Championship Soccer

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 725, 26 July 1929, Page 6

Championship Soccer

SERIES NEARING AN END Thistle v. Y.M.C.A. Tomorrow AFTER the day devoted to inter-provincial play, the championship series will be resumed tomorrow, when the games will be next to last in this season's championship. Trams, the unassailable leaders, journey to Devonport, and Ponsonby to Oneliunga, but the major attraction will be "i.M.C.A. v. Thistle at Blandford Park. The Young Men won by the odd goal in the first round, after a strenuous tussle, and it should be a hard battle for victory tomorrow. The Belmont-Celtic bout completes the programme.

With Tramways again established as the senior A champion, all the interest now is centred in the bottom teams, as the last two games will decide which two clubs will be due for relegation to B grade next season. The positions of the clubs are:

! The maximum number of points which Shore and Belmont can secure is ten each, but Onehunga, with nine points on and two to play, is not yet out of the danger-zone. Shore has a •tough proposition in trying to improve its position at the expense of the championship, but Soccer is a game of surprises, and Shore’s “dying kick” may provide a shock. Belmont has a chance of gaining a win against Celtic, but even with the advantage of the home ground Onehunga will find Ponies hard to get a point from. The Thistle-Young Men affair at headquarters should provide a good go, as the Scots are keen on getting even for the former defeat, and Y.M. is determined to finish in the second place for championship honours. The teams’ list is as follows: Senior Grade Belmont.—Wylie, Lithgow, Kemp, Woodhall, R. Bach, N. Bach, Allen, Austin, Cleal, Jas. Stewart, John Stewart. North Shore.—Wise, Colbourne, Gerrard, Haycock, Hart, Jones, McDona'd Bush, Whiteley, Jay, Hutter. Reserve: Blackie. Onehunga.—Zuill, Peterson, Woodhall, Bentley. Griffiths, Whemster. Johnson, Moon,. Gill, Jones, Rutherford. Celtic.—McPhee, Harper, Whowell, Mooney, J. Grant, Kane, E. Wright, Jenkins, Gavin, Watts, Rimmer, Hunter, Y.M.C.A.—Hilliard, Mowatt, Otter. Malcolm, Chapman, Riddells Bartley, Clanachan, Humphreys, McCauslan, Whaley, W cods. Senior B Grade Tamaki.—W. Hoyte, R. Pur die, K. Caldwell, S. Bowler, S. Diamond, W. Watson, J. White, G. Jarvie, G. Diamond, T. McDonald, PI. Dawson, G. Stone. Metropolitan.—Flashman, Andrews, Robinson, Jackson, College, Fryett, Massam, Holmes, College, Jaffray, Pollard. Newmarket.—Craxton, Potts, Sandford, S. Cotton, Tinkler, Weir, W. Cotton, Muller, Davies, Blockley, Scholes, Curtis, Smith. Manurewa.—Parks, Woods, Ross, Brown, Lees, Clarke, Anderson, Williamson, Palmer, Hart, PI. Donaldson. Northcote-Birkenhead.—Stott, Roberts, Battersh ill, Meek, S. Holman, Elsby, Munro, A. Holman, Pugh, Norling, Bellworthy. Rangers.—Surtees, Hallett, McKain, Sharp, Waterson, Lindsay, Kennedy, Nicol, Birkenhead, Coyle, Cummins;. Second Grade Belmont.—Warren, Robinson, Buchan, Plale, Mackay, Allen, Porteous, Thompson, Ballan tyne, Ridings, McLennan. Y.M.C.A.—Harper, McComish, Thompson, Smith, Shenkin, Rushen, Wright, Gale, Gale, Wright, Cole Cross, Kemp. Third Grade Open North Shore.—Sowden, Chubb, Goldsworthy, Morris, McCluskoy, Kerr, Reid, Geo, Furness, Barnhill, Plealy Davies. New Lynn.—Heap, Lithgow, Gregory, Darby, Munro, J. Munro, W. K. Munro, Low, Dorman, Armstrong, J. Carr. Reserves: W. Junes, Mc.Fariane, Rankin. Burnley.—Corringhom (2), Fielding, Wescott, Final, Parkinson, Elie (2), Phifiips, Olliver, Boughtwood. Reserve: Mount Albert.—McEwen, Bright, Clews, Rutherford, Holt, Duncan, Hart, Young, Webb, Almond, Moon, Hoidsworth, Wilson. Technical.—V. Sefont, A. Noble, B. Rod well, N. Roper, H, Lott, T. Ashworth, D. Munro, G. O’Leary, A. Bur ford, T. Robertson, E. Marlow. Emergencies: C. MacDonald, Burford. Y.M.C.A.—Pedley, Whelan, Martin Maelvinven, Thornes, MacKinven. Young, White, Wade, Sutherland, Pollard: emergencies, Hume, Mitchell. Swanson.—P. McFadclen, Dorrock, A. Cahill, O. yaylor, C. Perris, B. Con-

stable. E. S. McFadden, W. Gardner. D. Thorpe, A. E. Butler. A. Boyd. Reserves: Hammond, Gardner and Chambers. Third Grade Intermediate Rangers.—Hall, Shepherd, Marks, Morrison, McCaig, Smith. Wolfenden, Kennedy. Kerr, Kennedy, Cargo. New Lynn.—Childs, Hogg, Russell, Smith. Jamieson, Wood, Galloway, Martin, T. Carr, Lloyd Simpson. Reserves: A. Munro, Bannan. Burnley.—Williams, Bruce, Wilford, Spry, Ward, Gay, Coultaursr, Youngs, Clarke, Hutchens, Bowater. Mount Albert.—Floyd. King-. Holdsworth, Blair, Kean, Douglas, Cameron, Woods, Glaister, Pickering. McLeod, Brough. Eden Rovers.—Rvan, Dormer, J. Brown, Williamson, Gordon, Christie, Poole, Guest, Bellamy, Puddle, Roiall, McLean, J. X. Brown. JUNIOR NOTES SENIOR B DIVISION Owing to continued rains the Philo-mel-Northcote match, which was set down as the curtain-raiser at Blandford Park, will now be played at the Hock ground, Devonport, while the other games are:—Newmarket v. Manurewa, at the Domain: Corinthians v. Rangers, at Cornwall Park School; and Metro, v. Tamaki, at St. Heliers Bay, Bon Accord having the bye. The championship is still very open, as some of the clubs have still seven matches to play, and it is still a merry chase for the top of the ladder with full senior honours to the two leading clubs. The positions of the clubs are:

Tf Manurewa can maintain its form of the first round it should become the first winners of the Skerrett Memorial Cup, but the race for the second vacancy in the senior A grade should prove a very exciting one right to the last game. Several of the clubs are feeling the effects of ’flu and heavy colds on the personnel of their teams, and some of the leaders are now finding it hard to maintain their position on the ladder. SECONDARY SCHOOL SOCCER The inauguration of a “College Hay” by the A.F.A. on Blandford Park on Saturday, August 3 0, is a progressive step in the right direction. It is obvious to all followers of the Soccer code that, as the old players retire, their places must be taken by the boys coming on, and if the game is to progress, too much effort cannot be spent in coaching and training the boys in the primary and secondary schools and colleges. The work of the minor division committee in the past is beginning to bear fruit, in the large number of secondary school teams playing in the City. The minor division committee cordially invites all followers of the game to roll up at Blandford Park, where they will witness three great games of a high order. The big game will be between teams from the Auckland Technical College and Mount Albert Grammar School. This game will prove a hard, fast tussle for the secondary schools championship. Mount Albert School is the undefeated holder of the Beswick Challenge Shield, which it has held since the inception of the championship. The Technical College has been its keen rival and runner-up for the shield. The curtain-raiser is sure to prove exciting, when the Auckland Grammar School will meet the Takapuna Grammar School. The early game will also provide a few thrills

when Mount Albert juniors play the Auckland Grammar juniors. PROVINCIAL TOURNEY A provincial secondary school tournament is being organised for the winter holidays, and entries close with Mr. R. M. Beswick on Saturday. A full list of entries frohi the secondary schools and colleges is assured, and during the visit of the Wellington team last week, the chairman of the Wellington F.A., Mr. W.' Hicks, stated there was a good prospect of entries from Wellington and Manawatu. The Waikato district is unable to nominate this season, but it is hoped this initial tourney will pave the way to fully representative ones in future seasons.] PRIMARY SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP The trial games for the purpose of selecting local representatives for the North Island Primary School Championship have now been completed, and the boys to represent Auckland will leave for Wellington on Sunday, August 25. The local representatives will be accompanied by Messrs. R. Harrison, C. E. Downes and R. M. Beswick, and during the visit preliminary arrangements will be made for a tour of New Zealand primary school

boys through the Commonwealth next season. TOUR OF AUSTRALIA Reference to the muddle which upset the proposed tour this season has already been made in these columns, and “Goalie,” the Soccer critic of the “Dominion.” makes the following comment on Wednesday last:— “As was to be expected, it has proved that it is too late to send a team of New Zealand primary school boys to Australia this season, and no one is to blame for this outside the New Zealand Council, which body has simply dallied with the project. It is all very well to say it will take place next year, but the boys who were eligible this year will not be eligible next year, they will feel that they have been robbed of a tour they had earned, and which had been promised to them. Mr. Harrison, of Auckland, has now been entrusted with the matter of completing the negotiations with Australia with a view to sending a team next season, and now that the whereabouts of the secretary to the South Island Primary Schools Football Association have come to light, it is practically certain that arrangements will now be made to send a thoroughly representative team including North and South Island boys.”

Tramways . P. 12 W. 10 L. D. F. A. 2 54 19 Pts Fonsonby 32 2 34 28 16 r.M.C.A. 11 2 4 29 24 14 Thistle .. . 12 6 0 39 23 12 Celtic . . . 32 4 5 3 26 43 11 Onehunga 3 2 3 6 9 Shore 32 4 8 0 3 6 33 Belmont 11 1 8 2 17 37 4

P. w. L. D. F. A. Pts. Philomel.. ll 8 2 1 S3 11 17 Manurewa 8 1 0 8 16 Rangers .. 11 4 18 17 12 Corinthians . 4 14 11 Nortlicote 10 4 4 2 IS 21 10 Bon Accord . 10 4 9 Newmarket . 11 7 1 11 26 7 Metro 10 2 0 2 15 21 6 Tamalti .. .. 11 2 0 0 IS 34 4