1930 Auckland Rugby League Season

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 Senior A championship was won by Ponsonby United for the second consecutive year which was their fifth title overall. They were awarded the Monteith Shield. This was the last year that the Monteith Shield was played for as the man this trophy was named after suggested that the main championship trophy should be one named in honour of Mr. Edwin Vincent Fox who had died earlier that year. Ponsonby also won the Roope Rooster trophy for the sixth time after defeating Richmond Rovers by 15 points to 7 in the final. Ponsonby were however beaten by Devonport United in the final of the Stormont Shield 17–5. This was the first time Devonport had won the Stormont Shield. A week later on 11 October Ponsonby played the champions of the South Auckland competition who were Ngaruawahia in the first match of its kind. Ponsonby won 32 to 29.

The Senior B championship was won by Otahuhu who beat the 1929 champions Point Chevalier in the final by 3 points to 0. The Stallard Cup knockout competition for Senior B teams was won by Richmond who defeated Point Chevalier 21–11 in the final. Richmond were the first club to enter a B team (effectively a reserve grade team) in this grade, and for the Stallard Cup they were joined by a B team from Devonport.

Key events and news

In a major scandal following the Stormont Shield match between Ponsonby United and Devonport, Frank Delgrosso, the Auckland and New Zealand representative who was captain of the Ponsonby team was suspended for three seasons. Delgrosso was charged with misconduct along with another Ponsonby player V. Goodwin. They were also barred from attending Carlaw Park in the future. He failed to make a teammate who had been ordered off to leave the field, threw mud at the referee, and abused him.

Mt Albert was a new addition to the B Grade competition by entering a team there for the first time. This was their first senior grade team. They had won the Second Grade competition the previous year and were essentially ‘promoting’ the team.

The Auckland Rugby League placed a tender for its “Auckland Rugby League Programme and Gazette” for the 1930 season.

Prior to the season opening games the Auckland Star ran a piece on the prospects of each A Grade team and the players it had acquired.

As the season progressed much talk was made about the standard of the Senior A Grade and its inability to field enough sides of quality. The decision was eventually made to reduce the number of A Grade sides to 6 and to do away with the Senior B competition altogether for the following season. Instead the league would encourage good quality players to move from those sides to clubs with A Grade teams. A special committee was formed to suggest a way forward. They decided to recommend that the six teams to make up the A Grade for the 1931 season should be Ponsonby, Marist, Devonport, Metropolitan (to include City and Newton), Western Suburbs or Richmond, and Eastern Suburbs (to include Ellerslie). There was much discussion of the matter by members of various clubs over which clubs should merge or who disagreed that their club should disappear. The matter was further discussed in a Management Committee meeting on 15 October but a decision was deferred for a week.

On 29 October it was decided by the Auckland Rugby League to officially reduce the number of teams in the Senior A Grade to 6. The clubs would be known as Ponsonby United, Devonport, Marist Old Boys, Western Suburbs (Richmond Rovers and Kingsland), Metropolitan (City and Newton), and Eastern Suburbs ( Ellerslie and the surrounding district). This was not to be the only time that Auckland Rugby League went down the path of making teams, who were often unwilling, into mergers. It happened again decades later before reverting to the norm, and then again in the 1990s before once again reverting to the norm with standalone clubs. Clubs who were particularly against the proposal were City Rovers, Newton Rangers, Kingsland Athletic, and Richmond.

Papakura hosted its first ever rugby league match when Richmond 2nd Grade and Newmarket 2nd Grade played there at the end of the season. Richmond won 20–10.

Obituaries

Edward Vincent Fox
On 24 February Mr. Edward Vincent Fox died. He was a member of the Devonport team before World War I and played inside five-eighths for Auckland against England. In 1913 he enlisted in the war efforts and fought in the front lines. He was shot in the leg and when he returned to Auckland was unable to play again. He was appointed to the executive of Auckland Rugby League and was a selector for the Auckland and New Zealand teams. He was buried at O’Neill's Point Cemetery on the North Shore, New Zealand.

Monteith Shield (first grade championship)

Monteith Shield standings

{,
, -
,
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, -
!width=175 , Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld
!width=20 abbr="Won" , W
!width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D
!width=20 abbr="Lost" , L
!width=20 abbr="For" , F
!width=20 abbr="Against" , A
!width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Ponsonby United
, 13, , 11, , 0, , 2, , 190, , 138, , 22
, -
, style="text-align:left;", City Rovers
, 13, , 7, , 2, , 4, , 206, , 175, , 16
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Devonport United
, 13, , 8, , 0, , 5, , 151, , 128, , 16
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Marist Old Boys
, 13, , 6, , 3, , 4, , 190, , 147, , 15
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Newton Rangers
, 13, , 4, , 1, , 8, , 142, , 183, , 9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Kingsland Athletic
, 13, , 4, , 1, , 8, , 113, , 156, , 9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Ellerslie United
, 13, , 4, , 1, , 8, , 141, , 171, , 9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Richmond Rovers
, 13, , 4, , 0, , 9, , 118, , 156, , 8
, -

Monteith Shield fixtures

Round 1

Marist Old Boys victory over Kingsland Athletic was contested by Kingsland over an unregistered player (Munro) playing in the match. The protest was upheld and Kingsland were awarded the match. Marist Old Boys appealed to the New Zealand League Council but the decision was upheld by that body also. In the Round 1 match Craddock Dufty was ordered from the field for allegedly disputing a referees decision on a possible forward pass which led to the tying City Rovers try near the end of the match.

Round 2

Round 3

Governor General Lord Bledisloe attended the Carlaw Park matches and was photographed with Ben Davidson of City rovers before the kickoff. Frank Delgrosso left the field early in the match for Ponsonby with an injured knee. In the second half Goodwin, Riley and Thompson all left the field injured and were not able to be replaced owing to the non-replacement rule which applied to the second half of matches. Goodwin was treated in hospital for concussion.

Round 4

In the match between Marist and City, Sweeney was ordered off for Marist and Mita Watene was ordered off for City. Frank Delgrosso against left the field after injuring his knee while playing for Ponsonby.

Round 5

Round 6

Teb Brimble made his debut for Newton Rangers after switching from the Manukau rugby club and joining his brother Cyril who was in his second season for Newton. At the end of the season Cyril was granted a transfer to Canterbury where he would play rugby league representatively.

Round 7

The match between Ponsonby and Kingsland was played at the Mangere Domain.

Round 8

The Marist v Kingsland match finished with an unusual scoreline of 0-0. Although the score was perhaps somewhat misleading as Marist Old Boys played two men short for most of the game with Batchelor and Norm Campbell going off injured in the first half. One of the only other times that this had happened since the first round of matches in 1910 when North Shore drew 0–0 with Newton.

Round 9

Round 10

For Marist, Phil Brady was sent off for punching an Ellerslie player early in the second half. Bert Laing after an absence of 3 years turned out for Devonport.

Round 11

Round 12

The Round 12 matches due to be played on 9 August were all postponed after rain fell on the Saturday. This added to the rain which had fallen throughout the week leading up to the Saturday.

Round 13

Roope Rooster knockout competition

Craddock Dufty, who had returned from the recent New Zealand tour to Australia refused to play in the fixture against the Auckland players citing an injured elbow. He did not produce a doctors certificate and as a result Auckland Rugby League suspended him and he was unable to play for Ellerslie in their first round match. Jim O'Brien was sent off after a "verbal altercation" with referee Vic Simpson. This was to be his last official competition match of his career, though he did play in the McManus benefit match weeks later at Otahuhu.

Round 1

Semi finals

Final

Stormont Shield

City and Devonport were tied for second place in the Senior A competition and as Ponsonby won both the Senior A championship and the Roope Rooster it left City and Devonport to play off for the right to join them in the Stormont Shield match. Devonport defeated City by 1 point to earn the right to play Ponsonby. In the final Ponsonby had J. Moore ordered off but he refused to leave. The referee then left the field until Moore was persuaded to leave and the game could progress. Moore was later suspended by the league. It eventually turned out that the Auckland and New Zealand representative Frank Delgrosso who was captain at the time had failed to persuade Moore to leave the field and had also verbally abused the referee and thrown mud at him. Delgrosso was suspended by the league for three years but on appeal and with an apology and expression of regret at a March 1931 meeting his suspension was reduced.

Play in Match

Stormont Shield final

Provincial club championship

A game between the champions of the Auckland and South Auckland competitions Ponsonby and Ngaruawahia. George Tittleton fractured his collarbone after being thrown heavily near the end of the match. He finished the game but was taken to Auckland Hospital straight after the match. L Stevens, the Ponsonby hooker received a head injury which required stitches.

Top try scorers and point scorers

Top try and point scorers for A Grade and Roope Rooster matches. L O'Leary of Devonport United top scored with 72 points followed by Frank Delgrosso with 59, and Mincham with 56. George Batchelor of Marist Old Boys was the top try scorer with 15, followed by S Riley and George Perry with 12 each.

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
!Rank!!Player!!Team!!Tries
, -
, 1, , George Batchelor, , Marist, , 15
, -
, 2, , S Riley, , Ponsonby, , 12
, -
, 2, , George Perry, , City, , 12
, -
, 4, , Schofield, , Ponsonby, , 11
, -
, 5, , Ted Mincham, , Richmond, , 10
, -
, 5, , Les O'Leary, , Devonport, , 10
, -
, 7, , Laurie Barchard, , City, , 9
, -
, 7, , McLaughlin, , City, , 9
, -
, 9, , Cyril Brimble, , Newton, , 7
, -
, 9, , Claude List, , Kingsland, , 7
, -
, 9, , Phil Brady, , Marist, , 7
, -

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
!Rank!!Player!!Team!!Tries!!Con!!Pen!!Points
, -
, 1, , Les O'Leary, , Devonport, , 10, , 15, , 6, , 72
, -
, 2, , Frank Delgrosso, , Ponsonby, , 1, , 24, , 4, , 59
, -
, 3, , Ted Mincham, , Richmond, , 10, , 7, , 6, , 56
, -
, 4, , George Batchelor, , Marist, , 15, , 1, , 0, , 47
, -
, 5, , Charles Gregory, , Marist, , 15, , 1, , 0, , 44
, -
, 6, , Cyril Brimble, , Newton, , 7, , 9, , 2, , 43
, -
, 7, , Laurie Barchard, , City, , 9, , 7, , 0, , 41
, -
, 8, , S Riley, , Ponsonby, , 12, , 1, , 0, , 38
, -
, 9, , George Perry, , City, , 12, , 0, , 0, , 36
, -
, 10, , Schofield, , Ponsonby, , 11, , 0, , 0, , 33
, -

Senior B grade competition

Senior B grade standings

A Mangere and Mt Albert result is missing as it was not reported in any of the newspapers of the time.
{,
, -
,
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, -
!width=240 , Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld
!width=20 abbr="Won" , W
!width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D
!width=20 abbr="Lost" , L
!width=20 abbr="For" , F
!width=20 abbr="Against" , A
!width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Otahuhu United
, 13, , 11, , 1, , 1, , 183, , 81, , 23
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Point Chevalier
, 13, , 10, , 1, , 2, , 108, , 62, , 21
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Mount Albert United

, 11, , 4, , 1, , 6, , 82, , 101, , 9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Mangere
, 10, , 4, , 0, , 6, , 90, , 83, , 8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Northcote and Birkenhead Ramblers
, 12, , 4, , 0, , 8, , 67, , 92, , 8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Parnell
, 12, , 4, , 0, , 8, , 68, , 138, , 8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Richmond Rovers B
, 11, , 2, , 1, , 8, , 61, , 102, , 5
, -

Senior B grade fixtures

Mt Albert entered a senior team for the first time in their club history which had begun in 1928.

The Round 8 game between Mangere and Richmond B was not played because a charity match between Ponsonby and Kingsland was being played on its ground.

Parnell were referred to as the “magpies” on account of their black and white uniforms by the Auckland Star after their Round 9 match.

The Round 9 match report in the Auckland Star incorrectly reported the score 15–6 in favour of Northcote, however they corrected it in their following week reports of the Senior B matches as being a 15–6 win to Mangere.

The round 13 matches were cancelled due to steady rain falling on the Saturday adding to significant rain that had fallen during the week, aside from the game at Mangere. The Northcote v Otahuhu match was postponed as Northcote had played their traditional fixture v Huntly on Northcote's home ground at Stafford Park.

Otahuhu beat Point Chevalier in the final by 3 points to 0 to win the Senior B championship.
{, class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
, + class="nowrap" , 1930 Senior B results
, -
,
! scope="col" , Date
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" , Venue
! scope="col" , Attendance
, -
! scope="row" , Round 1
, 26 April
, , Point Chevalier , , 23 , , Parnell , , 8 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 1:30pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 26 April , , Richmond B, , 6 , , Northcote , , 3 , , Victoria Park, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 26 April , , Mangere , , 5 , , Otahuhu , , 11 , , Mangere, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 2
, 3 May
, , Otahuhu , , 11 , , Parnell , , 7 , , Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 3 May , , Point Chevalier , , 5 , , Mt Albert , , 3 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 3 May , , Mangere , , 11 , , Richmond B, , 3 , , Mangere, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 3
, 10 May
, , Northcote , , 8 , , Mangere , , 6 , , Northcote
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 10 May , , Mount Albert , , 8 , , Otahuhu , , 9 , , Mount Albert, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 10 May , , Richmond B, , 18 , , Parnell , , 7 , , Grey Lynn, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 4
, 17 May
, , Otahuhu , , 8 , , Point Chevalier , , 8 , , Sturgess Park, Otahuhu, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 17 May , , Richmond B, , 9 , , Mount Albert , , 11 , , Grey Lynn, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 17 May , , Parnell , , 9 , , Northcote , , 0 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 5
, 24 May
, , Mount Albert , , 8 , , Northcote , , 5 , , Victoria Park, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 24 May , , Mangere , , 11 , , Parnell , , 15 , , Mangere, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 24 May , , Point Chevalier , , 8 , , Richmond B , , 5 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 6
, 31 May
, , Otahuhu , , 29 , , Richmond B, , 0 , , Sturges Park, Otahuhu, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 31 May , , Mangere , , 12 , , Mount Albert , , 8 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 31 May , , Northcote , , 6 , , Point Chevalier , , 2 , , Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 6
, 7 June

, , Otahuhu , , 10 , , Northcote , , 8 , , Victoria Park, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 7 June , , Point Chevalier , , 9 , , Mangere , , 3 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 7 June , , Mount Albert , , 5 , , Parnell , , 7 , , Mount Albert, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 7
, 21 June
, , Northcote , , 15 , , Richmond B , , 7 , , Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 21 June , , Otahuhu , , 17 , , Mangere , , 10 , , Sturges Park, Otahuhu, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 21 June , , Point Chevalier , , 5 , , Parnell , , 4 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 8
, 28 June

, , Otahuhu , , 28 , , Parnell , , 2 , , Mangere Domain, 2pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 28 June , , Mount Albert , , 0 , , Point Chevalier , , 18 , , Mount Albert, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 28 June , , Mangere , , PPD , , Richmond B , , PPD , ,
, -
! scope="row" , Round 9
, 5 July
, , Parnell , , 2 , , Richmond B , , 0 , , Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 5 July , , Mangere , , 15 , , Northcote , , 6 , , Mangere, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 5 July , , Otahuhu , , 25 , , Mount Albert , , 8 , , Sturges Park, Otahuhu, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 10
, 12 July
, , Mount Albert , , 3 , , Richmond , , 3 , , Mount Albert, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 12 July , , Point Chevalier , , 13 , , Otahuhu , , 12 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm, , 1,000
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 12 July , , Northcote , , 6 , , Parnell , , 2 , , Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 11
, 19 July
, , Richmond B , , 3 , , Point Chevalier , , 5 , , Grey Lynn Park, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 19 July , , Mount Albert , , 9 , , Northcote , , 3 , , Mount Albert, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 19 July , , Mangere , , 12 , , Parnell , , 0 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 12
, 2 Aug
, , Richmond B, , 7 , , Otahuhu , , 8 , , Grey Lynn Park # 2, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 2 Aug , , Point Chevalier , , 6 , , Northcote , , 2 , , Point Chevalier, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 2 Aug , , Mount Albert , , ? , , Mangere , , ? , , Mount Albert, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Round 13
, 14 Aug
, , Mount Albert , , 19 , , Parnell , , 5 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:45pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 23 Aug , , Otahuhu , , 12 , , Northcote , , 5 , , Auckland Domain # 1, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 9 Aug , , Mangere , , 5 , , Point Chevalier , , 6 , , Mangere Domain, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Final
, 30 Aug
, , Otahuhu , , 3 , , Point Chevalier , , 0 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:45
, -

Stallard Cup knockout competition

Devonport entered a Senior B team in the Stallard Cup which had not played in the Senior B grade during the season. This team could loosely be considered the second ever ‘reserve’ grade team fielded following the Richmond clubs entry of Senior B teams in that grade for the 1929 and 1930 seasons.
{, class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
, + class="nowrap" , 1930 Stallard Cup results
, -
,
! scope="col" , Date
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" , Venue
, -
! scope="row" , Round 1
, 6 Sep
, , Mount Albert, , 5 , , Northcote , , 3 , , Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 6 Sep , , Parnell , , 12 , , Richmond B , , 7 , , Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 6 Sep , , Otahuhu , , 6 , , Mangere , , 0 , , Papatoetoe, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 6 Sep , , Devonport B , , 10 , , Point Chevalier , , 16 , , Devonport Domain, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Semi final
, 13 Sep
, , Point Chevalier, , 3 , , Otahuhu , , 0 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:45pm
, -
! scope="row" , Semi final
, 13 Sep , , Richmond B, , 10 , , Mount Albert , , 4 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 1:45pm
, -
! scope="row" , Final
, 27 Sep
, , Richmond B, , 21 , , Point Chevalier, , 11 , , Carlaw Park # 2, 3:15pm
, -

Other club matches and lower grades

Lower grade competitions

There were 6 lower grades in 1930 if you include the Sixth Grade which was split into an A and B grade. Clubs with only lower grade teams were:
Grades were made of the following teams with the winning team in bold:

*Second Grade: Devonport United, Mangere, Marist Old Boys, Mount Wellington, Otahuhu Rovers, Ponsonby United (won the knock out competition), Richmond
*Third Grade Open: Avondale, Devonport United, Ellerslie United, Glen Lynn, Kingsland Athletic, Marist Old Boys, Ponsonby United, Richmond Rovers (Ponsonby won the championship undefeated, and won the knockout competition)
*Third Grade Intermediate: Akarana, Devonport United, Kingsland Athletic, Mount Albert United, Newmarket, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Richmond Rovers (Newmarket won the knockout competition)
*Fourth Grade: Akarana, Avondale, City Rovers, Devonport United, Glen Lynn, Kingsland Athletic, Mount Albert United, Papatoetoe, Point Chevalier, Ponsonby United, Richmond Rovers
*Fifth Grade: Akarana, Avondale, Marist Old Boys, Newmarket, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Otahuhu Rovers, Papatoetoe, Ponsonby United, Richmond Rovers (Marist won the knockout competition)
*Sixth Grade A: City Rovers, Devonport United, Ellerslie United, Glen Lynn, Kingsland Athletic, Marist Old Boys A, Marist Old Boys B, Newmarket, Newton Rangers, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Point Chevalier, Ponsonby United, Richmond Rovers
*Sixth Grade B: Avondale, City Rovers, Devonport United, Ellerslie United, Glen Lynn, Marist Old Boys, Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers, Otahuhu United, Point Chevalier, Richmond Rovers A, Richmond Rovers B (Richmond Rovers A also won the knockout competition)
*Primary Schools: Avondale, Avondale Convent, Devonport, Ellerslie, Mangere, Mount Albert, Newmarket, Newton, Northcote, Onehunga, Otahuhu, Papatoetoe, Parnell, Richmond (Richmond won the championship by beating Akarana (Parnell) 11–8 in the final)

Third Intermediate Grade standings

{,
, -
,
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, -
!width=175 , Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld
!width=20 abbr="Won" , W
!width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D
!width=20 abbr="Lost" , L
!width=20 abbr="For" , F
!width=20 abbr="Against" , A
!width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Kingsland Athletic
, 12, , 10, , 1, , 1, , 96, , 20, , 21
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Devonport United
, 12, , 8, , 2, , 2, , 151, , 20, , 18
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Newmarket
, 11, , 8, , 0, , 3, , 155, , 48, , 16
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Akarana
, 12, , 6, , 1, , 5, , 100, , 68, , 13
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Northcote and Birkenhead
, 11, , 5, , 0, , 6, , 69, , 96, , 10
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Mount Albert United
, 12, , 1, , 0, , 11, , 23, , 282, , 2
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Richmond Rovers
, 12, , 1, , 0, , 11, , 31, , 91, , 2
, -

Third Open Grade standings

{,
, -
,
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, -
!width=175 , Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld
!width=20 abbr="Won" , W
!width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D
!width=20 abbr="Lost" , L
!width=20 abbr="For" , F
!width=20 abbr="Against" , A
!width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Ponsonby United
, 14, , 14, , 0, , 0, , 410, , 33, , 28
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Kingsland Athletic
, 14, , 9, , 3, , 2, , 78, , 56, , 21
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Glen Lynn
, 14, , 7, , 1, , 6, , 118, , 146, , 15
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Ellerslie
, 14, , 6, , 1, , 7, , 61, , 110, , 13
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Marist Old Boys
, 14, , 5, , 2, , 7, , 80, , 140, , 12
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Avondale
, 14, , 5, , 1, , 8, , 83, , 160, , 11
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Richmond Rovers
, 14, , 3, , 2, , 9, , 24, , 170, , 8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Devonport United
, 14, , 2, , 1, , 11, , 56, , 89, , 5
, -

Fifth Grade standings

{,
, -
,
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, -
!width=175 , Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld
!width=20 abbr="Won" , W
!width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D
!width=20 abbr="Lost" , L
!width=20 abbr="For" , F
!width=20 abbr="Against" , A
!width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Marist Old Boys
, 14, , 12, , 1, , 1, , 253, , 27, , 25
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Otahuhu United
, 14, , 11, , 2, , 1, , 131, , 24, , 24
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Richmond Rovers
, 14, , 10, , 1, , 3, , 135, , 52, , 21
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Newmarket
, 14, , 5, , 1, , 8, , 86, , 109, , 11
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Akarana
, 14, , 5, , 0, , 9, , 39, , 76, , 10
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Ponsonby United
, 14, , 2, , 1, , 11, , 37, , 175, , 5
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Papatoetoe
, 14, , 2, , 0, , 12, , 19, , 228, , 4
, -

Other club and junior representative matches

Richmond played a preseason match in Whangarei with a team made up of Whangarei city and Hikurangi players. The match was played on the new Cossill Park before a large crowd and the local team ran out comfortable winners.

W McManus benefit match

At the end of the season Otahuhu hosted a benefit match for W. McManus who was a well-known ex-amateur runner and league player who had been ill for a long time in hospital. The match was played between Otahuhu Senior B team and the Marist A side. Marist were not at full strength but still fielded a good side. Otahuhu won 26–25.

List of matches

{, class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
, + class="nowrap" , List of matches
, -
,
! scope="col" , Date
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" , Venue
, -
! scope="row" , Exhibition match
, 21 April
, , Combined City and Hikurangi , , 25 , , Richmond , , 7 , , Whangarei
, -
! scope="row" , Exhibition match
, 19 July
, , Northland Juniors, , 8 , , Ponsonby Juniors , , 14 , , Whangarei
, -
! scope="row" , Annual Hamilton v Northcote match
, 16 Aug
, , Northcote, , 9 , , Hamilton , , 0 , , Stafford Park, Northcote
, -
! scope="row" , Exhibition match
, 20 Sep
, , Ponsonby 3rd Grade, , 32 , , Hikurangi , , 2 , , Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm
, -
! scope="row" , Annual Hamilton v Northcote match
, 27 Sep
, , Hamilton, , 32 , , Northcote , , 22 , , Hinemoa Park, Hamilton, 3pm
, -
! scope="row" , Exhibition match at Papakura
, 11 Oct
, , Richmond 2nd Grade, , 20 , , Newmarket 2nd Grade , , 10 , , Railway Reserve, Papakura
, -
! scope="row" , Whangarei exhibition match
, 11 Oct
, , Northland City team, , 23 , , Parnell , , 12 , , Whangarei
, -
! scope="row" , Inter-provincial junior representative Match
, 31 May
, , Auckland Juniors , , 14 , , South Auckland Juniors , , 2 , , Carlaw Park #1, 1:30pm
, -

Wednesday Competition

In July several businesses approached the Auckland Rugby League regarding the possibility of playing a competition between them on Wednesday's. The Auckland Rugby League agreed in August and the first matches were played on August 27. Initially there were ten teams set to enter however eventually just seven entered the competition and the Royal Billiard Saloon side failed to fulfill a fixture leaving 6 sides to compete.

Standings

{,
, -
,
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, -
!width=175 , Team
!width=20 abbr="Played" , Pld
!width=20 abbr="Won" , W
!width=20 abbr="Drawn" , D
!width=20 abbr="Lost" , L
!width=20 abbr="For" , F
!width=20 abbr="Against" , A
!width=20 abbr="Points" , Pts
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Barmen
, 5, , 4, , 1, , 0, , 38, , 17, , 9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", New Zealand Fertilisers
, 5, , 4, , 0, , 1, , 27, , 13, , 8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Trotting Trainers
, 5, , 2, , 0, , 3, , 46, , 39, , 4
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Chess Taxis
, 5, , 2, , 0, , 3, , 13, , 36, , 4
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Private Taxis
, 4, , 1, , 1, , 2, , 35, , 42, , 3
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Stonex Brothers Limited
, 4, , 0, , 0, , 4, , 12, , 24, , 0
, -

Wednesday Competition fixtures

While there were many players with little or no experience some of the teams did feature senior grade players such as W. Skelton of Ponsonby who played for Private Taxis, and brothers F. and J. Herring who played for the Trotting Trainers. Alan Clarke also played in Private Taxi's first match, Stan Prentice played at least twice for the Trotting Trainers, and Ted Brimble played for New Zealand Fertilisers. Barmen won the competition winning 4 games and drawing one.
{, class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
, + class="nowrap" ,
, -
,
! scope="col" , Date
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" ,
! scope="col" , Score
! scope="col" , Venue
, -
! scope="row" , Round 1
, 27 August
, , Trotting Trainers , , 26 , , Private Taxis , , 10 , , Carlaw Park 2, 4pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 27 August , , NZ Fertilisers, , W , , Stonex Bros , , L , , Victoria Park, 4pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 27 August , , Barmen , , 14 , , Chess Taxis , , 0 , , Carlaw Park 1
, -
! scope="row" , Round 2
, 3 September
, , NZ Fertilisers , , 5 , , Chess Taxis , , 0 , , Carlaw Park 2, 3:30pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 3 September , , Barmen , , 10 , , Trotting Trainers , , 9 , , Carlaw Park 1, 2:30pm
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 3 September , , Private Taxis , , ABD , , Royal Billiard Ac., , ABD , , Carlaw Park
, -
! scope="row" , Round 3
, 10 September
, , Barmen , , 3 , , Private Taxis , , 3 , , Carlaw Park 1
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 10 September , , Chess Taxis , , 8 , , Stonex Bros , , 2 , , Carlaw Park 2
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 10 September , , NZ Fertilisers, , 9 , , Trotting Trainers , , 0 , , Carlaw Park
, -
! scope="row" , Round 4
, 17 September
, , Barmen , , 6 , , NZ Fertilisers , , 5 , , Carlaw Park
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 17 September , , Trotting Trainers, , 11 , , Stonex Bros , , 10 , , Carlaw Park
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 17 September , , Private Taxis , , 15 , , Chess Taxis , , 5 , , Carlaw Park
, -
! scope="row" , Round 5
, 24 September
, , NZ Fertilisers , , 8 , , Private Taxis , , 7 , , Carlaw Park 3:30
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 24 September , , Barmen, , 5 , , Stonex Bros , , 0 , , Carlaw Park 2:30
, -
! scope="row" , –
, 24 September , , Chess Taxis , , WBD , , Trotting Trainers , , LBD , , Carlaw Park 2:30
, -

Wednesday Competition 'final game'

Following the awarding of the Barmen side the championship a match was scheduled between them and players from all of the other sides. The Barmen team won 8 to 7.

Representative season

It was a relatively quiet season for the Auckland representative side due to the fact that the New Zealand team toured Australia in the latter part of the year. They beat Northland, lost to South Auckland, and lost to the New Zealand touring team.

Representative fixtures

Auckland v Northland (Northern Union CC)

Auckland v South Auckland (Northern Union CC)

New Zealand trial match

Inter-Island match

For the North Island v South Island trial the Devonport and Ponsonby clubs gave permission for their jerseys to be worn by the respective sides. Mick O’Brien of the South Island team broke his tibia late in the match.

Auckland v New Zealand

James Jones came on as a replacement for an injured Puti Tipene Watene. Wilf Hassan came on as a replacement for Auckland.

Auckland Representative matches played and points scored

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;"
!No!!Name!!Club Team!!Played!!Tries!!Con!!Pen!!Points
, -
, 1, , Jim O'Brien, , Marist, , 3, , 0, , 4, , 2, , 12
, -
, 2, , Phil Brady, , Marist, , 2, , 3, , 0, , 0, , 9
, -
, 3, , R Carter, , Kingsland, , 2, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 6
, -
, 4, , Allan Seagar, , Devonport, , 2, , 0, , 2, , 1, , 6
, -
, 5, , Craddock Dufty, , Ellerslie, , 1, , 0, , 1, , 1, , 4
, -
, 6, , Maurice Wetherill, , City, , 2, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 6, , Stan Clark, , City, , 2, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 6, , Ernest Ruby, , Devonport, , 2, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 6, , Stanley Francis, , Newton, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 6, , Pat Skelton, , Ponsonby, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 6, , Len Barchard, , City, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 6, , Wilf Hassan, , Marist, , 1, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 3
, -
, 13, , Norm Campbell, , Marist, , 1, , 0, , 1, , 0, , 2
, -
, 14, , Willie Shortland, , City, , 3, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Alan Clarke, , Marist, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Norm Pascoe, , City, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , George Perry, , City, , 2, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Claude List, , Kingsland, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Mita Watene, , City, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Hec Brisbane, , Marist, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , George Batchelor, , Marist, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Lee, , Richmond, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , S Riley, , Ponsonby, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Stan Prentice, , Richmond, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -
, 14, , Pat Young, , Marist, , 1, , 0, , 0, , 0, , 0
, -

Annual general meetings and club news

*Auckland Rugby League was held at the Chamber of Commerce on Swanson Street on Monday 7 April. The meeting showed that there was a profit of £1742 10/. Maintenance of Carlaw Park cost £419 6/, rates £78 0/8, office rent £235 4/ and entertaining visitors £67 18/2. Much of the discussion at the meeting was centred around the appointment of referees for matches.

*Auckland Rugby League Junior Management Committee held at Grey's Buildings on Tuesday 25 March.

* Primary School Management Committee met on 15 May. There were twenty delegates. It was reported that 15 school teams would enter with four new clubs (Avondale, Northcote, City, and Papatoetoe).

*Auckland Rugby League Referees Association held in the League Rooms on Monday, 31 March.
* Akarana League Club held at Carlaw Park on Tuesday 1 April.

*Avondale League Football Club held at Hick's Tearooms, Fearon's Corner, Avondale, Auckland on 10 March. This meeting was held to see if there was interest in forming a club. About 75 people attended and it was decided that the club should be called Avondale League Football Club. They also decided to enter teams in the 3rd Open, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and that the Avondale Convent were also prepared to find a team. The club colours would be green with a red band. Their first annual general meeting was held at Watson's Fruit Shop, Avondale on Monday 17 March. They were to hold their first ever practice on the Avondale Racecourse on the following Saturday. At the end of the season on Monday, 6 October the club held a general meeting at Lesser Town Hall.

*City Rovers held at Carlaw Park on Sunday, 23 March. There was a “record attendance of sixty players” at the meeting. The accounts were in credit by £43. It was noted that Ben Davidson (rugby league) had arrived back in Auckland from England and was expected to play for the club.
* Devonport United Football Club held at the Committee Rooms, corner of Clarence Street and Victoria Road, Devonport on Thursday 20 March. At the 12th annual meeting the committee's report showed that the balance sheet showed a credit balance of £99. They had started the previous season with 100 players and the juniors won the third grade intermediate grade and fourth grade. The ladies’ social committee had held dances which had generated £90 profit. One of the men who formed the Devonport Club, Mr. D.W. McLean resigned from the New Zealand Council owing to his health. He had formed the North Shore Albions at Devonport, and took a prominent part in forming Newton Rangers, Ponsonby, and the Northcote and Birkenhead Rambers. He was also involved strongly in other aspects of the foundation of the Rugby League game in Auckland and New Zealand.
* Ellerslie United League Football Club held their annual meeting at their training shed on Monday, 10 March. The club gained the services of W. Somers from Newton who was a New Zealand representative while Craddock Dufty would again turn out for the team.
* Glen Lynn League Football Club held at New Lynn billiard saloon on Wednesday 19 March.
* Kingsland Athletic held at the Buffalo Lodge Rooms, St Benedicts Street on Thursday 27 March. The annual meeting showed a credit balance of £12.

* Marist Brothers Old Boys League Football Club held at Donovan's Gym in Parnell, New Zealand on Tuesday 25 March.
* Mangere Rugby League Football Club held in Jones’ Confectionary Hall, Onehunga on Thursday 20 March. This meeting was held with a view to forming a club which would be a combination of Mangere and Manukau.
* Mt. Albert United Rugby League Football Club held at King George Hall, Mt Albert on Thursday 6 March. The club advertised for practices to be held for Senior B and all other grades to be held on Saturday, 12 April on its own ground at the foot of Springleigh Avenue, Mt Albert which would most likely be the present day Phyllis Street Reserve area.
* Mt Wellington Rugby League Football Club were holding practices at their club's ground at Westfield.
* Newmarket Rugby League Football Club held at the Club Room, 265, Khyber Pass Road on Thursday 27 February. The meeting was adjourned and continued at the Orient Tea Rooms, Broadway on Thursday, 10 April.
*Newton Rangers Football Club held at the Y.M.C.A. Buildings, Wellesley Street East on Monday, 3 March.
* Northcote and Birkenhead Ramblers Football Club held at Foresters’ Hall, Birkenhead on Thursday 20 March. The 20th annual meeting of the club was overseen by Mr. A.E. Greenslade with a large attendance. The membership was totalled at 99. The finishing positions of all its team was noted. H. Simpson was awarded a medal for consistency in the senior team. The Northcote Borough Council was informed by Auckland Rugby League that it was not in a position to spend any money on forming a football ground at the eastern end of the Kauri Gully scenic reserve.
* Otahuhu Rugby League Football Club It was decided to enter teams in the Senior B, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth A, Sixth B, and Schoolboy competitions.
* Papatoetoe Rugby League Club During the season with Auckland Rugby League struggling to gain access to enough playing fields, the president of the Papatoetoe Welfare League, Mr. S.J.E. Closey wrote to Auckland Rugby League suggesting the use of some of the flat land in the area. Some of which was in Mulcock's reserve which was in a natural amphitheatre. His land was at the site of present-day Peverill Crescent adjacent to Kohuora Park where the Papatoetoe Panthers club is located.
* Parnell League Football Club held at Donovan's Gymnasium, First Section, Parnell on 10 March.
* Point Chevalier League Football Club held at the Sailing Club Hall on Wednesday 26 March. The meeting showed that the club hoped to field six teams and were £30 in profit.
* Ponsonby United Football Club held at Leys Institute, on Monday 10 March. It was reported that the club had accumulated funds of £20 for the year and had total assets exceeding liabilities by £430. Medals were presented to A. Payne for being the most consistent forward, L. Riley the most consistent back, and to C. Moore as the most versatile player. J. Norman received a trophy as the most consistent fourth grade player.
* Richmond Rovers Football Club held at the Gaiety Hall, Surrey Crescent on Monday 24 March. Mr. Milicich presented the club with a cup to be awarded to the team with the fewest points scored against it. It was noted that the following teams won their respective grades in 1929: Third Grade Open, Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade A, Sixth Grade B.

References

{{reflist

External links

Auckland Rugby League Official Site

Auckland Rugby League seasons
Auckland Rugby League