Taranaki, representative Hunter as centre, and Ekdahl on ope wing and Crotty on the other are a' very speedy trip. S..F. Riley, the exrepresentative half, is. playing as weil ,ap ever, and C.hcevers . is. a solid ’last I line of defence.. Though the Old Boys’ team ppsseses no representative forwards, every one is a. grafter.: Providing, it can keep Hawcra reasonably in check and give the .backs opportunities the Old Boys’ team should make matters very merry,. Galbraith. Brown ami showed on Saturday- against , M-iym vlhenua; a ,--.Usr.e of their,‘-quality.

and Medley, on the other wing, is as dangerous in attack. Mace, at first five-eighth, is ivery sound. ■ ■ The teams are:— ■_ HAWERA J. Cheevers . < S. Crotty N. Hunter D. Ekdahl C. Hammond J. Cameron S. F. Riley K. Riley L. Robinson T. Malcolm R. Williams E. Murphy B. Murphy W. Robinson E. Gibson Reserves—Backs: J. Bishop, H. Rawcliff e, Fama; forwards, Pokau and A. Clements'. OLD BOYS. R. Priar J. S. Medley H. W., Brown K. Fookes J. Galbraith B. Mace E. Mason S. Fookes S. Boek D. Slyficld K. Perry E. Luxton ... C. Deader I. Crawford J. K. Clark. Reserves —Forwards: J. Scoble, F. Frethey. Backs, Rutherford, N. : Webster. . The match will start at 2.30 p.m. Mr, 11. C. Johnson will be the referee.” The shield has been won in previous seasons as follows:— * 1902 ' Tukapa 1903 , Star 1901 Tukapa 1905 . Hawera • 1906 .. Stratford 1907 ........,...... Stratford 1908 Waimate 1909 ..’.J... '. Waimate 1910 Waimate 1911 Okaiawa 1912 Waimate 1913 .............. Waimate 1914 ‘ Waimate 1915 Hawera 1916, 1917, 1918, No competition 1919 ........ 1 Hawera 1920 ..............Hhwera 1921 Hawera 1922 ................ Tukapa 1923 Clifton 1924 . Hawera 1925' Stratford 192(5 Tukapa 192? • ..... Stratford 1928 ?,...... Stratford 1929 ...............'. Opumvke