CUP TIE SOCCER.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 136, 11 June 1929, Page 14

CUP TIE SOCCER.

CHATHAM FIRST ROUND.

SUCCESS CC

B GKADE TEAMS,

DOUR STRUGGLES AT BLANDFORD

The first round of the Chatham Cup competition played on Saturday proved highly satisfactory from the point of view of attractive games served up. While,'the,- entries were certainly. disappoiiiling. under the guarantee of the A.F.A. to meet Lhe probable cost of a trip to Wellington, the clubs that did take ;part served up real cup tie Soccer. A most -regrettable feature is the continued aloofness' of North Shore from co-operation with the association.. Devonport jhq, birthplace of the game in Auckland and it has throughout the history of the code always been regarded as the greatest stronghold. The attitude of lion-co-operation by the present club management must be deeply deplored by former supporters and well-wishers. For the"first time since the formation of the (•lull back in the days of C. Dacre, North Shore withdrew their senior team last seal on ere tlie fixtures had been completed. Then the club declined to lend a hand in the effort of the A.F.A. to improve its financial position. Next was of tlie management to take any part in the seven-a-side tourney at tlie'outset of this season, and now comes "tire imost unkiudest cut of all," refusal to enter-for the Chatham Cup, even when guaranteed expenses if required. The most deplorable fact is that several of tlicv prominent players of the club arc deeply incensed that their officials have taVjen this course; they desire to assist the? association and resent being prevented from taking part in the Dominion club championship. What, then, is the reason for this dog in the manger attitude of the powers that be? If those governing the club are not wholeheartedly behind the code it is their duty "to make room for those who are. Th| matter is one that requires some action by the A.F.A. . writes suggesting that in future meetings of Celtic and Thistle an(i Ponsonby and Trains, where the similarity of uniforms is apt to be confusing, steps should be. taken to see that one team lias a distinctive colour of ?shorts. With 'floodlight' games for tho) next four or five weeks, this suggestion is a very wise one and worthy of thtf consideration of the senior division committee. Another correspondent finds cause of complaint with the .referees in senior games and makes'a v,: plea"for the appointment of some of the younger men to important matches. Supporters, however, should always remember t,hat there is ft desperate need 'for'i'efe.ye.eg and,their assistance would be' gla'dlJK;-accepted.

STING WITH THISTLE. The spectators at headquarters had a bargain day with a vengeance on Saturday. The two-hour battle between Thistle and, Y.M. caused by the-extra time provision under the competition necessitated Celtic and Ponsonby match starting late, and these clubs are to be congratulated ons agreeing to play under electric light in.«order to assist -the A.F.A, out of a difficult position. The Thistle-YM. game wqls what -One would have expected from these old rivals. It was a game that fluctuated several times in pace though n<#-er ifi -"keenness or intensity of effort. Thistle'/ were'/the better combined side and were they more deadly in front, of goal. Their -constructive play was more pronounced than that of their opponents, though the dangerous inclination, especially'-on the part of some of the defenders, to dribble at close quarters. One of the " features of the game was undoubtedly the consistent brilliance of Billiard ill'-; goal for . Y.M. He -saved his side time and time again. For the winners Gerrard was safe in goal and Fergusson . and Hibbert showed to better advantage than for some weeks past. When the former went to the centre-half berth in the second spell, lie acquitted 'himself very creditably. The half-back line did far too much finessing, especially Hamilton. MoCosli and Hamilton were much in evidence and played soundly in defence, bijjt repeatedly lost possession long —— alter ' they ought to ; J ' have parted with j tile ball. Eowat, at i right-half, was a I plodder throughout. ; His breaking up I was the best part of I h;fe game and he | irftido an obvious ?. effort to place with | accuracy. The for- | wirds were one- [£ sitled —that is, the line moved mostly b| the left. Cum- / mijngs was starved most of the game a'ljd in this respect the team erred, for Kay and Hislop were finding matters M- from easy. Chalmers'played a hard gime, but should have'; r given his partner more of the ball. ' Webb was willing and eager at centre-forward, while Hislop and Kay weretahvays dangerous. Tito team will not M'/easily, ousted from tljje competition, f6r they, have wellhapanced combination, but their unforgivable sin is over finessing and dailyink- . ' '■ iY.M. defence with the lion- j oilrs of the side for the day. Hilliard, a3 already stated, was brilliant. Movvat was outstanding in his brushes with tile tricky and dangerous Thistle leftwing and he never lost a chance of stopping their advances. Otter throughout defended with vigour and determination and it was a pity he marred a,good display by conceding a- penalty. In the half-back line, the most consistent player was Riddolls. For effective, steady tackling and opening up attacking movements he was the best of,the trio. Ghapman was patchy, but Malcolm did all that was asked of him expeditiously. In the forwards probably the most profitable player was CJan'achan,"' solely for his deadly corner kicking* "and well-« •

judged centres, .tie j,;;/,..-:.....| WJas given too much stfope by .Hamilton, whose roving propensities provided in a. Ny openings. *; Humphveysf'/Was tile niost fchmistful of tlie forwards, and it} his eagerness was inclined to encroach on. tlie work of' Woods .at centreforward. The latter vi'aii.jiQt. so. effective. , been' this . .season and he found McCosh a stumbling block on many occasions. The leftA '

wing was at times useless owing to an injury to Whaley. McAuslan made several openings, but should not have continued feeding his partner when he was reduced to the position of a lame duck. At the close of the two hours both teams were "done to a frazzle/' but had given a display that- certainly pleased the spectators.

CELTIC ROMP HOME. Lost opportunities formed the rock bottom cause of the defeat of Ponsonbv by Celtic. The latter played bustling, vigorous Soccer, with little that could bo termed cohesive effort, while Ponsonby did aspire to team work and position play, and in this respect certainly achieved something. But what is a team without an accurate shot? This was where the Ponies failed and failed badly. Till well on in the second spell they had the bulk of the game and played superior Soccer, but after that Celtic, who early on were handicapped through losing Simm, simply could not be held and they battered their way to victory. It was a gruelling game throughout.

Ponsonbv defence stood up to tlie many assaults made on it with credit. Lyon had many hard shots to deal with. Lornie and Williams were enterprising and progressive in their clearances and the half-backs were

also very effective. Dick rose to the occasion and was the best of the three. He was the source of much constructive play and only very seldom did his failing, dribbling, come tolight. He placed with accuracy and discretion. Morrison played his usual hard plodding game and seldom. made a mistake, while Balloch was also a trier right through. In the forwards Innes was here, there and everywhere, and in the second spell changed places with A. Morrison. But while he bore tho burden of the attack he seldom was in the position of scoring. His partner made openings for the wings and the centre, but has not a shot, while Stewart always appeared to be crowded out. Wilson, on the left, refused to make the most of several simple chances, and Ward was not allowed to do much owing to the strength of the opposition.

Celtic played the characteristic kick and rush game. Their side never attempted cohesive play. The defence was forceful and not always particular in their tackling. McPhee, in goal for the winners, was safe and reliable. Harper and Whowell , were frequently shaky under pressure, but were willing workers and smart in recovery. In the middle line J.

Grant was most m evidence. He played

a very vigorous game incl liis long kicking was the foundation of most of the raids by his side. Wright kept a close grip on the Ponsonby inside forwards' and was reliable throughout. W. Grant was not outstanding. In the forwards combination was replaced by dashing tactics, which quite frequently faded out resultlessly, but always kept the opposing defence on the alert. It was a pity Simm's services were cut short and in the circumstances a caution might have met the case. His absence was greatly missed. Gavan was dangerous from a distance. The inside trio worked strenuously throughout and were full of running, and what counted most they took the chances that came their way.

ONEH-UNGA'S FAILING,

Although they held the advantage and -were attacking practically three parts of the game, Onehunga went down to Bon Accord by.'l goal to nil. While the backs performed well, their positional play and combination being first class, the forwards let their side down badly. It must have been heart-breaking 'for 'the backs, when they put their front line on the attack time and time again, to see movements " fizzle out" a yard or two from goal. The chief fault was lack of shooting, power and too m.uch finessing instead of driving for goal when in good scoring positions. Some really. good combined play was shown by the Onehunga forwards, but it went for nought.

The Bon Accord forward line was not much better than their opponents', the absence of Dunsmore seeming to affect their play, especially on the right wing. Their finishing was very weak, and the lack of a good scoring forward was very evident in both teams. Bon Accord backs must be given credit for their sound defensive display, especially in the last twenty minutes, when Onehunga attacked strenuously in an effort to pull the game out of the fire. Morris was sound in goal for Bon Accord, and dealt brilliantly with the -really few hard shots he had to stop. Re id played his usual solid game at full-back, his defence being a feature of his play. Nimmo, who partnered Eeid, was playing out of place, but gave a finished display. Liddle, Corbett, and McLachlan proved a useful half-back line, but "were sometimes 'weak on defence. Tremain played a good game on the right wing. Saundercock, who usually plays full-back, played inside right, but could not strike up a combination with Tremain. He did well nevertheless. Jerrim was only .fair at centre forward. Buchanan played well until the pace told. He has evidently not struck form yet. played a fair game at left wing, but his centres were often very weak. Zuill gave a good display in goal for Onehunga, and was unlucky after stopping Nicoll's shot for the ball to rebound off the post, giving the only goal scored. Mellor and Petersen were solid at full-back, but the former should not attempt to play forward as well. Woodhall was the best half on the field, giving a fine all-round display. Bentley and Johnston were also good in the halfback line, placing the ball well, and also being sound on defence. The forward line played with cleverness and cohesion, showing good ball control, but all their good field work was lost by weakness in front of goal. Whimster did not get much chance to shine, being completely held by the opposing half. Moon, Griffiths, and C4ill showed some pretty football, but did not have their shooting boots on. Jones got in some good work on the left wing,, though liis centres were far from accurate.

TRAMWAY'S CLEVER PLAY.

Tramways were far too strong for Corinthians at Victoria Park, and a score of 7 —2 by no means flattered the League leaders, who were well within themselves throughout the match. When a team is so obviously stronger it generally happens that the play is uninteresting, but such was not the case in this instance, for the opposition put up a sturdy defence, and the "Trammies" had to work hard for every goal. It was only in attack that the Corinthians were markedly lacking; had they been able to complete their attacks in more incisive style a different tale might have been told. »

The match was made particularly enjoyable to lovers of good Soccer by reason of the clever combination shown between the forward and intermediate lines of the Tramways team. Christie played one of his best games (and Christie's best is very good indeed). Lt was good to see a centre half dominate mid-field play as Tramways' pivot did, and i t was equally good to see the intelligent anticipation of his manoeuvres which was

shown by Bell, Spencer and Williams in the attacking line. There was a -very pretty understanding between forwards and half-backs, the ball being kept low, passed quickly and accurately, and trapped and controlled in workmanlike style. Only too seldom does one see such attractive play in cup-tie football, for science is often sacrificed to speed, and pearls of pedipulation to primal "punch." Mention must be made of the clever work of Tinkler and Fyfic, Christie s wing colleagues. Half-backs of widely dissimilar styles, they combined admirably with their wing forwards, Tinkler "getting there" by (lint of vigorous and forceful methods, and Fvfie by more subtle but none the less effective means. Batty was sound in goal, though he had little to do, and McElligott and Simpson were reliable backs.

Outstanding figures on the Corinthian side were Taylor, at full-back, and Harvey, at centre half. Aliern was a dashing outside right, but the line was held too sternly in check for many dangerous attacks to develop. Jones did his best to break through on one occasion, and he had the satisfaction of scoring a good goal, but it must have been a. thankless job leading a forward line against such a solid and brainy defence as Tramways showed on Saturday.

MANUREWA'S WIN. The game between Manurewa and Belmont was very even and interesting, both teams working hard. For Belmont Wylie in goal played well, and brought off some fine saves. The full-backs, 11. Bach and Kemp, had plenty of work to do and acquitted themselves well, .Kemp being the more prominent of the two. In the half-back line Lith'gow, at centrehalf, played a good game and is certainly in his proper position there instead of in the forward line. Woodall at righthalf played a fair game, but is inclined to hold on to the ball instead of clearing with the first kick. N. Bach was not up to his best form. . The forward line showed improvement, with Stewart and Allen most prominent. Galloway, a fourth grade player, gives promise. Cleal played a useful game, but still has a lot of leeway to make up before he reaches his best form. Another junior player was Furness, at inside-right. He played well but lacks experience.

The Manurewa team showed ability as a senior team and with experience will be hard to account for in later games. Parks in goal proved an able custodian and dealt confidently with everything that came his way. The fullbacks, Woods and Ross, played a fine defensive game and allowed the opposing forward line 110 scope when in front of goal. Lees at centre-half was the most prominent" back for Manurewa, and played a solid game throughout, holding the opposition well and placing the ball with'good judgment. The wing-halves, Brown and Clark, both played well and proved a stumbling block for the opposing wings. The Manurewa forwards were of the bustling type and all worked hard. It is hard to individualise but ,T. Williamson. and Anderson were slightly more prominent than the others. The wing men, H. and A. Donaldson, both _ played progressive football, their crossing being very accurate. L. William, at inside-right, was always- on the target and did not hesitate to shoot for goal when in a likely position.