This article may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(September 2023) |
The 1927 Auckland Rugby League season was its 18th. Newton defeated Ponsonby by 6 points to 3 in the championship final to win the Monteith Shield after both teams finished the season tied with identical 8 win, 1 draw, 3 loss records. This was the second time Newton had won the championship in 18 efforts, with the first being in 1912 and was to be their last after they merged decades later with City Rovers and the combined team ceased in the early 2000s. Richmond won the Roope Rooster knockout trophy for the second consecutive season. Newton Rangers defeated Richmond to win the Stormont Shield.
Ellerslie won the Norton Cup by winning the second division competition, known as the B Grade at this time. They were undefeated and also won the Stallard Cup which was the B Grade knockout trophy. Interestingly the league played a 'promotion-relegation' match, with Ellerslie by virtue of winning the Norton Cup for winning the B Grade playing off with Grafton, who had finished last in the A Grade. Ellerslie won 11–3 over Grafton thus winning the right to compete in the A grade competition in the 1928 season. Despite this there was still considerable discussion at the annual general meeting the following year as to whether or not Ellerslie be admitted to the A Grade. It was eventually decided that they would be, with Grafton dropping to the B Grade.
Other trophies awarded (at the 1928 annual general meeting of the Auckland Rugby League) were the Davis Points Shield to Richmond, the Thistle Cup to Newton, and a special cup for the best forward to W.Clark from Newton.
Team | 1st | B Div. | 2nd | 3rd Open | 3rd Int. | 4th | 5th | 6th A | 6th B | Schools | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Rovers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
Devonport United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
Ponsonby United | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
City Rovers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Grafton Athletic | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Kingsland Rovers | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Point Chevalier | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Marist Old Boys | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Newton Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Māngere United | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Ellerslie United | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Akarana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Parnell | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Remuera | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Glen Eden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
New Lynn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Onehunga Convent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Onehunga Primary School | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Newmarket Primary School | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Papatoetoe Primary School | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 70 |
A McIntyre who had been playing in Sydney joined the Newton club.
The annual report for the 1927 season stated that the total revenue for Auckland Rugby League was £5,597, with £4,216 taken at the gates. [1] At the annual meeting of the Junior Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby League on 23 March it was stated in their report that junior players exceeded 1,500. It was also reported that the Remuera League Club was being revived. They had fielded two junior teams in 1914, and appeared to have the numbers to enter two junior teams in the 1927 season. [2]
On 10 August the Auckland Rugby League Chairman, Mr. W.J. Hammill tendered his resignation for business reasons. He had occupied the position for five years. He was congratulated on his contribution to the game and made a life member of the League. Mr. George Rhodes was elected as the new chairman of the Management Committee. [3]
Auckland began the season with a match against the returning members of the New Zealand team that had toured England from August 1926 to January 1927. There was some controversy in that Joe Menzies had played for the 'New Zealand team' despite being from the South Auckland (Waikato) province and the New Zealand Rugby League questioned the Auckland Rugby League on the selection. One possible reason for his selection may have been the fact that Arthur Singe had been banned for life after going on strike during the tour along with 6 other players. This meant that there was one less Auckland forward to pick for the match. Auckland won the game 24–21. They went on a southern tour later in the season and played matches against Canterbury, West Coast, Otago, and Wellington. After their return to Auckland they played against Buller and South Auckland. The Buller side was coached by Bill Davidson who had spent many years playing for City Rovers, Auckland, and played for New Zealand from 1919 to 1921. He had later moved to the Canterbury region where he was involved in sporting administration. He later returned to Auckland and coached Ponsonby in the 1938 season. Auckland lost the Northern Union Challenge Cup to South Auckland in their final game of the season.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Newton Rangers | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 188 | 128 | 21 |
Ponsonby United | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 190 | 111 | 19 |
Devonport United | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 207 | 114 | 14 |
Marist Old Boys | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 155 | 114 | 14 |
Richmond Rovers | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 137 | 140 | 9 |
City Rovers | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 134 | 182 | 7 |
Grafton Athletic | 12 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 81 | 303 | 0 |
After two completed rounds Newton and Ponsonby were both tied on 19 competition points. This necessitated a final between the two sides and this was won by Newton 6–3.
Jim O'Brien and J Stormont (ex-Marist players) had both retired from the game and were spectators at the match between Marist and Grafton. However, after watching they decided to come out of retirement and resume playing for their old team. Meanwhile Craddock Dufty returned to play for Newton after 5 years with Grafton Athletic. Les Bull refereed his 50th match involving senior rugby league teams in Auckland and was the third man to do this after Archie Ferguson (1912–22) and Billy Murray (1913-25).
7 May | City | 23–19 | Devonport | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: George Wade, Lou Brown 2, Ben Davidson, George Perry Con: Nelson Bass 3 Pen: Nelson Bass | [4] | Try: Allan Seagar, Len Scott, J Beattie 2, Jim O'Brien Con: Allan Seagar 2 | Attendance: 9000 Referee: William Mincham |
7 May | Marist | 20–8 | Grafton | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: F Hanson, Jim Johnson, Bill Noble, Hec Brisbane 2, Bernard Sweeney Con: F Hanson | [5] | Try: F Austin, H Hudson Con: Ralph Longville | Attendance: 9000 Referee: G McCowatt |
7 May | Newton | 13–8 | Richmond | Auckland Domain 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Unknown x 3 Con: Unknown x 2 | [6] | Try: Unknown x 2 Con: Unknown x 1 | Referee: Les Bull |
Prior to round 2 Wigan made an offer to Lou Brown of the City side, while Ben Davidson had reportedly received one from Hull. Future New Zealand coach Bill Telford debuted for Richmond and scored a try in their 15–15 draw with City. In the same match brothers Ken and Ray Hyland clashed heads diving to save a try with the result that Ken had to leave the field and Ray had to bandage his bleeding head to continue.
14 May | Marist | 12–8 | Devonport | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Hec Brisbane 3, Jim O'Brien | [7] | Try: Stan Webb, Len Scott Con: Neville St George | Attendance: 2000 Referee: H Taylor |
14 May | City | 15–15 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Bill Hamilton, George Wade, Maurice Wetherill Con: Nelson Bass Pen: Nelson Bass | [8] | Try: Gordon Campbell, Frederick Bass, Bill Telford Con: Edmund Carroll 3 | Attendance: 2000 Referee: Les Bull |
14 May | Ponsonby | 5–5 | Newton | Grey Lynn Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Frank Delgrosso Con: Frank Delgrosso | [9] | Try: A McIntrye Con: Craddock Dufty | Referee: William Mincham |
Jim O'Brien and Stewart were both sent off for fighting near the Richmond try line in the Marist v Richmond match. Grafton only had 12 players make the trip to Devonport Domain where they were thrashed by Devonport 47–3. Nelson Bass tore his knee cartilage in the match between City and Ponsonby and was forced into early retirement. [10] Arthur Rae made his first grade refereeing debut in the match between Devonport and Grafton on the Devonport Domain.
21 May | Ponsonby | 17–14 | City | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
2:45 | Try: Leonard Riley 2, Bert Payne Con: Frank Delgrosso 3 Pen: Frank Delgrosso | [11] | Try: Ben Davidson 2, Billy Ghent, George Wade Con: Ben Davidson | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: A Sanders |
21 May | Richmond | 15–3 | Marist | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
2:45 | Try: Stewart, Jim Parkes, Ralph Jenkinson Con: Edmund Carroll 2 Pen: Edmund Carroll | [12] | Try: Bernard Sweeney | Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Bert Emirali |
21 May | Devonport | 47–3 | Grafton | Devonport Domain | ||
2:45 | Try: Len Scott 4, Stanley Rule 2, J Beattie 2, Allan Seagar, Horace Dixon 2 Con: J Hemingway 2, Ernest Ruby, Julius Laing, Bill Cleaver Pen: Neville St George | [13] | Try: Angelo | Referee: Arthur Rae |
28 May | Ponsonby | 18–10 | Marist | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Len Ward, Lou Hutt, Joseph Peckham, Victor Fagan Con: Frank Delgrosso Pen: Frank Delgrosso Drop: Eric Grey | [14] | Try: Hec Brisbane, Jim Johnson Con: Norman King 2 | Attendance: 8000 Referee: Les Bull |
28 May | Newton | 32–17 | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Alan Clarke, M Little 2, George Morman 2, Craddock Dufty 2, McLeod Con: Craddock Dufty 3 Pen: Craddock Dufty | [15] | Try: Lou Brown 2, Ben Davidson, Penalty Try, Frank Ferrall Con: Ben Davidson | Attendance: 8000 Referee: Arthur Rae |
28 May | Richmond | 10–2 | Grafton | Grey Lynn Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Stan Prentice, Stewart Con: L Taylor Pen: Edmund Carroll | [16] | Pen: Ralph Longville | Referee: H Taylor |
The Devonport v Richmond match was played on the Friday as part of the King's Birthday celebrations. It was notable for the fact that 4 players were ordered off. Neville St George who had had words with the referee was sent from the field, two minutes later Stewart from Richmond joined him and Stan Prentice (Richmond), and Jim O'Brien (Devonport) soon followed. Leslie Knott scored two tries for Marist. At the end of the season he became the Auckland singles tennis champion and New Zealand doubles champion before moving to Australia to advance his career.
3 June | Devonport | 17–13 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
2:45 | Try: Hemingway, Horace Dixon, J Beattie, Jim O'Brien, Ernest Ruby Pen: Neville St George | [17] | Try: Ralph Jenkinson, J Swift, Gordon Campbell Con: Edmund Carroll Pen: Edmund Carroll | Attendance: 3000 Referee: Bert Emirali |
4 June | Ponsonby | 36–14 | Grafton | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
2:45 | Try: Joseph Peckham, George Gardiner, Frank Delgrosso 2, Sydney Usher 3, Wilfred McNeil Con: George Gardiner 4, Tim Peckham, H Riley | [18] | Try: Ernie Herring 2 Con: Lucas Pen: Lucas 3 | Attendance: 6000 Referee: H McKubrey |
4 June | Marist | 12–7 | Newton | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Norman King, Leslie Knott 2, Hec Brisbane | [19] | Try: Roy Hardgrave Pen: Craddock Dufty 2 | Attendance: 6000 Referee: Arthur Rae |
City were without the services of Lou Brown, Maurice Wetherill, G Brown, Nelson Bass and Alf Townsend and were soundly beaten by Marist. Frank Delgrosso of Ponsonby was ordered off in their match with Devonport.
11 June | Devonport | 9–6 | Ponsonby | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Allan Seagar, Neville St George, Len Scott | [20] | Try: Tim Peckham, Sydney Usher | Attendance: 7000 Referee: William Mincham |
11 June | Marist | 33–8 | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Jim O'Brien, Leslie Knott 2, Dick Moisley, Bernard Sweeney, Jack Keenan, Norman King, Hec Brisbane, Bob Crewther Con: Jim O'Brien, Leslie Knott Pen: Jim O'Brien | [21] | Try: Bill Hamilton, J Lewis Con: Ben Davidson | Attendance: 7000 Referee: Vic Simpson |
11 June | Newton | 19–14 | Grafton | Auckland Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Trevor Hall, M Little 2, George Morman, Hales Con: M Herewini 2 | [22] | Try: Angelo, Courtenay 2, Bert Avery Con: Ralph Longville | Referee: Taylor |
City had lost the services of Lou Brown and Ben Davidson who had both been signed by Wigan during the week. They would depart for England later in the month. In their match with Devonport two players for Newton left the field injured during the second half leaving them with 11 players.
18 June | Ponsonby | 15–13 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Victor Fagan, Lou Hutt, Eric Grey Con: Frank Delgrosso 2 Pen: Frank Delgrosso | [23] | Try: Ralph Jenkinson, Ken Hyland, Stewart Con: L Taylor Drop: Jenkinson | Attendance: 5000 Referee: H Taylor |
18 June | City | 22–11 | Grafton | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: George Wade 2, Joe Hadley, George Perry, Billy Ghent, Frank Ferrall Con: Joe Hadley, Billy Ghent | [24] | Try: Bert Avery 2, Allan Con: Lucas | Attendance: 5000 Referee: Les Bull |
18 June | Devonport | 32–8 | Newton | Devonport Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Allan Seagar 2, Alf Scott, Neville St George, Bill Cleaver, Horace Dixon, J Beattie, Len Scott Con: Alf Scott 3, Julius Laing | [25] | Try: Trevor Hall, Leslie Katterns Pen: Craddock Dufty | Attendance: 1000 Referee: William Mincham |
City were further weakened after Alf Townsend was transferred to Dunedin permanently for work during the week. In the Marist match with Grafton, Norman King broke a bone in his hand and had to leave the field.
25 June | Newton | 19–11 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: M Little, Henry, Roy Hardgrave, Craddock Dufty, George Morman Con: Craddock Dufty 2 | [26] | Try: L Taylor 2, Jim Parkes Con: L Taylor | Attendance: 7000 Referee: Les Bull |
25 June | Devonport | 10–3 | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Len Scott, Horace Dixon Pen: Bert Laing, Neville St George | [27] | Try: George Wade | Attendance: 7000 Referee: Percy Rogers |
25 June | Marist | 34–9 | Grafton | Auckland Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Norman King, Leslie Knott 2, Jim O'Brien, Hec Brisbane, Bernard Sweeney 2, Jack Keenan Con: Charles Gregory 5 | [28] | Try: Bert Avery Con: Ralph Longville Pen: Lucas, Ralph Longville | Referee: H Neal |
City sought to strengthen their side due to the large number of players who had departed. They signed Godkin, a Bay of Plenty rugby player, Pascoe a Manukau rugby player, and E Spencer a league representative from the Waimairi club in Canterbury. Te Huia Hawira Mason also joined the City side from Huntly (Len Mason's brother). Devonport captain Jim O'Brien was ordered off in their loss to Marist. At the conclusion of the match the referee (H. Taylor) was escorted from the field by two police officers as several spectators crowded and heckled him. Opponents Jack Kirwan and his namesake Jim O'Brien (Marist) had tried to plead his case to the referee to allow him to stay on the field and the Devonport later wrote a letter to the Marist club thanking them. Taylor had replaced Wally Ripley as referee after Ripley fell ill before the match. The match between Newton and Ponsonby at the Auckland Domain was postponed due to the ground being unfit for play. He was suspended for their following match. The following weekend saw all games suspended and the postponed match played at Carlaw Park. Ironically rain fell throughout the match and the field "was badly churned up as the game progressed". [29]
2 July | Marist | 16–6 | Devonport | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
2:45 | Try: Jock Graham 3, Jim Johnson Con: Charles Gregory 2 | [30] | Try: J Beattie, Harry Douglas | Attendance: 11,000 Referee: H Taylor |
2 July | Richmond | 16–11 | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
2:45 | Try: Jim Parkes, Bill Davis, Bill Telford, J Swift Con: L Taylor Pen: L Taylor | [31] | Try: George Wade, Billy Ghent, Godkin Pen: Maurice Wetherill | Attendance: 11,000 Referee: Arthur Rae |
9 July | Newton | 14–3 | Ponsonby | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
2:45 | Try: Alan Clarke, A McIntyre, Roy Hardgrave, C Rhodes Con: Craddock Dufty | [32] | Try: R Allen | Attendance: 3500 Referee: Les Bull |
Richmond lost captain Jim Parkes who was moving back to Christchurch to join the Hornby club. The match between Devonport and Grafton was postponed due to the unfit nature of the field at the Auckland Domain. It was played on the following weekend at Devonport with other fixtures from that round not played due to the Auckland Rugby League making Carlaw Park available for the soccer match between New Zealand and Canada. Ponsonby fielded 3 brothers, future New Zealand international Tim Peckham, and his older brother Joseph, and younger brother Kenneth.
16 July | Marist | 5–2 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Norman King Con: Charles Gregory | [33] | Pen: L Taylor | Attendance: 9000 Referee: Arthur Rae |
16 July | Ponsonby | 15–8 | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Sydney Usher, Joseph Peckham 2, Kenneth Peckham, C Moore | [34] | Try: George Wade 2 Con: Te Huia Hawira Mason | Attendance: 9000 Referee: B Emirali |
23 July | Devonport | 32–8 | Grafton | Devonport Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Stan Webb 2, Allan Seagar 3, J Beattie 2, Len Scott Con: Alf Scott 2, Albert Laing, Bert Laing | [35] | Try: Christmas, Bert Avery Con: R Longville | Referee: H McKubrey |
30 July | Ponsonby | 13–0 | Marist | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: H Riley, Tim Peckham, C Moore Con: George Gardiner 2 | [36] | Attendance: 8000 Referee: William Mincham |
30 July | Newton | 14–8 | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Roy Hardgrave, Wally Somers, Trevor Hall, A McIntyre Con: Craddock Dufty | [37] | Try: Maurice Wetherill, C Pascoe Con: F Austin | Attendance: 8000 Referee: H Taylor |
30 July | Richmond | 21–3 | Grafton | Victoria Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Frederick Bass, W Hanlon, J Swift 2, Bill Davis Con: L Taylor | [38] | Try: C Timmins | Referee: Percy Rogers |
6 August | Newton | 20–10 | Marist | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Roy Hardgrave, M Little, Wally Somers, W Henry Con: Craddock Dufty 3 Pen: Craddock Dufty | [39] | Try: Jim O'Brien, Leslie Knott Con: Charles Gregory Pen: Charles Gregory | Attendance: 8000 Referee: Les Bull |
6 August | Ponsonby | 31–7 | Grafton | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Frank Delgrosso 3, George Gardiner, Kenneth Peckham, Victor Fagan, Tim Peckham Con: George Gardiner 3, Tim Peckham Pen: George Gardiner | [40] | Try: Angelo Con: Lucas Pen: Ralph Longville | Attendance: 8000 Referee: H McKubrey |
6 August | Devonport | 18–8 | Richmond | Devonport Domain | ||
3:00 | Try: Ernest Ruby, J Beattie 2, Stanley Rule Con: Alf Scott 3 | [41] | Try: K Hyland, Frederick Bass Con: Edmund Carroll | Referee: William Mincham |
Bert Avery was carried off the field with concussion in the Newton match against Grafton. He had been attempting to tackle M Herewini who tried to hurdle him and made contact with Avery's head. Avery was taken to Auckland Hospital where he eventually recovered. His brother Henry who was also a league played died later in the week after a bout of pneumonia and Bert Avery decided to retire after many years playing for and captaining Grafton and New Zealand.
13 August | Ponsonby | 9–6 | Devonport | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Kenneth Peckham, George Gardiner, Sydney Usher | [42] | Try: J Beattie, Stanley Rule | Attendance: 7000 Referee: William Mincham |
13 August | Marist | PPD | City | Auckland Domain 2 | ||
3:00 | [43] | Referee: Vic Simpson |
13 August | Newton | 26–2 | Grafton | Victoria Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Alan Clarke 2, Trevor Hall, A McIntyre, D McLeod, Wally Somers Con: Craddock Dufty 4 Pen: Craddock Dufty | [44] | Pen: Lucas | Referee: H Taylor |
20 August | Newton | 5–3 | Devonport | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: M Little Pen: Craddock Dufty | [45] | Try: Len Scott | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Percy Rogers |
20 August | Ponsonby | 19–5 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: George Gardiner, Kenneth Peckham, Eric Grey, Frank Delgrosso, Wilfred McNeil Con: George Gardiner 2 | [46] | Try: Stan Prentice Con: Bill Telford | Attendance: 4000 Referee: W Ripley |
20 August | City | 5–0 | Grafton | Victoria Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Billy Ghent Con: E Spencer | [47] | Referee: H McKubrey |
27 August | Newton | 6–3 | Ponsonby | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Pen: Craddock Dufty 2 Drop: M Herewini | [48] | Try: Wilfred McNeil | Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Les Bull |
Craddock Dufty and captain W Clarke were both out injured from the Newton side for their match with Marist. Hamilton went off injured for City meaning they had to finish the match with Richmond with 12 players. The scores were tied at the end of the match 17–17 so 5 minutes extra time was played with Bill Telford scoring and Edmund Carroll converting to win the game for Richmond. This was the first time extra time had been used to decide a game in an Auckland Rugby League senior competition. Usually matches were replayed the following week.
3 September | Marist | 27–13 | Newton | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Jim O'Brien, Leslie Knott, Bill Noble 2, George Drew, Hec Brisbane, Bernard Sweeney Con: Charles Gregory, Leslie Knott, Owen Cronin | [49] | Try: Roy Hardgrave, A McIntyre, M Little Con: M Herewini Pen: M Herewini | Attendance: 6000 Referee: A Sanders |
3 September | Richmond | 22–17 (17–17) | City | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: L Taylor 2, J Swift, Ralph Jenkinson, Turton, Bill Telford Con: L Taylor, Edmund Carroll | [50] | Try: C Pascoe, George Wade Con: E Spencer 2 Pen: E Spencer 2 | Attendance: 6000 Referee: H Taylor |
3 September | Ponsonby | 27–16 | Grafton | Victoria Park | ||
3:00 | Try: Sydney Usher 2, Len Ward 2, Kenneth Peckham, Allen, George Gardiner Con: Frank Delgrosso, Eric Grey, Lou Hutt | [51] | Try: Allen 2, Forbes, Martin Con: Lucas, Ralph Longville | Referee: William Mincham |
The Auckland representative team had left for their southern tour and so all teams were fielding greatly weakened sides. Holmes, a rugby representative three-quarter signed for Devonport just before their game with Ponsonby.
10 September | Devonport | 21–5 | Ponsonby | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: P Holmes 2, Alf Scott, Allan Seagar, Len Scott Con: Allan Seagar 2, Simmonds | [52] | Try: George Gardiner Con: George Gardiner | Referee: H Taylor |
10 September | Richmond | 15–0 | Marist | Carlaw Park 2 | ||
3:00 | Try: Turley, Ralph Jenkinson 2 Con: L Taylor 2 Pen: L Taylor | [53] | Referee: Les Bull |
A. Finlayson switched codes to join Richmond signing one minute before kick off so as to keep the switch secret. The following week he applied for reinstatement into rugby union. Richmond won the Roope Rooster for the second consecutive year. It was a case of déjà vu with another 1 pt victory over Devonport who they had beaten the year before.
17 September | Richmond | 7–6 | Devonport | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: L Taylor Pen: L Taylor 2 | [54] | Try: Len Scott 2 | Referee: Percy Rogers |
Newton won the match by 25 points to 14, but the match was noteworthy due to the large number of injuries suffered. G. Norman the Newton captain was concussed and had his jaw broken, Dick Stack fractured his leg, W. Rhodes broke his collar-bone, and Wally Somers sprained his ankle. The first three players were all taken to Auckland Hospital, while Somers was taken home. [55] Stacks leg injury was so bad in fact that his leg had to be amputated and he spent many months in hospital. There were several matches in the following season used to raise funds for him and his family.
1 October | Newton | 25–14 | Richmond | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: G Rhodes, Craddock Dufty, Dick Stack, Alan Clarke, M Little, Roy Hardgrave Con: Craddock Dufty 2 | [56] | Try: Trevor Hanlon, Turton Con: Edmund Carroll Pen: L Taylor 2, Edmund Carroll | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Les Bull |
At the conclusion of the A and B division competitions the last placed Grafton Athletic from the A Division played against the winners of the B Division Ellerslie for the right to compete in the A Division in 1928. Ellerslie won the match by 11 points to 3 thus earning themselves a place in A Division and forcing Grafton Athletic to play in the lower grade. This was the first time in Auckland Rugby League competition that such a match had been played.
17 September | Ellerslie | 11–3 | Grafton | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
1:30 | Try: W Johnston, R Johnston, Ivan Littlewood Con: Kearns | [57] | Try: Jack McGregor |
Top try and point scorers for A Division, Roope Rooster and Stormont Shield competitions.
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A large number of games did not have the scores reported in either The New Zealand Herald or the Auckland Star . As a result, the fixtures list is incomplete as is the final standings. Results are missing as follows, Kingsland x 2, Parnell x 1, Mangere x 4, Point Chevalier x 1, and Otahuhu x 1). In addition there were two cancelled matches. The round 4 match between Mangere and Kingsland did not have the result reported though it was said several weeks later that Kingsland was undefeated so they must have won the match. The Ellerslie match with Mangere on July 9 is missing the score so Ellerslie and Mangere teams for and against is incomplete.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ellerslie United | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 151* | 75* | 26 |
Kingsland Rovers | 13* | 10 | 0 | 2 | 137 | 60 | 20 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 13 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 74 | 66 | 14 |
Parnell | 12* | 3 | 1 | 7 | 103 | 131 | 7 |
Māngere United | 12* | 3 | 0 | 7 | 63* | 79* | 6 |
Point Chevalier | 13* | 2 | 1 | 9 | 82 | 139 | 5 |
Otahuhu Rovers | 12* | 2 | 0 | 9 | 63 | 123 | 4 |
The Round 8 match between Mangere and Northcote was not played due to the condition of the ground at Mangere. However, after an inquiry it was stated that the Mangere team was willing to play and the referee said the match could go ahead. The Northcote team thought the match shouldn't be played and did not take the field. They also complained that they had to get changed underneath a gorse bush while a local official said there was a dressing room at Northcote's disposal. The league awarded the match to Mangere. The Round 15 match between Otahuhu and Northcote at the Auckland Domain was not played due to the condition of the field.
On May 14 Walker Park in Point Chevalier was used for the first time for a genuine senior grade match when Point Chevalier beat Māngere 9–5. It was approximately the 20th different ground to be used for senior rugby league in Auckland since its origins in 1908.
Date | Score | Score | Venue | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round 1 | 7 May [58] | Northcote | 7 | Mangere | 6 | Victoria Park |
– | 7 May | Otahuhu | 12 | Point Chevalier | 6 | Otahuhu Trotting Ground |
– | 7 May | Ellerslie | 6 | Parnell | 5 | Ellerslie Reserve |
Round 2 | 14 May [59] | Kingsland | 8 | Parnell | 5 | Victoria Park |
– | 14 May | Otahuhu | 6 | Ellerslie | 8 | Otahuhu Reserve |
– | 14 May | Point Chevalier | 9 | Māngere | 5 | Walker Park, Point Chevalier |
Round 3 | 21 May [60] | Ellerslie | 26 | Mangere | 7 | Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm |
– | 21 May | Otahuhu | 3 | Kingsland | 11 | Otahuhu Trotting Ground, 3pm |
– | 21 May | Point Chevalier | 5 | Northcote | 6 | Walker Park, Point Chevalier, 3pm |
Round 4 | 28 May [61] | Ellerslie | 6 | Northcote | 0 | Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm |
– | 28 May | Otahuhu | 8 | Parnell | 11 | Otahuhu Reserve |
– | 28 May | Mangere | L | Kingsland | W | Mangere, 3pm |
Round 5 | 4 June [62] | Kingsland | 20 | Northcote | 6 | Victoria Park, 3pm |
– | 4 June | Ellerslie | 23 | Point Chevalier | 5 | Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm |
– | 4 June | Mangere | 15 | Parnell | 11 | Otahuhu Trotting Ground |
Round 6 | 11 June [63] | Otahuhu | 7 | Mangere | 6 | Otahuhu Reserve |
– | 11 June | Northcote | 8 | Parnell | 3 | Auckland Domain, 3pm |
– | 11 June | Kingsland | 11 | Point Chevalier | 5 | Victoria Park |
Round 7 | 18 June [64] | Otahuhu | 5 | Northcote | 8 | Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm |
– | 18 June | Ellerslie | 9 | Kingsland | 5 | Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm |
– | 18 June | Point Chevalier | ? | Parnell | ? | Walker Park, Point Chevalier, 3pm |
Round 8 | 25 June [65] | Point Chevalier | 19 | Otahuhu | 3 | Walker Park, Point Chevalier, 3pm |
– | 25 June | Mangere | WBD* | Northcote | LBD* | Mangere, 3pm |
– | 25 June | Ellerslie | 21 | Parnell | 20 | Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm |
Round 9 | 2 July [66] | Mangere | ? | Point Chevalier | ? | Mangere, 3pm |
– | 2 July | Ellerslie | 13 | Otahuhu | 0 | Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm |
– | 2 July | Kingsland | 23 | Parnell | 7 | Victoria Park, 3pm |
Round 10 | 9 July [67] | Northcote | 13 | Point Chevalier | 0 | Victoria Park, 3pm |
– | 9 July | Kingsland | 25 | Otahuhu | 0 | Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm |
– | 9 July | Mangere | L | Ellerslie | W | Otahuhu Trotting Ground, 3pm |
Round 11 | 23 July [68] | Mangere | 8 | Kingsland | 11 | Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm [69] |
– | 16 July | Parnell | 11 | Otahuhu | 7 | Victoria Park, 3pm |
– | 16 July | Ellerslie | 8 | Northcote | 0 | Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm |
Round 12 | 30 July [70] | Mangere | 16 | Parnell | 8 | Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm |
– | 30 July | Kingsland | WBD | Northcote | LBD | Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm |
– | 30 July | Point Chevalier | 6 | Ellerslie | 13 | Walker Park, Point Chevalier, 3pm |
Round 13 | 6 Aug [71] | Mangere | ? | Otahuhu | ? | Mangere Trotting Ground, 3pm |
– | 6 Aug | Parnell | 11 | Northcote | 8 | Victoria Park, 3pm |
– | 6 Aug | Point Chevalier | 8 | Kingsland | 20 | Walker Park, Point Chevalier, 3pm |
Round 14 | 13 Aug [72] | Ellerslie | 9 | Kingsland | 3 | Carlaw Park # 2, 3pm |
– | 13 Aug | Northcote | 5 | Otahuhu | 2 | Auckland (Outer) Domain # 2, 3pm |
– | 13 Aug | Point Chevalier | 11 | Parnell | 11 | Walker Park, Point Chevalier, 3pm |
Round 15 | 20 Aug [73] | Otahuhu | PPD | Northcote | PPD | Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm |
– | 20 Aug | Ellerslie | 9 | Point Chevalier | 8 | Auckland Domain # 6 |
– | 20 Aug | Kingsland | ? | Mangere | ? | Otahuhu Trotting Ground, 3pm |
Date | Score | Score | Venue | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round 1 | 3 Sep [74] | Kingsland | 13 | Parnell | 8 | Auckland Domain # 5, 3pm |
– | 3 Sep | Ellerslie | W | Otahuhu | L | Ellerslie Reserve, 3pm |
Final | 10 Sep [75] | Ellerslie | 15 | Kingsland | 10 | Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm |
Devonport won the competition with a season record of played 14, won 13, lost 1, points for 252 and against 62. Devonport also won knock out competition (Foster Shield) when they beat Remuera 15 to 7 on October 8 at Carlaw Park. City withdrew after 3 rounds, Grafton Athletic (Maritime) withdrew after 4 rounds, and Marist withdrew after round 15 near the end of the season. Newton entered a side in the knockout competition but were knocked out by Devonport immediately 32 points to 0. Ponsonby lost their semi final to Devonport, while Mangere were the other losing semi finalists, going down to Remuera 12 to 5.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Devonport United | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 252 | 62 | 26 |
Remuera | 14 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 195 | 57 | 18 |
Ponsonby United | 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 123 | 33 | 14 |
Kingsland Rovers | 14 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 90 | 78 | 8 |
Richmond Rovers | 13 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 48 | 121 | 4 |
Māngere United | 13 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 142 | 4 |
Marist Old Boys | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 85 | 2 |
Grafton Athletic | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 28 | 0 |
City Rovers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
New Lynn won the competition by one point after a 3–3 draw with Grafton Athletic on July 30. The majority of match results were not reported so the standings are significantly incomplete. Grafton Athletic (Maritime) won the knockout competition when they defeated Devonport 12–3 on September 24. Grafton had beaten Glen Eden 3–2 in one semi final while Devonport beat Ponsonby 6–3 in the other semi final. Northcote withdrew from the championship after 7 rounds.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Lynn | 12 | 2* | 1 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 9 | 5* |
Grafton Athletic | 12 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 32 | 9 |
Ponsonby United | 11 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 32 | 8 |
Devonport United | 10 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 43 | 48 | 2 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 26 | 2 |
Glen Eden | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 0 |
Māngere United | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
There were several results not reported and the winner of the championship was never reported in any of the Auckland newspapers however in the 1949 Rugby League Annual it was stated that Richmond B had won this championship. Interestingly the following season at the Auckland Rugby League annual meeting when trophies were presented to winning teams in all grades there was none presented in this grade, possibly because it was an intermediate grade and only in its second year of competition. Richmond had won it in 1926 and won it again in 1928. The Richmond A team won the knockout competition when they defeated City in the final on October 8 by 20 points to 0. City had beaten Parnell 20–2 in one semi-final, while Richmond A won their semi-final 5–0 against Newton. Devonport withdrew from the championship after 16 rounds near the end of the season.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Rovers A | 17 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 162 | 39 | 22 |
Richmond Rovers B | 15 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 97 | 31 | 20 |
City Rovers | 17 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 102 | 65 | 12 |
Devonport United | 14 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 63 | 56 | 12 |
Ellerslie United | 16 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 26 | 61 | 8 |
Parnell | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 63 | 7 |
Kingsland Rovers | 18 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 63 | 98 | 6 |
Point Chevalier | 14 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 34 | 69 | 5 |
Newton Rangers | 16 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 25 | 117 | 2 |
Richmond won the championship. Devonport won the knockout competitions when they beat Richmond 12–5 in the final on October 15. Richmond beat Remuera 19–0 in one semi final while Devonport beat Grafton Athletic (Maritime) in the other by 24 points to 2.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Rovers | 17 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 238 | 14 | 18 |
Devonport United | 13 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 111 | 30 | 16 |
Grafton Athletic | 14 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 107 | 47 | 8 |
Ponsonby United A | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 57 | 44 | 7 |
Remuera | 13 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 143 | 2 |
Ponsonby United B | 13 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 16 | 161 | 2 |
Ellerslie United | 13 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 110 | 1 |
Akarana won the championship. Not all of the results were reported so the standings are incomplete. They also won the knockout competition when they beat City in the final on October 15 by 7 points to 3. Newton withdrew from the competition after 4 rounds.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akarana | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 68 | 10 | 15 |
Richmond Rovers | 14 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 59 | 29 | 15 |
City Rovers | 13 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 66 | 24 | 10 |
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 14 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 40 | 5 |
Ponsonby United | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 60 | 1 |
Newton Rangers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 0 |
Akarana won the championship after beating Grafton Athletic (Maritime) 11 to 5 in the final on August 27. Devonport United won the Hammill Cup for winning the knockout competition when they beat Grafton Athletic in the final on October 22.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akarana | 15 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 77 | 38 | 17 |
Grafton Athletic | 16 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 78 | 59 | 15 |
Richmond Rovers | 14 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 89 | 66 | 8 |
Point Chevalier | 15 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 88 | 8 |
City Rovers | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 36 | 51 | 7 |
Devonport United | 15 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 44 | 57 | 5 |
Richmond win the championship after beating Marist 6–0 on September 3. Marist won the knockout competition when they defeated Akarana 5–0 on October 8. Marist beat Richmond 7–6 in the semi-final. It was the Marist clubs first ever junior grade trophy.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Richmond Rovers | 16 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 130 | 19 | 24 |
Marist Old Boys | 16 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 161 | 25 | 20 |
Point Chevalier | 14 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 60 | 83 | 10 |
Akarana | 15 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 92 | 9 |
City Rovers | 14 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 24 | 75 | 2 |
Kingsland Rovers | 13 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 2 |
Devonport United | 14 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 88 | 1 |
Otahuhu was a combination of students from several schools in the area and as such did not represent Otahuhu Primary School. The other schools were from the individual schools though the Papatoetoe school side had some players from the local Orphanage too. Newton Central Primary School entered a team in some matches late in the season and Newmarket Primary school entered a second side around the same time.
Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Otahuhu Schools | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 207 | 9 | 18 |
Richmond Primary School | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 145 | 28 | 16 |
Newmarket Primary School | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 131 | 38 | 14 |
Papatoetoe Primary School | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 138 | 8 |
Onehunga Convent | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 94 | 2 |
Onehunga Primary School | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 6 | 180 | 2 |
24 July | Huntly | 14-12 | Newton | Ngāruawāhia | ||
3:00 | Try: J Farrell, Grant Raynor, Smith, Stan Raynor Con: Grant Raynor | [76] | Try: Little, Mormon Con: Craddock Dufty 2 Pen: Craddock Dufty | Referee: W Perry |
The final match of the season was one played by Devonport against Ponsonby for charity. The money raised was given to the Mayor's unemployment fund.
22 October | Devonport | 27–19 | Ponsonby | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Allan Seagar, Horace Hunt, Ernest Ruby, J Beattie, Alf Scott Con: Allan Seagar 5 Pen: Allan Seagar | [77] | Try: Allen 2, Frank Delgrosso 2, Victor Fagan Con: Kenneth Peckham, Langley | Attendance: 5000 |
Date | Score | Score | Venue | Attendance | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Junior representative trial match | 9 July [78] | A Team | 5 | B Team | 3 | Carlaw Park # 1 | |
Junior representative match | 15 Oct [79] | Auckland Juniors | 15 | South Auckland Juniors | 0 | Carlaw Park | |
Parnell tour match | 9 July [80] | Parnell | 27 | Rotorua | 3 | Rotorua | |
Parnell tour match | 9 July | Parnell Juniors | 20 | Rotorua Juniors | 6 | Rotorua | |
Ponsonby tour match | 23 July [81] | Rotorua | 15 | Ponsonby | 22 | Rotorua | |
Ponsonby tour match | 5 Sep [82] | Rotorua | 8 | Ponsonby | 11 | Rotorua | |
Richmond junior tour match | 1 Oct [83] | Rotorua B | 0 | Richmond 3rd Grade | 8 | Rotorua | |
The Auckland teams for the season were to be selected by Ernie Asher, Edward Vincent Fox, and Alan Blakey. The Auckland representative team won 6 of its 7 matches. They began the year with a victory over the Auckland representatives of the New Zealand team which had toured the England and recently returned home. They went on a 4 match tour during the year which saw victories over Canterbury, West Coast, Otago, and Wellington. They then played home matches against Buller and South Auckland. Buller was coached by former New Zealand and Auckland player Bill Davidson. [84] They beat Buller easily but then lost the Northern Union Challenge Cup after a loss to South Auckland.
The first representative fixture of the season was played on 30 April between Auckland and the Auckland members of the 1926 New Zealand touring team of England.
30 April | Auckland | 24–21 | New Zealand (Akl members) | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Ivan Littlewood, Claude List, Maurice Wetherill, Tim Peckham, Albert Payne, Alan Clarke Con: Tim Peckham, Alan Clarke Pen: Alan Clarke | [85] | Try: Lou Brown 3, Joe Menzies, Jim Parkes Con: Craddock Dufty 2 Pen: George Gardiner | Attendance: 14,000 Referee: Les Bull |
In September Auckland toured the south, playing 4 matches. The 18 man touring side was Charles Gregory, Craddock Dufty, M Little, George Wade, Claude List, Joe Wilson jun., Maurice Wetherill, Stan Prentice, Stan Webb, A McIntyre, Wally Somers, Jim O'Brien (Devonport), Lou Hutt, Alan Clarke, Trevor Hall, Horace Dixon, A Payne, and F Bass. Several players originally named were unable to make the trip including Hec Brisbane, Riley, Usher, Frank Delgrosso, and J Beattie.
10 September | Canterbury | 13–24 | Auckland | Monica Park, Christchurch | ||
3:00 | Try: C Robins, H Vivian 2 Con: Gordon Blazey Pen: Gordon Blazey | [86] | Try: Claude List, Stan Webb, Lou Hutt, Albert Payne 2, Horace Dixon Con: Craddock Dufty 3 | Attendance: 3,000 Referee: H Lawrence |
14 September | West Coast/Buller | 15–42 | Auckland | Victoria Park, Greymouth | ||
3:00 | Try: Vern Goodall 2, Norm Griffiths Con: Charlie McElwee 3 | [87] [88] | Try: Maurice Wetherill 2, Joe Wilson jun. 3, M Little 3, Craddock Dufty, J Payne, Frederick Bass, Claude List Con: Joe Wilson jun. 2, Craddock Dufty | Attendance: 1000 Referee: L Hunter |
17 September | Otago | 13–20 | Auckland | Caledonian Ground, Dunedin | ||
3:00 | Try: R Oliver 2, M Quinn Con: Dan Sullivan Pen: Bert Eckhoff | [89] | Try: George Wade, M Little, Stan Webb, Jim O'Brien Con: Craddock Dufty 4 | Attendance: 2,000 Referee: G Packer |
21 September | Wellington | 23–41 | Auckland | Newtown Park, Wellington | ||
3:00 | Try: S Brace, O Halliday 3, G Love Con: R Bowen 3 Pen: R Bowen | [90] [91] | Try: Stan Webb, Frederick Bass, Joe Wilson jun., Horace Dixon 4, Trevor Hall, George Wade Con: Craddock Dufty 6, Frederick Bass | Referee: C Wrack |
24 September | North Island | 13–8 | South Island | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Claude List, Stan Raynor 2 Con: Craddock Dufty 2 | [92] | Try: Woods, Hand Con: Sullivan | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: William Mincham |
The Buller side was coached by former City Rovers, Auckland, and New Zealand player, Bill Davidson.
8 October | Auckland | 60–33 | Buller | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Joe Wilson jun., Claude List 3, J Beattie 3, Charles Gregory 3, Maurice Wetherill, Stan Webb, Albert Payne 2, Horace Dixon, Lou Hutt Con: Craddock Dufty 2, Joe Wilson jun., Charles Gregory, E Spencer 2 | [93] | Try: Burns, Cameron 2, Jack, Stan Davis, Vern Goodall 2 Con: Vern Goodall 6 | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: William Mincham |
In the first half Albert Payne was injured and as there was no forward reserve for Auckland Allan Seagar had to replace him with Lou Hutt moving in to the hooking position. He was outplayed there by future New Zealand representative Bob Stephenson.
15 October | Auckland | 12–29 | South Auckland | Carlaw Park 1 | ||
3:00 | Try: Roy Hardgrave, Claude List, Joe Wilson jun., Allan Seagar | [94] | Try: J Whorskey 2, Everest, Hec McDonald, Tom Timms 3 Con: J Whorskey 2, Stan Rayner Pen: Stan Rayner | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Les Bull |
No | Name | Club Team | Play | Tries | Con | Pen | Drop Goal | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Craddock Dufty | Newton | 6 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 38 |
2 | Claude List | Kingsland | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
3 | Albert (Bert) Payne | Ponsonby | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
3 | Horace Dixon | Devonport | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
5 | Joe Wilson jun. | Mangere | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
6 | Maurice Wetherill | City | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
6 | M Little | Newton | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
6 | Stan Webb | Devonport | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
9 | Charles Gregory | Marist | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
10 | J Beattie | Devonport | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
11 | Frederick Bass | Richmond | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
12 | Alan Clarke | Newton | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
13 | George Wade | City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
13 | Lou Hutt | Ponsonby | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
15 | Tim Peckham | Richmond | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
16 | E Spencer | City | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
17 | Ivan Littlewood | Ellerslie | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
17 | Jim O'Brien | Devonport | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
17 | Trevor Hall | Newton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
17 | Roy Hardgrave | Newton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
17 | Allan Seagar | Devonport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
22 | Trevor Hanlon | Richmond | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Stan Prentice | Richmond | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Neville St George | Devonport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Wally Somers | Newton | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | A McIntyre | Newton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Stanley Rule | Devonport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Selby Crewther | Ellerslie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
22 | Ernest Ruby | Devonport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Auckland Rugby League competition has been competed for since 1909 when the first organised match was played between North Shore and City Rovers. The following year an official champion was crowned for the first time, namely the City Rovers club who won the 1910 1st Grade title and were one of the 4 original teams at that time. Over the following 110 years many team and individual trophies have been awarded. The following is a list of the clubs and individuals that they have been awarded to at the premier-grade level.
The Auckland Rugby League was in its 12th season.
The 1921 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 13th. Seventy two teams played across its six main grades.
The 1922 Auckland Rugby League was the 14th in its history. There were 68 teams playing across the various grades. City Rovers won the first grade championship for the 5th time, with Ponsonby winning the Roope Rooster for the 2nd time. City Rovers also defended the Challenge Shield, warding off efforts from Petone, Tongariro, and Huntly to lift it from them. Bill Davidson set a record for points scored in an Auckland club rugby league season with 116 for City Rovers. He and his brothers Ben and George between them scored 186 of City Rover's 339 points which was also a competition record for a team in a single season. City scored a further 19 points in the Roope Rooster competition and 85 points in their 3 Challenge Shield matches for 443 points in all official games.
The 1923 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 15th. The First Grade competition featured 7 teams with the Fire Brigade club who featured in it in 1922 not entering a team.
The 1924 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 15th. Marist won the first grade championship for the first time in their history after defeating Devonport in the final by 20 points to 17 in front of a club record crowd of 17,000 at Carlaw Park. While City won the Roope Rooster competition for the 4th time.
The 1925 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 16th. On 30 March Auckland Rugby League held its fifteenth annual meeting with 200 in attendance. The strong financial position of the league was commented on. It was also decided that if possible the Senior Grade would be split into A and B divisions owing to the increasing number of teams who wished to enter but also the gap in standard between the best teams and the worst.
The 1926 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 17th.
The 1928 Auckland Rugby League season was its 19th. Devonport United won the Senior A Championship for the first time under the Devonport United name, though they had won it twice before as North Shore Albions, before the North Shore merger with Sunnyside. Marist Old Boys won the Roope Rooster trophy for the first time. This was their second major trophy after winning the championship in 1924. They also went on to defeat Devonport to win the Stormont Shield.
The 1929 Auckland Rugby League season was its 20th. One of the key events of the season was the tour of the South Sydney side.
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.
The 1931 Auckland Rugby League season was its 23rd.
The 1932 season was the 24th season of the Auckland Rugby League.
The 1933 season of Auckland Rugby League was its 25th. The championship was won by Devonport United. This was their fifth title having previously won it in 1913, 1914, 1928 and 1932. The first two titles were prior to their merger with the nearby Sunnyside club when they were known as North Shore Albions, a name they later reverted to. They finished 1 point ahead of runner up Marist Old Boys. Devonport also won the Stormont Shield for the third time following victories in 1930 and 1931. They defeated Richmond Rovers in the final by 12 points to 7. Richmond had gained their place in the Stormont Shield match by winning the Roope Rooster with wins over Newton (29–15), Marist Old Boys (10–0), and City Rovers in the final by 26 points to 14. This was Richmond's third Roope Rooster title following wins in 1926 and 1927. Marist were awarded the Thistle Cup for the most competition points scored in the second round.
The 1934 Auckland Rugby League season was its 26th. The senior championship was won by Richmond Rovers who ran away with the title with an 11 win, 2 loss record. Such was their dominance that a 14th round was not played as Richmond had a 6-point lead over their nearest competitor Newton Rangers. Richmond also won the Roope Rooster knockout competition with a 20 to 13 win over Marist Old Boys in the final. Their remarkable season also included the Stormont Shield which they won 21 to 5 over Newton Rangers. This was the first ever time that an Auckland club had won all three senior grade titles in the same season. The Richmond reserve grade team also won the title which was remarkable in that they lost their first two matches before reeling off 12 consecutive wins to claim the title. They also won the Stallard Cup knockout competition when they beat City Rovers Reserves 21 to 9. Richmond also recorded two wins over the touring Western Suburbs side who had won the New South Wales premiership with 18–16 and 10–3 wins. This was easily the strongest set of results of any club at the senior level in Auckland Rugby League's history to this point and arguably to this day.
Stan Prentice (1903-1982) was an Auckland rugby league player who represented New Zealand in 5 test matches from 1928 to 1935. He was Kiwi #192 when he debuted against England in 1928 when he played in all 3 test matches. He then played in 2 tests against Australia in 1935. Prentice played 141 games for Richmond Rovers, captaining them in the later half of his career. He also represented Auckland on 20 occasions, as well as 5 times for the North Island. He later coached Mount Albert United to the 1939 Fox Memorial title and also coached Auckland in 1939 and 1948 as well as being a selector of the side through many seasons.
Stanley George Webb was a New Zealand international rugby league player who represented them 15 times in 1925 and 1926. Webb was the 177th player to represent New Zealand. He also played 10 matches for Auckland from 1922 to 1927. Webb played club rugby league for Devonport United for 7 seasons, 1 season for Ellerslie and 1 season for a combined Ellerslie-Otahuhu senior side.
Alan Clarke was a rugby league player who represented New Zealand in one test match against England in 1932 at lock. In the process he became the 227th player to represent New Zealand. He also played rugby league for the North Island and Auckland representative sides as well as the Newton Rangers, and Marist Old Boys clubs.
Robert Neville St George was a rugby league footballer. He represented the New Zealand rugby league team in 2 test matches in 1925. In the process he became the 178th player to represent New Zealand. He also represented the North Island and Auckland representative side. St George played his club rugby league in Auckland for the Marist Old Boys side initially before moving to Devonport United where he spent most of his career.
James Lawrence O'Brien was a New Zealand rugby league player. He represented the New Zealand rugby league team in 1 match in 1925 against Queensland. In the process he became the 182nd player to represent New Zealand. He also represented Auckland 20 times from 1922 to 1927, and the North Island side in 1927. He played his club rugby league in Auckland for the North Shore Albions from 1921 to 1928, captaining them at times later in his career. He played for the Maritime club in 1920 and 1921 in his early years after returning from World War 1.