INTERESTING GAMES IN LEAGUE CODE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17834, 30 April 1926, Page 6

INTERESTING GAMES IN LEAGUE CODE.

WILL HAVE BEARING ON COMPETITION RESULTS. The Rugby league senior competition is becoming increasingly interesting, and to-morrow’s matches will have a more or less direct bearing on the final result. Two games in which the respective teams are fairly evenly matched will be played at Monica Park. These are between Marist ana Waimairi, and Addington and Marist £.

The Marist-Waimairi match will be played on No. 1 ground. Both teams have two competition points to their credit, and both have been defeated once. Waimairi succumbed to Addington on the opening day, and Marist lost their match against Hornby last Saturday. Both were lost by narrow margins. Now it remains to be seen which of the two teams will draw level with Hornby or Addington, should either of these lose their matches on the same day.

Addington and Marist B are drawn to play on No. 2 ground. While the hopes of Marist winning are not considered of the brightest the team is reported to be improving steadily, and that it will put a team in the field better in form than the one defeated by Woolston last Saturday. The Marist Club has held some excellent practices lately, and the muster at one last week was a record in the history of the Club. The B team will doubtless give a good account of itself, and should it win. the victory will render the competition even more interesting. *

Other matches will be between Sydenham and Linwood, and Woolston and Hornby.

The Woolston Club’s senior team will be greatly strengthened by the inclusion of H. Moffat, an ex-Hornby player, whose transfer from the Hornby Club has been granted by the Centre. Moffat, was a Canterbury representative hooker some years ago. He was nothing brilliant as a footballer, but was exceptionally clever in the scrum. Woolston has also effected the transfer from llornbv of B. Keene and P. Parker, ex-Hornby players. I The Woolston Club, by a dance in

the Druids’ Hall last Saturday, raised enough money to provide its fifth and sixth grade players with jerseys. The Addington Club has supplemented its funds by a very successful euchre

party and dance on Wednesday night, the second entertainment run by the club this season. The idea is to get sufficient cash to build club rooms, and the dub has been working steadily for this for about two years

The Marist Club has been in touch with H. Meats at Ashburton, lie played for West Coast and the South Island last year and was prevented from making the Australian tour probably through suffering at Auckland from a broken shoulder. Marist have asked

Hears to join their club with a view to inclusion in their A team, but the player has replied that it is unlikely he will be able to play for them until near the end of the season. The club is hopeful of getting one or two prominent players from the Ashburton district before the end o£ the season.

Sam Clegg, who played for Sydenham last Saturday, represented the West Coast last year. He was a prolific scorer of tries on the Coast, and was a favourite with the crowds that frequented the Omoto ground. He played for the Inangahua Club, in which there is also a well-known Sydenham player in A. G. M’Alpine. ODDS AND ENDS. One of the finds on the West Coast this year is Briscles, a former Australian rules player, who is considered to have good prospects for the trip to the Old Country.

The Greymouth team in its first match turned out with eleven new players, practically a new team compared with last year.

The League game is now being played in several of the schools in the Inangahua district. Five school teams are playing under the West Coast League, an increase of one over last year.

W. Deere, who represented West Coast and Wellington at Rugby last year, is now playing for Auckland Mar-

Four good teams turned out at Hamilton (South Auckland) last Saturday. The resulting games were very even, and were watched by large crowds. Phil Griften, who played for Marist A last Saturday, was a former West Coast Rugby Union representative, lie has had previous experience at the League game.

The transfer of J. Parkes from Canterbury to Auckland has been approved by the Auckland Management Committee of the League. In Auckland, the New Zealand representative will play for the Richmond Club.

It is reported that Hickey, the Poneke wing three-quarter, has come over to the League code. Hickey, who has transferred to Dunedin, was a great try-getter for Poneke last season, so that his place will be hard to fill. The spread of the League game in Australia can be seen from the following news item from Canberra, the new Federal capital:—A meeting was held in the club rooms at Acton for the purpose of forming a Rugby League football club from old and new players of the Rugby Union and League codes i It was unanimously decided to apply for registration to the district secretary at Goulburn, who came to assist in the formation of the club.

Duncan Thompson, the brilliant Rugby League half-back, who has made history in New South Wales, Queensland and England, has definitely stated that he has retired from football. At a meeting of the Toowoomba League (Queensland) Thompson offered to act as" coach to the Toowoomba representatives gratis, but by a vote of nine to eight his services were declined. WRenwick was appointed. The Queenslanders are to play New South Wales in Sydney on June 5 and 7, and New South Wales is scheduled to play Queensland in Brisbane, on July 3 and 10. The Exhibition grounds in Brisbane have been secured for these dates.

No more will the Balmain and Australian captain, “Chook” Fraser, dazzle football fans with his spectacular and brainy football. Fraser has announced his retirement. Now thirty-three years of age, he considers that it is time to give way to younger players. He has played in three test matches against New Zealand, ten against England. and for his club, Balmain, has participated in 208 games. Fifteen years ago he toured England with the "Australian team. It is quite evident he has enjoyed a splendid innings. He has been dubbed “the schoolboy international.” As a lad he played Australian rules and represented his State. Next he piaved the Rugby game and found himself in the League ranks in 1908. Three years later, as a lad of eighteen, he boarded the boat for England with the Kangaroos, playing in twenty-one matches. lie again went to England with the 1921 team, as vice and acting-captain.

The recommendation of the New South Wales Rugby League that after a force the drop-out be from the touchline is not approved by the English Rugby League. At the present time after a force the drop-out is from the twenty-five yards mark. On April 6 the English reply to the suggested amendment of the rule was discussed by the New South Wales Rugby League, and further representations are to be made to the English body. It would be possible, sa\-s a Sydney writer, to adopt the new rule in New South Wales, and revert to the old rule during the visit of English teams, but it is not likely that this will be done. As far as possible it is the policy of the governing body here to fall in with the views of the English Council. For years New South Wales and Queensland have allowed the substitution of players, but t.o this England would not agree. Now New South Wales has decided that no substitutes be allowed. This should do away with the many abuses of the. substitution rule. These abuses were, most marked in club matches last season, and even in inter-State games players were allowed on the field a few minutes be fore the interval. It is contended that players will have to be in the best physical condition before going on the field now that there must be no substitution of players. It is reported from Brisbane that “Nigger” Brown, the international Rugby League footballer, has completed arrangements to go as coach to the North Queensland Rugby League. It is stated that he will go at the end of

May or early in June, returning to Toowoomba later in the season. : Arthur Toby, the Sydney Rugby Union representative full-back, plays the League game now for Eastern Sub- ' urbs. Writing to the Sydney “Sun,” 1 Claude Corbett says;—“Eastern Suburbs has a large number of aspirants 1 to “try out,” but the one round whom most interest centres is Toby, the ex- ' Union representative full-back. Toby gave a number of fine displays with Y.M.C.A., but he will need to be at his best to displace Hardy, who gave J much promise last season, and if Rig- , ney decides to play again he will be an even bigger thorn in Toby's side.” : Toby took the field for Eastern Suburbs in the trial match against New n town, but did not play up to his pre'l vious Union form. Toby played at d centre, but was out of position. The Newtown side included three New Zeat- landers, M Intyre (at half-back), e M’Fadden and Farrell, b Mr Ted Ifennessy, of the Exchange ° Hotel, Lithgow. has informed the Lithgow Rugbv League that he will give rl a substantial trophy for inter-district >r competition now that. Lithgow has K | been made the headquarters of Group h 10. The offer is contingent on Lithgow procuring a first-class coach, and in this connection he is prepared to v assist by providing a position and a board and lodgings for a person with ■(X the necessary qualifications.