Marton District

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 May 1947, Page 2

Marton District

•CHRONICLE" OCHCE; JOCKEY CLUB ROOMS. BROADWAY. Telephone 2101. ATHLETIC FOOTBALL CLUB MAKES PROMISING EARLY SEASON START Surveying the results of Saturday s football in Rangitikei, the Athletic Club has reason to be proud of its record All three teams—senior, junior and thirds— registered wins, the senior victory being at the expense of Marton Old Boys, until their defeat, leaders in the competition. Athletic have now definitely established their superiority over the Old Boys club in all grades. The previous Saturday they beat Old Boys juniors 11-7 and thirds 8-0. To complete the issue, last week Athletic seniors had a narrow victory over their old rivals by 3-0. , The performances of the three Atnletic teams this season are indeed encouraging for a club in its second year of activity since being resuscitated. At present the senior team is lying second in the competition, one point behind the leaders. Rata, while the juniois and thirds are at the top of the ladder. The thirds, so far are undefeated. Another local team in this grade yet to taste defeat is the Marton District High School fifteen. As a matter of fact the only local team to be beaten on Saturday was the Old Boys seniors and that was at the hands of the other Marton team, Athletic. The other five Marton fifteens all recorded victories. Incidentally when Marton Old Boys juniors beat Rangatahi at Onepuhi, it waS the Marton team’s first victory for two seasons. In many houses, on several street corners or wherever footballers do congregate in the evening after their afternoon’s exhibitions on Saturday night post mortem examinations were held on the Athletic-Old Boys senior clash Several came to the conclusion that Athletic deserved their win; some went so far as to say by a larger margin. Others were inclined to tn that the Old Boys’ team was a trifle unlucky in not leaving the ue.d ».—i at least a draw. It is the opinion oi this observer that a draw would have been a better indication of the trend of play. Athletic fielded a robust pac,k in fact they paraded their best fifteen, whereas the vanquished were inmu. four of their regular players. E. Dix (five-eighths) was a spectator recovering from an illness but is expected to take the field against Rata on Saturday. N. Northover (good loose forward) was also on the sideline, and J. Barry, listed as full-back, had to work on Saturday afternoon. When the team was about to file out on to the field it was discovered that C Hunt (side-row forward) was absent. It was subsequently ascertained that he was working late and he arrived at the park, clad in his football garb, just before half-time-too late for the game. It was necessary to send into the forwards a junior live-eighths, E. Boyd, to complete the fifteen and he filled the back-row berth. Despite the strange position, Boyd played a decent sort of a game. It will be an interesting second round clash between Athletic and Old Boys. Athletic seniors tripped out on to the arena clad in their spanking new amber and black jerseys. Years ago the registered colours lor Athletic were red and black, but when the club went into recess, these colours were adopted by Ohingaiti. Last season Athletic played in blue jerseys, with a gold sash, the latter invariably being in ribbons by the end of the game. Amber and black are the colours used by the Marton Junction School, r.r • the Athletic club draws most of their players from the Railway , - decided to use this combination of colours and on Saturday it was the seniors’ first appearance at Rugby headquarters in their new jerseys. THE THIRD GRADE MATCH. Two young, keen and enthusiastic teams—Old Boys and Ohingaiti—provided the third grade curtain-raiser at the Park on Saturday. While the players stil have a lot to learn in the liner points of the game, they were not at all backward and the forwards went at it hammer and tongs. In the first spell Old Boys were always on the attack and had the Ohingaiti boys defending hard. From one forward rush, the captain of the local team, D. Watson, went across for an unconverted try. On changing over, spurred on by some hectic barracking from their own side-line supporters Ohingaiti did eveything but score. When full time sounded the visitors were still three points down. Had Old Boys possessed someone with a “boot," they might have added to their three-point victory, four penalties Both teams have the nuclei of good fifteens, once the rough edges are knocked off. Mr. N. Morgan controlled the game. RAINFALL AT TUTAENUI. Rain fell at Tutaenui last month on nine days, totalling 3.07 inches, of which 1.50 inches were recorded on April 14, according to figures kept by Mr. W. B. Gray ‘‘Hazelhurst," Tutaenui. Details are: 2nd. .06, 3rd. .27, 14th. 1.50, 15th .07, 19th. .73, 20th. .03, 24th. .29, 25th 07, 27th. .11. DUCK SHOOTING IN RANGITIKEI. Satisfactory conditions for the opening day of the shooting season was commented upon by Rangitikei sportsmen during the week-end. A westerly wind, which made the sen choppy, sent ducks inland when disturbed. Other years they have made for the open sea. As a result there were some good “bags” registered Sy those who chose sites inland. Reports from shooting parties in Rangitikei varied considerably in their record of success. Many' commented on tlie greater numbers of mallard compared with grey duck. On Mr. A. E. Smith's property Upper Tutaenui, 14 guns each shot the limit of 15 ducks. At Gudopp’s Lake, South Makirikiri, four guns shot 21 ducks J here was good shooting at .Lake Beamish and Blind Island,' although the birds flew high. Fair success was reported front the smaller lakes at Santoft. At Heaton Park (Nursery Lake) five guns accounted -or 50 ducks and on the Home Lake lour guns secured a bag of 33, mostlv mallard. 1 urakina shooting parties described their success as lair. COUNTRY QUEEN ACTIVITIES. There promises to be much activity this week for supporters of the Marton Country Queen. At the Tutaenui Hall on Thursday night there is to be a grand games 'evening. Admission is free and supper will be provided. On Friday there will be a produce street stall outside the Farmers' Distributing Building in Broadway. There should be plenty tb buy here. There is only one stipulation,