RUGBY FOOTBALL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 791, 11 October 1929, Page 13

RUGBY FOOTBALL

MATCHES FOR TOMORROW There will be only three Hugby football games played tomorrow. In the senior grade Hamilton Technical Old Boys will oppose Auckland Technical Old Boys on the Showgrounds. No. 2, at 3 o’clock. A second grade match between Grammar and Ponsonby will be played on the No. 1 ground at the Showgrounds at 3 o’clock, while fourth grade teams representing Manukau and Ota huh u will provide the curtainraiser to the latter game. JUNIOR NOTES CAN GRAMMAR WIN AGAIN? Jerseys and sprigged boots will be finally tossed aside in Auckland after tomorrow week, when all the Auckland Rugby Union’s competitions will be concluded. Only ther junior and fourth grade championships remain undecided. For the junior premiership, Grammar Old Boys have a “leg in’’ with last Saturday’s victory over Ponsonby, the other finalist. If the ex-students can repeat the performance in the second clash tomorrow', they will be champions. A win to Ponies or even a draw will involve another game. The first of the three games to decide the fourth grade title will be staged tomorrow, when Otahuhu and Manukau, winners of the A and LI grade sections respectively, will meet.

Manukau’s win over Technical Old Boys averted the levelling up of three teams in the B section. Although Otahuhu has not had any competition football for some weeks now, the combination the team maintained throughout the season should not have suffered much, and it is generally expected it will have little difficulty in disposing of its opponents in the first of the finals. * * * The keenness of the contests and improved standard of football during the season has oen marked by a quickening interest in the lower grades among followers of the game. Club rivalry has been exceptionally keen, particularly in the junior, fourth and fifth grades. Ponsonby, of course, takes the honours for the season, having been crowned champions of four grades, apart from senior. Ponies annexed the third open, third intermediate, fifth and seventh grade, was runnerup in the sixth grade, and is in the final for the junior premiership. Truly a remarkable club record. Marist has also come to the front, being the runner-up in both third intermediate and fifth grade. Manukau gained the sixth grade title and is one of the finalists for the fourth grade crown. Ironical cheers raised by a group of partisan spectators greeted most of the penalties awarded against Ponsonby juniors in the match with Grammar old Boys on Saturday Inst. The refereeing was all right, and the free kicks were properly allowed, because Ponsonby forwards, no doubt under stress of excitement, were overeager in breaking away and attempting to intercept passes—waiting offside. DEVONPORT WINS Devonport defeated Papatoetoe at the Domain yesterday in the final of the Auckland Primary Schools’ Junior Rugby Football Championship by six points to nil. The game was a fast and exciting encounter, L. Stevenson and Strude [ scoring tries for the winners. Mr. D. Billians controlled the game.