1919 Auckland Rugby League season
The 1919 season of the Auckland Rugby League was its 11th. It was the first season post World War I and unsurprisingly it saw a resurgence in playing numbers with 56 teams across the six grades. North Shore Albions who had previously dropped out of the senior competition again fielded a senior side. As did Otahuhu, who had dropped out during the 1917 season. Ponsonby United won their third consecutive first grade title, while Newton Rangers won the Roope Rooster trophy.
The season was also summarised by the league as well. Forty-nine teams were entered across all grades. Sunnyside won the second grade, Manukau won the third grade, City won the fourth and fifty grades, while Ponsonby won the sixth grade. It was stated that the standard of play in the senior club competition was not as good as it would have been due to the fact that 19 of the best club players from Auckland were away for a large part of the season representing New Zealand in Australia.
Club news
Club teams by grade participation
| Team | 1st Grade | 2nd Grade | 3rd Grade | 4th Grade | 5th Grade | 6th Grade | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponsonby United | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| City Rovers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Otahuhu Rovers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Maritime (*includes 4th, 5th, & 6th Telegraph Messengers) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| North Shore Albions | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Manukau Rovers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Richmond Rovers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Newton Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Sunnyside | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Grafton Athletic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Marist Old Boys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Māngere Rangers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 8 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 44 |
Marist Old Boys enter first grade
A new club was formed, namely Marist Old Boys. They were composed of old boys of the Marist Brothers’ schools.[1] The senior club season commenced on 3 May.
Eden Ramblers club folds and Point Chevalier is founded
At the Auckland Rugby League meeting on 30 April it was announced that the Eden Ramblers club had been disbanded. They had formed in 1911 and played in the senior competition from 1911 to 1913 before becoming a lower grade club until this season.[2] Curiously though 3 weeks earlier on April 5 however it was reported that a "new club that has just been affiliated is the Eden Ramblers, boys from Avondale and Point Chevalier". The new team however was not to become known as the Eden Ramblers but in fact were named Point Chevalier.[3] Point Chevalier however did not field any teams in the 1919 season and it wasn't until the 1920 season that they were officially registered with the league.[4]
Charitable efforts and league funds
During the war most of the revenue gained by Auckland Rugby League was donated to the war efforts meaning they could not make much progress financially towards developing the game and facilities. In 1919 they once again raised 75 pounds to distribute to local charities nominated by the mayor. They also put on a match at the end of the season to raise money for the St. John Ambulance Brigade. Due to the large crowds at some of the matches, including the match with Australia it was anticipated that the league would gain over 1,000 pounds to establish a fund for obtaining a playing ground. This would of course be Carlaw Park.[5]
Scrum rules
At the end of the season J.B. Cooke stated in a meeting that next season the ball would be rolled into scrums and forwards would have to keep their feet on the ground while the halfback was putting the ball in. These changes were to “brighten the game”.[6]
Representative season
The Auckland representative team was only able to play one inter provincial fixture against Hawkes Bay after matches with Canterbury and Wellington were unable to be scheduled due to the busy New Zealand representative schedule. Likewise Ponsonby were unable to schedule a defense of the Thacker Shield for the same reason. An Auckland Junior team was however able to make a trip out to Napier to play Hawkes Bay and they were victorious by 12 points to 5. Auckland played a match in front of an enormous crowd at the Auckland Domain against the touring Australian side but did not fair any better than the New Zealand national side, going down by 32 points to 8.
Myers Cup (1st Grade championship)
Otahuhu's first grade team were to only last one round into the season before pulling out. Grafton also struggled to field a team when they lost players to the New Zealand team which was touring Australia. In round 6 rather than default they were provided with players from the City and Newton clubs however they too did not survive to the end of the competition.[7] Ponsonby United won the championship for the third consecutive season.
Myers Cup standings
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponsonby United | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 110 | 50 | 15 |
| Newton Rangers | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 132 | 68 | 12 |
| Maritime | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 123 | 88 | 12 |
| City Rovers | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 96 | 67 | 10 |
| North Shore Albions | 10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 95 | 94 | 9 |
| Grafton Athletic | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 36 | 75 | 2 |
| Marist Old Boys | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 148 | 0 |
| Otahuhu Rovers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 0 |
Round 1
Round 1 saw the senior rugby league debut of Frank Delgrosso. He had played for Ponsonby rugby seniors in 1918 at the age of 18 but switched codes at the start of the season. Delgrosso would go on to become a New Zealand rugby league international in 1921 and play for New Zealand 42 times. He also played for the North Island 3 times and played 23 matches for Auckland including several as captain. Delgrosso also captained Ponsonby and played a remarkable 184 games for them from 1919 to 1934. At the end of his career he also began coaching their senior side and continued coaching into the 1940s. In 1934 he also coached both the Taranaki and Auckland sides in representative matches. He was later inducted into the Auckland rugby league hall of fame.
| 3 May | Maritime | 12–10 | City | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Hogg, A Sutton Con: George Davidson Pen: George Davidson & 1 mark |
[8] | Try: Bill Davidson, Jim Rukutai Con: Bill Davidson Pen: Bill Davidson |
Attendance: 4,500 Referee: A Tobin |
| 3 May | Newton | 28–3 | Marist | Victoria Park 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Iles 2, William Clarke 2, Jack Keenan, Bill Williams Con: Phil Castles 5 |
[9] | Try: Petterson | Attendance: 4,500 Referee: Frank Thompson |
| 3 May | Ponsonby | 26–3 | Grafton | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: David Norgrove, Stanley Chatfield, Laurie Cadman, Bill Walsh 2, R Cook Con: Thomas McClymont 4 |
[10] | Try: Montgomery | Attendance: 500 Referee: William Wynyard |
| 3 May | Otahuhu | 3–28 | North Shore | Otahuhu | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Hyland | [11] | Try: Stan Walters, Arthur Matthews, McAneny 3, Nelson Con: McAneny 3, Unknown 2 goals |
Round 2
| 10 May | North Shore | 3–16 | City | Devonport Domain 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: L Boon | [12] | Try: H Wynn, Tom Haddon, G Reed, Robert Clark Con: Bill Davidson |
Attendance: 500 Referee: John Eddowes |
| 10 May | Maritime | 19–18 | Newton | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Sheehan, George Davidson 3, A Sutton Con: George Davidson 2 |
[13] | Try: George Iles 2, Wally Somers, A Mansill, W Miller, Jack Keenan | Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Archie Ferguson |
| 10 May | Grafton | 26–6 | Marist | Devonport Domain 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Karl Ifwersen 3, Bob Mitchell, Osborne, Ernie Herring Con: Karl Ifwersen 4 |
[14] | Try: McDevitt, Casey | Referee: T Hill |
Round 3
| 17 May | City | 12–10 | Newton | Victoria Park | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Huatahi Paki, Bill Davidson Con: Bill Davidson Pen: Bill Davidson 2 |
[15] | Try: Condon, Bill Williams Pen: Phil Castles 2 |
Referee: John Eddowes |
| 17 May | Maritime | 11–5 | Grafton | Victoria Park | ||
| 3:00 | Try: A Sutton, Cargill, George Davidson Con: George Davidson |
[16] | Try: Bill Walsh Pen: Unknown x 1 mark |
Referee: A Vause |
| 17 May | North Shore | 6–8 | Ponsonby | Devonport Domain 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Archie Waddell, Stan Walters | [17] | Try: Jim Clark, Bill Walsh Pen: Halliday |
Referee: Len Farrant |
Round 4
There was confusion with the Round 4 draw with the newspapers listing the match between North Shore and Maritime when in fact it was Newton who were supposed to be the opponent. As a result, Newton players did not arrive at the ground. Eventually Newton found enough substitutes but they still began the game 2–3 players short. In spite of this they still managed to win by 14 points to 9. Also the City team took the field with 6 juniors while Grafton had 2 juniors and played a man short. The chief issue was with the New Zealand team touring Australia at the time meaning many key players were absent from their club teams.
| 31 May | Newton | 14–9 | North Shore | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Arthur Isles, Jack Keenan 2, George Iles Pen: Arthur Isles |
[18] | Try: Ernie Bailey Con: McAneny Pen: McAneny & 1 mark |
Attendance: 2,500 Referee: A Ball |
| 31 May | City | 25–2 | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Hogan, H Wynn, Cole, George Asher, Robert Clark 2, G Reed Con: George Asher 2 |
[19] | Pen: Billy Ghent | Attendance: 2,500 Referee: William Wynyard |
| 31 May | Ponsonby | Postponed | Marist | |||
| 3:00 | [20] |
Round 5
In the match at Devonport the Marist team was led from the field by their captain with the score at 9–0 to North Shore in protest at a refereeing decision. During the round 5 match between Marist and North Shore the Marist team left the field early in protest against the referee. After hearing the report of referee Cleal, and a statement from McDevett, the Marist captain it was decided to suspend McDevett for 12 months after it was he who had told the referee that he would be taking his team from the field in protest and proceeded to do so.
| 7 June | Ponsonby | 15–6 | Maritime | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Eric McGregor, J Brien, Cadman Con: Eric McGregor, David Norgrove Pen: Eric McGregor |
[21] | Try: A Sutton, Beecham | Attendance: 5,000 Referee: William Wynyard |
| 7 June | North Shore | 9–0 | Marist | Devonport Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Nelson, Emirali, Jim Griffin | [22] | Referee: Cleal |
| 7 June | Newton | WBD-LBD | Grafton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
| 3:00 | [22] | Referee: J Ball |
Round 6
Grafton were not able to field a full team and were reinforced by players from Newton who had a bye. This was done so that they would not be forced to drop out of the competition. They were missing test players Karl Ifwersen and Dougie McGregor.
| 14 June | Ponsonby | 18–13 | City | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Stanley Chatfield, Cadman, Horace Neal, Edwards Con: Eric McGregor, David Norgrove 2 |
[23] | Try: George Paki, R Mitchell, penalty try Con: Harry Francis 2 |
Attendance: 7000 Referee: John Eddowes |
| 14 June | Maritime | 34–0 | Marist | Victoria Park 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Davidson 4, Lunn 2, A Sutton 2 Con: George Davidson, Lunn, A Sutton, Hogg, Bovaird |
[24] | Attendance: 7000 Referee: J Ball |
| 14 June | North Shore | 7–0 | Grafton | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: McAneny Pen: McAneny 2 |
[25] | Referee: E Dempsey |
Round 7
Nelson Bass debuted for Newton. He was selected for New Zealand in the same year and played 7 matches for them from 1919 to 1921. He would ultimately play 20 games for Newton before transferring to Marist in 1922 where he played 24 games over 2 seasons and then moved once more to City Rovers where he played 44 games over 4 seasons before suffering a career ending knee injury. Bass also played 21 games for Auckland and 2 for Auckland Province.
| 21 June | North Shore | 12–15 | Maritime | Devonport Domain 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: McAneny 2, Bouvaird, penalty try | [26] | Try: George Davidson 3, Robinson 2 | Referee: Pullen |
| 21 June | Newton | 10–3 | Ponsonby | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Jack Keenan 2 Con: Phil Castles Drop: Leonard Newdick |
[26] | Try: Artie Rae | Attendance: 5000 Referee: Billy Murray |
| 21 June | City | WBD-LBD | Marist | Richmond | ||
| 3:00 | [27] | Referee: A Tobin |
Round 8
| 28 June | City | 17–15 | Maritime | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Horne, George Paki, G Reed Con: Frank Postlewaight Pen: Frank Postlewaight 3 |
[28] | Try: Bert Avery 2, Robinson Con: George Davidson 2 Pen: George Davidson |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: A Ball |
| 28 June | Ponsonby | 19–3 | Newton | Victoria Park 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Eric McGregor, Stanley Chatfield 2, Sam Lowrie, Laurie Cadman Con: Eric McGregor 2 |
[29] | Try: Kiernan | Attendance: 6,000 Referee: A Tobin |
| 28 June | North Shore | 13–8 | Marist | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Keith Helander, Boyen, Rundle Con: Unknown x 1 Pen: Ernie Bailey |
[30] | Try: Glynn, Smith Con: Clarke |
Referee: Len Farrant |
Round 9
The Auckland Star reported that the matches at Victoria Park saw the largest crowds for club games ever on that ground.
| 5 July | Ponsonby | 7–4 | City | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: David Norgrove Con: Eric McGregor Pen: Eric McGregor |
[31] | Pen: Frank Postlewaight, Harry Francis | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: John Eddowes |
| 5 July | Maritime | 8–8 | North Shore | Victoria Park 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Davidson, A Sutton Con: George Davidson |
[32] | Try: Alf Scott, Nelson Con: Ernie Bailey |
Attendance: 7,000 Referee: William Wynyard |
| 5 July | Newton | 27–3 | Marist | Victoria Park 3 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Leonard Newdick, Manson, Jack Keenan 3, Nelson Bass, McLiver Con: Jack Keenan, A Cowley, Iles |
[33] | Try: Morton | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: T Hill |
Round 10
Round 10 featured two rarities. The Newton v North Shore match was played as a curtain-raiser to the Ponsonby v Maritime match on Auckland Domain 1. When matches were normally played at the same venue they all were played at the same time of 3pm on adjacent fields. In the 3rd match due to be played on the Domain the referee, Freeman Thompson failed to turn up and after waiting for 40 minutes the decision was made to abandon the game. It was later revealed that he had been called away on an urgent business matter and had tried to contact the league but been unable to. The Auckland Rugby League accepted his explanation. The round was also significant for another reason. Craddock Dufty debuted for Newton and kicked 2 conversions. He was to go on to represent New Zealand along with touring with the New Zealand Maori side.
| 12 July | Ponsonby | 3–3 | Maritime | Auckland Domain 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Arthur Cadman | [34] | Try: Bert Avery | Referee: Billy Murray |
| 12 July | Newton | 22–0 | North Shore | Auckland Domain | ||
| 1:30 | Try: George Iles 3, McSweeney 2, W Condon Con: Craddock Dufty 2 |
[35] |
| 12 July | City | Abandoned | Marist | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | [36] | Referee: Frank Thompson (did not arrive) |
Round 4 postponed match
| 20 July | Ponsonby | 11–2 | Marist | Victoria Park | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Eric McGregor, A Cross, Stanley Chatfield Con: Unknown x 1 |
[37] | Pen: Unknown x 1 |
Roope Rooster knockout competition
The round 1 match between Ponsonby United and Newton Rangers was abandoned towards the end with Newton leading by 12 points to 10 after Ponsonby supporters encroached on the field in protest against the referee and refused to move back. Marist Old Boys recorded their first competitive win in their history with a round 1 win over North Shore Albions. The final was won by Newton Rangers after they defeated Maritime by 8 points to 5.
Round 1
In the Newton match with Ponsonby there was no crossbar and so they tied a piece of string between the two posts to act as a makeshift marker for kicks at goal.
| 26 July | Maritime | 14–6 | City | Auckland Domain 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Bert Avery 2, John Lang 2 Con: John Lang, Unknown x 1 |
[38] | Try: Robert Clark, Harry Francis | Referee: A Ball |
| 26 July | Newton | 10–8* | Ponsonby | Auckland Domain 2 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Iles, A Thomas Con: Craddock Dufty Pen: Craddock Dufty |
[39] | Try: Arthur Cadman, J Brien Pen: A Cross |
Referee: Billy Murray |
| 26 July | Marist | 17–3 | North Shore | Auckland Domain 3 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: White, Keenan 2 Con: Clarke, Billy Ghent Pen: Clarke Drop: Robertson |
[40] | Try: Leonard Boon | Referee: John Eddowes |
Round 1 replay
| 2 August | Newton | 12–10 | Ponsonby | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Iles, Wally Somers Con: Craddock Dufty Pen: Craddock Dufty Drop: Craddock Dufty |
[41] | Try: Sam Lowrie, Eric McGregor Con: Thomas McClymont Drop: S McNamara |
Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Billy Murray |
Semi final
| 16 August | Maritime | 22–21 | Marist | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Davidson 2, Eric Grey 3, A Sutton Con: George Yardley, A Sutton |
[42] | Try: James Hing, Harris, Mitchell, Eustace 2 Con: Neville St George 2 Pen: Neville St George |
Attendance: 5,000 Referee: A Tobin |
Final
| 30 August | Newton | 8–5 | Maritime | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Nelson Bass, Wally Somers Con: Bill Cloke |
[43] | Try: Cargill Con: A Sutton |
Referee: A Ball |
Top try scorers and point scorers
The following point scoring lists include Senior Championship matches and the Roope Rooster competition matches only. George Davidson the champion New Zealand sprinter, who represented New Zealand at the 1920 Olympics top scored with 64 points and he also led the league with 14 tries.
Several teams featured multiple players with the same surname with many sets of brothers. As a result, some of the scoring lists are inaccurate. For Ponsonby Laurie Cadman scored 1, his brother Arthur Cadman scored 2, and "Cadman" scored 3. Laurie was also a boxer and in June 11 or 12, 1925 he disappeared from the Manaia steamer which was traveling from Tauranga to Auckland. His body was never found.[44]
|
|
Lower grades
There were 5 lower grades in 1919. In the middle of the season the Post & Telegraph Football Club asked to be affiliated to the Maritime Football Club which had been formed a year earlier. This request was approved by the league.
Second grade
Sunnyside won the championship after an 8-8 draw with City Rovers in the last round of the season. Sunnyside had been leading the competition at the time with City in second place. The City club asked for a rematch but were refused by the Junior Management Committee. Thames Old Boys, Marist Old Boys, and Newton Rangers all withdrew after round 2 with Marist and Newton defaulting their matches. There were 22 scores/results reported, with 26 scores/results not reported therefor the standings are considerably incomplete.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnyside | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 86 | 26 | 13 |
| City Rovers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 88 | 36 | 9 |
| Otahuhu Rovers | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 69 | 50 | 10 |
| North Shore Albions | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 29 | 55 | 4 |
| Ponsonby United | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Māngere Rangers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 34 | 57 | 2 |
| Maritime | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 130 | 2 |
| Thames Old Boys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marist Old Boys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Newton Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Third grade
The third grade initially had 6 teams entered but several withdrew during the season and only Northcote and Manukau completed the season. Manukau won the competition and were undefeated however there were only 3 scores reported in the entire season (Northcote 0 Ponsonby 0, Manukau 18 Otahuhu 0, and Otahuhu 13 Ponsonby 0). Otahuhu also recorded a default win over Sunnyside in round 1 with the Sunnyside team then withdrawing from the competition. Thames Old Boys withdrew after round 2, Otahuhu following round 6, and Ponsonby following round 7. This left Northcote and Manukau to play each other on July 5, July 12, and July 19 before the competition stopped. None of these results were reported.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manukau | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 16 |
| Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Otahuhu Rovers | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 18 | 4 |
| Ponsonby United | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 |
| Thames Old Boys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sunnyside | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fourth grade
City were reported to have finished one point ahead of Otahuhu and Maritime. Then followed Sunnyside, Richmond, and Northcote. Though there were a large number of results not reported so the table is incomplete. During the season the Post & Telegraph club affiliated with the Maritime Football Club and subsequently assumed that name. Grafton Athletic withdrew after 6 rounds, as did Manukau.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Rovers | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 137 | 16 | 17 |
| Maritime (Post and Telegraph) | 9 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 75 | 35 | 10 |
| Otahuhu Rovers | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 16 | 9 |
| Richmond Rovers | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 6 | 13 |
| Sunnyside | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 93 | 6 |
| Newton Rangers A | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 29 | 3 |
| Manukau | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 25 | 2 |
| Grafton Athletic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 32 | 2 |
| Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 45 | 0 |
| Newton Rangers B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 106 | 0 |
Fifth grade
City Rovers won the competition. Sunnyside withdrew after the first round after defaulting their match with City. Newton and Maritime withdrew from the competition after 2 rounds. At the time the Maritime team was in fact Post & Telegraph, but their club became affiliated with the Maritime Football Club mid season.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Rovers | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 118 | 5 | 16 |
| Richmond Rovers A | 9 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 21 | 14 |
| Manukau | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 69 | 25 | 11 |
| Ponsonby United A | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 47 | 34 | 6 |
| North Shore Albions | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 3 |
| Otahuhu Rovers | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 29 | 2 |
| Maritime (Post and Telegraph) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 68 | 2 |
| Ponsonby United B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 53 | 0 |
| Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 0 |
| Richmond Rovers B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sixth grade
Ponsonby United were one competition point ahead of City when they then beat them 7-3 in the curtain-raiser to the 3rd test between New Zealand and Australia. This was the penultimate round and sealed the championship for Ponsonby.[45] Sunnyside withdrew after 2 rounds, while Manukau withdrew after 11 rounds.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | B | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponsonby United | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 71 | 40 | 23 |
| City Rovers | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 27 | 10 |
| North Shore Albions | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 11 | 5 |
| Sunnyside | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 5 | 2 |
| Richmond Rovers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 0 |
| Maritime (Post and Telegraph) | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 88 | 0 |
| Manukau | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 41 | 0 |
Other club matches
Benefit match for Albert Asher
A match was played on 27 September between Maritime and City Rovers with the proceeds going to the benefit of Mr. Opai Asher, a league veteran who was incapacitated as the result of an accident. A match was also played between the Auckland Star and The New Zealand Herald. It was won 23 points to 5 by the Star.[46]
| 27 September | Maritime | 19–13 | City | Victoria Park | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Neville St George 3, A Sutton, Eric Grey Con: C Grey, George Davidson |
[47] | Try: Cole, Duggan, Maurice Wetherill Con: Maurice Wetherill 2 |
Referee: E Dempsey |
St Johns benefit match
To end the season a rugby union and rugby league match was played at the Auckland Domain for the benefit of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, whose members regularly attend league and union matches to perform first aid to injured players. The rugby league match was between City and Ponsonby, and was won by City 13–10. Ben Davidson made his debut for City Rovers and scored 2 tries in what was to be a prolific try scoring career for City and later Wigan. It is likely that the Cooke who kicked a goal for Ponsonby was Bert Cooke, the famous All Black of the future. He had played junior rugby league for the Telegraph Messengers in 1917 and 1918 before they amalgamated with Maritime in 1919. The club had been affiliated with Ponsonby prior to this. He switched to rugby union the following year.
| 4 October | City | 13–10 | Ponsonby | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Tate, Ben Davidson 2 Con: Bill Davidson Pen: Bill Davidson |
[48] | Try: Thomas McClymont, Sam Lowrie Con: Thomas McClymont, Bert Cooke |
Referee: John Eddowes |
Maritime team tour
In Mid October the Maritime senior team embarked on an end of season tour to Hawkes Bay. They played Petane and Ahuriri and had two comfortable victories. Ahuriri had won the Vigor Brown Shield and the Charity Cup and the match was reportedly played in front of a large crowd. After their return they travelled to Thames on 18 October to play in a series of exhibition matches along with the Richmond club though the results are unknown.
| 9 October | Petane | 0–32 | Maritime | McLean Park, Napier | ||
| 3:00 | [49] | Try: Dougie McGregor, E McGregor, A Sutton 2, Eric Grey 2, Unknown x 2 Con: E McGregor, Harry Francis, Unknown 2 |
| 11 October | Ahuriri | 3–37 | Maritime | McLean Park, Napier | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Unknown x 1 | [50] | Try: Eric Grey 3, A Sutton 2, Dougie McGregor 2, B Shearer, E McGregor Con: B Shearer, McGregor 2, Harry Francis, Lunn |
| 15 October | Taradale | 3–31 | Maritime | Taradale | ||
| 3:00 |
Representative fixtures
On 14 May the selectors conducted a trial match between Auckland A and B teams to help choose both an Auckland and New Zealand team. The B team won the match by 15 points to 14. The first representative fixture of the season was a match played against the New Zealand team which was preparing to depart for their tour of Australia. The New Zealand team won 25–19 at the Auckland Domain in front of 8,000. On Friday, 19 July Auckland played a match at the Auckland Domain with a Returned Soldiers team as part of a “Peace Day” sports celebration involving sports from several different codes. Although the Peace Day celebrations ran over 3 days.[51]
On 23 August Auckland played against a team composed of available members of the New Zealand team which had toured Australia earlier in the year. The Auckland team was composed of Auckland players who remained so in essence was largely a ‘B’ team. The match was played at Victoria Park and resulted in a high scoring win to the ‘NZ’ team 45–30.
Then on 20 September, Auckland played against the touring Australian side and were well defeated by 32 points to 8. The match was played at the Auckland Domain in front of 18,000 spectators.
Auckland v New Zealand
| 24 May | Auckland | 19–25 | New Zealand | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Davidson 2 (incl. penalty try), A Sutton, Robert Clark, Pullan Con: Harry Francis, Phil Castles |
[52] | Try: Bill Davidson, Karl Ifwersen 3, Archie Waddell Con: Karl Ifwersen 3 Pen: Karl Ifwersen 2 |
Attendance: 8000 Referee: A Ball |
Auckland v Returned Soldiers
| 19 July | Auckland | 24–26 | Returned Soldiers | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Davidson 2, George Iles 2, Eric McGregor, Unknown x 1 Con: George Davidson, Unknown x 2 |
[53] | Try: C Nicholson, John Lang, Horace Neal, A Thomas, Bert Avery, Unknown x 3 Con: Unknown x 1 |
Referee: A Ball |
Auckland v Hawke's Bay (Northern Union C.C.)
| 9 August | Auckland | 38–13 | Hawkes Bay | Eden Park | ||
| 3:00 | Try: George Iles 2, Craddock Dufty, Dougie McGregor, Tom Haddon 3, George Davidson Con: Craddock Dufty 7 |
[54] | Try: J Atwood, Con McCarthy, G Jackson Con: G Jackson Pen: Con McCarthy |
Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Archie Ferguson |
Rest of Auckland v New Zealand touring team
New Zealand was playing a test match against the touring Australian side so as a way to select a team for Auckland for their upcoming match against Australia the selectors decided to play a match between New Zealand players who had toured Australia recently but weren't selected for the test side, and remaining Auckland players.
| 23 August | Rest of Auckland | 30–45 | New Zealand Touring Team | Victoria Park 1 | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Eric McGregor, R Mitchell, Newdick, George Yardley, Delaney 2, Cargill, Albert Ivil Con: Eric McGregor, Harry Francis, Delaney |
[55] | Try: Dougie McGregor, Thomas McClymont 2, Bill Cloke, Jim Rukutai, Wally Somers 2, Unknown x 4 Con: Bill Davidson 2, Thomas McClymont, Bert Laing 2, Unknown x 1 |
Attendance: 6,500 Referee: T Hill |
Auckland v Australia
| 20 September | Auckland | 8–32 | Australia | Auckland Domain | ||
| 3:00 | Try: Bill Davidson, Bert Avery Pen: Karl Ifwersen |
[56] | Try: Les Cubitt 2, Frank Burge 4, Herbert Gilbert 2 Con: Charles Fraser 2, Ray Norman 2 |
Attendance: 18,000 Referee: A Ball |
Auckland representative matches played and scorers
| No | Name | Club Team | Play | Tries | Con | Pen | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Craddock Dufty | Newton | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| 3 | George Davidson | Maritime | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 |
| 4 | George Iles | Newton | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 5 | Tom Haddon | City | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 6 | S B Delaney | Maritime | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 6 | Eric McGregor | Ponsonby | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 8 | Harry Francis | City | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | A Sutton | Maritime | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Robert Clark | City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | A Pullen | North Shore | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Bob Mitchell | Grafton* | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Leonard Newdick | Newton | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Dougie McGregor | Grafton | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Bert Avery | Maritime | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | George Yardley | Maritime | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | George Cargill | Maritime | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Albert Edwin Ivil | Newton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | Bill Davidson | City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Phil Castle | Newton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 19 | Karl Ifwersen | Grafton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Jack Keenan | Newton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Frank Delgrosso | Ponsonby | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Sam Lowrie | Ponsonby | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | James Hing | Marist | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Ernie Bailey | North Shore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | A Cross | Maritime | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Vic Thomas | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Nelson Bass | Newton | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Ernie Herring | Grafton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Laurie Cadman | Ponsonby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Harry Wynn | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Bert Laing | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Horace Neal | Ponsonby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Keith Helander | North Shore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Arthur Matthews | North Shore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Thomas McClymont | Ponsonby | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Ivan Stewart | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Billy Ghent | Grafton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Stan Walters | North Shore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Bill Williams | Newton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | George Paki | City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Bob Mitchell transferred to Marist during the season after his Grafton Athletic side began defaulting games.
References
- "Marist Bros. Old Boys/New Club Formed". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17144. 25 April 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "The Executive Body". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17149. 1 May 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
- "Northern Union". Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 82. 5 April 1919. p. 18. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- "Under League Rules". New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17447. 17 April 1920. p. 8. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- "An Eventful Season/Record Gate Receipts". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17291. 15 October 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- "Visit of English Team". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17253. 1 September 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "North Shore V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17188. 16 June 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championship Games Commence/Maritime Defeat City/City V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17152. 5 April 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championship Games Commence/Newton V Marist Old Boys". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17152. 5 April 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championship Games Commence/Ponsonby V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17152. 5 April 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championship Games Commence/North Shore V Otahuhu". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17152. 5 April 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championships Continue/City V North Shore". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17158. 12 May 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championships Continue/Maritime Beats Newton/Margin of One Point/Newton V Maritime". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17158. 12 May 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Championships Continue/Marist Old Boys V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17158. 12 May 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "City Defeats Newton/City V Newton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17164. 19 May 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Maritime V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17164. 19 May 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "North Shore V Ponsonby". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17164. 19 May 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Newton Defeats North Shore/Newton V North Shore". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17176. 2 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Grafton Outpointed by City/City V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17176. 2 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Newton Defeats North Shore". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17176. 2 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Ponsonby United Wins Comfortably/Nine Points Margin Over Maritime". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 136. 9 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Ponsonby United Wins Comfortably/Nine Points Margin Over Maritime/Grafton's Default". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 136. 9 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Ponsonby Defeats City/Ponsonby V City". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17188. 16 June 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Wins for Maritime and Shore/Maritime V Marist Old Boys". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17188. 16 June 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "North Shore V Grafton". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17188. 16 June 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Maritime's Narrow Win/Shore Beaten by Three Points". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 148. 23 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "A Default By Marist Brothers". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 148. 23 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Something Like a Crowd/Sees Two Fair Games/City Downs Watersiders". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 154. 30 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Ponsonby Accounts for Newton". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 154. 30 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "A Poor Game On the Domain". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 154. 30 June 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "Great Test Between City and Ponsonby/"Ponies" Win, 7 to 4". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 160. 7 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "North Shore and Maritime 8 A Piece". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 160. 7 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Marist Old Boys Big Defeat by Newton". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 160. 7 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "A Tight Struggle/Maritime 3, Ponsonby 3". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 166. 14 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Newton Vanquishes Shore". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 166. 14 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "A Tight Struggle/Maritime 3, Ponsonby 3/Newton Vanquishes Shore". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 166. 14 July 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Under League Rules/Ponsonby 11, Marist Old Boys 2/A Well Contested Game". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17218. 22 July 1919. p. 5. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Maritime Defeats City/Maritime V City". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17223. 28 July 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- "Ponsonby V Newton Undecided". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17223. 28 July 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- "Marist Old Boys 17: North Shore 3/Notes on the Game/Marist Old Boys V North Shore". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17223. 28 July 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- "Eight Thousand People Watch Newton Down Ponsonby/With a Two-Point Margin". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 183. 4 August 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Maritime Win Semi-Final/Marist Old Boys Just Beaten". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17211. 18 August 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Roope Rooster Competition/Final Won by Newton/Game Played in Downpour". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17253. 1 September 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Boxer's Disappearance". Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 240. 25 October 1925. p. 14. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- "A League Review". Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 223. 19 September 1939. p. 8. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ""Star" V. "Herald"". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 231. 29 September 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ""Star" V. "Herald"". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 231. 29 September 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "End of Football Season". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 237. 6 October 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Maritime Defeats Petane". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 241. 10 October 1919. p. 7. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Maritime Team's Tour". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 243. 13 October 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- "Peace Celebration Sports/Big Day in the Domain/Track Events and Field Games". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 172. 22 July 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
- "New Zealand Beats Auckland/Keenly Contested Game". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17170. 26 May 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Northern Union Grade". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 172. 22 July 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- "Representative Match/Auckland V Hawke's Bay". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17235. 11 August 1911. p. 9. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- "Touring Team V Auckland/Trial Game Before Selectors/Win for Traveller Players". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVI, no. 17247. 25 August 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- "Another Aussie Win/Australia 32, Auckland 8/A Game of Incidents". Auckland Star. Vol. L, no. 225. 22 September 1919. p. 8. Retrieved 19 August 2019.