SOCCER REVIEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 144, 20 June 1932, Page 13

SOCCER REVIEW.

SECOND ROUND STARTS. Y.M. STILL IN LEADING PLACE. vIV-.v v »v. 4 .. •*">* ' ;s ' • .^ v ONEHUNGA UPSETS NORTH SHORE. The first series of games in the second round of'the Soccer' senior competition was played on Saturday, and as a result the positions of the .clubs- are but little altered. The victory over Glen limes by Y.M.C.A. keeps the latter still at the top, with Thistle one point .-behind-, consequent on their gaining the verdict over i'onsonby.' Tramnrewa receive a welcome brace of points their victory over New Lynn which, however,'does not remove them from the 1 bottom of the table. Onehunga. move up to third place by their win against North Shore, and the state of the competition is as follows:— 1

GLEN INNES DISAPPOINT.

For more than half the game against Y.M. Glen lnnes gave the impression that they might at any moment spring a surprise on the senior leaders, but in the second portion! of the second half a rot seemed to set in, and the.country side faded with tragic suddenness. : The end came with a somewhat comfortable win for Y.M. It was no surprise that on the difficult ground Glen lnnes could not maintain the pace they set themselves in the early part of the game. The players always seemed to allow their eagerness to overrun their discretion and better judgment, and when Y.M. laid seige to the Glen lnnes charge by swinging the ball about the younger players were unable to keep up with the game. The weakness of Glen Inne* in position play was never more glaringly demonstrated than it was on Saturday, for the players kept so close to the ball all the game that sometimes there were four of them after it at the same time, when one was all that was necessary. The result was that in a eountermove by Y.M. Glen limes were hopelessly at sea. The"y recovered with remarkable speed, only so long as the physical factor allowed. Then Y.M. was paramount. The backs, the brothers H. and R. Stone, marred their previous displays by the risks they took in leaving their positions repeatedly and dribbling up the field Willi the ball. Both backs can play a much better game than they did on Saturday. The risks they took were certainly not justified. The half-backs got out of position through their anxiety to break up Y.M. attacks, but the ground also beat them. The forwards at times were clever and again 'missed the (simplest chances. Hitchin was outstanding' by his clever, elusive play.

Y.M. were best served by their half-back line, in which the strategy of Christie was the outstanding feature. lie repeatedly slammed the ball out to his wings, taking advantage of the wandering disposition of the opposing defence and keeping the game open and Interesting. The

Y.M. backs were far from secure, due allowauce- having, of course, to be made ■ for the conditions. Kiiy was an absentee from the front Hue, and ' Chalmers took the left flank. Ross, a junior,' made a promising appearance at inside right, showing sound constructive play. Chapman went nap on the day with his goal-scoring, gaining all' five, but he also missed about another five. From the closest range and Willi an empty goal before him the Y.M. centre seemed to do what seemed the impossible—send the ball over or behind, nan is a force to be Y.M. attack.

GOOD MATCH IN THE MUD.

A somewhat remarkable feature about the match between Tramurewa and New Lynn at Walker Park on Saturday was the remarkably high standard o£ play exhibited in view of the wretched conditions under which the teams met—in rain and wind, and on a treacherous ground. Players Showed" good .ball., control and much individual cleverness. Throughout the match the victorious tean\. Trnrmircwa (score 3—2), were little, if at all, superior to New Lynn. The teams were,, in fact, well matched, and each s'ide was a'vigorous goldseeker. '.'. Both goalies, Batty and Morris, were kept busy and saved many certain scores. The forwards of each' team worked well and with understanding, and particularly was this the case among the New Lynn vanguard. Dunsmore and Webb, for NeW Lynn; were Outstanding for their

id Brown, outside-left, played with dash. Jay, Spencer and Donaldson were the most prominent of the Tramurewa attack, Spencer netting two of the three goals. Spencer kept his position, which gave him the opportunity to score as he did. This was proved when he took advantage of a short pass from one of his mates on the left flank and deftly headed it in, where Morris had no chance of saving. Jones, New

~ Lynn, was the best . Spencer. lia if on tMe fl e ld. play- . ing. a robust, bustling game. Blocklcy and Reid maintained a sturdy defence, as likewise did Tinkler and Simpson, full-backs for Tramurewa, who did well to win, playing as they did one man short throughout.

HARD TO BEAT AT HOME.

Onelumga's reputation of being hard to heat on tlieir own ground -was fully maintained on Saturday, when North Shore yielded both points, after a hard-fought iraino. True to tradition, the Manukausiders put up a far better showing at home than they generally do on "foreign' grounds, and they were full value for their win. Seldom has football been played under more trying conditions. Pouring rain and a bleak cross wind made matters unpleasant, to say the least of it, and the ground was so soaked that the feet of the players sent up splashes of water in most places. The ball, moreover, was "heavy as-lend and it would not have been a difficult matter for a player to dislocate an ankle with a weak or inaccurate kick. Considering all these factors, it was a splendid game, and the standard of play was remarkablv high. The ball travelled from end to end almost as fast as one would have expected on a fine day, and skill and ball control were not lacking. Onehunga won because they adopted tne long-passing game—a style which was the obvious course under all the circumstances. Shore were well served in defence and their forwards did many clever things individually, but they kept the ball far too close, and the Onehunga half-backs repeatedly robbed them before they could get to close quarters. The visitors from Waitemaraside put in long spells of heavy pressure, but Zuill was in his best form and made many brilliant and enterprising saves. One uses the word "enterprising" to illustrate the rep. goalkeeper's characteristic method of anticipating the in-: tentious of the oppo-

sition and dashing out to clear. In this respect: he stands alone; in Auckland football! All the same, he was lucky on two occasions on Saturday when, tho ball struck the post and rebounded Into j play. '.i,, ■•'■'. i The Onehunga halves were in splendid I form, Dick giving his best display of the. season and receiving good support from both Dawson and Davis. Woodhall; and, Gill were prominent among the forwards, and Huston swung the ball across in great style. On the opposite flank F. E. Scott, a Navy recruit, made a second appearance for Onehunga, and also gave a good, display. Shore were well served by Leonard and Elwell, their Navy players, and Palmer, at outside left, again demonstrated the fact that a veteran can have plenty of good football in him. He travelled fast in the heavy going and was clever With both head and feet. Goldsworthy made a promising showing at right-half, and Smith kept goal excellently. The game .was- well refereed by Mr. A. Firth.

PONSONBY BUNGLE CHANCES. The Ponsonby defeat was the result of weakness in front of goal on the part of the inside forwards. Time and time again they were within striking distance, only to throw away their chances, sometimes by tackling each other for the ball. Then again there were times when luck seemed dead against them, but there was no excuse for some of the failures. Thistle deserved their victory because they were the more balanced and cohesive team. Their attacks were always carried out with system and purpose and they kept the ball swinging from wing to wing. In their defence Thistle had nothing to show that was better than Ponsonby, save that the half-backs as a rule parted with the ball to better advantage. Watson, Potts and Stewart were every whit as good as Gerrard, Wright and Williams. Wright did a good deal of McCosh's work in addition to his own, but the latter seldom wasted a ball. Ballocli was deadly in his tackling, enterprising in his aggressive moves and speedy in recovery, and the same can be said of Watson. Morrison was a tower of strength in Ponsonby's pivotal position, as also were his flank men, Grant and Masters, but the latter pair fell far short in their placing. Thistle attack was always much more definite and finished than that of Ponsonby, the contrast being similar to that of a disjointed unit and a cohesive, smooth-working machine. Hislop was the corner stone of most of the Thistle attack, his strategy and tieldcraft being especially pronounced. He brought the best out of Wood, and also gave McLcay, who did not appear so energetic as usual, many nice openings. Williamson was forceful and seemed to suit himself to the conditions, while dimming, if he was not so much in the picture as he sometimes is, was always effective. For Ponsonby lnnes and Whaley on the right and left flanks respectively, made ground whenever they were given the opportunity, but Forrester, Diamond and Whimster, the inside trio, while individually showing no end of dash and vigour, palpably failed in finishing. It was a pity to see some of their efforts being wasted by futile attempts to score. The game was hard and willing throughout, and was played in an admirable spirit.

GRADE GAMES,

[ SENIOR RESERVE. I'onsonby 2, bent Thistle 0. Y.M.C.A. 7, beat Glen Innes 2. North Shore 3, beat Onehunga 0. SECOND GRADE. Belmont 2, heat Swanson 1. I'onsonby S, beat Mount Albert Grammar 0.8. 2. Burnley 3. drew with Comrades B 3. Abel's 4, beat Seamen's United 0. North Shore 4, beat Comrades A 2. THIRD GRADE INTERMEDIATE. Tumaki 3, beat W.Y.M.I. 1. Mount Albert Grammar 0;B. 6, beat Belmont 2. I Comrades 2, drew with Y.M.C.A. 2. FOURTH GRADE. Mount Albert Grammar 0.8. 6, beat Y.M.C.A. B 0. Belmont 5, beat Tapatoetoc 0. Y.M.C.A. A 3, beatMetro-College B 0. Metro-College 2, beat Ilowe Street Church 0. Comrades 3, beat Burnley 1. FIFTH GRADE. Metro-College 6. beat Abel's 0. Belmont 13, beat Tamnki B 0. Tnniaki A 4. beat Comrades A 0. Y.M.C.A. 4, beat Technical College 0.8. 0. SIXTH GRADE. Comrades B 2, beat Onehunga B 0. Metro-College 3, beat Y.M.C.A. 0. Onehunga A 5, beat Thistle 2. Belmont 1, drew with Comrades A 1. North Shore 5, beat Y.M.C.A. A 1. SEVENTH GRADE. Comrades B 1, drew with Belmont B 1. . Y.M.C.A. n 1, boat Y.M.C.A. C 0. Y.M.C.A. B 3, drew with Comrades A 3. Belmont A 2, beat Y.M.C.A. A 0. North Shore 2. beat Tumaki A 1. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. Senior Grade.—Mount Albert Grammar A-4, heat Technical College 1; Takapunn Grammar 6, beat Mount Albert Grammar B 1. Intermediate Grade. — Mount Albert Grammar A 4. beat Kowhai Junior High School 0: Mount Albert Grammar B 4, beat Auckland Grammar 2. Junior Grade.—Kowhai Junior High School 1, beat Sacred Heaisfei College 0; Mount Albert Grammar A A\beat Mount Albert Grammar B 2. GAMES IN THE PROVINCE. HUNTLY. Chatham Cup.-t-Renown 2, beat Huntly Thistle 0. Junior Grade. —Starrtown 4, beat Rotowaro 1. WHANGAREI. Thistle 2, beat Mountain Rovers 1. GAMES IN THE SOUTH. GREYMOUTH. Teter Dawson Cup.—Final: Buller 4, beat Westland (holders) 3. CHHISTCIIURCH. Chatham Cup.—Final: Thistle 7, beat Technical B 1. WELLINGTON. Waterside 3, drew with Swifts 3. Marist 5, beat Scatoun 0. I'etone 5, boat Diamond 2. Hospital 4, beat Lower Hutt 2. FOR F.A. TROPHY. WELLINGTON TEAM V. OTAGO. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Sunday. Mr. W. B. Hicks, sole selector, has picked the following Soccer team to represent Wellington against Otago at Dunedin on' July 2 for the Football Association tropliy:—Ell, Longbottom, Bolton, J. McLeod, Campbell, Hanlon, Nicolle, Condon, Marshall, Longbottom, Craig. Reserve: E. Jellerys.

I Goals. P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Y.M.G.A 8 5 — 3 30 13 13 Thistle 8 5 1 2 25 10 12 Onchuiiga 8 3 3 2 14 25 8 North .Shore ... 8 2 3 3 21 1!) 7 Ponsonby ...... 8 i 3 4. 1 17 , l!l 7 New ..... 8 2 4 2 14 10 ti Glen 1 mica '. ... 8 3 5 —17 23 6 Tramurewa .... . 8 2 5 1 18 22 5