League Picnic at Carlaw

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 461, 17 September 1928, Page 6

League Picnic at Carlaw

Otago Hospitably Entertained Bagpipes Usher in Holiday Football DILIGENTLY “nursed” by the more experienced Northerners, the Otago Rugby League team scored 22 points to Auckland’s 42 at Carlaw Park on Saturday. The score, however, gave little indication of the game—had the home thirteen played all out, it is safe to say that it could have scored 50 or 60 points and kept Otago down to a dozen or so.

Time and again an Auckland player would race through the Otago lines, and when apparently well on the way to a score, would send out as neat a pass as one could wish to see to an Otago man, who was not slow to profit from the opportunity. The game had its entertaining moments at times, and the first spell was made fairly even, but towards the close the spectators wearied of the farce, and most of them were on the way home when the end came. The match furnished clear proof of the contention that it is sheer futility to put what is close to a New Zealand side into the field against weak Southern opposition. When Otago filed out on to the field, the sirl of the bagpipes was heard. OTAGO’S PLUCKY FIGHT Game in the beginning, in the middle and at the end, Otago was not beaten because it did not try, but because it was hopelessly outclassed from whistle to whistle. A fine spurt marked the opening stages of the game, ancf within two

minutes Otago led 2—o. That was the only occasion during the match in which they were ahead of Auckland, and, had not the home side gone on to the field lazy and confident of an easy victory, they probably would never have hoisted those two points. HARDGRAVE DAZZLES Hardgrave was conspicuous early in the game, when he put in a dazzling run up the side-line, and side-stepped three men brilliantly to ground under the posts. Although he got fewer chances than Len Scott on the other wing, he made more of them, and at different periods thrilled the spectators and players with his fine efforts. In common with most of the Auckland

men, he was seldom extended, however. Len Scott mulled passes right and left. In the second half, however, he showed up to better advantage, and the only try he scored showed that he had not altogether lost the pace which made him famous in club football this season. DELGROSSO HAS A JOKE Peckham behind the home scrum led the visitors a merry dance, hurdling, dodging, side-stepping and swerving with all the genius of yore. Outside him. Delgrosso had the time of his life. After staging a brilliant 25 yards’ dash with only one man between him and his goal, he calmly handed the ball to the lone defender, and then watched that move result in a try. And Delgrosso enjoyed the joke as mich as anybody. Thank goodness, somebody had a sense of humour. Dufty, as was only to be expected, was the casual Dufty, who never even allowed the Englishmen to put him out of his slow but steady stride. He tired of the lazy life in the second spell, and engaged in several brisk workouts with the threequarters. BUSY BRISBANE By scoring three tries, Brisbane was one of the few backs who took the game seriously, although List acquitted himself well under the circumstances at centre. Of the forwards, Ruby was outstanding. Moisley and Hall were the only others to do much work. Ruby r scored the try of his life when he picked up the ball and raced over half the field, with Cusack in hot pursuit, to ground under the post. Except for a tendency to get off-side, he would be a first-rate forward. One of the pasess he received resulting in a try was obviously forward, but if Referee Bull saw it, he did not trouble to pull the game up. Anyway, it couldn’t have altered the result. OTAGO’S VETERAN WINGER Of the visiting forwards, Townsend, apart from his formidable hooking, was outstanding. Hicks and Kirk were the best of the remainder. Clydesdale at fullback played a brilliant game, especially in the second half, and his was no easy lot against such an overwhelmingly superior team. Watson, on the wing, who played fullback for Otago at Union Rugby before the war, was brilliant on defence and speedy on attack. Eckhoff played a good “lone-hander’s” game in the fiveeighth line, while McEwan at half created a favourable impression. The points register was made up as follows: Auckland: 42 points. Tries by Hardgrave (3), Brisbane (3), Ruby (2), Scott and Morsby; conversions by Dufty (4) and Delgrosso (2). Otago: 22 points. Tries by Clydesdale, Timlin, Cusack and Hicks; conversions by Clydesdale (2) and penalties by Eckhoff (2) and Clydesdale). Referee: Mr. L. Bull