ITEMS OF SPORT

New Zealand Tablet, 4 June 1914, Page 43

ITEMS OF SPORT

FOOTBALL. :i‘ The Rugby football results in Auckland on Saturday were as follow:—Ponsonby (9 points) beat Marist Brothers (8 points). College Rifles (8 points) beat University (3 points). City (21 points) beat Parnell (nil), Parnell retiring at half-time. Rain made the sports fields sodden in Wellington. The results of the Rugby matches were as follow: Wellington defeated Oriental by 8 points to nil, Petone defeated University by 3 points to nil, Athletic defeated St. James’ by 39 points to nil Melrose defeated Poneke by 6 points to*nil. The Rugby football matches in Christchurch resulted as follow;—Mcrivale (6 points) defeated Sydenham (5 points), Christchurch (14 points) defeated Marists (12 points), Old Boys (13 points) defeated, Albion (3 points), wood (8 points) drew with University (8 points). In the League game Sydenham (29 points) defeated Addington (4 points), 'Linwood (26 points) defeated City (10 points). Playing Association football in Dunedin on Saturday, Northern (4 goals) defeated Christian Brothers (nil), Ravensbourne (2 goals) defeated High School Old Boys (1), Mornington A (3 goals) defeated Maori Hill (2 goals), Kaitangata (8 goals) defeated Mornington B (nil), and Green Island (1 goal) defeated Roslyn-Wakari (nil). In the second grade Christian Brothers (7 goals) defeated Roslyn-Wakari (1 goal). Playing in the third grade Christian Brothers (1 goal) suffered defeat at the hands of Ravensbourne (2 goals). In the fourth grade Christian Brothers A were defeated by Maori Hill, the score being 2 goals to nil, but the Christian Brothers B team was more successful, having scored 4 goals to 1 goal by Southern.

On Saturday, May 21 (writes an Invercargill correspondent) the senior grade Rugby competitions commenced in Invercargill. The, Marist Brothers’ School team met the South School fifteen, and, considering it was their first match, the winners displayed good form and very fair combination. They notched 14 points in each spell, and won handsomely by 28 points to nil. W. Govenski had the honor of scoring the first try. It was the result of a splendid forward rush, two minutes after commencing the game. Others who scored tries were: Cook (2), Lavelle, Wills, Woods and Kelly. Cook drop-kicked a penalty goal, and converted two tries. Kelly’s try, the prettiest of the match, showed our backs to advantage, all of whom handled the wet ball splendidly.

.The Marist Old Boys’ Football Club (writes our Greymouth correspondent), which entered three teams for the West Coast Rugby Union competitions this season, promises to have a very successful season. So far the seniors have played three matches, the first being against last season’s champions, the Star team. The match resulted in a win for Stars by 6 points to 4 ; the second game was at Hokitika, against the local club, who won by. 11 points to 6. The Green and' Whites gave a great display, and although defeated, had much the better of the game. The third match was played last Saturday against United (Grey), Marists winning by 31 points to nil. The display of the Greens was greatly admired, and the newspaper chi tics now predict that the Marists will be found fighting out for first place. The Marist Club is the only one in Grey that has entered three teams, and from the enthusiastic manner in which the various teams are training it is almost safe to say that at least one trophy will be found in the Marists’ possession when the season closes.

In Rugby football in Dunedin on Saturday public interest centred in the match between Kaikorai and University, which was, played at Carisbrook in the presence of about 7000 spectators. The fact that both teams had previously been unbeaten this season, and that they had been showing' splendid form, added to the interest and heightened the anticipations of the spectators. Commenting on, the play, a local critic .

says: would bo a battle of stylesKaikorai forwards against University backs. Popular belief was fell founded. It was, in truth, a battle of styles, with the Kaikorai forwards striking the triumphant note and sustaining it to the end. Kaikorai had planned a scheme of attack that left no room for spectacular playa scheme whereby the quickfiring University, backs were to be spiked and dismantled before they were thrown into action. It was a sound plan, and Kaikorai saw to it that it was effective.’ The result of the match was that at the close Kaikorai had 8 points to its credit, against 6 points scored by University. The other matches resulted as follow: — Southern (23 points) beat Pirates (3 points), Zingari-Richmond (14 points) beat Alhambra (nil). Union (6 points) beat Port Chalmers (5 points). On Saturday, May 16, the cup matches under the jurisdiction of the Rugby Union (writes our Hamilton correspondent) were commenced in very unfavorable weather. St. Mary’s football teams started auspiciously, and, to the great elation of their supporters, they were successful in both grades. Before the matches, Mr. Joseph Murphy was elected captain of the seniors, and Messrs A. Mathieson and James Shanaghan captain and vice-captain respectively of the juniors. The seniors defeated Gordonton by 3 points (a try by W. Clarkin) to nil. This game was stubbornly contested, but the margin was even greater than the score indicates. The side stepping and swerving runs of Murphy (captain) were features of the game, while a promoted junior, in Chas. Brown, played a sterling game behind the pack. It is unfair to single out any forward, as the pack was all that.could be desired. On an adjoining ground the juniors defeated Gordonton juniors by 17 points to nil. Tries were scored by N. Brown, A. Mathieson, O. Edmonds, H. B. Bell, and J. Dennehy, while V. Hunt converted one. IT. B. Bell was the best back on the field, while all the forwards played up to expectations, Nicholas Brown and Jas. Shanaghan being specially prominent.