FOOTBALL

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 212, 6 September 1911, Page 2

FOOTBALL

AUCKLAND V. CANTERBURY. A PRIVATE OPINION. A .private letter received in Auckland states that the ground for the Auckland v. Canterbury match 'last Saturday was as hard as Queen-street, and the Auckland players did not show the combination expected of them. The blue and white forwards failed to hold their . opponents in anything like a decent manner, and the Canterbury vanguard time after time (broke through them. The • heeling of the ball from the scrum was . very erratic, the leather coming out at • all angles. This greatly ha-mpered Otter- • son, and he did not get the ball away cleanly from the pack, with the eonse- ■ j quence that the backs were starved, ; | Stewart and Macky in particular getting i | very few chances. Murray, in the centre ; | played a great game, and his line-kick - ■ ing was a feature of the match. On one I occasion he got over the chalk-mark, but! i fell on his 'back, and failed to ground' the hall. Hayward also had bad luck on' one occasion. The Thames forward got) a nasty kick on the mouth. Geddes ■ played magnificently until he was hurt. I His run was a brilliant one, the 'Varsity I player going from the half-way line as! straight as a die, and it was only a great \ tackle 'by Murray, the Canterbury wing, | that saved a scotc Geddes wasiiot seri-1 I ously injured, but at the time of writ-! ing it was doubtful if he would be able to play in the remaining matches. Hall played a great game, and was in the •thick of everything. His display was one of the 'best the Ponsonby player has;, ever given. (yLeary was in good form, and after Geddes got huit played a fine game at five-eighths. O'Brien, during the ■time he was on, gave a fine exhibition. I An effort will be math- to get Cunningham away for the Wellington and Tarai naki matches.