WAIROA’S VISIT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20045, 18 September 1939, Page 11

WAIROA’S VISIT

REP. RUGBY FIXTURE KEEN INTEREST SHOWN LAST OF 1939 SEASON Poverty Bay and Wairoa senior Rugby representative teams met today on the Gisborne Oval lor the third time this season, the two previous games having been played in Gisborne and Wairoa respectively. Keen interest attached to to-day's fixture, as on the previous matches honours were even.

The home team was confident of success this time, but neither the selectors nor the players had spared pains to prepare for a hard and sustained effort on the part of Wairoa to secure the season’s honours. Wairoa holds the Barry Senior Cup. having beaten both Poverty Bay and East Coast in matches for that trophy, and a win in Gisborne to-day was looked forward to as a distinct possibility.

The Rugby programme at the Oval included also one junior match, between Gisborne Old Boys B and Wairoa Athletic; and two third-grade games, between Gisborne Old Boys and Wairoa Athletic on one ground, and between Gisborne Marist and Napier -Marist on the other.

Teams for the senior representative match were: —

Wairoa.—Full-back, Unwin; threequarters, McKenzie, Campbell and Finch; five-eighths, Powdrell and Beckett; half-back, Christie; forwards, Pilmer, Hawea, Helean, Spooner, Wrightson, Huata, O’Rourke and Lewis.

Poverty Bay.—Full-back, B. Malone; three-quarters, A. Read, A. McAneney and R. Short; five-eighths, P. Haisman and T. Smiler; half-back, W. Morrison; forwards, W. Johnstone, G. Shanks, G. King, G. Phillips, V. Kutia, F. Twigg, W. Holmes and R. Rogers.

Early Matches

Scores at 2.30 p.m. in the early games were: —

Juniors. —Old Boys B 16, Wairoa Athletic nil.

Thirds.—Gisborne Marist 6, Napier Marist nil; Gisborne Old Boys 3, Wairoa Athletic nil.