FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 158, 4 July 1916, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. 1 Though the sun shone spasmodically, ; and there was no wind on Saturday j afternoon, the drenched and soddeu nature of the grounds dictated that, ; teams being reasonably equal in other . lespects, the forward should be the • winning factor in the Rugby matches , down for decision. Grounds that wcrcj] not dotted with actual splashv spots i, very soon developed particular squashy areas, which lay in wait for the unwary player. Any attempt at side-stepping, swerving, jinking or other foot-jugglery oi the game upon these irrease-spots invariably ended in the sudden prostration of the would-be juggler, and when a cyclone of opponents had passed over him he arose of the earth earthy. Consequently play was for the most part of the kick-and-rush. dribble-and-divc — sometimes, alas, of the bung-it-in-and-biff—order, with the fine points of the game fumbled and foozled, and the broad effects (and most of the players) splashed in heavily, in mud. But the games were full of changing aspects, and what the onlookers missed in spectacular play they got in playing spectacles. Under the circumstances it was a great chance for Grafton, with a heavy, raking set of forwards, to pull down the colours of Grammar Old Boys' A team, which relied chiefly for its unbeaten record on cleverness in tho line points. Grafton made a very big try, and started off in {he proper manner, but let keenness at times outrun discretion in a manner that spoilt the spirit ot the game, and probably brought about the deserved penalty. For had they played the ball continuously and relentlessly, as they started, they would very likely have got Grammar into a state of worry, but instances of playing the man aroused the Grammar players to resentment, that gave them just the "ginger' required to make them the winners. The College game between Grammar 'School B and 'King's College again demonstrated what a close competition the | secondary schools championship is this year. Previously beaten by Kings by 1 three points, Grammar B this time defeated Kings by a try. Sacred Heart, the leaders in the competition, had previously beaten Grammar School A by a point, Grammar B by six points, and King's College by eight points; Grammar A ha 6 beaten Grammar B by a try: to that with the subsequent defeat of King's by a large margin by Grammar A, we can expect something doing when f-acred Heart and Grammar A meet cgain on Saturday week. AT THE SHOW GROUNDS. Saturday was not the sort of day on which cue would look for an exhibition of first-class football, and the game between City and Ponsonby certainly did not provide anything of the sort. In j the rirst place, some of the plajvcrs seemed to have got the notion that, as well as playing football, they were also taking part in a debate. If teams of schoolboys had talked as much as the City and Ponsonby representatives did on Saturday they would have expected a dressing-dawn from their coaches, it would be interesting to know what the coaches said to the wearers of the red and black and the blue and black after the gaona. Oa the Ponsonby side the forwards got to work right away, and made things lively for their opponents, but their offensive was a brief one. Hunt, at wing forward, did a iot of useful work, and Reid and Gavin also showed up to some advantage at times. Realising that it was hardly a day to handle the ball with much success they kept it at their feet. City soon saw the force of this argument in attack, and before the end of the first quarter they adopted the same tactics with succcs?. Middleton, Daly and Herring were always in the forefront, and it was due to their efforts in a forward dash that Daly got across. Behind the scrum for the red and blacks Lang was safe, and when the chance offered he let the ball out. There was something wrong with the City back however, and the weak spot seemed to he. located about the five-eighths. On the wings Duane and Smith handled the wet ball fairly well, but the whole rearguard formation lacked combinstion. In the backs for Ponsonby there was a rather better display. Elliot, behind the scrum, took advantage of his chances, and made a number of good openings. He was well backed by his five-eighths, and Dickenson at centre three-quarter. The latter certainly gave quite the best display. He was good alike in attack and defence, kicks well and has a nice turn of speed. Occasionally he showed a tendency to hold the ball a little too long. At full-back Johnston played a very, fair game, though there was nothing brilliant about his exhibition. A FAST AND STRENUOUS GAME. When Grafton and Grammar A met on Saturday, they came together with a decided bump. It was obvious that Grafton had determined to make it a hard forward game, which, of course, v,as the game for the day, and in the first five minutes they carried the Old Boys off their feet and secured a try. The latter, however, began presently to discount the weight and dash of the Grafton vanguard by meeting it with more clever footwork in the front rank, supported by much superior individual play among their backs, with the result that they were soon in the ascendancy, and finished the first spell with a lead of three tries to one —nine points to three. In the second spell things became somewhat strenuous in consequence ot one or two of the Grafton players "roughing it," and excitement became intense when Grafton, with a sweeping forward hush, gained another try and got once more within striking distance of the Grammar score. This try was really the best of the day. A breakaway by Maekreth, for Grammar, ended quite close to the Grafton line, where the Grafton pack rallied for defence, and then, before the ball could get to the sideline, broke away into a charge that swept the ball from one end of the ground to the other, ending in a score

Had the Grafton players gone all out for the ball after this, and legally used their natural advantages in the line and loose, they might yet ha*e pulled the game out of the lire, but occasional lapses in the way of stopping to play the man lost them their advantage, and gave the dashy Wilson a chance which he lost no time in converting to a try. The adding of a goal by McLean, making the score fourteen to six, practically ended Grafton's chances. Taken on the whole it was a case of an all-round clever team defeating a Jiard-playing pack of forwards, which was not too well supported by its backs. On a day when individual cleverness counted much, the work of McLean

(wing forward) when he> got among the Grafton backs, the clewsrnicss, both at tacking and defending, of Roe. Baddeley and 'Wilson in the half line, and the nippiness and pace of !Sicnolson and Mackreth at the ends of thi- threeqnarter line accounted chiefly for the Grammar win. The Grafton forwards more than held their own, but were not supported as they should have been by the backs. There was, however, an inclination to overdo the strenuous business that might, with advantage to their play, be dropped. THE WOODEN SPOON. FIRMLY HELD BY UNIVERSITY. It is questionable whether many of the jerseys used in the battle of the B's (Grammar and University) will be of any use for some time to come. In many respects the game was like an aquatic contest, a circumstance which was due to the wet condition of No. 2 ground at Eden Park. .Skating and diving were favourite diversions. As may be gathered, from the foregoing remarks, effective back play was out of the question. Grammar made a few attempts to open up, and, unoler the circumstances, their efforts were creditable. But with so greasy a ball aitd insecure a foothold something would invariably go wrong between the take-off and the goal-lino. The team were fortunate in having the heavier forwards, because this department was all important. As skipper and a member of the pack, Lane set a fine example in the matter of dash and judgment, his efforts being seconded by wibing followers. In the back division, Woods was a bright performer while Burke and Cash-more also came out on occasions. The losers were game to the end. and with a little more weight in front and pace hehind, they would have lessened the score gap. As a team they crowded too much, and attempted to pass in impossible positions. Up to the final I change of ends they were pointless | against a lead of six to Grammar. Still ■ they kept on trying, and their perseverance was rewarded by an unconverted try. Grammar, however, equalised this with another three points, which caused the game to end 9 to 3. Grammar thus scored their first points of the season, and University ucre established as "leaders" for the wooden spoon.