1926 Auckland Rugby League season

The 1926 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 17th.

Ponsonby won the Monteith Shield, the major first grade title after defeating City Rovers in the final. Richmond won their first ever senior trophy when they won the Roope Rooster. On the last week of the season these teams met for the Stormont Shield with Ponsonby winning by 15 points to 5 over. Northcote won the B Division championship, with Kingsland winning the Stallard Cup for taking out the B division knockout competition. The representative season was dominated by a long series of trial matches to assist in selecting the New Zealand team to tour England.

Preceded by 1925

17th Auckland Rugby League season 1926

Succeeded by 1927

Auckland Rugby League News

Club teams by grade participation

Team	1st	B Div.	2nd	3rd Open	3rd Int.	4th	5th	6th A	6th B	Schools	Total
Richmond Rovers	1	0	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	0	7
Grafton Athletic	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	0	7
City Rovers	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	2	1	0	6
Ponsonby United	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	5
Devonport United	1	0	1	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	5
Ellerslie United	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	4
Newton Rangers	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	4
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	4
Māngere United	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	4
Otahuhu Rovers	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	4
Akarana	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	4
Kingsland Rovers	0	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3
Marist Old Boys	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	3
Parnell	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	3
Point Chevalier	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	3
Glen Eden	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
New Lynn	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
United Suburbs	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2
Ōtāhuhu Schoolboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Parnell Schoolboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Grey Lynn Schoolboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Richmond Schoolboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Newmarket Schoolboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Papatoetoe Schoolboys	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	7	6	11	10	8	12	6	7	5	6	78

Athletic club name change

At the annual general meeting of the Athletic Rugby League Football Club the idea of adopting the name of Grafton Athletic was discussed though no decision was made at the time it was later agreed to change the club name to Grafton. ^[1] They were known as 'Maritime' from their formation in 1918 and remained as such for four years until the start of the 1922 season when they changed their name to Athletic. They remained 'Athletic' for four years until deciding to change their name again in this 1926 season to Grafton Athletic. There had previously already been a Grafton Athletic club which formed in 1914 under the leadership of Karl Ifwersen and they survived for seven years until the 1920 season which was their last after Ifwersen switched back to the rugby code.

Senior competitions

Nominations were received for 13 teams to compete in the Senior Grade. It was decided to have an A section and a B section like the 1925 season. In the A section competing for the Monteith Shield would be the same 7 teams as the previous year. They were Ponsonby United, City Rovers, Marist Old Boys, Devonport United, Richmond Rovers, Newton Rangers, and Grafton Athletic (previously named 'Maritime' from 1918–21 and then Athletic from 1922–25). The same 5 teams would compete in the B section with the addition of Parnell. The teams in that section were Northcote, Kingsland, Ellerslie, Mangere (not the present day club), Otahuhu, and Parnell.

Jim Parkes who had moved to Auckland and begun playing for Richmond was also to coach the side. With the Monteith Shield competition nearing its later stages L Taylor joined the Richmond club from the Whitiora club in Hamilton. He scored 54 points in just 6 games for Richmond which meant he finished as the second highest scorer for the season behind Maurice Wetherill. During the season the New Zealand team was chosen to tour England and many clubs were hard hit by player losses to the tour. Wetherill was almost a certainty to make the tour but was unavailable to tour. He remained with his City Rovers team who qualified for the final with Ponsonby United but could not lead them to the title.

Carlaw Park

The proposed plans for Carlaw Parks redevelopment as reported in December, 1926.

Albert Asher the well known former New Zealand international was appointed to work on the ground staff at Carlaw Park. He would be busy mid season when torrential rain leading up to the round 5 matches forced their abandonment. A large hole opened up on the number one field due to water overflowing from the railway embankment and the surrounding hills overwhelmed the surface drains. "As a result, the water forced its way back, emerging from a joint in the main pipe. The ground for some feet around was raised and, when it subsided, an open hole was revealed". It took several days to repair the playing area which was open again for the following weekend. ^[2] In December proposed plans for Carlaw Park's redevelopment were released though they were not carried out as shown in the image. The image showed the terraces becoming a large multilevel stand with a terrace type stand where the railway stand was at the time.

Representative program

A large number of representative and trial matches were played on Carlaw Park during the course of the season. The New Zealand team was to tour England later in the year and so several trial matches were played including Auckland v South Auckland, North Island v South Island, A v B team matches, a 'probables' v 'possibles' game, Auckland v The Rest of New Zealand, and ultimately after the team had been selected Auckland played them before they departed. Then near the end of the season Auckland defended the Northern Union Challenge Cup 3 times against Otago, Canterbury, and South Auckland (Waikato). The season was then concluded with an Auckland Colts match against the B Division representative side.

The Auckland members of the New Zealand team to tour England were:Craddock Dufty (Grafton), Charles Gregory (Marist), George Gardiner (Ponsonby), Jim Parkes (Richmond), Lou Brown (City), Ben Davidson (City), Jack Kirwan (Marist), Hec Brisbane (Marist), Hector Cole (Ponsonby), Stan Webb (Devonport), Frank Delgrosso (Ponsonby), Ernie Herring (Grafton), Arthur Singe (Marist), Bert Avery (Grafton). Avery was to captain the touring side.

During the tour 7 players went on strike due to a large number of issues they had with the management of the tour and upon their return the New Zealand Rugby League administration banned each of them for life. The only Aucklander to be among the strikers banned was Arthur Singe, the Marist Old Boys hooker. He had joined them after switching from rugby in 1921 where he had represented the New Zealand Army team in 1919 on their British and South African tours and Auckland in 8 matches. He played 48 times for Marist, 15 times for Auckland and made 8 appearances for New Zealand before his ban. The ban was eventually lifted by the New Zealand Rugby League in 1962, 26 years after his death in 1936.

Obituary

Robert Alexander Bovaird

On December 30, 1925 Robert (Bert) Alexander Bovaird passed away at the age of 34. He was the secretary of the Auckland Rugby League Referees association for the past 3 years and had refereed for several years including at senior level after previously being a player. He was "a very painstaking and obliging official, and carried out his duties with credit and satisfaction". ^[3] He had owned a general store on Great North Road at Morningside and his body was found in the Auckland Domain in the morning after he had died of a self inflicted gun shot wound. ^[4] The representatives of the Referees Association acted as pall-bearers at the request of relatives. ^[5] He left behind a wife, Valerie Bovaird (nee. Tattersall), and an 8 year old daughter (Audrey).

Monteith Shield (first grade championship)

On 22 May all A and B division matches were postponed due to poor weather. Carlaw Park also suffered damage when water overflowed from the railway embankment and adjoining hills which proved too much for the surface drains. It caused the ground to subside and a hole to open up which would take some time to repair. ^[6]

Monteith Shield standings

With 1 round remaining Ponsonby was on 18 competition points and City were on 20 competition points. City had a bye and Ponsonby were due to play Grafton however owing to the likely outcome of Ponsonby defeating Grafton Athletic (who were last) which would mean the two teams would be tied on points the ARL decided to have Ponsonby and City playoff for the title instead. This was a regular method of deciding the title winners through this era and had happened in 1911, 1914, 1915, 1923, and 1924. Ponsonby won 13–8 and the result is included in the standings.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Ponsonby United	12	10	0	2	256	153	20
City Rovers	13	10	0	3	279	168	20
Marist Old Boys	11	7	0	4	167	144	14
Devonport United	11	5	0	6	223	149	10
Richmond Rovers	11	3	0	8	142	176	6
Newton Rangers	11	3	0	8	185	305	6
Grafton Athletic	11	2	0	9	112	269	4

Monteith Shield fixtures

Joan Endean kicking off the 1926 season. Referee William Mincham is watching. Joan was one of vice patron John Albert Endean's 5 daughters.

In Round 12 new rules were introduced regarding the play the ball, mirroring rules adopted by the New South Wales Rugby League which made the games more open but it was stated in The New Zealand Herald that "it is evident the players will need more schooling to make the interpretation of this rule more effective. In the match between Ponsonby and Richmond every advantage was taken of the referee's awkward position, and some very unfair tactics were adopted in securing the ball from the ruck". ^[7]

Round 1

In the match between Ponsonby and Devonport Lyall Stewart went off after 20 minutes with an injury but was able to be replaced, later Julius Laing fractured his ankle while Charles Webb also went off injured during the second half leaving Devonport with just 11 players. Neville St George was also injured during the match and missed several games.

	24 April	Ponsonby	31–21	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Frank Delgrosso, Len Ward, Sydney Usher, C 'Dooley' Moore, R Allen, H Riley 2 Con: Frank Delgrosso 4 Pen: Frank Delgrosso	[8]	Try: Horace Dixon, Alf Scott, Julius Laing 2, Allan Seagar Con: Alf Scott 3	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: William Mincham

	24 April	City	39–16	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Nelson Bass 2, George Wade, Maurice Wetherill 3, Ben Davidson 2, G Cargill Con: Nelson Bass 4, Selby Crewther Pen: Selby Crewther	[9]	Try: Clarrie Polson 2, George Morman, M Little Con: Arthur Mansill 2	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: R Taylor

	24 April	Richmond	23–3	Grafton	Auckland Domain
	3:00	Try: Jim Parkes 2, Frederick Bass, Ralph Jenkinson, Hyland Con: Edmund Carroll 4	[9]	Try: Lee	Referee: A Saunders

Round 2

Hec Brisbane broke his collarbone in Marist's win over Grafton. The Marist team was captained by Jack Kirwan for the first time after long serving captain, Billy Ghent had transferred to the City club.

	1 May	Ponsonby	30–20	City	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Dempsey, C 'Dooley' Moore, Ivan Littlewood, Tim Peckham 2, Wilfred McNeil Con: Frank Delgrosso 5 Pen: Frank Delgrosso	[10]	Try: Lou Brown 3, E Mackie Con: Selby Crewther 2 Pen: Nelson Bass Drop: Selby Crewther	Referee: Les Bull

	1 May	Marist	31–11	Grafton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Hec Brisbane, Con Lineen, Bernard Sweeney 2, Charles Gregory, Phil Brady, Gus Nicholson Con: Arthur Singe 3 Pen: Arthur Singe 2	[11]	Try: Bert Avery, Jones, Ernie Herring Con: Craddock Dufty	Referee: Percy Rogers

	1 May	Devonport	5–13	Richmond	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: Alf Harper Con: Unknown x 1	[11]	Try: W Little, Stevenson, Unknown x 1 Con: Jim Parkes 2	Referee: H Taylor

Round 3

The Marist team pictured in the newspaper after their match.

Ponsonby's win over Newton in this round was a club milestone, being their 100th first grade win. In their 17th season and 163rd match they became the second club in Auckland to do this after City Rovers achieved the feat 2 seasons earlier.

	8 May	Marist	19–15	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Arthur Singe, Jack Kirwan, Jim O'Brien Con: Arthur Singe 2 Pen: Arthur Singe 3	[12]	Try: Len Scott 2, A Harper, Harry Douglas Con: Clinton Boryer Pen: Alf Scott	Attendance: 6,000 Referee: A Saunders

	8 May	City	21–11	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: George Wade, Henry Hawkes, Lou Brown, J Lewis, Billy Ghent Con: Selby Crewther 2 Pen: Selby Crewther	[13]	Try: Edmund Carroll, Hyland Con: Edmund Carroll 2 Pen: Edmund Carroll	Attendance: 6,000 Referee: A Taylor

	8 May	Ponsonby	46–13	Newton	Auckland Domain
	3:00	Try: Ivan Littlewood 2, Leonard Riley 3, George Gardiner 3, Victor Fagan, Bert Payne Con: Leonard Riley, Frank Delgrosso 4, Victor Fagan 2, Tim Peckham	[13]	Try: Little, Arthur Mansill, Alan Clarke Con: Clarrie Polson Pen: Clarrie Polson	Referee: T Hill

Round 4

Roy Hardgrave stretchered off in Newton's match with Richmond with a suspected broken collarbone.

In the match between Newton Rangers and Richmond Rovers, flying winger Roy Hardgrave was thought to have broken his collarbone and was stretchered from the field. However it was later found that he had just received a kick to the shoulder after trying to stop a Richmond forward rush. Hardgrave was in his third season for Newton and in 1928 he would gain selection to the New Zealand side against England. His performances would gain the attention of the English management and in 1929 he signed with St Helens, going on to play 214 matches for them, scoring 174 tries. He returned to New Zealand briefly in 1934 but then went back to England, signing for York. In 1938 he returned once more and joined the young Mount Albert club, playing 22 games and scoring 19 tries as a 32 year old. In the same round Lou Brown scored 2 tries in City's 15-0 win over Marist. Brown was New Zealand's most prolific try scorer in its formative decades scoring around 300 tries in approximately 400 games in New Zealand, England, and France.

	15 May	City	15–0	Marist	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Lou Brown 2, J Lewis, C Mitchell, George Wade	[14]		Attendance: 9,000 Referee: A Taylor

	15 May	Newton	43–25	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: M Herewini, Roy Hardgrave, M Little 2, Arthur Mansill, George Morman 3, Alan Clarke Con: M Herewini, Arthur Mansill 5, Clarrie Polson Pen: M Herewini	[15]	Try: Jim Parkes, Avery, Bill Davis, Stan Prentice, Donald Con: Jim Parkes 3 Pen: Jim Parkes 2	Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Hill

	15 May	Devonport	6–13	Grafton	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: Clinton Boryer, Len Scott	[15]	Try: Bert Avery, Bill Te Whata, W Smith Con: Craddock Dufty 2	Referee: Les Bull

Round 5

Lou Brown tore a ligament in his foot in his match with Grafton and missed several matches but recovered in time to gain selection for the New Zealand team to tour England. His brother E Brown was also injured in the match which also saw George Rayner ordered off.

	29 May	Ponsonby	10–3	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Leonard Riley, Lou Hutt Con: Tim Peckham 2	[16]	Try: Hyland	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Les Bull

	29 May	City	33–10	Grafton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Ben Davidson, George Wade 3, Billy Ghent 3, Lou Brown 2 Con: Maurice Wetherill, Nelson Bass, Unknown x 1	[17]	Try: W Smith, Penalty Try Con: Craddock Dufty Pen: Craddock Dufty	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: William Mincham

	29 May	Marist	12–9	Newton	Auckland Domain 2
	3:00	Try: F Hanson, Jim O'Brien Con: Arthur Singe 2 Pen: Arthur Singe	[18]	Try: M Little Con: Arthur Mansill Pen: Arthur Mansill 2	Referee: Percy Rogers

Round 6

Frank Delgrosso left the field with a bad cut over his eye against Marist which required stitches and missed some game. Maurice Wetherill also missed City's match as he was sitting a plumbers exam. City were upset by Devonport.

	5 June	Marist	13–8	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Jack Kirwan 2, Arthur Singe Con: Arthur Singe 2	[19]	Try: Lou Hutt, Len Ward Con: Tim Peckham	Referee: William Mincham

	5 June	Devonport	14–5	City	Carlaw Park 1
	1:30	Try: Len Scott 2, Lyall Stewart, Harry Douglas Con: Neville St George	[20]	Try: William McLaughlin Pen: Nelson Bass	Referee: Les Bull

	5 June	Newton	26–10	Grafton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Alan Clarke 3, Arthur Mansill, Wally Somers, Clarrie Polson Con: Arthur Mansill 4	[21]	Try: Jones 2 Pen: Lucas 2	Referee: McGowatt

Round 7

Hec Brisbane made return from a broken collarbone for Marist's match with Richmond. Roy Hardgrave of Newton also returned from his shoulder injury suffered in round 4.

	12 June	Marist	24–10	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	2:45	Try: John Stormont, Jack Kirwan, F Hanson, Jim O'Brien, Bob Crewther 2 Con: Arthur Singe 3	[22]	Try: Stan Prentice, Frederick Bass Con: Edmund Carroll Pen: Edmund Carroll	Referee: L Taylor

	12 June	Ponsonby	19–14	Grafton	Carlaw Park 2
	2:45	Try: Hector Cole 2, H Goodley 2, Ivan Littlewood Con: Hector Cole, Tim Peckham	[23]	Try: Craddock Dufty, Smith Con: Craddock Dufty 2 Pen: Craddock Dufty Drop: George Rayner	Referee: Les Bull

	12 June	Devonport	40–14	Newton	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: Horace Dixon, Len Scott 5, Ernest Ruby, Bert Laing, Alf Scott 2 Con: Bert Laing 3, Alf Scott 2	[24]	Try: M Little, Alan Clarke, G Rhodes, Penalty Try Pen: Arthur Mansill	Referee: William Mincham

Round 8

George Gardiner on the left, Stan Webb making a tackle, with H Riley close behind and Allan Seagar on the right.

The scoring between Ponsonby and Devonport was dominated by New Zealand internationals from the past, present and future. Ivan Littlewood scored for Ponsonby along with Frank Delgrosso who was in the prime of his career. Delgrosso also kicked 2 goals and would go on to score over 700 points for Ponsonby making him one of the most prolific club scorers in Auckland from 1910 to 1950. Tim Peckham was their third try scorer, with Leonard Riley gaining their other try. Riley did not represent New Zealand but his brother Brian Riley did in 1932. For Devonport New Zealand representatives Lyall Stewart, Len Scott, and Jim O'Brien scored tries, with Bert Laing converting 2.

	19 June	Ponsonby	19–16	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	2:45	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Frank Delgrosso, Tim Peckham, H Riley 2 Con: Frank Delgrosso 2	[25]	Try: Lyall Stewart, Len Scott 2, Jim O'Brien Con: Bert Laing 2	Attendance: 6,500 Referee: Les Bull

	19 June	City	34–20	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	2:45	Try: Alf Townsend 2, George Wade 4, Henry Hawkes, Billy Ghent Con: Maurice Wetherill 5	[26]	Try: Roy Hardgrave 2, Clarrie Polson, M Brown Con: Arthur Mansill 3 Pen: Arthur Mansill	Attendance: 6,500 Referee: William Mincham

	19 June	Grafton	11–10	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	1:30	Try: Ernie Herring Con: Craddock Dufty Pen: Craddock Dufty 3	[26]	Try: Frederick Bass, W Donald Con: Jim Parkes Pen: Jim Parkes	Referee: Percy Rogers

Round 9

Johnson was ordered off early in the match for Grafton against Marist.

	17 July	City	11–8	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	2:45	Try: George Wade 2, Billy Ghent Pen: Maurice Wetherill	[27]	Try: George Gardiner, H Goodley Con: Frank Delgrosso	Referee: H Taylor

	17 July	Devonport	24–0	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	2:45	Try: Jim O'Brien, Horace Dixon, Len Scott, Stanley Rule 2, K Scott Con: Bert Laing Allan Seagar 2	[28]		Referee: Les Bull

	17 July	Marist	19–2	Grafton	Carlaw Park 1
	1:30	Try: Bernard Sweeney, Hudson, Jim O'Brien, F Hanson, Jack Kirwan Con: Charles Gregory, Bob Crewther	[28]	Try: George Rayner	Referee: Vic Simpson

Round 10

Clarrie Polson, Newton's New Zealand representative was leaving at this point in the season to go and live in Wellington. Eric Grey came out of retirement to play for Ponsonby. In his first game since 1924 he scored a try and kicked a drop goal in their win over Newton.

	24 July	Devonport	31–13	Marist	Carlaw Park 1
	2:45	Try: Stanley Rule, Len Scott, Ernest Ruby 2, Allan Seagar, Bert Laing, Horace Dixon Con: Alf Scott 5	[29]	Try: Mannix, Jim Johnson, Bob Crewther Con: Charles Gregory 2	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Les Bull

	24 July	Ponsonby	42–15	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	2:45	Try: Frank Delgrosso 3, H Goodley, J Payne 2, George Gardiner, R Allen, Eric Grey, Victor Fagan Con: Frank Delgrosso, George Gardiner 2 Pen: George Gardiner 2 Drop: Eric Grey	[30]	Try: M Little, Charles Hand, Penalty Try Con: Charles Hand 2 Pen: Charles Hand	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

	24 July	City	10–6	Richmond	Victoria Park
	3:00	Try: J Lewis, Billy Ghent Con: Maurice Wetherill Pen: Maurice Wetherill	[30]	Try: Frederick Bass, Ray Hyland	Referee: T Hill

Round 11

L Taylor transferred from the Whitiora rugby league club in Hamilton and scored a try and kicked 6 goals on debut for Richmond and went on to become the second highest point scorer in senior competition from just 6 games.

	14 August	City	22–13	Marist	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: George Wade 3, Maurice Wetherill 2, J Lewis Con: Maurice Wetherill 2	[31]	Try: Bernard Sweeney 2, William Noble Con: Pickering Pen: Pickering	Referee: William Mincham

	14 August	Richmond	30–5	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: L Taylor, Stan Prentice 3, E Redwood, Frederick Bass Con: L Taylor 3 Pen: L Taylor 3	[32]	Try: M Little Pen: M Herewini	Referee: H Taylor

	14 August	Devonport	42–8	Grafton	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: Lyall Stewart 2, J Hemingway 2, Len Scott, Alf Scott, Ernest Ruby, Julius Laing, E Cleaver, Jim O'Brien Con: Alf Scott 4, Allan Seagar, Rykers	[32]	Try: Charles Webb, Moros Pen: Lucas	Referee: Les Bull

Round 12

Newton only had 10 players for the entirety of their match with Marist but still made a game of it only losing 15–11.

	21 August	Ponsonby	20–11	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Leonard Riley, Victor Fagan, Lou Hutt Con: Tim Peckham 3 Pen: Eric Grey	[33]	Try: Frederick Bass Pen: L Taylor 3 Drop: L Taylor	Referee: H Taylor

	21 August	City	47–18	Grafton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Maurice Wetherill, George Wade 2, Nelson Bass 2, Billy Ghent 3, J Lewis, Henry Hawkes 2 Con: Maurice Wetherill 3, J Lewis, E Brown Pen: Maurice Wetherill 2	[7]	Try: Moros, Pitman, Penalty Try, Callaghan Con: Heard, Lucas 2	Referee: G McGowatt

	21 August	Marist	15–11	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	1:45	Try: Jim O'Brien, Bernard Sweeney, Bob Crewther Con: Jim O'Brien 3	[33]	Try: Grover, M Little 2 Con: M Herewini	Referee: Bert Emirali

Round 13

The captains and referees (Tim Peckham, Jim O'Brien (Marist), Jim O'Brien (Devonport), Maurice Wetherill, and referees William Mincham and Les Bull)

	4 September	City	14–9	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Billy Ghent, E Mackie Con: Maurice Wetherill 2 Pen: Maurice Wetherill 2	[34]	Try: J Hemingway, Horace Dixon, K Scott	Referee: Les Bull

	4 September	Ponsonby	10–8	Marist	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: R Allen, H Riley Con: Eric Grey Pen: Eric Grey	[34]	Try: Moore, F Hanson Con: Pickering	Referee: William Mincham

	4 September	Newton	13–12	Grafton	Auckland Domain
	3:00	Try: Alan Clarke 3 Con: Alan Clarke 2	[35]	Try: Jones 2 Con: Jones Pen: Jones 2	Referee: H Taylor

Final

	11 September	Ponsonby	13–8	City	Carlaw Park
	3:00	Try: Kenneth Peckham, Sydney Usher, Len Ward Con: Tim Peckham Pen: Eric Grey	[36]	Try: Selby Crewther, Nelson Bass Con: Maurice Wetherill	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: William Mincham

Roope Rooster knockout competition

Devonport v Marist in the Roope Rooster semi final on September 25 at Carlaw Park.

Richmond Bulldogs won the Roope Rooster for the first time with a 16–15 win over Devonport in the final. This was their first major trophy.

Round 1

	18 September	Ponsonby	12–2	City	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Wilfred McNeil, H Goodley, Ivan Littlewood, Len Ward	[37]	Pen: Maurice Wetherill	Referee: Les Bull

	18 September	Marist	29–10	Grafton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Bob Crewther 2, Bulcraig, Bernard Sweeney, F Hanson, Jim O'Brien, Jim Johnson Con: Pickering 3, Jim O'Brien	[37]	Try: Wilson, C Timmons Con: Heard Pen: Heard	Referee: William Mincham

	18 September	Richmond	25–15	Newton	Carlaw Park 1
	1:30	Try: L Taylor 3, W Donald, Devon Con: L Taylor 2 Pen: L Taylor 3	[37]	Try: Irvine, George Morman, M Little Con: Alan Clarke Pen: Alan Clarke 2	Referee: Percy Rogers

Semi-finals

Wilfred McNeil of the Ponsonby side broke a rib and received treatment at Auckland Hospital before being discharged. While W. Donald of the Richmond side also went to hospital after suffering a broken collarbone and concussion. He was also able to go home after treatment.

	25 September	Richmond	13–12	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Stan Prentice, Avery, Unknown x 1 Con: Edmund Carroll Pen: L Taylor		Try: H Riley, H Goodley Con: Peckham Pen: Eric Grey Drop: Eric Grey	Referee: McGowatt

	25 September	Devonport	28–11	Marist	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Len Scott, Horace Dixon, Bert Laing 2, Ernest Ruby, Alf Scott, Hemingway Con: Bert Laing 3 Pen: Bert Laing		Try: Bernard Sweeney Pen: Pickering	Referee: Les Bull

Final

	16 October	Richmond	16–15 [38]	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Stan Prentice, L Taylor 2, Bill Davis Con: L Taylor, Edmund Carroll		Try: Ernest Ruby, Len Scott, Jim O'Brien Con: Bert Laing 2 Pen: Bert Laing	Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Les Bull

Stormont Shield

Ponsonby won the Stormont Shield again after winning it in the previous season which was the first year it had been contested after the passing of Bill Stormont months earlier who it was named in honour of.

	22 October	Ponsonby	15–5	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: A Payne, Tim Peckham, C 'Dooley' Moore Con: Tim Peckham 3	[39]	Try: Bill Davis Con: L Taylor	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Les Bull

Top try scorers and point scorers (senior grade and Roope Rooster)

Rank Player Team Tries 1 Len Scott Devonport 17 1 George Wade City 17 3 Billy Ghent City 11 3 Leonard Riley Ponsonby 11 3 M Little Newton 11 6 Alan Clarke Newton 9 7 Lou Brown City 8 7 Bernard Sweeney Marist 8 9 Ivan Littlewood Ponsonby 7 9 Stan Prentice Richmond 7

Rank Player Team Tries Con Pen DG Points 1 Maurice Wetherill City 6 15 7 0 62 2 L Taylor Richmond 6 7 10 1 54 3 Frank Delgrosso Ponsonby 5 17 2 0 53 4 George Wade City 17 0 0 0 51 5 Len Scott Devonport 17 0 0 0 51 6 Arthur Mansill Newton 3 15 4 0 47 7 Alf Scott Devonport 4 15 1 0 44 8 Arthur Singe Marist 2 12 6 0 42 9 Alan Clarke Newton 9 3 2 0 37 10 Leonard Riley Ponsonby 11 1 0 0 35

B Division standings and results

B Division standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	14	10	1	3	166	139	21
Kingsland Rovers	14	9	0	5	177	101	18
Ellerslie United	14	7	2	5	103	98	16
Māngere United	14	7	1	6	134	113	15
Otahuhu Rovers	14	4	2	8	68	124	10
Parnell	14	3	0	12	76	149	6

B Division results

Otahuhu in 1944 showing the Otahuhu Trotting Ground in the centre, to the south of the Otahuhu Railway Workshops. The US Military camp (Camp Euart) was on the trotting ground in this photo.

At the start of the season Auckland Rugby League secured the use of part of the Otahuhu Trotting Ground to play games at. Primarily Otahuhu played their matches there, both the B grade side and their lower grade teams. Auckland Rugby League had the use of the ground until around 1930 with Auckland Rugby using the grounds for a handful of years before it was no longer used by sports teams.

1926 First Grade Results

	Date		Score		Score	Venue
Round 1	24 April [8]	Ellerslie	3	Parnell	2	Auckland Domain
–	24 April	Mangere	37	Northcote	8	Victoria Park
–	24 April	Kingsland	5	Otahuhu	3	Otahuhu
Round 2	1 May [10]	Otahuhu	6	Parnell	5	Otahuhu
–	1 May	Mangere	16	Kingsland	13	Auckland Domain
–	1 May	Northcote	7	Ellerslie	6	Auckland Domain
Round 3	8 May [12]	Otahuhu	8	Ellerslie	8	Otahuhu
–	8 May	Northcote	10	Kingsland	7	Victoria Park
–	8 May	Mangere	13	Parnell	3	Mangere
Round 4	15 May [40]	Ellerslie	5	Kingsland	0	Ellerslie Reserve
–	15 May	Northcote	15	Parnell	11	Victoria Park
–	15 May	Mangere	0	Otahuhu	10	Mangere
Round 5	31 May [41]	Ellerslie	8	Mangere	0	Carlaw Park # 1
–	31 May	Otahuhu	5	Northcote	5	Victoria Park
–	31 May	Kingsland	24	Parnell	8	Auckland Domain
Round 6	5 June [42]	Kingsland	18	Otahuhu	3	Victoria Park
–	5 June	Mangere	15	Northcote	14	Auckland Domain
–	5 June	Ellerslie	WBD	Parnell	LBD	Auckland Domain
Round 7	12 June [43]	Mangere	7	Kingsland	8	Mangere
–	12 June	Northcote	8	Ellerslie	5	Ellerslie Reserve
–	12 June	Parnell	10	Otahuhu	3	Carlaw Park # 1
Round 8	19 June [25]	Ellerslie	11	Otahuhu	0	Auckland Domain
–	19 June	Mangere	14	Parnell	5	Mangere Trotting Ground
–	19 June	Kingsland	18	Northcote	2	Victoria Park
Round 9	17 July [27]	Ellerslie	11	Kingsland	10	Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm
–	17 July	Otahuhu	0	Mangere	6	Otahuhu, 3pm
–	17 July	Northcote	21	Parnell	5	Victoria Park, 3pm
Round 10	24 July [29]	Ellerslie	13	Mangere	13	Ellerslie Reserve
–	24 July	Kingsland	11	Parnell	8	Carlaw Park # 2, 2.30 pm
–	24 July	Northcote	12	Otahuhu	4	Carlaw Park # 1, 1.30 pm
Round 11	14 Aug [31]	Ellerslie	10	Parnell	6	Carlaw Park # 1
–	14 Aug	Kingsland	24	Otahuhu	0	Auckland Domain
–	14 Aug	Northcote	10	Mangere	5	Victoria Park
Round 12	21 Aug [7]	Northcote	16	Ellerslie	11	Ellerslie Reserve
–	21 Aug	Kingsland	21	Mangere	8	Auckland Domain
–	21 Aug	Parnell	10	Otahuhu	9	Victoria Park
Round 13	4 Sep [34]	Northcote	18	Kingsland	7	Carlaw Park #1, 1.45 pm
–	4 Sep	Otahuhu	17	Ellerslie	10	Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm
–	4 Sep	Parnell	WBD	Mangere	LBD	Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm
Round 14	11 Sep [44]	Northcote	20	Parnell	3	Carlaw Park # 2
–	11 Sep	Kingsland	11	Ellerslie	2	Carlaw Park # 1, 1.30 pm
–	11 Sep	Otahuhu	WBD	Mangere	LBD	Otahuhu Trotting Grounds

In Round 6 Parnell defaulted to Ellerslie with the club secretary saying "the fact that five men are on the injured list and that others have had to leave town to seek work in the country were the chief factors". ^[45]

Stallard Cup knockout competition

This was the second year that the B Division knockout competition had been competed for.

1926 Stallard Cup results

	Date		Score		Score	Venue
Round 1	18 Sep [46]	Mangere	17	Ellerslie	16	Mangere Black Bridge, 3pm
–	18 Sep	Parnell	13	Northcote	13	Devonport, 3pm
Round 1	25 Sep [47]	Kingsland	13	Northcote	12	Carlaw Park # 2, 1.30 pm
Round 1	25 Sep	Otahuhu	8	Mangere	5	Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm
Semi-final	9 Oct [48]	Parnell	11	Otahuhu	3	Carlaw Park # 2, 3pm
Final	16 Oct [49]	Kingsland	25	Parnell	13	Carlaw Park # 1

Other club matches and lower grades

Lower grade competitions

Second grade

Devonport beat City in the final on September 18 by 6 points to 3. Grafton won the knockout final when they beat Point Chevalier. They had defeated Kingsland and Ponsonby in the semi-finals respectively. Marist withdrew after 2 rounds while Newton withdrew after 10 rounds, Otahuhu after 13 rounds, and Mangere after 15. A large number of results were not reported so the standings are incomplete.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Devonport United	16	4	1	1	1	93	35	9
Point Chevalier	15	7	1	1	3	100	37	15
Ponsonby United	15	6	1	3	3	96	45	13
City Rovers	16	4	1	2	0	98	21	9
Grafton Athletic	15	3	0	1	1	49	35	6
Richmond Rovers	15	1	0	8	3	55	136	2
Kingsland Rovers	15	0	0	3	2	8	52	0
Māngere United	11	0	0	1	4	0	17	0
Otahuhu Rovers	12	0	0	1	1	0	21	0
Newton Rangers	8	0	0	3	2	5	105	0
Marist Old Boys	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Third grade

Grafton Athletic won the championship and had a season record of 19 wins and 1 loss, for 371, against 63 including their 2 knockout games where they defeated United Suburbs in the semi-final and Devonport United in the final. Ellerslie withdrew after 7 rounds. The majority of match scores were not reported in the newspapers so the standings are incomplete.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Grafton Athletic	17	16	0	1	2	371	63	32
Ponsonby United	16	4	0	2	2	55	23	8
United Suburbs	15	3	0	3	2	37	24	6
Devonport United	16	2	0	4	1	32	63	4
New Lynn	14	1	0	1	3	21	29	2
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	13	0	0	4	4	3	27	0
Māngere United	13	0	0	4	4	3	62	0
Glen Eden	15	0	0	5	2	2	68	0
Ellerslie United	5	0	0	1	2	0	4	0

Third grade intermediate

Richmond had a 10 win, 2 loss record for the season and also won the knockout competition. They scored 127 points and conceded 57. They defeated Devonport in the knockout final after beating Newton 5-0 in the semi-finals. Devonport had beaten Glen Eden 21-4 in the other semi final. United Suburbs withdrew after 2 rounds while Parnell withdrew after 9 rounds. Curiously Glen Eden joined the competition in the 5th round, then Mangere joined in the 9th round, while a Ponsonby side was also listed in the fixtures for the 9th round but no other rounds. Very few results were reported though it was mentioned that Richmond had won 10 matches and lost 2, scoring 127 and conceding 57 though it is unknown if this also included their knockout matches.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers	11	8	1	2	1	122	57	17
Parnell	8	3	0	2	1	64	48	6
Newton Rangers	9	1	1	1	3	11	16	3
Devonport United	11	1	0	3	0	35	40	2
Kingsland Rovers	11	1	0	1	1	28	29	2
Glen Eden	7	0	0	1	1	0	23	0
Māngere United	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
United Suburbs	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Fourth grade

Parnell won the championship. Richmond won the knockout competition defeating Grafton 6-3 in the final on October 23. Richmond had beaten Parnell in one semi final while Grafton defeated City in the other. Marist withdrew from the competition after 2 rounds, New Lynn after 3 rounds, Newton after 9 rounds, and Otahuhu after 13. A significant number of results were not reported however 13 of Parnell's 14 results were reported. On September 4 in the match between Ellerslie and Richmond the referee ordered the entire Ellerslie team off at halftime due to verbal abuse while they were leading 8-5. The match was awarded to Richmond.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Parnell	14	12	1	1	4	165	22	25
Ponsonby United	15	5	1	2	3	69	52	11
Grafton Athletic	16	3	1	1	2	55	7	7
Richmond Rovers	16	3	1	3	2	69	47	7
Ellerslie United	14	2	0	6	4	45	65	4
City Rovers	14	1	0	4	4	12	35	2
Point Chevalier	15	1	0	6	3	31	105	2
Newton Rangers	8	1	0	3	1	0	65	0
Otahuhu Rovers	12	0	0	3	1	8	56	0
New Lynn	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Marist Old Boys	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

Fifth grade

Richmond won the competition and they also won the knockout competition when they defeated Northcote in the final on October 9. Northcote turned their season around after suffering several heavy losses and temporarily withdrawing from the championship before later rejoining and winning some matches. Grafton withdrew after 12 rounds. The majority of results were not reported. On September 11 in the final round the only match played was between Richmond and Devonport with Richmond winning 13-11. It is possible that this match was the final of the championship. All of Devonport's 3 defeats were to Richmond while they easily won their other two reported results (20-2 and 19-0 over Ponsonby and Grafton respectively).

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers	12	5	0	0	3	79	13	10
Ellerslie United	13	5	0	1	1	100	12	10
Devonport United	15	2	0	3	0	52	25	4
Grafton Athletic	11	2	0	5	1	17	89	4
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	11	2	0	3	0	21	118	4
Ponsonby United	12	1	0	5	2	36	48	2

Sixth grade A

City A won the championship. Akarana won the knockout competition.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
City Rovers A	13	10	0	0	3	219	25	20
Richmond Rovers	12	7	0	3	4	147	37	14
Akarana	12	7	0	3	4	108	42	14
Grafton Athletic	11	2	0	5	1	17	89	4
Otahuhu United	13	2	0	6	3	74	162	4
City Rovers B	14	2	0	10	2	43	173	4
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	9	0	0	4	3	5	131	0

Sixth grade B

Richmond won the 6th grade A championship. Grafton won the knockout competition when they defeated Richmond in the final on August 28 by 8 points to 0. There were several results not reported so the standings are incomplete. The City side joined in the 3rd round which created a 5 team competition and the need for a bye each round.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers	10	3	1	1	1	44	32	7
Grafton Athletic	9	4	0	1	2	66	15	8
City Rovers	7	3	1	1	2	27	29	7
Akarana	7	2	0	3	4	19	41	4
Point Chevalier	9	0	0	9	2	8	47	0

Schoolboys competition

The schoolboys competition was a somewhat informal one with teams joining as the weeks went by as such the table is an indication only of how the respective teams went. It began on September 25 when schoolboys from Otahuhu beat schoolboys from Parnell 5 to 3. Grey Lynn fielded a side on October 16 and lost 6-0 to Parnell while on the same day Papatoetoe drew with Otahuhu 6-6 in their first match. Then on October 23 Newmarket fielded a team which lost to Grey Lynn 9-6 while Richmond made their debut with a 16-8 win over Papatoetoe.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Otahuhu Schoolboys	4	2	1	1	0	44	22	5
Parnell Schoolboys	5	2	0	3	0	25	51	4
Grey Lynn Schoolboys	3	2	0	1	0	15	17	4
Richmond Schoolboys	2	2	0	0	0	29	11	4
Newmarket Schoolboys	2	0	0	2	0	11	15	0
Papatoetoe Schoolboys	2	0	0	2	0	14	22	0

Exhibition matches

Taupiri v Ponsonby

	18 May	Taupiri	6-16	Ponsonby	Taupiri
	3:00	Try: Allan, Davis	[50]	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Payne, Hector Cole, George Gardiner Con: Frank Delgrosso 2

	Date		Score		Score	Venue
Exhibition match	30 Aug [51]	Hamilton	16	Northcote	17	Hamilton
Exhibition match	9 Oct [52]	New Lynn 3rd Grade	0	Waikato Junior Team	3	Carlaw Park # 1, 1.30 pm
Exhibition match	23 Oct [53]	Kingsland	24	Huntly	13	Carlaw Park

Representative season

Representative fixtures

Ivan Littlewood playing for Auckland against 'The Rest' at Carlaw Park in July. He was being pursued by Saunders and Wilson-Hall.

The first representative fixture of the season was played on 26 June between Auckland and South Auckland. The match was the first trial game for the selection of the New Zealand team to tour England. With the score a lopsided 33–3 at halftime the selectors added five local Auckland players to the South Auckland team to even the match somewhat and it finished 49 to 15 in favour of the hosts.

While not principally an Auckland team playing the trial matches between North Island and South Island, and the A and B match were heavily populated by Auckland players.

The team selected to represent New Zealand featured a large number of Auckland players; Craddock Dufty (Grafton), Charles Gregory (Marist), George Gardiner (Ponsonby), Jim Parkes (Richmond), Lou Brown (City), Ben Davidson (City), Jack Kirwan (Marist), Hec Brisbane (Marist), Hector Cole (Ponsonby), Stan Webb (Devonport), Frank Delgrosso (Ponsonby), Ernie Herring (Grafton), Arthur Singe (Marist), and Bert Avery (captain) (Grafton). ^[54]

Before the team departed they played Auckland at Carlaw Park and went down in a high scoring game by 52 points to 32 after fielding a slightly weakened team against a strong Auckland side.

Auckland v South Auckland

Due to the lopsided match where the halftime score was 33–3 Auckland gave several players to the South Auckland team at halftime including Arthur Mansill who kicked 3 goals for the visiting side.

	26 June	Auckland	49–15	South Auckland (Waikato)	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Lou Brown, Ben Davidson, Frank Delgrosso 4, Hector Cole, Tim Peckham, Jim O'Brien 2, Bert Avery 3 Con: Craddock Dufty 2, Tim Peckham, Arthur Singe Drop: Ben Davidson	[55]	Try: Parkes, C Gieson, Davies Con: Arthur Mansill Pen: Arthur Mansill	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: W Mincham

North Island v South Island

	3 July	North Island	31–22	South Island	Carlaw Park 1
	2:45	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Wally Desmond, Ben Davidson, Jack Kirwan, Hector Cole 2, Bert Avery Con: Craddock Dufty 5	[56]	Try: G Brittenden, T Callentire, Jack Wright, Len Mason Con: Frank Henry, Neil Mouat Pen: Frank Henry, Neil Mouat 2	Attendance: 18,000 Referee: Les Bull

A Team v B Team (NZ trial)

	3 July	A Team	16–25	B Team	Carlaw Park
	1:15	Try: Lou Brown 3, Leonard Riley Con: Frank Delgrosso 2	[57]	Try: Jim Parkes 3, Nelson Bass 2 Con: Arthur Mansill 4 Pen: Arthur Mansill	Attendance: 18,000 Referee: William Mincham

Auckland v The Rest (of NZ)

Auckland played a midweek match with a rest of New Zealand side with 4,000 in attendance.

	7 July	Auckland	21–28	The Rest	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Stan Webb, J Lewis, Frank Delgrosso 2 Con: Arthur Mansill 3	[58]	Try: Sanders 3, Wally Desmond, Wilson Hall, Neil Mouat Con: Neil Mouat 4 Pen: Neil Mouat	Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Les Bull

Probables v Possibles (NZ trial)

	10 July	Probables	15–32	Possibles	Carlaw Park 1
	2:45	Try: Wally Desmond 2, Stan Webb (obstruction try) Con: Craddock Dufty 3	[59]	Try: P Hickey, Hec Brisbane 2, Neil Mouat, Bill Devine 2, Joe Menzies, J Tallentire Con: Neil Mouat 4	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Les Bull

A Team v B Team (NZ trial)

	10 July	A Team	28–30	B Team	Carlaw Park 1
	1:15	Try: Wilson (jnr) 2, Jim O'Brien, Alan Clarke, W Little 2 Con: Arthur Mansill 5	[59]	Try: George Wade 2, Claude List, Alf Townsend, Horace Dixon, C 'Dooley' Moore Con: George Gardiner 6	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

Auckland v New Zealand

	31 July	Auckland	52–32	New Zealand	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Claude List, George Wade, Maurice Wetherill 3, Stan Prentice, Tim Peckham, Alf Scott, Horace Dixon 2, Jim O'Brien 2, Jim O'Brien Con: Arthur Mansill 2, Alf Scott 3, Neville St George	[60]	Try: Wally Desmond, Lou Brown, Wilson Hall 2, Bert Avery, Len Mason, Frank Henry, Alphonsus Carroll Con: Craddock Dufty, George Gardiner 3	Attendance: 14,000 Referee: W Mincham

Auckland v Otago (Northern Union C.C.)

Auckland v Otago at Carlaw Park, August 7, 1926

Future Kiwi Len Scott also debuted for Auckland after coming on to replace the injured Harry Douglas. The newspapers erroneously had Neville St George named at prop but during the match reports said that Douglas (unnamed in starting side) came off injured.

	7 August	Auckland	14–4	Otago	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Claude List, George Wade, Tim Peckham, Albert Payne Con: George Wade	[61]	Pen: Bert Eckhoff 2	Referee: Harlock

Auckland v Canterbury (Northern Union C.C.)

Auckland v Canterbury

	28 August	Auckland	33–15	Canterbury	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: George Wade 4, Claude List 2, Ivan Littlewood, Horace Dixon, Albert Payne Con: George Rayner 2, Alf Scott	[62]	Try: C Batchelor, Le Warne, G Dawkins Con: A Collie 2 Pen: A Collie	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: R.T. Hill

Auckland v South Auckland (Northern Union C.C.)

	9 October	Auckland	25–8	South Auckland (Waikato)	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Claude List 3, George Wade, Jim O'Brien, Allan Seagar 2 Con: Alf Scott 2	[63]	Try: Davis, Metcalf Drop: George Rayner	Attendance: 3,000 Referee: William Mincham

Auckland Colts v B Division representatives

	30 October	Auckland Colts	24–17	B Division Representatives	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Hammond, George Wade, Allan Seagar, Sydney Usher 2, Ernest Ruby Con: William Hanlon, Allan Seagar, Crewther	[64]	Try: Thompson 2, Clarke, Croxson, Unknown x 1 Con: Eustace	Referee: A Saunders

Auckland representative matches played and scorers

This list only includes the Auckland team games against South Auckland (x2), The Rest (of NZ), New Zealand, Otago, Canterbury, and South Auckland (Waikato)

No	Name	Club Team	Play	Tries	Con	Pen	DG	Points
1	Claude List	Kingsland	4	7	0	0	0	21
1	George Wade	City	4	7	0	0	0	21
3	Frank Delgrosso	Ponsonby	2	6	0	0	0	18
4	Jim O'Brien	Devonport	6	5	0	0	0	15
4	Alf Scott	Devonport	4	1	6	0	0	15
6	Tim Peckham	Ponsonby	3	1	0	0	0	11
7	Arthur Mansill	Newton	3	0	5	0	0	10
8	Maurice Wetherill	City	4	3	0	0	0	9
8	Bert Avery	Grafton	1	3	0	0	0	9
8	Horace Dixon	Devonport	4	3	0	0	0	9
11	Ivan Littlewood	Ponsonby	4	2	0	0	0	6
11	Albert Payne	Ponsonby	5	2	0	0	0	6
11	Allan Seagar	Devonport	1	2	0	0	0	6
14	Ben Davidson	City	1	1	0	0	1	5
15	Craddock Dufty	Grafton	1	0	2	0	0	4
15	George Rayner	Grafton	1	0	2	0	0	4
17	Lou Brown	City	1	1	0	0	0	3
17	Hector Cole	Ponsonby	1	1	0	0	0	3
17	Stan Webb	Devonport	1	1	0	0	0	3
17	J Lewis	City	1	1	0	0	0	3
17	Stan Prentice	Richmond	4	1	0	0	0	3
17	Jim O'Brien	Marist	2	1	0	0	0	3
23	Arthur Singe	Marist	1	0	1	0	0	2
23	Neville St George	Devonport	2	0	1	0	0	2
25	Alf Townsend	City	4	0	0	0	0	0
25	Lou Hutt	Ponsonby	3	0	0	0	0	0
25	Alan Clarke	Newton	2	0	0	0	0	0
25	Frederick Bass	Richmond	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Charles Gregory	Marist	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Hec Brisbane	Marist	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Ernie Herring	Grafton	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Len Scott	Devonport	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Billy Ghent	City	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Trevor Hanlon	Richmond	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Lawrence Leonard Riley	Ponsonby	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Eric Cleaver	Devonport	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Harry Douglas	North Shore	1	0	0	0	0	0
25	Bill Davis	Richmond	1	0	0	0	0	0

Annual general meetings and club news

Auckland Rugby League Juniors On 16 March Auckland Rugby League held its Junior Management Committee annual meeting where it was noted that the number of teams during the 1925 season was 75, with approximately 1,200 registered players. ^[65] The full Auckland Rugby League annual report stated that in 1925 there were 12 senior teams and 103 junior teams playing in the various competitions, representing an increase of three senior and 28 junior teams. There was a total of 2,364 playing members. ^[66] It was also noted that the total receipts from club fixtures was £3,136 and the total amount taken at all games was just over £7,000. The executive intended on spending money on improving the dressing accommodation for players at Carlaw Park, and when funds permit constructing a permanent grandstand.

References

1. "The Athletic Club". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19281. 20 March 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 16 September 2019– via Papers Past.
2. "Senior League Games Off". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19334. 22 May 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
3. "The League Code". Auckland Star. Vol. LVII, no. 7. 9 January 1926. p. 15 – via Papers Past.
4. "Dean In The Domain". Auckland Star. Vol. LVI, no. 308. 30 December 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 27 April 2022– via Papers Past.
5. "League Referees/Annual Meeting". Auckland Star. Vol. LVII, no. 57. 9 March 1926. p. 12. Retrieved 27 April 2022– via Papers Past.
6. "Senior League Games Off/Other Decisions Deferred". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19334. 22 May 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
7. "Competitions Continued/New Rules Introduced/City Still in the Lead". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19413. 23 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
8. "Start of Championships/Ponsonby Beat Devonport/Fast and Exciting Play". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19311. 26 March 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
9. "Start of Championships/Fast and Exciting Play". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19311. 26 March 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
10. "Championship Contests/Ponsonby Defeat City/Margin of Ten Points". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19317. 3 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
11. "Championship Contests". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19317. 3 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
12. "Senior Competitions/Marist Defeat Devonport". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19323. 10 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
13. "Senior Competitions". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19323. 10 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
14. "Marist Beaten by City". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19329. 13 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
15. "Newton Spring a Surprise". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19329. 13 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
16. "Ponsonby Defeat Richmond". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19341. 31 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
17. "City Too Good For Grafton". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19341. 31 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
18. "Marist Have Narrow Win". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19341. 31 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
19. "Two Surprise Results/Ponsonby's First Reverse". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19347. 7 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
20. "Two Surprise Results/Devonport Defeat City". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19347. 7 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
21. "Two Surprise Results". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19347. 7 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
22. "First round Completed/Ponsonby and Marist Lead". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19353. 14 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
23. "First round Completed/Grafton's Gallant Fight". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19353. 14 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
24. "First round Completed". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19353. 14 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
25. "Opening of Second Round/Ponsonby Beat Devonport/Keenly-Contested Match". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19359. 21 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
26. "Opening of Second Round". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19359. 21 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
27. "The Senior Championship/Three Teams Now Level/City Defeat Ponsonby". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19383. 19 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
28. "The Senior Championship/Three Teams Now Level". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19383. 19 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
29. "The Club Championships/Devonport's Surprise Win/Marist Easily Defeated". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19389. 26 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
30. "The Club Championships". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19389. 26 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
31. "The Club Championships/City Still in the Lead/Defeat of Marist Team". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19407. 16 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
32. "The Club Championships". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19407. 16 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
33. "Competitions Continued/New Rules Introduced". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19413. 23 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
34. "The Club Championship/Two Teams to Play-off/City and Ponsonby". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19425. 6 September 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
35. "The Club Championship". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19425. 6 September 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
36. "Dramatic Conclusion/Ponsonby Defeats City/Last-Minute Try Wins Game". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19431. 13 September 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
37. "Roope Rooster Games/Opening of Competition/Ponsonby Defeats City". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19437. 20 September 1926. p. 12. Retrieved 15 September 2019– via Papers Past.
38. "Roope Rooster Finals/Richmond Secures Trophy". Auckland Star . Vol. LVII, no. 247. 18 October 1935. p. 11. Retrieved 17 October 2020– via Papers Past.
39. "Season's Last club Game/Stormont Shield to Ponsonby/Richmond Easily Beaten". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19467. 25 October 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
40. "Newton Spring a Surprise/Marist Beaten by City". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19329. 13 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
41. "Ponsonby Defeat Richmond/City Too Good For Grafton/Marist Have Narrow Win". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19341. 31 May 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 17 September 2019– via Papers Past.
42. "Two Surprise Results/Ponsonby's First Reverse/Devonport Defeat City". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19347. 7 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
43. "First round Completed/Ponsonby and Marist Lead/Grafton's Gallant Fight". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19353. 14 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
44. "B Section Championship/Northcote's Position Secure/Kingsland V Ellerslie". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19431. 13 September 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
45. "Ellerslie V. Parnell". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19347. 7 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
46. "Mangere V Ellerslie/Parnell V Northcote". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19437. 20 September 1926. p. 12. Retrieved 15 September 2019– via Papers Past.
47. "Roope's Rooster Games/Ponsonby's Surprise Defeat/Devonport Beat Marist". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19443. 27 September 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
48. "Stallard Cup Semi-final/Parnell Defeats Otahuhu". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19455. 11 October 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
49. "Kingsland V Parnell". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19461. 16 October 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
50. "Ponsonby Defeat Taupiri". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19330. 28 June 1926. p. 6. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
51. "Victory for Auckland/Match Against Canterbury/Pace and Tactics Tell". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19419. 30 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
52. "Junior Results". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19455. 11 October 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
53. "Kingsland V Huntly". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19467. 25 October 1925. p. 13. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
54. "Team For English Tour/The Personnel Announced/Fourteen Auckland Men/Avery Appointed Captain". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19377. 12 July 1926. p. 12. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
55. "Auckland Wins Trial Game/South Auckland Outclassed/Speed and Tactics Tell". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19365. 28 June 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
56. "Selecting Dominion Team/Two Fine Trial Games/North Island Wins Keen Game/Backs Check South Forwards". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19371. 5 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
57. "Sparkling Curtain Raiser". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19371. 5 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
58. "Auckland v the Rest". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19374. 8 July 1926. p. 6. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
59. "Dominion Team Trials/The Final Games Played/Possibles Beat Probables". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19377. 12 July 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
60. "New Zealand Outplayed/Auckland's Decisive Win/Superiority of Local Men". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19395. 2 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
61. "The Northern Union Cup/Auckland Retain Trophy/Fourteen Points to Four/Otago Team's good Display". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19401. 9 August 1926. p. 14. Retrieved 2 September 2019– via Papers Past.
62. "Victory for Auckland". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19419. 30 August 1926. p. 13. Retrieved 18 September 2019– via Papers Past.
63. "Northern Union Cup/Auckland's Comfortable Win/Defeat of South Auckland". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19455. 11 October 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
64. "Northern Union Cup/Auckland's Comfortable Win/Defeat of South Auckland". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19473. 1 November 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 19 September 2019– via Papers Past.
65. "Junior Grade Affairs/Over One Thousand Players". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19278. 17 March 1926. p. 15. Retrieved 16 September 2019– via Papers Past.
66. "Progress of the Code/Most Successful Season/Record Takings at Gate". The New Zealand Herald . Vol. LXIII, no. 19280. 19 March 1925. p. 8. Retrieved 16 September 2019– via Papers Past.

External links

• Auckland Rugby League Official Site