League Rugby.

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 657, 8 May 1929, Page 13

League Rugby.

Notes and. Comment.

Next Saturday’s Games Newton v. Kingsland, Marist v. Ponsonby. EI lerslie v. Dev on port. City v. Richmond. Although the Cit y-Richn onu tussle next week is bound to attract considerable interest, especially after the consistency of the City team and the great performance of the Richmond ] side last Saturday, it does appeal* that the feature game for this week will be the meeting of Marist and Ponsonby, two thirteens which have shown j great form. A good game should result. The Ponsonby Club has made another transfer. This time it is Ken ; Peckham. who has been given his j ’’passport ’ to Newton. The Ponies J appear to be losing a number of last year’s payers, but. according to the . games played so far this season, not with any serious weakening effect. Married and Single It is surprising the number of married men who are found among the more prominent in the senior j ranks. Ponsonby. for instance, fca- j tures six of those who have joined the ranks of the benedicts, while some of j the other clubs have similar numbers. The youthful Richmond Leaguers, however, are certainly an exception, and all are single fellows. A Good Bob's Worth League fans who attended Carlaw j Park last week certainly had a good : shilling’s worth of football fare. The | early game on the main area was a j thrilling tussle from whistle to | whistle, while the feature match of j the afternoon between Marist and Richmond was undoubtedly an exhibition of remarkably good football. Too Late An unavoidable occurrence made the games at Car law Park last Saturday late in starting, but apart from this, even if the games started right on time they are far too late in finishing for the convenience of many spectators. Tho Auckland Rugby League would be making a move toward further popularising the code if it started its games off at least a quarter of an , hour earlier. Embarrassing Moments Two players in the Ponsonby-New-ton match'at Carlaw Park on Saturday spent several embarrassing moments in a game which was one desperate fight from whistle to whistle. The Ponsonby fullback was tackled on one occasion, and although he himself escaped, his nether garments failed to stand the strain. Nothing daunted, he dashed on, taking everything in his stride. Shrieks of laughter broke out from the crowd as they realised what was amiss. Several minutes later, Kimberley, the flying winger, suffered a similar catastrophe, but he recovered the wayward tweed before the spectators realised what was wrong. « « * Dufty’s Position Despite the fact that it lias been state,d in some quarters that C. Dufty, “All Black” fullback, would turn out in the red, white and blue jersey of j Elerslie this season, he was down as one of the nine forwards from which | the final selection of Newton’s pack ! was to be mode on Saturday. The ! international did not put in an appear- j ance, however. Dufty, who in point | of playing years must now be reckoned among the veterans, compared more than favourably with Sullivan, the English fullback, last year. And Sullivan came to the Dominion with a reputation as the greatest Rugby League fullback in the world! But along with that great hooker-, Somers, and New Zealand’s captain, Gig Wetherill, Dufty may have decided to say good-bye to the game. * * * Australians for England The Australian League team to tour England this season is scheduled to sail from Sydney by the R.M.M.S. Aorangi on July 25. The team will spend a couple of days at Auckland on route. It is due in England on August 22. It is stated in some quarters that Air. H. Sutherland is likely to be chosen as one of the managers. He visited New Zealand in 1925 as manager of the Queensland side. Mclntyre Returns A. Mclntyre, the crack-a-jack half- | back who played for the Newton senior j thirteen in 1927 and left later for j Sydney, returned to New Zealand from j Australia by the Marama yesterday. I Mclntyre won representative honours ! in 1927. the first season he played senior football, and it is expected that j he will turn out for his old club again. 1

If he does. Newton will become an even more promising team than at present: that is. if Mclntyre has retained the form he displayed while in Auckland. Numbering Players The Auckland Rugby League has shown commendable enterprise in publishing weekly the news sheet. “Auckland Rugby League Gazette." but if things continue as they were on Saturday. team managers will defeat one of the main objects o: the issue of the paper. Greater strictness in the numbering of placers must bo observed bv clubs if patrons at Carlaw Park are to be assisted in following the games. On Saturday many players were not numbered as indicated on the programme, which is naturallv taken by patrons as official. Managers when issuing jerseys on the ground should see that they are given out as indicated on the printed team sheet, otherwise the gazette, through no fault of its own. will not maintain its present position as the official League guide In Auckland.