1925 Auckland Rugby League season
The funeral was on the Sunday leaving his parents residence in Epsom and progressing to Purewa Cemetery where he was buried.
On 9 July at the New Zealand Council meeting John Stormont presented a shield to be played for among the senior clubs.
In comments later in the week the Auckland Star described the match as "brutal" with much "illegal and unsportsmanlike play".
Prior to the kickoff teams stood in silence for one minute as a mark of respect for the late William Stormont of the Marist club who had died two days earlier.
The match between Marist and Richmond scheduled to be played at Victoria Park was cancelled due to his death.
From 1910 to 1919 he played for North Shore (Devonport), Grafton Athletic, and City though spent 2–3 years at war in between.
Ponsonby scored shortly after halftime and then when Newton had spent a period of play on attack, crossing for a try they decided that they had had enough and the game was called.
In the main match at Carlaw Park before a crowd of 10,000 City scored on full time however W Sandham missed a relatively easy conversion which would have given them the win.
Charles Hand kicked 6 goals on debut for Newton after transferring mid week from Devonport.
Athletic were missing their star back, Craddock Dufty who did not play owing to an injured hand.
There were 9,000 in attendance at Carlaw Park but the majority would have been watching the match on the number 1 field at the time where Marist beat Devonport 19–11.
Jim O'Brien for Marist and Tom Haddon for Devonport were ordered off for fighting in their match at Carlaw Park.
George Davidson played his first game of the season for City, ostensibly replacing his brother Ben in the back line who was rested with an injured foot.
Matthew Kirkland scored 4 tries in Marist's 35–3 win over his former club, Athletic in greasy conditions at the Auckland Domain.
At the Devonport Domain the local winger, Buffet had to deal with a dog crossing the field as he attempted to catch a ball.
Lou Hutt debuted for Ponsonby after transferring from the Ngaruawahia club in the South Auckland (Waikato) competition.
Despite the "squally weather" and muddy ground the match was said to be one of the best games played at Carlaw Park during the season.
The round 15 match between Kingsland and Otahuhu was not played due to the poor condition of the field at the Auckland Domain.
When they secured the title on 19 September they were a full 6 points clear of their nearest rival according to newspaper reports.
The result was not reported in the newspapers but did appear in the Rugby League Annual of 1949 written by Bill Davidson.
Charles Gregory of the Auckland Marist side scored the first ever points on the ground when he kicked a penalty and thus won a trophy presented by Mrs. Thacker.
Unusually it was preceded by a rugby union game between the Vermont Street School who were the season champions, and the St Benedicts XV.
Ponsonby won the rugby league match by 26 points to 16 and all the victorious players were presented with 'gold' medals afterwards.
Following this they played a Northern Union Challenge Cup match against the holders South Auckland and were victorious by 24 points to 16.
Two weeks later Auckland played Queensland who were being touted as the finest league team in the world at the time in the first of three matches.
After the trial matches were played the New Zealand team was selected by Mr Liversedge, Pearce, and Harding, and 14 Auckland players made the side.
They were: Craddock Dufty, Charles Gregory, Lou Brown, Hec Brisbane, Frank Delgrosso, Jack Kirwan, Bert Laing, Maurice Wetherill, Wilson Hall, Stan Webb, Bert Avery, Ernie Herring, Jim O'Brien, and Horace Dixon.
Claude List became the first player selected from the B Division to make the full Auckland representative side.
He played for the Kingsland Rovers club and had been mentioned as being as good as any player in his position in New Zealand rugby league.
Shortly before halftime Stan Rayner was carried from the field on a stretcher and replaced by Bill Te Whata.
