The 1930 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 22nd. It was generally regarded that the season was very disappointing in terms of the quality of the football played and much of the blame was put down to the fact that too many teams were in the Senior A Grade and there was too much talent spread through the Senior B teams which in turn diluted the top division. There had been a noticeable drop in the attendances at matches at Carlaw Park which had seen 8 to 10 thousand regularly attending club matches. A review of the season was published in The New Zealand Herald on 22 October discussing the issue.[1]
The Senior A championship was won by Ponsonby United for the second consecutive year which was their fifth title overall. They were awarded the Monteith Shield. This was the last year that the Monteith Shield was played for as the man this trophy was named after suggested that the main championship trophy should be one named in honour of Mr. Edwin Vincent Fox who had died earlier that year. Ponsonby also won the Roope Rooster trophy for the sixth time after defeating Richmond Rovers by 15 points to 7 in the final. Ponsonby were however beaten by Devonport United in the final of the Stormont Shield 17â5. This was the first time Devonport had won the Stormont Shield. A week later on 11 October Ponsonby played the champions of the South Auckland competition who were Ngaruawahia in the first match of its kind. Ponsonby won 32 to 29.
The Senior B championship was won by Otahuhu who beat the 1929 champions Point Chevalier in the final by 3 points to 0. The Stallard Cup knockout competition for Senior B teams was won by Richmond who defeated Point Chevalier 21â11 in the final. Richmond were the first club to enter a B team (effectively a reserve grade team) in this grade, and for the Stallard Cup they were joined by a B team from Devonport.
Preseason training at Carlaw Park involving City Rovers playersPreseason training on Carlaw Park #2 with the terraces in the background
In a major scandal following the Stormont Shield match between Ponsonby United and Devonport, Frank Delgrosso, the Auckland and New Zealand representative who was captain of the Ponsonby team was suspended for three seasons. Delgrosso was charged with misconduct along with another Ponsonby player V. Goodwin. They were also barred from attending Carlaw Park in the future.[2] He failed to make a teammate who had been ordered off to leave the field, threw mud at the referee, and abused him.
Mt Albert was a new addition to the B Grade competition by entering a team there for the first time. This was their first senior grade team. They had won the Second Grade competition the previous year and were essentially âpromotingâ the team.
The Auckland Rugby League placed a tender for its âAuckland Rugby League Programme and Gazetteâ for the 1930 season.[3]
Prior to the season opening games the Auckland Star ran a piece on the prospects of each A Grade team and the players it had acquired.[4]
Criticism of the standard of 1st Grade
As the season progressed much talk was made about the standard of the Senior A Grade and its inability to field enough sides of quality. The decision was eventually made to reduce the number of A Grade sides to 6 and to do away with the Senior B competition altogether for the following season. Instead the league would encourage good quality players to move from those sides to clubs with A Grade teams.[5] A special committee was formed to suggest a way forward. They decided to recommend that the six teams to make up the A Grade for the 1931 season should be Ponsonby, Marist, Devonport, Metropolitan (to include City and Newton), Western Suburbs or Richmond, and Eastern Suburbs (to include Ellerslie).[6] There was much discussion of the matter by members of various clubs over which clubs should merge or who disagreed that their club should disappear.[7] The matter was further discussed in a Management Committee meeting on 15 October but a decision was deferred for a week.[8] On 29 October it was decided by the Auckland Rugby League to officially reduce the number of teams in the Senior A Grade to 6. The clubs would be known as Ponsonby United, Devonport, Marist Old Boys, Western Suburbs (Richmond Rovers and Kingsland), Metropolitan (City and Newton), and Eastern Suburbs (Ellerslie and the surrounding district). This was not to be the only time that Auckland Rugby League went down the path of making teams, who were often unwilling, into mergers. It happened again decades later before reverting to the norm, and then again in the 1990s before once again reverting to the norm with standalone clubs. Clubs who were particularly against the proposal were City Rovers, Newton Rangers, Kingsland Athletic, and Richmond.[9]
New venue
Papakura hosted its first ever rugby league match when Richmond 2nd Grade and Newmarket 2nd Grade played there at the end of the season. Richmond won 20â10.
Obituaries
Fox in the back row, 3rd from left in the North Shore 2nd grade side of 1912
Edward Vincent Fox
On 24 February Mr. Edward Vincent Fox died. He was a member of the Devonport team before World War I and played inside five-eighths for Auckland against England. In 1913 he enlisted in the war efforts and fought in the front lines. He was shot in the leg and when he returned to Auckland was unable to play again. He was appointed to the executive of Auckland Rugby League and was a selector for the Auckland and New Zealand teams.[10] He was buried at OâNeill's Point Cemetery on the North Shore, New Zealand. In 1931 his family donated a shield for the league and it was decided to have it played for in the first grade competition. It was named the Fox Memorial Shield and is still played for today.
Marist Old Boys victory over Kingsland Athletic was contested by Kingsland over an unregistered player (Robert Munro) playing in the match. He had come across from the Mt Albert 3rd grade team. The protest was upheld and Kingsland were awarded the match. Marist Old Boys appealed to the New Zealand League Council but the decision was upheld by that body also.[11] Kingsland Athletic, who wore maroon jerseys with a blue and gold crest were forced to play in the George Court House jerseys which were amber and black (likened to Taranaki rugby) as their new jerseys had not yet arrived. Craddock Dufty (Ellerslie) was ordered from the field for allegedly disputing a referees decision on a possible forward pass which led to the tying City Rovers try near the end of the match. He was "severely cautioned" by the management committee during the week. Claude Dempsey made his debut for Newton after switching from the Marist rugby union club. He would go on to play 11 seasons for Newton and in 1936 became Kiwi #246 when he played at fullback for New Zealand against England.
Lord Bledisloe with Auckland Rugby League chairman G. Rhodes.
Governor General Lord Bledisloe attended the Carlaw Park matches and was photographed with Ben Davidson of City rovers before the kickoff. The City v Ponsonby match kicked off late as Ponsonby had named veteran forward Dooley Moore in their side but as he had been sent off at the end of the previous season for using insulting language and failed to appear before the management committee he was ineligible to play. George Rhodes, the chairman of the ARL management committee "smoothed things over" by saying that he could have his case considered on the upcoming Wednesday night, but he was still unable to play. Frank Delgrosso left the field early in the match for Ponsonby with an injured knee. In the second half Stanley Goodwin (concussion), Pat Skelton (ankle) and Cyril Thompson (ankle) all left the field injured and were not able to be replaced owing to the non-replacement rule which applied to the second half of matches. Goodwin was treated in hospital for his concussion injury and it was serious enough for him to remain there for a full week. When he was discharged he was advised that he should not play again for some time. Leonard Riley (displaced cartilage) was also incapacitated meaning their back line was almost devoid of players. The City team were sporting and City forward Stan Clark allowed John Angelo to get back and field the ball when he could have easily collected it and scored. The match on the number two field started in wild fashion with Devonport kicking off and Allan Seagar caught the ball and sent it to Leslie O'Leary who scored within 16 seconds which must have been a league record though without official statistics. For Newton, New Zealand international Ed St George (number 220a) debuted at hooker. He was left off the New Zealand list of internationals as it was thought when the list was later compiled that the 1932 New Zealand hooker was Neville St George, who was in fact his older brother and had debuted for New Zealand at hooker in 1925. Tragically Ed St George later moved to Sydney, Australia and in 1949 murdered his estranged wife (Daphne Sylvester Crawford) and then committed suicide.[14]
In the match between Marist and City, winger Bernard Sweeney was ordered off for Marist and Mita Watene (forward) was ordered off for City. Frank Delgrosso again left the field after injuring his knee while playing for Ponsonby who were missing Leonard Riley, Stanley Goodwin, and Pat Skelton already from the previous rounds injuries. Delgrosso was replaced at fullback by Dooley Moore who had been allowed to play following the drama of the previous round. Ponsonby wrote to the newspapers explaining that Moore had tried to attend a management committee meeting at the end of the previous season following his send off but was unable to be seen in time before the close of the season. Ellerslie had their first ever win over Devonport in their 8th match with them when they won 13-5 at the Devonport Domain. They scored three tries through Grogan, Hemingway, and F. Chapman with Craddock Dufty kicking two goals.
In the main match on Carlaw Park the Marist winger, Horatio Drew was reported to have lost half of his trousers in a sprint to the line but carried on nonetheless to score one of his Marist sides six tries in their 22â2 win over Ponsonby. Ponsonby was missing their captain Frank Delgrosso through injury and were captained by Dooley Moore. City won 23â10 over Devonport. City had William Shortland go off injured to be replaced by William McLaughlin who scored a try, while Devonport had Coughlan and Patrick McCarthy both leave injured. McCarthy was replaced by experienced forward Stanley Rule who scored a try.
Ted Brimble made his debut for Newton Rangers after switching from the Manukau rugby club and joining his brother Cyril who was in his second season for Newton. They were of African descent with their mother a Bantu woman who married an Englishman fighting in the Boer War. At the end of the season Cyril was granted a transfer to Canterbury where he would play rugby league for the Canterbury representative side and later for Wellington. In 1947 he was killed in a fall from a motor lorry aged 48. Cyril was âfound unconscious at the corner of Oxford Terrace, Lower Hutt, at 6.30pm on Saturday. He was on his way home, riding alone on the tray of a truck when he apparently fell as the vehicle was rounding a corner. The driver was unaware of the mishap. He was married with one childâ.[19] With the New Zealand team having been selected for the Australian tour many of the players either did not play or else played their final club game for some time. City was missing Puti Tipene Watene, Maurice Wetherill, and Stan Clark, while Mita Watene also didn't play.Allan Seagar was absent from the Devonport side, though Alf Scott made his first appearance for them for the season. In the match between Richmond and Ellerslie at Grey Lynn Park, J Potter, the Richmond forward got a bad cut over his eye and was forced off to be replaced by Blundell, while for Ellerslie Hobbs hurdled an opponent and landed on the back of his head with his scalp cut open. He was replaced by Calder.
The match between Ponsonby and Kingsland was played at the Mangere Domain. Devonport junior Dick Smith once again turned out for them having done so once the previous season. He was spoken of highly and scored a try and kicked a conversion. He didn't become a regular in the first grade side until 1931 and was so impressive he represented New Zealand in 1932.
28 June
Devonport
24-12
Marist
Carlaw Park 1
3:00
Try:Dick Smith, Les OâLeary, Ernest Ruby, Alf Scott Con: Les OâLeary 4 Pen: Les OâLeary, Dick Smith
After poor weather the grounds were in a heavy condition and a relatively poor crowd attended Carlaw Park. The Marist v Kingsland match finished with an unusual scoreline of 0-0. Although the score was perhaps somewhat misleading as Marist Old Boys played two men short for most of the game with George Batchelor and Norm Campbell going off injured in the first half. It was one of the only times a 0-0 scoreline had happened in the first grade since the first round of matches in 1910 when North Shore drew 0â0 with Newton. All of the Auckland based New Zealand players were on tour so some sides were depleted of their best players for the next few rounds. Ponsonby had a last minute win over Richmond who had taken a 9-5 lead before Doug McLeay scored for Ponsonby and Frank Delgrosso converted it to take the victory. A. Fagan of Richmond suffered a "severe cut" over his left eye but was able to go home from the ground. Alfred Saxon, the 27 year old fullback for Devonport had his jaw broken in a collision and was taken by ambulance to Auckland Hospital where he spent the night, while near the end of the first half Horace Dixon was carried from the field with an injured leg. Stanley Rule, the veteran Devonport forward was on the sidelines carrying a slight injury and was not stripped in playing uniform so he went on to the field in his ordinary clothing and approached the referee Vic Simpson. He was able to get changed in the interval and play the second half in Dixon's place. The two St George brothers (Neville and Ed) matched up at hooker for the first time in senior grade.
In Richmond's 11-10 win over Marist, Richmond back George Davis was stretchered off the field with a serious head injury but was able to go home from the ground. He was said to have been bleeding profusely and unconscious but recovered later. William (Bill) Seagar of Devonport cracked a collarbone and missed several matches. Ted Mincham (Richmond) scored two tries and kicked a match winning penalty. The win was somewhat remarkable as they were awarded a penalty on full time and with time up Mincham kicked with the ball striking an upright and then landing on the crossbar before rolling over. The Richmond supporters then rushed the field. John Preston for Kingsland broke his collarbone in a fall in their match against Devonport at the Devonport Domain.
For Marist, Phil Brady was sent off for punching an Ellerslie player early in the second half. Bert Laing after an absence of 3 years turned out for Devonport. Lionel Thomas a Richmond forward who debuted the previous week as an injury replacement had his ribs broken and received head injuries during their 14-13 win over Devonport. The 20 year old was taken to Auckland Hospital by ambulance but was not in a serious condition.
Try: Leslie O'Leary, R O'Donnell, Neville St George Con: Leslie O'Leary 2
Referee: C Moore
Round 11
City and Marist played out the highest scoring draw in the competitions history to that point. Joe Hadley scored for City on full time and Henry Paton skimmed the bar with his conversion to tie the game "amid great excitement". Mollet who had recently begun playing for the Newton club was said to have been involved with the Manukau rugby club previously but it transpired that he had in fact been involved with the Manukau rugby league club before it transferred enmasse to rugby union during the 1924 after a dispute with the Auckland Rugby League.
2 August
City
28-28
Marist
Carlaw Park 1
3:00
Try:Bill Hadley, William Perry, George Perry, Joe Hadley 2, C Reynolds, James Everson, William McLaughlin Con: Henry Paton 2
The Round 12 matches due to be played on 9 August were all postponed after rain fell on the Saturday. This added to the rain which had fallen throughout the week leading up to the Saturday. Lindsay Simons returned to Auckland after moving to Wellington for work the previous year. He played at fullback for his old Devonport club. City protested on the grounds that he was not registered with them but the New Zealand Rugby League dismissed the protest saying that he was still registered with Devonport as there was no rugby league body in Wellington registered with New Zealand Rugby League. It was reported during the following week that Doug McLeay the Ponsonby forward had had to undergo an operation in hospital as the result of an internal injury received in football which must have occurred in round 10 (the last time he played). He had reportedly been in a critical condition for a time but his condition had improved. Newton beat Richmond 11-3 which was the exact same score they beat them by 7 rounds earlier.
16 August
Ponsonby
19-10
Marist
Carlaw Park 1
3:15
Try: A McIntyre, Leonard Riley 3, Pat Skelton Con:Frank Delgrosso Pen: Pat Skelton
The Ponsonby United side which won the 1930 championship
Ponsonby convincingly won the championship beating Devonport 28-3 after feeding off Devonports mistakes throughout the game. After returning from Australia, Craddock Dufty kicked a penalty on full time to help his Ellerslie side beat Richmond by a point. It was the first time Ellerslie had beaten Richmond after eight previous defeats stretching from 1924 to the present season. In Kingslands 14-13 upset win over City, City had to field two sixth grade players, McGregor and Zannovitch, while Kingsland fielded a fourth grade player in Tunnicliffe. They were said to have done well but "were shrewd enough to keep out of all the trouble that was going at the end". Play had to be stopped for several minutes as Kingland took the lead late on and City strived to win the match with their supporters crowding on to the field at the Auckland Domain with the officials struggling to get them off. It was the last ever 1st grade championship match for the Kingsland Athletic club which had begun as Maritime in Maritime. In 1922 they were renamed as Athletic, before becoming Grafton Athletic in 1926, and then merged with Kingsland Rovers in 1929. In 1930 the Auckland Rugby League essentially forced them into a merger with Marist as they reduced the number of first grade teams to improve the standard. Ironically it was the first time they had beaten City for 8 years. In the drawn game between Marist and Newton, Jock Graham forward for Marist had to leave the field with a badly broken thumb.
30 August
Ponsonby
28-3
Devonport
Carlaw Park 1
3:15
Try: A Schofield 2, L Winters, Stanley Goodwin, Victor Fagan, John Angelo Con:Frank Delgrosso 3, Dooley Moore, Leonard Riley
Craddock Dufty, who had returned from the recent New Zealand tour to Australia refused to play in the fixture against the Auckland players citing an injured elbow. He did not produce a doctors certificate and as a result Auckland Rugby League suspended him and he was unable to play for Ellerslie in their first round match. Interestingly his place at fullback was taken by 30 year old Charles Hand. He had played for North Shore from 1921-25, before transferring to Newton and playing for them until the end of the 1926 season when he retired. He was said to have struggled as he had not taken the field for over four years. Jim O'Brien was sent off after a "verbal altercation" with referee Vic Simpson. This was to be his last official competition match of his career, though he did play in the McManus benefit match weeks later at Otahuhu. M Herewini the former Newton fullback turned out for Ponsonby and kicked a conversion in their 30-12 win over Ellerslie. Marist did not have the services of Hec Brisbane, still injured from the New Zealand tour, Jock Graham who was also injured, or Phil Brady who was still in hospital with injuries he received in the Auckland v New Zealand game. As a result they had to pull Alan Clarke out of the loose forwards and play him at centre where he struggled. They were defeated by Richmond 6-3 in a tight battle with W Ritchie and Ted Mincham scoring for the winners. Bill Seagar, who debuted for Devonport in July broke his arm minutes before fulltime. It was only his second game as he had broken his collarbone in his debut against Kingsland in the earlier match.
City and Devonport were tied for second place in the Senior A competition and as Ponsonby won both the Senior A championship and the Roope Rooster it left City and Devonport to play off for the right to join them in the Stormont Shield match. Devonport defeated City by 1 point to earn the right to play Ponsonby. Twenty year old, Puti Tipene Watene had to leave the field for City with concussion and was taken to hospital but his condition was not serious. This forced a merry-go-round at fullback with several players tried there unsuccessfully. John Frederick Wilson, a rugby player from Grammar Old Boys debuted for Devonport and scored a try, while Hugh Simpson the former Northcote player also debuted for them in the forwards while George Munce debuted for City on the wing after transferring from the Parnell side.
27 September
Devonport
18-17
City
Carlaw Park 1
3:15
Try: Stanley Rule, John Wilson, S Casey, Trevor OâLeary Con: Alf Scott 3
In the final Ponsonby had Dooley Moore ordered off but he refused to leave. The referee then left the field until Moore was persuaded to leave and the game could progress. He was later suspended by the league. It eventually turned out that the Auckland and New Zealand representative Frank Delgrosso who was captain at the time had failed to persuade him to leave the field and had also verbally abused the referee and thrown mud at him. Delgrosso was suspended by the league for three years but on appeal and with an apology and expression of regret at a March 1931 meeting his suspension was reduced. The hearing which saw his suspension did not take place until after the Provincial Club Championship on October 4 which meant Frank Delgrosso could play and he kicked four conversions in their 32-29 win.
The match was organised at the request of the Waikato body and was between the champions of the Auckland and South Auckland (Waikato) competitions. Ponsonby had a severely weakened backline with Leonard Riley, Ivan Wilson, Pat Skelton, and A Schofield all missing but their replacements did well. New Zealand representative George Tittleton of Ngaruawahia fractured his collarbone after being thrown heavily near the end of the match. He finished the game but was taken to Auckland Hospital straight after the match where he had scored 3 tries and kicked 2 goals. Edwin Abbott also a New Zealand representative scored a try for them as well. His uncle was Harold Abbott who played for the All Blacks in 1905, while his nephew was Kiwi 445 Bill Deacon. L Stevens, the Ponsonby hooker received a head injury which required stitches.
Top try and point scorers for A Grade and Roope Rooster matches. Leslie O'Leary of Devonport United top scored with 72 points followed by Frank Delgrosso with 59, and Ted Mincham with 52. George Batchelor of Marist Old Boys was the top try scorer with 14, followed by Leonard Riley and George Perry with 12 each. The games played are unofficial with some teams not submitting lineups to the newspapers on Friday. Marist did not enter a lineup at all during the season and so the number of games played is likely a little higher in their players cases.
Mt Albert entered a senior team for the first time in their club history which had begun in 1928.
The Round 8 game between MÄngere and Richmond B was not played because a charity match between Ponsonby and Kingsland was being played on its ground.
Parnell were referred to as the âmagpiesâ on account of their black and white uniforms by the Auckland Star after their Round 9 match.
The Round 9 match report in the Auckland Star incorrectly reported the score 15â6 in favour of Northcote, however they corrected it in their following week reports of the Senior B matches as being a 15â6 win to Mangere.
The round 13 matches were cancelled due to steady rain falling on the Saturday adding to significant rain that had fallen during the week, aside from the game at MÄngere. The Northcote v Otahuhu match was postponed as Northcote had played their traditional fixture v Huntly on Northcote's home ground at Stafford Park.
Otahuhu beat Point Chevalier in the final by 3 points to 0 to win the Senior B championship.
Devonport entered a Senior B team in the Stallard Cup which had not played in the Senior B grade during the season. This team could loosely be considered the second ever âreserveâ grade team fielded following the Richmond clubs entry of Senior B teams in that grade for the 1929 and 1930 seasons.
The Sixth grade had in previous years been split into A and B grades however in 1930 the Sixth Grade B competition was reclassified as the Seventh Grade.
Second grade
Richmond won the championship. The team had been together for 6 seasons and won every single championship as they progressed through the grades. Ponsonby United won the knock out competition on September 13 when they beat Devonport by default. There were several games without results reported however the newspapers published the final standings so they are accurate.
Ponsonby won the championship undefeated winning all 14 matches. They also won the knockout competition when they beat Marist in the final on September 13 by 10 points to 3.
Kingsland Athletic won the championship. Newmarket won the knockout competition when they defeated Akarana/Parnell 8â2 in the final on September 13. The Parnell/Akarana side had knocked out Kingsland in the semi-finals 8 points to 0, while Newmarket had defeated Takapuna in the other. A club had formed at Takapuna in June and they entered a team in the competition to play teams on their bye. They performed well winning all three of their matches.
Richmond won the championship and the knockout competition. They were coached by James Francis who died at Auckland Hospital on November 24 aged just 33 leaving behind a wife (Violet) and two children. He had played for Newton Rangers in the 1920s.[56]
Richmond won the championship by beating Akarana (Parnell) 11â8 in the final on September 20.[57] They also won the knockout competition when they beat Otahuhu A 6 to 3 in the final on October 18.
The competition had been split into two sections and then towards the end of the season a third was added as Ponsonby, Richmond B, and Otahuhu B entered sides, each only playing 5-6 games before the end of the season. However the standings are in one table as despite their being sections sides played teams from other sections each week. Some of the teams were from individual schools such as Avondale Public School, Avondale Convent School, and Onehunga Convent School, but the majority were from several schools in the area. The Ponsonby team represented 3 Ponsonby area schools for example. On October 18 Devonport and Northcote played each other in a friendly match with Devonport winning 10â8. At halftime a goal kicking competition took place with Devonport player Verdun Scott winning it with 16 points. He was presented with a cricket bat as the winning prize and ironically would go on to not only represent New Zealand at rugby league, but also at cricket, becoming the only dual New Zealand international in those two codes. On the same day Richmond beat Otahuhu 6â3 to win the Davis Cup Challenge match.
More information Team, Pld ...
Team
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
Richmond Schools A
17
13
0
0
197
11
26
Parnell/Akarana Schools
15
9
0
2
130
17
18
Newmarket Primary School
14
7
0
1
172
16
14
Papatoetoe Schools
14
5
1
4
73
68
11
Mount Albert Schools
13
5
0
2
60
45
10
ÅtÄhuhu Schools A
16
4
1
5
77
80
9
Ponsonby Schools
5
4
0
0
37
5
8
City Schools
13
3
1
2
40
76
7
Avondale Convent School
13
3
1
5
45
89
7
Richmond Schools B
6
3
0
1
21
8
6
Ellerslie Schools
16
3
0
7
117
133
6
Devonport Schools
14
2
0
6
32
80
4
Newton Schools
15
1
1
4
20
70
3
Onehunga Convent School (St Joseph's School)
14
1
1
4
9
100
3
MÄngere Schools
12
1
0
4
8
41
2
Northcote Schools
13
1
0
4
16
54
2
ÅtÄhuhu Schools B
5
0
0
3
2
56
0
Avondale Public School
15
0
0
8
5
111
0
Close
Other club and junior representative matches
Richmond played a preseason match in Whangarei with a team made up of Whangarei city and Hikurangi players. The match was played on the new Cossill Park before a large crowd and the local team ran out comfortable winners.
W McManus benefit match
At the end of the season Otahuhu hosted a benefit match for W. McManus who was a well-known ex-amateur runner and league player who had been ill for a long time in hospital. The match was played between Otahuhu Senior B team and the Marist A side. Marist were not at full strength but still fielded a good side. Otahuhu won 26â25.
At the start of the year Richmond sent their senior side to Whangarei to play a local side at the newly formed Cossill Park which later was named Jubilee Park and still exists today. The local team featured several very talent players including Ted Meyer who became a Kiwi later in the year and they were victorious 25-7 with Meyer scoring 14 of their points.
21 April
Hikurangi and City Combined
25-7
Richmond
Cossill Park, Whangarei
3:00
Try:Ted Meyer 2, R Hamilton, B Meyer, Berghan Con:Ted Meyer 4 Drop: Crackett
When Ponsonby had a weekend without a game they travelled to Huntly to play the local side which featured Huatahi Paki who had played for New Zealand MÄori on their 1922 tour of Australia and St. George Dragons in 1923 after impressing on the tour. Ponsonby outplayed them and Doug McLeay scored two tries as breakaway forward. Ivan Kosoof scored Huntly's only points.
In July several businesses approached the Auckland Rugby League regarding the possibility of playing a competition between them on Wednesday's. The Auckland Rugby League agreed in August and the first matches were played on August 27. Initially there were ten teams set to enter however eventually just seven entered the competition and the Royal Billiard Saloon side failed to fulfill a fixture leaving 6 sides to compete.[67]
Standings
More information Team, Pld ...
Team
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
Barmen
5
4
1
0
38
17
9
New Zealand Fertilisers
5
4
0
1
27
13
8
Trotting Trainers
5
2
0
3
46
39
4
Chess Taxis
5
2
0
3
13
36
4
Private Taxis
4
1
1
2
35
42
3
Stonex Brothers Limited
4
0
0
4
12
24
0
Close
Wednesday Competition fixtures
While there were many players with little or no experience some of the teams did feature senior grade players such as W. Skelton of Ponsonby who played for Private Taxis, and brothers F. and J. Herring who played for the Trotting Trainers. Alan Clarke also played in Private Taxi's first match, Stan Prentice played at least twice for the Trotting Trainers, and Ted Brimble played for New Zealand Fertilisers. Barmen won the competition winning 4 games and drawing one.
Following the awarding of the Barmen side the championship a match was scheduled between them and players from all of the other sides. The Barmen team won 8 to 7.
Children selling programs on the approach to Carlaw Park for the Auckland v Northland matchAuckland players to tour Australia, with the exception of Brian Riley (rugby league) who was unable to travel
It was a relatively quiet season for the Auckland representative side due to the fact that the New Zealand team toured Australia in the latter part of the year. They beat Northland, lost to South Auckland, and lost to the New Zealand touring team. Despite this they had 28 players represent Auckland with several on debut.
Auckland v Northland (Northern Union CC)
Willie Shortland with the ball and Stanley Francis and Ernest Ruby looming in support for AucklandWillie Shortland the Auckland halfback being obstructed by Dunn from Northland in the upper image, while in the lower image Ted Meyer the Northland captain and NZ international is being tackled by Stanley Francis with Ernest Ruby directly behind.Claude List dribbling the ball through the Northland defenceMaurice Wetherill being tackled with Allan Seagar on his inside
Auckland's first representative match of the season was against Northland who were in the throes of building the code in their area. Auckland only managed to win by the narrow margin of 21-16 before a crowd of 8,000 at Carlaw Park. Veteran five eighth, Maurice Wetherill scored for Auckland along with prop Stan Clark who had only recently transferred to the City side from Parnell. Norm Campbell (Marist), Allan Seagar (Devonport) both kicked goals for Auckland while Meyer converted two of Northland's four tries.
For the North Island v South Island trial the Devonport and Ponsonby clubs gave permission for their jerseys to be worn by the respective sides.[77] Mick OâBrien of the South Island team broke his tibia late in the match.
Auckland Rugby League was held at the Chamber of Commerce on Swanson Street on Monday 7 April. The meeting showed that there was a profit of £1742 10/. Maintenance of Carlaw Park cost £419 6/, rates £78 0/8, office rent £235 4/ and entertaining visitors £67 18/2.[80] Much of the discussion at the meeting was centred around the appointment of referees for matches.[81]
Primary School Management Committee met on 15 May. There were twenty delegates. It was reported that 15 school teams would enter with four new clubs (Avondale, Northcote, City, and Papatoetoe).[83]
Auckland Rugby League Referees Association held in the League Rooms on Monday, 31 March.
Akarana League Club held at Carlaw Park on Tuesday 1 April.[84]
Avondale League Football Club held at Hick's Tearooms, Fearon's Corner, Avondale, Auckland on 10 March. This meeting was held to see if there was interest in forming a club.[85] About 75 people attended and it was decided that the club should be called Avondale League Football Club. They also decided to enter teams in the 3rd Open, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and that the Avondale Convent were also prepared to find a team. The club colours would be green with a red band.[86] Their first annual general meeting was held at Watson's Fruit Shop, Avondale on Monday 17 March. They were to hold their first ever practice on the Avondale Racecourse on the following Saturday. At the end of the season on Monday, 6 October the club held a general meeting at Lesser Town Hall.[87]
City Rovers held at Carlaw Park on Sunday, 23 March.[88] There was a ârecord attendance of sixty playersâ at the meeting. The accounts were in credit by £43. It was noted that Ben Davidson (rugby league) had arrived back in Auckland from England and was expected to play for the club.[89]
Devonport United Football Club held at the Committee Rooms, corner of Clarence Street and Victoria Road, Devonport on Thursday 20 March.[90] At the 12th annual meeting the committee's report showed that the balance sheet showed a credit balance of £99. They had started the previous season with 100 players and the juniors won the third grade intermediate grade and fourth grade. The ladiesâ social committee had held dances which had generated £90 profit.[91] One of the men who formed the Devonport Club, Mr. D.W. McLean resigned from the New Zealand Council owing to his health. He had formed the North Shore Albions at Devonport, and took a prominent part in forming Newton Rangers, Ponsonby, and the Northcote and Birkenhead Rambers. He was also involved strongly in other aspects of the foundation of the Rugby League game in Auckland and New Zealand.[92]
Mangere Rugby League Football Club held in Jonesâ Confectionary Hall, Onehunga on Thursday 20 March. This meeting was held with a view to forming a club which would be a combination of Mangere and Manukau.[95]
Mt. Albert United Rugby League Football Club held at King George Hall, Mt Albert on Thursday 6 March.[96] The club advertised for practices to be held for Senior B and all other grades to be held on Saturday, 12 April on its own ground at the foot of Springleigh Avenue, Mt Albert which would most likely be the present day Phyllis Street Reserve area.[97]
Mt Wellington Rugby League Football Club were holding practices at their club's ground at Westfield.[98]
Newmarket Rugby League Football Club held at the Club Room, 265, Khyber Pass Road on Thursday 27 February.[99] The meeting was adjourned and continued at the Orient Tea Rooms, Broadway on Thursday, 10 April.
Newton Rangers Football Club held at the Y.M.C.A. Buildings, Wellesley Street East on Monday, 3 March.[100]
Northcote and Birkenhead Ramblers Football Club held at Forestersâ Hall, Birkenhead on Thursday 20 March.[101] The 20th annual meeting of the club was overseen by Mr. A.E. Greenslade with a large attendance. The membership was totalled at 99. The finishing positions of all its team was noted. H. Simpson was awarded a medal for consistency in the senior team.[102] The Northcote Borough Council was informed by Auckland Rugby League that it was not in a position to spend any money on forming a football ground at the eastern end of the Kauri Gully scenic reserve.
Papatoetoe Rugby League Club: During the season with Auckland Rugby League struggling to gain access to enough playing fields, the president of the Papatoetoe Welfare League, Mr. S.J.E. Closey wrote to Auckland Rugby League suggesting the use of some of the flat land in the area. Some of which was in Mulcock's reserve which was in a natural amphitheatre. His land was at the site of present-day Peverill Crescent adjacent to Kohuora Park where the Papatoetoe Panthers club is located and most likely the exact same location due to its amphitheatre situation.[104]Present day Kohuora Park in its sunken amphitheatre location in central Papatoetoe.
Parnell League Football Club held at Donovan's Gymnasium, First Section, Parnell on 10 March.[85]
Point Chevalier League Football Club held at the Sailing Club Hall on Wednesday 26 March.[82] The meeting showed that the club hoped to field six teams and were £30 in profit.[105]
Ponsonby United Football Club held at Leys Institute, on Monday 10 March.[96]Ponsonby celebrated their 21st anniversary with a social on October 13. It was reported that the club had accumulated funds of £20 for the year and had total assets exceeding liabilities by £430. Medals were presented to A. Payne for being the most consistent forward, L. Riley the most consistent back, and to C. Moore as the most versatile player. J. Norman received a trophy as the most consistent fourth grade player.[106]
Richmond Rovers Football Club held at the Gaiety Hall, Surrey Crescent on Monday 24 March.[107] Mr. Milicich presented the club with a cup to be awarded to the team with the fewest points scored against it. It was noted that the following teams won their respective grades in 1929: Third Grade Open, Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade A, Sixth Grade B.[108]
