LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15245, 23 May 1923, Page 9

LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

J fßy “Vcrax.") The large attendance at Hinemoa Park on Saturday was proof of the growing popularity of the League • game in Hamilton, and if the football j provided maintains its present high . standard there is no doubt that the : code will have a much larger follojvj mg as the season advances, j The meeting of Frankton and Ath- ! letic had been looked forward to by ! supporters since the first game of the | season, when Frankton were viclori- | ous over the Red and Whites by a I margin of three points. Those who expected a close and exciting game on Saturday were not disappointed. The match was keenly fought from start to finish, and tho issue was in doubt right up to the call of time. Athletics threw the ball about in good style, and in spite of the greasy stae of the ground and the leather, \ very few passes were missed. Frank- ; ton relied more on hard forward play, : and both their tries were the result of dribble and rush tactics. Dufty was f a tower of strength,, and as usual was responsible for most of the points scored by his team. For the winners, Gilmour played a particularly good game at full-back. He handled the ball surprisingly well, and saved his side repeatedly. The threequarter line, composed of Sorenson, Corleison and Burstall, was sound, and the fact that the three tries scored were all secured by the three-quarters shows that the passing game is successful even in the mud. Stewart and Pilkington, as five-eighths, held their end up well, and Peokham was good behind the pack. All the forwards played well, and held their big opponents with ease for the most part. Dufty was the most outstaning back In the Frankton team. They would be lost without him. Vernall played well at half, and should still further improve. Otto, Pocock, and Dent also did well.-.

Saturday’s match was the first in which Frankton have been beaten this season, and the manner in which they took defeat was certainly not creditable. A rebuke from the authorities would not be amiss. Their captain was ordered off the field just on the call of time for questioning the referee’s ruling on a certain point. The greatest crowd ever recorded at football in Australia lias attended a League match between England and a Sydney team, the number being 67,979. Moreover, the gate is the biggest ever taken in Australia, viz., £6225.

The prospect of -a Rugby League team from one of the Sydney clubs paying a visit to Auckland during the season is held out by Mr J. Carlaw, late chairman of the management committeee, in a letter to Mr Ivan Culpan, secretary to the Auckland League. Mr Carlaw'is working with League officials acrflss the Tasman, with a view to arranging a tour. “Brownie” Paki, who has been one of the star backs of the game in this country of late seasons, is now playing in Sydney, where he is reported to have struck his best game early. Paki is now in tho locality where he has the opportunity to develop the finer points of the game and attain that brilliance good judges have preached for him. On the opening Saturday (May 5) of the competitions in Sydney, North Sydney narrowly downed Western Suburbs. Balmain, through the solid work of a splendid set of scrummagers who got in among the St. George backs, won comfortably, too, on points

\ Newtown surprised Glebe by getting off the mark early and in among the I points. And the light young Univerj sity backs were outplayed by the more I seasoned,and weightier men of Eastern Suburbs, though the game was quite spirited, and now and then a little bit wide of the spirit of Rugger on the part of one or two Eastern Surbubs men. Thus the opening day shed lustre on four teams —North Sydney, I Balmain, Eastern Suburbs, and Newtown. I GAMES IN LOWER WAIKATO. I The League competitions in Lower : Waikato were continued last Saturday, i In the senior round Huntly beat Tau- ■ piri on the former’s ground by six ; points to nil. The game was fast, well-contested, and at times rather too vigorous. Mr A. Harlock was referee. At Orini the local team was badly defeated by Ngaruawahia by 28 points | to six. Ngaruawahia, chiefly owing to j Morris at half, opened up the game splendidly, and ran over their op- | ponents. Mr R. T. Hill was referee. | In the junior round Huntly beat Taupiri by six points to three after a clean and hard-fought game. The Huntly colts proved too good for Ngaruawahia, whom they defeated by eight points to three. The following table shows the position of the teams in the senior round: —,

P. w. D. L. Pts. Taupiri ..... 4 0 1 8 ,'Huntly 5 3 1 1 7 Ng-aruawahia 5 2 1 2 5 Orini ....... 5 0 0 5 0