1929 Auckland Rugby League season

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 First Grade Championship was won by Ponsonby who defeated Devonport in the final 5–0. Marist won the Thistle Cup for competition points accrued during the second round of matches where they went undefeated. They also won the Roope Rooster trophy after defeating Ponsonby in the final 17–9. They weren't finished yet, defeating the same opponent to win the Stormont Shield 28–14. This was the second consecutive year that they won both of those trophies.

Richmond entered a team into the B Grade which was arguably the first ever 'reserve grade' team in Auckland club rugby league. The B Grade competition was won by Point Chevalier who defeated Otahuhu in the final 13 points to 10. This earned Point Chevalier the right to playoff with Ellerslie who had come last in the A Grade championship losing all 14 of their matches. Ellerslie won the match by 5 points to 0 to remain in A Grade for 1930. Otahuhu beat Point Chevalier 11–0 to win the Stallard Cup which had previously been a knockout competition for the B Grade, however this season a full round robin was played before the final.

Season news and summary

Club teams by grade participation

Team	1st	B Div.	2nd	3rd Open	3rd Int.	4th	5th	6th A	6th B	Schools	Total
Richmond Rovers	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	10
Devonport United	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	0	1	8
Kingsland Athletic	1	0	1	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	6
Ponsonby United	1	0	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	5
City Rovers	1	0	0	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	5
Point Chevalier	0	1	0	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	5
Marist Old Boys	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	4
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	4
Newton Rangers	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	4
Ellerslie United	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	4
Otahuhu Rovers	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	4
Mount Albert United	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	4
Newmarket	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	4
Glen Lynn	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	3
Akarana	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	3
Remuera	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
Mount Wellington	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
Māngere United	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Parnell	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Papatoetoe	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2
Onehunga Convent (St Joseph's School)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	8	6	7	8	8	10	8	9	9	11	84

Auckland Rugby League management

The annual report for the completed 1928 season revealed that £3272 was taken in gate receipts from club matches alone at Carlaw Park. The total from all matches was £4573 with £517 paid to injured players. A further £609 1s 3d was spent on maintenance and improvement at Carlaw Park. Clubs were also granted £326 18s 5d and charitable causes received £142 10s 4d. League assets including Carlaw Park were reported as £10,569 16s 4d, with a consolidated fund of £9810 11s 9d.

It was stated prior to the season that Auckland Rugby League would be concentrating much more on the club game and that no representative games would be played during it. This was in response to the 1928 season where a large representative program had been played along with the hosting of the touring England team. The Senior B competition was weakened considerably after the Kingsland team amalgamated with Grafton Athletic and moved up into the A Grade. The Senior B league was also ‘lowered in status’ with several of the stronger players moving into A grade sides.

On 23 April The New Zealand Herald published a lengthy summary of rugby league in Auckland from its beginnings in 1909 to the present day (1929).

The Otahuhu Trotting Club wrote to the Auckland Rugby League advising them that the league could make use of two playing grounds on its property on Tennessee Avenue in Mangere East.

New clubs and mergers

On 2 April a new club was formed in Papatoetoe after a meeting was held in their town hall. It was decided to field three junior teams though ultimately they only fielded one team in the 6B Grade. This was not the Papatoetoe Panthers club which was formed at a much later date.

At a meeting of the Grafton Athletic and Kingsland Rovers League Football Clubs it was decided to amalgamate and become known as Kingsland Athletic. The meeting was attended by 80 members. They decided that their colours would be a maroon jersey with a blue and gold shield. They requested to be placed in the Senior A Grade. A lengthy discussion was held at a management committee meeting before they agreed to accept the team in the A Grade. This made the number of teams in the grade 8. Their senior team was coached by former New Zealand captain Bert Avery who had been a playing member of Maritime/Grafton Athletic.

Rule changes

A rule change brought in for the beginning of the season was to make each half 40 minutes in length rather than 45 minutes. Another rule change occurred prior to round 5 with alterations to the play-the-ball rule. The idea was the prevent players from playing the ball to the side. Players had been allowed to turn their body and pass the ball from the foot to their own team. “On occasions the ball travelled but a few feet, which invariably resulted in players of both teams fighting for possessions on the ground. It must be said that too much of the game is wasted with players lying on the ball. Now it is necessary to play the ball, forwards or backwards, past the opposing player. Should it be kicked to the side, all players must stand outside the five yards limit before the ball can be handled by them”.

Player losses

An ongoing issue for club league in Auckland, and indeed New Zealand were the continuing losses of top players to English clubs. Over three seasons nine players left to join professional English sides. Wigan signed Lou Brown, Ben Davidson and Len Mason, while Wilson Hall played for Leeds, and Roy Hardgrave, Trevor Hall, and Lou Hutt all joined St. Helens. Trevor Hanlon of the Richmond club signed for Broughton Rangers club late in the season.

Improvements to Carlaw Park

Carlaw Park from the railway line in 1929.

After a series of very wet matches played at Carlaw Park and many requests for improved changing and washing conditions the Auckland Rugby League met to discuss the matter. They planned to “increase the showers and add hot water installations”. The Devonport delegate said “his club now shared the expense of a bus, and the team went to the Tepid Baths after each match. Another delegate said that hot water provision was required for curtain-raiser and other teams, which did not desire to leave the ground”. The league decided to begin with the work and complete it by Saturday week.

On 9 October the Management Committee met regarding the improvement of accommodation at Carlaw Park. Chairman Mr. George Rhodes said that an extra stand with dressing rooms would cost £12,000 which was money that the league did not have. The existing stand was taken up with 800 vice-presidents who gained free entry and so there was little revenue to be gained by adding to this area. He did however say that they were “keen to assist players in providing better dressing rooms and offices where the League could centralise its business.

South Sydney tour

Charles Gregory scoring for Marist.

South Sydney became the first ever Australian club to tour New Zealand. They played three matches. Two were played against Marist Old Boys at Carlaw Park on consecutive Saturdays and a midweek game was played against Huntly in Huntly. They were defeated in the first match 10–9, before winning the return match 25–5.

	12 October	Marist	10–9	South Sydney	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Charles Gregory 2 Con: Charles Gregory Pen: Charles Gregory		Try: Jack Why Con: Alf Blair Pen: Benny Wearing, Oscar Quinlivan	Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Arthur Harlock

	19 October	Marist	5–21	South Sydney	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: George Batchelor Pen: Charles Gregory		Try: Benny Wearing, Carl Eggen 2, Harry Eyers, Alf Binder Con: Benny Wearing Pen: Benny Wearing 2	Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Les Bull

Monteith Shield (first grade championship)

The Round 6 match between Richmond and Kingsland was postponed as Richmond had travelled to Hikurangi to play against the local team which was in its second season.

Monteith Shield standings

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Ponsonby United	15	12	1	2	276	116	25
Devonport United	15	11	1	3	236	113	23
City Rovers	14	9	0	5	171	153	18
Marist Old Boys	14	7	3	4	206	157	17
Newton Rangers	14	7	0	7	144	223	14
Kingsland Athletic	14	5	1	8	143	209	11
Richmond Rovers	14	3	0	11	105	161	6
Ellerslie United	14	0	0	14	86	235	0

Monteith Shield fixtures

Pre-season fixture

Newton v Richmond on April 22.

On April 20 several pre-season matches were played at Carlaw Park involving first grade teams and senior B sides. Newton Rangers defeated Richmond Rovers by 10 points to 0 with Roy Hardgrave scoring a try and kicking a penalty and converting W. Johnstone's try. Ellerslie United surprised Devonport United with a 5-5 draw. Marist Old Boys beat City 5-0, Kingsland Athletic beat Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers 13-8, and Mount Wellington and Parnell played out a 0-0 draw. The senior B teams involved were Kingsland-Athletic, Parnell, Mount Wellington, and Northcote.

Round 1

Crowd at the opening round during the Devonport v Ponsonby match.

During the season Craddock Dufty who had starred for Auckland and New Zealand for several seasons fell out with the Newton club and asked for a transfer to Ellerslie. The Management Committee eventually granted the transfer.In the match between Newton and Marist Roy Hardgrave was concussed and had to leave the field. G Rhodes was also concussed later in the match and was taken to the hospital. For City in their match with Kingsland McLaughlin broke his nose and had to leave for treatment. Cyril Brimble had moved to Newton from the Manukau rugby club. His younger brother Ted Brimble would follow in the following season. And then in 1935 younger brother Wilfred would also join the ranks of Newton. Another brother Walter joined Manukau and he, Ted, and Wilfred, would all go on to represent New Zealand.

	27 April	Devonport	20–8	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Coghlan, Len Scott, J Beattie, Ernest Ruby Con: Alf Scott 2, H Scott Pen: Allan Seagar		Try: Schofield, Thompson Con: Frank Delgrosso	Attendance: 5000 Referee: Les Bull

	27 April	Newton	21–20	Marist	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: M Little 2, Cyril Brimble 2, Stanley Francis Con: Roy Hardgrave, C Rhodes Pen: Butterworth		Try: Jim O'Brien, Jock Graham 2, D Duane Con: Owen Cronin 2, George Batchelor Pen: George Batchelor	Attendance: 5000 Referee: Percy Rogers

	27 April	Ellerslie	8–22	Richmond	Ellerslie Reserve
	3:00	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Hubert Crewther Pen: Ivan Littlewood		Try: Colebrook, McKinnon 2, Ted Mincham, Coote 2 Con: Ted Mincham, Trevor Hanlon	Referee: A McKubrey

	27 April	City	21–6	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 1
	1:45	Try: J Iverson 2, C Reynolds 2, J L Cocks Con: Laurie Barchard 3		Try: Angelo, Claude List	Attendance: 5000 Referee: T Chernside

Round 2

	4 May	Richmond	9–8	Marist	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Ted Mincham Con: Ted Mincham Pen: Ted Mincham 2		Try: Dick Moisley Con: Charles Gregory Pen: Charles Gregory	Referee: Les Bull

	4 May	Ponsonby	8–3	Newton	Carlaw Park 1
	1:45	Try: Winters Con: Frank Delgrosso Pen: Frank Delgrosso		Try: Roy Hardgrave	Referee: Percy Rogers

	4 May	City	11–8	Ellerslie	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Hadley, Lawrence, George Perry Con: Laurie Barchard		Try: Bob Crewther, Hobbs Pen: Hemingway	Referee: Vic Simpson

	4 May	Devonport	29–7	Kingsland	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: O'Leary 2, Stanley Rule 2, Alf Scott, S Casey, C Rhodes Con: Alf Scott 2, Ernest Ruby, J Beattie		Try: Angelo Con: Herring Pen: Herring	Referee: A McKubrey

Round 3

	11 May	Ponsonby	14–10	Marist	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: J Payne, Thompson Con: Frank Delgrosso 2 Pen: Frank Delgrosso		Try: McDonald, Phil Brady Con: Alan Clarke 2	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

	11 May	City	15–12	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Townsend, George Perry, Reynolds Con: Laurie Barchard, Wilson Hall Pen: Laurie Barchard		Try: Ted Mincham, McKinnon Pen: Ted Mincham, Joseph Hamilton 2	Attendance: 5,000 Referee: B Emirali

	11 May	Newton	12–10	Kingsland	Auckland Domain 2
	3:00	Try: Roy Hardgrave, Hammond Con: Cyril Brimble Pen: Cyril Brimble 2		Try: Ralph Longville, R Carter Con: Ralph Longville Pen: Ralph Longville	Referee: Freeman Thompson

	11 May	Ellerslie	12–16	Devonport	Ellerslie Reserve
	3:00	Try: Ivan Littlewood, Johnson Con: Hemingway Pen: Hemingway 2		Try: P Masefield, McCarthy, J Beattie, Len Scott Con: Allan Seagar 2	Referee: T Chernside

Round 4

	18 May	Devonport	8–4	City	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Len Scott 2 Pen: Alf Scott		Pen: Steve Watene 2	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Les Bull

	18 May	Ponsonby	15–10	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	1:45	Try: A McIntyre 3 Con: Frank Delgrosso 2 Pen: Frank Delgrosso		Try: Bill Davis Con: Ted Mincham 2 Pen: Joseph Hamilton	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: A McKubrey

	18 May	Newton	15–7	Ellerslie	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Roy Hardgrave 2, Cyril Brimble Con: Craddock Dufty Pen: Craddock Dufty Drop: Craddock Dufty		Try: Ivan Littlewood Con: Ivan Littlewood Pen: Hemingway	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: G McGowatt

	18 May	Marist	18–18	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 2
	1:45	Try: Norm Campbell, Jock Graham 2, Wilf Hassan Con: Norm Campbell, Hickey Pen: Norm Campbell		Try: R Carter 2, Longfield, McLaughlin Con: Longfield 2 Pen: Longfield	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: T Chernside

Round 5

The Devonport win over Richmond was their 100th first grade win in their 20th consecutive year in first grade. To this point they had a 100 win, 12 draw, and 85 loss record.

	25 May	Devonport	15–7	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Trevor O'Leary 2, C Rhodes Con: Lindsay Simons 2 Pen: Lindsay Simons		Try: Trevor Hanlon Pen: Ted Mincham 2	Referee: T Chernside

	25 May	Newton	17–12	City	Carlaw Park 1
	1:45	Try: Roy Hardgrave, M Little, C Rhodes Con: Craddock Dufty 3 Pen: Craddock Dufty		Try: Steve Watene, C Reynolds Con: Steve Watene Pen: Steve Watene 2	Referee: Les Bull

	25 May	Ponsonby	41–10	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Lou Hutt, Winters, Schofield 2, J Payne, Moore, A McIntyre 2, Thompson Con: Frank Delgrosso 6 Pen: Frank Delgrosso		Try: R Carter, Ralph Longville Con: Ralph Longville	Referee: Bertie Victor Emirali

	25 May	Marist	19–16	Ellerslie	Carlaw Park 2
	1:45	Try: Phil Brady 4, George Batchelor Con: Norm Campbell Pen: Alan Clarke		Try: Cook, Chapman, Oliff Con: Cook, Oliff	Referee: Arthur Rae

Round 6

Alan Clarke was sent off in the Marist v City game for questioning the referee.

	1 June	Devonport	24–9	Newton	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Alf Scott, J Beattie 2, Trevor O'Leary, Allan Seagar, Les O'Leary Con: Lindsay Simons, Allan Seagar 2		Try: Stanley Francis Pen: Craddock Dufty 3	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

	1 June	Ponsonby	24–5	Ellerslie	Carlaw Park 1
	1:45	Try: A McIntyre, Lou Hutt, Winters, Thompson Con: Frank Delgrosso 4 Pen: Frank Delgrosso 2		Try: Oliff Con: Oliff	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: T Hill

	1 June	City	5–3	Marist	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: J Iverson Con: Laurie Barchard		Try: Hickey	Attendance: 7,000 Referee: A McKubrey

	1 June	Richmond	PPD	Kingsland

Round 7

In the match between Marist and Devonport both Ernest Ruby and Campney were sent off for fighting late in the match. For Newton Craddock Dufty refused to play in protest against the non-selection of Wally Somers. As a result Newton cancelled his registration with the club. Somers also decided to retire at this point though he ultimately joined the Ellerslie team for the 1930 season. Dufty then signed with Ellerslie where he had moved to earlier in the year. Cook was sent off in Ellerslie’s match for arguing with a referring decision.

	8 June	Ponsonby	37–11	City	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Winters, Schofield 3, Frank Delgrosso, Lou Hutt, Riley 2, Thompson Con: Frank Delgrosso 4 Pen: Frank Delgrosso		Try: McLaughlin, Bill Hamilton, Lawrence Barchard Con: McLaughlin	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Bertie Victor Emirali

	8 June	Marist	13–13	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	1:45	Try: Charles Gregory, Jock Johnson, Phil Brady Con: Charles Gregory 2		Try: Ernest Ruby Con: Lindsay Simons Pen: Lindsay Simons 4	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

	8 June	Newton	13–10	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Trevor Hall, Roy Hardgrave, Page Con: Roy Hardgrave 2		Try: Coote 2 Con: Joseph Hamilton Pen: Joseph Hamilton	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Vic Simpson

	8 June	Kingsland	17–5	Ellerslie	Carlaw Park 2
	1:45	Try: R Carter, Claude List 2 Con: Ralph Longville 2 Pen: Ralph Longville 2		Try: Cooke Con: Sam Crewther	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Arthur Rae

Round 8

	15 June	Devonport	10–5	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: S Casey, McCarthy Con: Allan Seagar 2		Try: Lou Hutt Con: Frank Delgrosso	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Les Bull

	15 June	City	13–8	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 1
	1:30	Try: Hadley, George Perry 2 Con: Steve Watene 2		Try: Ramm, Claude List Con: Ralph Longville	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Billy Mincham

	15 June	Marist	20–19	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Phil Brady, McDonald 2, Jock Johnson Con: Norm Campbell 3 Pen: Norm Campbell		Try: C Rhodes, Roy Hardgrave 2, Trevor Hall, Cyril Brimble Con: Roy Hardgrave Pen: Cyril Brimble	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: A McKubrey

	15 June	Richmond	10–5	Ellerslie	Carlaw Park 2
	1:30	Try: Ralph Jenkinson, Ted Mincham Pen: Joseph Hamilton, Ted Mincham		Try: Hobbs Pen: Craddock Dufty	Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Wilfred Simpson

Round 9

	22 June	Ponsonby	42–3	Newton	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Thompson, Frank Delgrosso 2, Winters, Schofield 2, A McIntyre 2, Skelton 2 Con: Frank Delgrosso 4, George Gardiner 2		Try: Roy Hardgrave	Referee: Vic Simpson

	22 June	Devonport	19–8	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Les O'Leary 3, Ernest Ruby, Trevor O'Leary Con: Allan Seagar 2		Try: R Carter, Christmas Pen: Railey	Referee: G McCowatt

	22 June	Richmond	9–11	Marist	Grey Lynn Park
	3:00	Try: Ralph Jenkinson Pen: Ted Mincham 3		Try: Hickey, Jim O'Brien, Bulcraig Pen: Norm Campbell	Attendance: 600 Referee: Bertie Victor Emirali

	22 June	Ellerslie	0–10	City	Ellerslie Reserve
	3:00			Try: George Perry, Lawrence Barchard Con: Lawrence Barchard 2	Referee: Percy Rogers

Round 10

	29 June	Ponsonby	10–10	Marist	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: A McIntyre, Riley Con: George Gardiner Pen: George Gardiner		Try: Jock Graham, Jock Johnson Con: Charles Gregory Pen: Charles Gregory	Referee: Percy Rogers

	29 June	City	24–0	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: George Perry, Lawrence Barchard 2, McLaughlin, Hadley, J Iverson Con: Steve Watene 3			Referee: Les Bull

	29 June	Kingsland	14–10	Newton	Auckland Domain
	3:00	Try: R Carter, Simms 2, McLoughlan Con: Railey		Try: Kenneth Peckham, Ferguson Con: Cyril Brimble 2	Referee: Bertie Victor Emirali

	29 June	Devonport	19–5	Ellerslie	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: Len Scott 2, Allan Seagar, Stanley Rule, Les O'Leary Con: Lindsay Simons 2		Try: Bob Crewther Con: 'Shorty' Oliff	Referee: G McCowatt

Round 11

	6 July	City	17–8	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Lawrence Barchard 2, McLaughlin, N Pascoe, George Perry Con: Lawrence Barchard		Try: Les O'Leary, Len Scott Con: Alf Scott	Referee: Vic Simpson

	6 July	Ponsonby	21–16	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Winters 2, Schofield, Riley, J Payne Con: Frank Delgrosso 3		Try: Ted Mincham, Davis, Stan Prentice, Lennie Con: Ted Mincham 2	Referee: B Emirali

	6 July	Marist	25–10	Kingsland	Auckland Domain 1
	3:00	Try: Jock Johnson, George Batchelor, McDonald 2, Phil Brady Con: Charles Gregory 4 Pen: Charles Gregory		Try: Claude List, Carter Pen: Ralph Longville 2	Referee: William Mincham

	6 July	Ellerslie	5–7	Newton	Ellerslie Reserve
	3:00	Try: Tooman Con: Craddock Dufty		Try: M Little Con: Kenneth Peckham Pen: Kenneth Peckham	Referee: S Billman

Round 12

W. Shortland, an ex-Maori All Black transferred to City Rovers and made his debut for them. He had previously represented North Auckland at the halfback position. Shortland was said to have played a “sterling game, demonstrating that the thirteen-a-side code suited his particular type of play”. P Skelton also transferred from rugby where he had been playing five eighth for the Grammar Old Boys club. He joined the Ponsonby side and scored a try on debut and also set up their second try for W. Skelton (no relation). Their match was originally scheduled to be played on the number one field as a curtain-raiser but was transferred to the number two field as the former was in a poor condition however the number two ground “soon became a sea of mud”. The Marist and Ellerslie match at the Auckland Domain was postponed as the field was deemed unfit for play. The condition of Carlaw Park was so bad that it was discussed at the management committee meeting later in the week and it was decided that conditions needed to be improved for players immediately.

	13 July	Devonport	14–0	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Len Scott, McCarthy 2, J Beattie Con: Lindsay Simons			Referee: Les Bull

	13 July	City	16–6	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: W Perry, Reynolds, Hadley, George Perry Con: Lawrence Barchard Pen: Lawrence Barchard		Try: Cammick, Stanley Francis	Referee: Wilfred Simpson

	13 July	Ponsonby	9–0	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 2
	1:30	Try: Pat Skelton, George Gardiner, W Skelton			Referee: Vic Simpson

	13 July	Marist	Abandoned	Ellerslie	Auckland Domain 2
	3:00				Referee: S Billman

Round 13

R.D. Revell transferred from Ponsonby to Kingsland during the week.

	20 July	Marist	13–7	City	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Jock Graham, Dick Moisley, Phil Brady Con: Charles Gregory 2		Try: McLaughlin Con: Steve Watene Pen: Steve Watene	Referee: Percy Rogers

	20 July	Devonport	35–3	Newton	Devonport Domain
	3:00	Try: J Beattie 2, C Rhodes, Len Scott 2, Stanley Rule, Allan Seagar, S Casey 2, Con: Lindsay Simons 4		Try: McLeod	Referee: S Billman

	20 July	Kingsland	6–0	Richmond	Auckland Domain 2
	3:00	Try: Claude List, Christmas			Referee: Wilfred Simpson

	20 July	Ellerslie	3–20	Ponsonby	Ellerslie Reserve
	3:00	Try: Grogan		Try: Moore 2, W Skelton, Victor Fagan, Pat Skelton, George Gardiner Con: Frank Delgrosso	Referee: W Weston

Round 14

T Hanlon of the Richmond senior side was signed by Broughton Rangers in England. He was due to depart on the Ruahine on August 21. The match at Mt Wellington was the first ever senior match played there making it the 23rd venue for senior rugby league matches in Auckland since 1908.

	3 August	Marist	10–6	Devonport	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Phil Brady, Jock Johnson Con: Charles Gregory 2		Try: J Beattie 2	Referee: Les Bull

	3 August	Ponsonby	17–5	City	Carlaw Park 1
	1:30	Try: Pat Skelton 2, Thompson Con: Frank Delgrosso 2 Pen: Frank Delgrosso 2		Try: George Perry Con: Lawrence Barchard	Referee: Bertie Victor Emirali

	3 August	Newton	6–0	Richmond	Auckland Domain 2
	3:00	Try: M Little 2			Referee: Arthur Rae

	3 August	Kingsland	19–7	Ellerslie	Mt Wellington (Westfield)
	3:00	Try: York 3, Angelo, Simms Con: Lucas Drop: Claude List		Try: Crewther Con: Hemingway Pen: Hemingway	Referee: S Billman

Postponed round 12 match

	10 August	Marist	26–0	Ellerslie	Auckland Domain
	2:00	Try: McDonald 2, Charles Gregory, Jock Johnson, Wilf Hassan 2 Con: Charles Gregory 4			Referee: Bertie Victor Emirali

Postponed round 6 match

The Round 6 match which was postponed saw Richmond default to Kingsland.

	10 August	Kingsland	WBD-LBD	Richmond	Carlaw Park 2
	3:30				Referee: Arthur Rae

Final

Devonport United

	10 August	Ponsonby	5–0	Devonport	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: George Gardiner Pen: Frank Delgrosso			Attendance: 11,000 Referee: Les Bull

Roope Rooster knockout competition

Marist won the Roope Rooster for the second consecutive year after defeating Ponsonby 17–9 in the final.

Round 1

Arnold Berridge joined Richmond after transferring from rugby where he had been an Auckland representative player. He kicked 4 penalties on debut against Devonport in a 17–12 victory. In the match between Ponsonby and Newton, White (the Ponsonby fullback) had to leave the field with a broken collarbone early in the second half. Hammond then left the field with an injured neck and Kenneth Peckham followed him soon after, also injured.

	31 August	Marist	9–3	Kingsland	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Hec Brisbane, Phil Brady, George Batchelor		Try: Lou Wilson	Referee: Wilfred Simpson

	31 August	Richmond	17–12	Devonport	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Patterson 2, Surtess Pen: Arnold Berridge 4		Try: Trevor O'Leary, Allan Seagar Con: Allan Seagar 2 Pen: Allan Seagar	Referee: K Menzies

	31 August	Ponsonby	31–24	Newton	Carlaw Park 2
	3:00	Try: Pat Skelton 2, Bill Skelton, George Gardiner, Schofield, Moore, A McIntyre Con: Frank Delgrosso 4		Try: M Little, Hill, Stanley Francis 2, Cyril Brimble, Arthur Mansill Con: Kenneth Peckham 2	Referee: Arthur Rae

	31 August	City	18–9	Ellerslie	Mt Wellington
	3:00	Try: Stan Clark, Lawrence Barchard, George Perry, J Iveson Con: Lawrence Barchard 3		Try: Bob Crewther Con: Hemingway Pen: Hemingway, Craddock Dufty	Referee: Stuart Billman

Semi final

	14 September	Marist	23–7	City	Carlaw Park 1
	3:15	Try: Phil Brady, McDonald, Jim O'Brien, George Batchelor, Jock Graham Con: Charles Gregory 2, Jim O'Brien Pen: Charles Gregory		Try: Hadley Pen: Steve Watene Drop: McLoughlin	Referee: Les Bull

	14 September	Ponsonby	23–0	Richmond	Carlaw Park 1
	2:00	Try: Skelton, Winters, A McIntyre, Riley, Schofield Con: Skelton, Frank Delgrosso, Moore Pen: Frank Delgrosso			Referee: Vic Simpson

Final

	21 September	Marist	17–9	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Charles Gregory, Jim O'Brien, Phil Brady, Alan Clarke, Wilf Hassan Con: Jim O'Brien		Try: Winters, George Gardiner, Schofield	Referee: Percy Rogers

Stormont Memorial Shield

Frank Delgrosso went off in the second half with an injured knee.

	28 September	Marist	28–14	Ponsonby	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Jock Johnson, George Batchelor 3, Penalty Try, Norm Campbell Con: Charles Gregory 3, George Batchelor Pen: Charles Gregory		Try: A McIntyre, Skelton Con: Skelton, George Gardiner Pen: George Gardiner 2	Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Vic Simpson

Top try scorers and point scorers

Top try and point scorers for A Division and Roope Rooster matches. Frank Delgrosso became just the second player in the competition's history to pass the 100 point mark for matches played in the Monteith Shield (for the first grade competition) and the Roope Rooster when he scored 108 for Ponsonby. The only previous player to do it was Bill Davidson who scored 117 points in 1922. By this point Delgrosso had scored 532 points in total for Ponsonby across all senior matches from 1919 to 1929 which was the most of any player who had played in Auckland to this point. Craddock Dufty was on 495 points however with both players still active they would continue to add to their tallies. Phil Brady of Marist was the top try scorer with 13 closely followed by Schofield of Ponsonby who scored 12.

Rank	Player	Team	Tries
1	Phil Brady	Marist	13
2	A Schofield	Ponsonby	12
3	A.S. McIntyre	Ponsonby	11
4	Len Scott	Devonport	10
5	L Winters	Ponsonby	9
5	Roy Hardgrave	Newton	9
5	J Beattie	Devonport	9
5	George Perry	City	9
9	Robert (Bob) Carter	Kingsland	8
9	McDonald	Marist	8

Rank	Player	Team	Tries	Con	Pen	Points
1	Frank Delgrosso	Ponsonby	4	36	12	108
2	Charles Gregory	Marist	4	21	4	62
3	Lawrence Barchard	City	7	14	2	53
4	Ted Mincham	Richmond	5	6	9	45
5	Phil Brady	Marist	13	0	0	39
6	A Schofield	Ponsonby	12	0	0	36
6	Allan Seagar	Devonport	4	10	2	36
8	Roy Hardgrave	Newton	9	4	0	35
9	A.S. McIntyre	Ponsonby	11	0	0	33
10	Lindsay Simons	Devonport	0	11	5	32

B grade standings and results

The Round 5 match between Northcote and Māngere resulted in a win to the former team but the actual score was not stated. The standings include the final played between Ōtāhuhu and Point Chevalier, won by the latter by 13 points to 10.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Point Chevalier	11	9	1	1	108	61	19
Otahuhu Rovers	11	8	1	2	223	44	17
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	9	5	0	4	66	77	10
Richmond Rovers B	9	4	0	5	89	87	8
Parnell	10	2	0	8	112	145	4
Māngere United	10	1	0	9	50	232	0

Senior B grade fixtures

Point Chevalier player, Goodwin, being carried from the field after their final victory.

A Point Chevalier supporter at their 13-10 final victory over Ōtāhuhu at Carlaw Park on July 6.

In the first round of the season Māngere began their match with Ōtāhuhu with just ten players, though had reached thirteen near halftime. It was the first time league had been played on the newly acquired Māngere Domain.

On 8 May at the Management Committee meeting Northcote requested that the opening round match in the Senior B competition be awarded to them on account of Richmond B defaulting. However the league said that the match would be replayed at the end of the season if it would affect the outcome of the competition.

The Round 8 match between Otahuhu and Point Chevalier was held at Papatoetoe at the Papatoetoe Recreation Ground which was the first senior match played in the area. Around 1,000 spectators turned up to watch the match. Otahuhu won a close fought match 10–6.

After Round 10 was completed the Auckland Rugby League decided that the match between Point Chevalier and Otahuhu would decide the championship. The match was played on Carlaw Park and saw Point Chevalier win by 13 points to 10.

1929 Senior B Grade Results

	Date		Score		Score	Venue
Round 1	28 April	Point Chevalier	11	Parnell	10	Carlaw Park # 1, 1:45pm
–	28 April	Mangere	0	Otahuhu	48	Mangere Domain, 3pm
Round 2	4 May	Otahuhu	20	Richmond B	7	Carlaw Park # 2, 1:45pm
–	4 May	Mangere	6	Parnell	29	Mangere, 3pm
–	4 May	Point Chevalier	10	Northcote	3	Point Chevalier, 3pm
Round 3	11 May	Northcote	11	Parnell	2	Victoria Park, 3pm
–	11 May	Point Chevalier	5	Otahuhu	5	Point Chevalier # 2, 3pm
–	11 May	Mangere	0	Richmond B	32	Mangere, 3pm
Round 4	18 May	Northcote	3	Otahuhu	2	Northcote, 3pm
–	18 May	Point Chevalier	14	Mangere	6	Point Chevalier, 3pm
–	18 May	Richmond B	13	Parnell	10	Grey Lynn, 3pm
Round 5	25 May	Richmond B	0	Point Chevalier	6	Grey Lynn, 3pm
–	25 May	Otahuhu	22	Parnell	0	Mangere, 2pm
–	25 May	Mangere	L	Northcote	W	Mangere, 3:15pm
Round 6	1 June	Richmond B	19	Northcote	11	Carlaw Park # 2, 1:45pm
–	1 June	Point Chevalier	10	Parnell	7	Point Chevalier, 3pm
–	1 June	Otahuhu	40	Mangere	0	Sturgess Park, Otahuhu, 3pm
Round 7	8 June	Otahuhu	13	Richmond B	0	Otahuhu Reserve, 3pm
–	8 June	Parnell	33	Mangere	14	Auckland Domain #2, 3pm
–	8 June	Northcote	5	Point Chevalier	8	Stafford Park, Northcote, 3pm
Round 8	15 June	Otahuhu	10	Point Chevalier	6	Papatoetoe Recreation Ground, Papatoetoe 3pm	1,000
–	15 June	Richmond B	8	Mangere	13	Grey Lynn, 3pm
–	15 June	Northcote	16	Parnell	10	Victoria Park, 3pm
Round 9	22 June	Otahuhu	21	Northcote	5	Otahuhu, 3pm
–	22 June	Mangere	5	Point Chevalier	17	Mangere, 3pm
–	22 June	Richmond B	10	Parnell	6	Point Chevalier # 2, 3pm
Round 10	29 June	Point Chevalier	8	Richmond B	0	Point Chevalier, 3pm
–	29 June	Northcote	11	Mangere	6	Northcote, 3pm
–	29 June	Otahuhu	32	Parnell	5	Papatoetoe, 3pm
Final	6 July	Point Chevalier	13	Otahuhu	10	Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm

Senior A/Senior B promotion-relegation match

Ellerslie had come last in the A Grade for the second year in a row. Though unlike the previous season where they had won 3 matches in 1929 they were winless after battling injuries and the loss of players. However they managed to defeat Point Chevalier, who had won the B Grade by 5 points to 0 and thus remain in the A Grade for the 1930 season.

	24 August	Ellerslie	5–0	Point Chevalier	Carlaw Park
	1:30	Try: Arthur Pen: Craddock Dufty			Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

Stallard Cup competition

The trotting ground in Māngere (in 1931) which was used for some lower grade games in the early 1930s.

1929 Stallard Cup results

	Date		Score		Score	Venue
Round 1	13 July	Northcote	5	Parnell	2	Victoria Park, 3pm
–	13 July	Mangere	17	Richmond B	3	Sturgess Park, Otahuhu , 3pm
–	13 July	Otahuhu	5	Point Chevalier	0	Mangere Racecourse, 3pm
Round 2	20 July	Northcote	9	Mangere	5	Victoria Park, 3pm
–	20 July	Point Chevalier	5	Richmond B	3	Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm
–	20 July	Otahuhu	24	Parnell	0	Auckland Domain # 5, 3pm
Round 3	3 Aug	Northcote	6	Richmond B	0	Outer Domain, 3pm
–	3 Aug	Point Chevalier	11	Parnell	8	Auckland Domain # 6, 3pm
–	3 Aug	Otahuhu	12	Mangere	8	Victoria Park, 3pm
Round 4	10 Aug	Point Chevalier	13	Mangere	0	Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm
–	10 Aug	Parnell	PPD	Richmond	PPD	Auckland Domain, 3pm
–	10 Aug	Otahuhu	7	Northcote	3	Victoria Park, 3pm
Round 5	31 Aug	Richmond B	11	Otahuhu	8	Carlaw Park # 2, 1:30pm
–	31 Aug	Parnell	Loss by Forfeit	Mangere	Won by Forfeit	Auckland Domain # 2, 3pm
–	31 Aug	Point Chevalier	3	Northcote	2	Victoria Park, 3pm
Final	7 Sep	Otahuhu	11	Point Chevalier	0	Carlaw Park # 2, 1:30pm

Lower grades and exhibition games

Lower grades

Richmond won the Davis Shield for lower grade points accumulated once again. They would dominate this trophy throughout the 1920s and 30s.

Lower grade competitions

Second Grade

Devonport won the championship after sealing it in round 14 with a 12-0 win over Kingsland. Mount Albert finished runner up just 1 point behind. Mount Albert won the knockout competition when they defeated Devonport on September 28. Mangere had entered a team in the competition but withdrew after defaulting their first two games. The amalgamated New Lynn and Glen Eden club (Glen Lynn) entered a team in the knockout competition, drawing with Newton 6-6, before losing to Ponsonby 18-0. The knockout competition was won by Mount Albert United.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Devonport United	12	10	1	1	2	152	41	21
Mount Albert United	12	10	0	2	1	141	37	20
Ponsonby United	12	7	1	4	2	93	64	15
Mount Wellington	11	7	0	4	2	77	90	14
Remuera	12	3	0	9	2	38	103	6
Newton Rangers	12	2	0	10	2	44	100	4
Kingsland Athletic	11	1	0	10	2	19	127	2

Third grade open (Hayward Shield)

Richmond won the championship after they beat Glen Lynn in the final by 2 points to 0 a Carlaw Park on August 17. Richmond also won the knockout competition with a 18-0 win over Ellerslie in the final on September 21. They had beaten Ponsonby B by default a week earlier while Ellerslie had upset Kingsland 11-5 in the other. Ellerslie had surprisingly made it to the final after only winning two matches during the championship. The majority of the results were reported and the final standings were published in the newspaper which was very unusual in these early decades.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers	13	11	1	1	1	285	17	23
Ponsonby United B	13	10	0	2	0	190	48	20
Glen Lynn	13	9	0	4	1	84	35	18
Kingsland Athletic	13	8	1	4	1	95	73	17
Ponsonby United A	12	3	0	9	1	44	137	6
Ellerslie United	13	3	0	10	0	24	203	6
Point Chevalier	12	2	0	10	1	42	183	4
Devonport United	7	0	0	7	0	6	74	0

Third grade intermediate

The championship was won by Devonport, 3 points ahead of Akarana. The knockout competition was won by Newmarket 7 to 6 on September 28, though the score was also reported as 10-6. Devonport had beaten City by default in one semi final while Newmarket won the other semi final 12-2 against Akarana. Newton entered a team in the competition but they withdrew without playing a game, while Mount Albert withdrew after 10 rounds having only played 7 games.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Devonport United	12	11	1	0	2	140	20	23
Akarana	13	10	0	3	2	191	40	20
Newmarket	13	8	0	5	1	112	41	16
City Rovers	13	7	0	6	1	108	42	14
Richmond Rovers	11	5	0	6	0	71	89	10
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	13	2	2	9	2	15	125	6
Glen Lynn	12	2	0	10	2	26	133	4
Mount Albert United	7	0	1	6	1	3	170	1

Fourth grade (Hospital Cup)

Devonport won the championship undefeated with 16 wins from 16 games, scoring 356 points and only conceding 32. Richmond were runners up 9 further points back. Devonport reportedly won the knockout competition when they beat Richmond 12-5 in the final on October 19. Devonport had won their semi final 6-0 over Akarana, while Richmond beat Kingsland 7-6 in the other semi final. However the Sun newspaper reported that Akarana won the knockout competition on March 29, 1930. Mt Wellington withdrew from the championship after 9 rounds while Remuera withdrew also after playing 9 games but in the 12 rounds having defaulted for 3 weeks.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Devonport United	16	16	0	0	1	356	32	32
Richmond Rovers	14	11	1	2	0	168	28	23
Kingsland Athletic	15	8	3	3	0	150	44	19
Akarana	15	8	2	5	2	200	52	18
City Rovers	16	9	0	7	1	118	114	18
Remuera United	11	4	1	6	0	69	19	9
Ponsonby United	15	4	1	10	0	55	130	9
Mount Albert United	14	3	1	10	2	42	237	7
Otahuhu Rovers	16	0	2	14	1	28	399	2
Mount Wellington	9	0	1	8	0	25	147	1

Fifth grade (Endean Shield)

Richmond won the championship and also the knockout competition. They defeated Marist 14-9 in the knockout final on 21 September following a semi final win over Point Chevalier by 14 points to 4 while Marist had beaten Kingsland in the other semi final. Otahuhu had initially entered a side but failed to take the field and withdrew after round 1. A table was published in the newspapers after 7 rounds however many of the results in the second half of the season were not reported so the final standings are incomplete.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers	16	14	0	0	0	233	19	28
Newmarket	14	9	1	4	2	147	64	19
Point Chevalier	14	8	2	4	1	83	65	18
Marist Old Boys	15	7	2	2	1	112	59	16
Akarana	15	3	1	7	1	24	88	7
Devonport United	15	2	1	7	1	44	73	5
Kingsland Athletic	14	2	0	9	0	54	111	4
City Rovers	15	0	1	11	1	20	237	1

Sixth grade A (Walker Shield)

Richmond won the championship ahead of Otahuhu and Marist. Otahuhu won the knockout competition when they beat Richmond 11-6 in the final on October 12. Otahuhu had beaten City in one semi final while Richmond beat Kingsland 11-0 in the other semi final. The standings were reported after 8 rounds but the final standings were not reported and many results were also not reported so the following table is incomplete.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers	17	11	0	2	1	203	29	22
Otahuhu Rovers	15	10	1	3	2	147	105	21
Marist Old Boys	17	9	1	6	0	207	95	19
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	16	8	0	6	1	87	82	16
Kingsland Athletic	18	5	1	8	2	55	124	11
City Rovers	17	4	2	5	1	53	88	10
Devonport United	17	5	0	8	2	71	93	10
Point Chevalier	16	4	0	8	1	54	128	8
Newmarket	15	1	0	12	3	5	141	2

Sixth grade B (Myers Cup)

Richmond B won the championship with a remarkable point scoring record of 657 points scored with the majority of their wins coming at 0 points conceded. They also won the Milicich knockout final when they beat Northcote 16-2 on September 28. They had beaten Newton 5-3 in their semi final, while Northcote defeated Point Chevalier 2-0 in the other semi final. The championship standings were reported after 8 rounds and again at the conclusion of the season. The team featured future New Zealand international Noel Bickerton.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Richmond Rovers B	16	16	0	0	2	657	8	32
Marist Old Boys	16	11	2	3	2	97	61	24
Northcote & Birkenhead Ramblers	16	10	3	3	1	135	74	23
Newton Rangers	15	7	1	7	2	168	50	15
Richmond Rovers A	15	6	1	8	2	45	180	13
Papatoetoe	14	5	1	8	2	140	215	11
Ellerslie United	16	5	1	10	1	43	245	11
Glen Lynn	16	3	4	9	3	96	170	10
Point Chevalier	16	0	1	15	3	26	397	1

Schoolboys competition

Newmarket won the championship. They also won the knockout competition when they beat Mangere 25-5 in the final on October 12. At the end of the season in early November a seven team knockout tournament was held at Carlaw Park with proceeds going to the purchase of jerseys. Newmarket defeated Mangere in the final by 6 points to 0 to complete a remarkable season for the side.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	B	F	A	Pts
Newmarket Primary School	17	14	0	1	2	272	21	28
Newton Primary School	17	9	1	5	1	107	95	19
Parnell Primary School	19	8	2	5	1	99	76	18
Onehunga Convent (St Joseph's School)	17	7	3	5	2	121	78	17
Richmond Road School	17	6	1	4	2	89	63	13
Otahuhu Schools	17	6	0	8	2	70	128	12
Papatoetoe Primary School	19	4	3	9	1	91	170	11
Mangere Primary School	17	4	2	6	2	46	76	10
Ellerslie Primary School	17	4	1	8	2	44	79	9
Devonport Primary School	18	2	3	4	1	32	75	7
Mt Albert Primary School	18	1	1	10	2	37	147	3

Exhibition and junior representative matches

The Auckland Junior representative side that played South Auckland included future Kiwi Albert Laing, and Auckland representative cricket wicket keeper Horace Hunt. The full side was as follows: Albert Laing (Devonport), B. Munroe (Mount Albert), G Jacobs (Mount Wellington), H. Tate (Devonport), T Davis (Richmond), C. Dunn (Richmond), F. Martin (Kingsland), H. White (Ponsonby), D. Kirwan (Mount Albert), Horace Hunt (Devonport), H. Lunn (Ponsonby), H. Forbes (Kingsland), J. Hawkes (Devonport). Reserves: J. Ragg (Newton), C. Jamieson, K. Sheddon (Remuera), F. Joy (Newton), F. Hemmingson (Grey Lynn).

List of matches

	Date		Score		Score	Venue
Exhibition	30 Mar	Kamo and Athletic Clubs Combined	9	Richmond	23	Whangarei
Junior Inter-Provincial	27 July	Auckland Juniors	15	South Auckland Juniors	8	Carlaw Park # 1, 1:30pm
Exhibition	10 Aug	Huntly	23	City	13	Huntly
Exhibition	17 Aug	Northcote	18	Hamilton B	9	Northcote Municipal Recreation Ground (Stafford Park), Northcote
Exhibition	17 Aug	Huntly	16	Parnell	21	Huntly
Schoolboy Inter-Provincial	5 Sep	North Auckland Schools	2	Auckland Schoolboys	17	Whangarei
Schoolboy Match	7 Sep	Hikurangi	4	Auckland Schoolboys	6	Hikurangi
Schoolboy Exhibition	14 Sep	Huntly	20	Devonport	8	Huntly, 3pm

Representative season

The selectors for the season were the same as last year, Edwin V. Fox, Ernie Asher, and Bert Avery. The Auckland team played three matches and defended the Northern Union Challenge Cup against South Auckland, Northland, and Canterbury. Auckland played three matches between July 27 and August 24, all for the Northern Union Challenge Cup. They saw them defeat South Auckland in a hard-fought 11–8 result, the newly formed Northland representative team by a narrow 22–19 margin, and Canterbury comfortably by 47 points to 18. The representative season was finished with a match between the North Island and South Island won by the latter 22 to 13. Unlike in previous years the North Island team featured several players from outside of Auckland, mainly from the Waikato region.

Representative fixtures

Auckland v South Auckland (Northern Union Cup)

W. Shortland had been named to play for Auckland but was left out of the side at the last minute as he was not eligible to play. The reason being that he had only recently switched codes and had not played 3 matches yet for his club. Huatahi Paki (who is pictured) broke his ribs during the match. Lindsay Simons, who was on debut for Auckland at fullback went off injured with Frank Delgrosso moving into that position and Ted Mincham coming on in his Auckland debut. Auckland won the match narrowly by 11 points to 8 before a crowd of 10,000 at Carlaw Park.

	27 July	Auckland	11–8	South Auckland	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Hec Brisbane 2, Len Scott Con: Frank Delgrosso		Try: George Tittleton Con: Tom Timms Pen: Tom Timms	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Les Bull

Auckland v Northland (Northern Union Cup)

The Northland team was coached by Maurice Wetherill and included Ted Meyer as captain who went on to become a New Zealand representative in 1930. He had previously played rugby union for North Auckland and the North Island. Puti Tipene (Steve) Watene was on debut for Auckland.

	17 August	Auckland	22–19	Northland	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: R Carter, Frank Delgrosso 2, Claude List, Allan Seagar, Gordon Campbell Con: Frank Delgrosso 2		Try: L Grogan, Dick Cunningham, T Bergan, N Dunn 2 Con: L Grogan 2	Referee: Vic Simpson

Auckland v Canterbury (Northern Union Cup)

Canterbury team coming on to the field in the inset photograph and the crowd in the terrace.

The Canterbury side was coached by former Ponsonby, Auckland, and New Zealand player, Thomas McClymont.

	24 August	Auckland	47–18	Canterbury	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Claude List, Hec Brisbane, R Carter, Frank Delgrosso, Allan Seagar, N Pascoe, Jim O'Brien, Albert Payne 3, Stanley Francis Con: Frank Delgrosso 4, Jim O'Brien, Charles Gregory, Stanley Francis		Try: E Spillane, Jim Amos, A O'Connor, T Green Con: Jim Sanders, A O'Connor 2	Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Billy Mincham

Inter island match

Len Scott was injured during the match and replaced by Allan Seagar for the North Island while for the South Island Jim Sanders was injured and replaced by Doogan. In past years the North Island team was dominated by players from the Auckland competition however the North Island team on this occasion featured players from outside Auckland such as Dick Trautvetter, Bob Stephenson, Joe Menzies and Tom Timms from the Waikato (South Auckland) side, and Ted Meyer and T Bergan from Northland.

	7 September	North Island	13–22	South Island	Carlaw Park 1
	3:00	Try: Bill Hamilton, Ted Meyer, Frank Delgrosso Con: Charles Gregory, Frank Delgrosso		Try: Alf Townsend, Johnny Dodds, Norm Griffiths, Mick O'Brien Con: Bond 2 Pen: Bond 3	Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Percy Rogers

Auckland representative matches played and points scored

No	Name	Club Team	Played	Tries	Con	Pen	Points
1	Frank Delgrosso	Ponsonby	3	3	7	0	23
2	Hec Brisbane	Marist	2	3	0	0	9
2	Albert Payne	Ponsonby	1	3	0	0	9
4	Claude List	Kingsland	3	2	0	0	6
5	Allan Seagar	Devonport	3	2	0	0	6
6	Robert (Bob) Carter	Kingsland	2	2	0	0	6
7	Stanley Francis	Newton	2	1	1	0	5
8	Jim O'Brien	Marist	1	1	1	0	5
9	Len Scott	Devonport	1	1	0	0	3
10	Gordon Campbell	Marist	1	1	0	0	3
11	Charles Gregory	Marist	2	0	1	0	2
12	Lindsay Simons	Devonport	1	0	0	0	0
12	A McIntyre	Ponsonby	1	0	0	0	0
12	Alf Scott	Devonport	1	0	0	0	0
12	Bill Skelton	Ponsonby	2	0	0	0	0
12	Ernest Ruby	Devonport	2	0	0	0	0
12	Dick Moisley	Marist	3	0	0	0	0
12	Norman Pascoe	City	2	0	0	0	0
12	Bill Hamilton	City	1	0	0	0	0
12	Puti Tipene Watene	City	1	0	0	0	0
12	Willie Shortland	City	2	0	0	0	0
12	Ralph Jenkinson	Richmond	1	0	0	0	0
12	Ted Mincham	Richmond	1	0	0	0	0
12	Victor Fagan	Ponsonby	1	0	0	0	0

Annual general meetings and club news

• Akarana Rugby League Football Club held at Carlaw Park on Sunday 24 March. It was noted that the club had assets totally £36 3s 5d. They had also sent a team on tour in each of its 3 seasons. The tour to Christchurch had cost £115 which had been raised at social functions during the season.

• Auckland Rugby League annual general meeting held at the Chamber of Commerce, Swanson Street on Thursday 4 April.

• Auckland Rugby League Referees Association held at the League Rooms on Monday 25 March.

• City Rovers Football Club held at Carlaw Park on Sunday 17 March. The City team acquired the services of W. Shortland, the North Auckland and Māori representative rugby halfback. He moved to live in Auckland and surprised followers of both codes by playing for City in their Round 12 match.

• Devonport United Football Club held at Ford’s Tea Rooms on Monday 19 March.

• Ellerslie United League Football Club held at the club's training shed, Ellerslie on Monday 25 March.

• Grafton Athletic held at Buffaloes Hall, St. Benedict’s St., near Newton Rd, on Sunday 24 March. It was decided at a later meeting to amalgamate with the Kingsland Rovers club.

• Junior Management Committee held at the Auckland Rugby League Rooms, Gray’s Buildings, on Tuesday 19 March.

• Kingsland Rovers Football Club held at Buffalo Lodge Rooms, St Benedicts St on Sunday 24 March. It was decided at a later meeting to amalgamate with the Grafton Athletic club. The vice-president Mr. Edward Thomas Avery died in a fall from a ladder while at his work at the Auckland Gas Company. His son was Bert Avery, who had captained the New Zealand team in England.

• Mangere United Football Club held in Cook’s Hall, Onehunga, Tuesday 9 April.
• Marist Brothers Old Boys League Football Club held at Donovan’s Gymnasium, Parnell on Thursday 14 March.

• Mt. Albert United Rugby League Football Club held at King George Hall, Mt Albert Terminus on Thursday 7 March.

• Mt Wellington Rugby League Football Club request players to get in touch with Secretary W.E. Frost.

• New Lynn League Football Club held at the Foresters’ Hall, New Lynn, on 13 March. The New Lynn and Glen Eden teams played as one in 1929 under the name of Glen Lynn.

• Newmarket Rugby League Football Club held at No. 8 Melrose St., Newmarket, Thursday 28 February.

• Newton Rangers Football Club held at Y.M.C.A Buildings, Wellesley St. East, on Monday 18 March. Newton complained after 3 rounds to the Management Committee that it was impossible for members of their team to play early matches at Carlaw Park as its players had to travel long distances at a heavy expense.

• Northcote and Birkenhead Ramblers League Football Club held at Foresters’ Hall, Birkenhead on Monday. The Northcote Borough Council met on 21 May. It was decided that both rugby union and soccer had to pay for the use of the municipal football ground but league did not on account of it providing the use of its own large mower and labour to cut the grass when required. All clubs had to make their own arrangements for marking out the ground and removing the goal posts after play each Saturday.

• Otahuhu Rugby League Football Club held at the Gas Company’s Hall, Otahuhu, Monday 4 March. At the end of the season Otahuhu held a reunion where the B Grade team was congratulated on winning the Thistle Cup, and the schoolboys team was presented with the Davis Cup.

• Parnell League Football Club held at Donovan’s Gymnasium, Parnell, on Thursday 14 March.

• Papatoetoe Rugby League Club held at Papatoetoe Town Hall on Tuesday 2 April. They decided to form three teams and ask the council for permission to play on any of its grounds. They requested assistance from the Auckland Rugby League in the purchase of jerseys.

• Point Chevalier League Football Club held at the Sailing Club Hall on Wednesday 20 March. 60 members were present and it was decided to enter 6 teams across the various grades.

• Ponsonby United Football Club held at Leys Institute, Ponsonby, on Monday 18 March.

• Remuera Rugby League Football Club held at Mr. White’s Residence, 1a Clonbern Road, on Monday 11 March.

• Richmond Rovers Football Club held at the Gaiety Hall, Surrey Crescent on Thursday 14 March. Richmond was granted £10 by the Auckland Rugby League towards their trip to Hikurangi to play there. Richmond lost the services of T. Hanlon who signed to play for Broughton Rangers Club in England. He was set to leave on the Ruahine Ship on 21 August. Near the end of the season the league gave Prentice, a Richmond player for several seasons a sum of money to recognise his efforts over the years. He had suffered “a good deal of adversity”, including a broken nose… and has been put to a good deal of medical expense, but has never at any time made a claim upon the insurance fund provided by the League”.

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External links

• Auckland Rugby League Official Site