GRAFTON'S GREAT PACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 183, 5 August 1935, Page 13

GRAFTON'S GREAT PACE.

With the defeat on Saturday of Grammar »nd Otahuhu, who were on the same rung of the championship ladder, Graftou take top place with 13 points, leaving the extraordinary position of four teams being on equal terms with 12 points on the second rung. Otahnhu, Grammar, Technical College Old Boys and University are all equal with ilarist only one point behind.

After their excellent performance against Otahnhu in the big match of the day at Eden Park, Graftou deserved to foe-at the top of the table. For the greater part of the match their forwards, among whom Ferguson, Hardy, Anderson and Roddick were always where the fight was thickest, controlled the game. They won the ball from scrums and lino-outs, and gave their backs a feast. Pull advantage of every opportunity was taken by Grafton's speedy set of backs. The real thrust on attack was provided, by Neale, who played, splendidly throughout both on attack and defence. 'At all stages of the game the Grafton backs were a far more dangerous attacking force lhan their opponents, who, only in the last few minutes, attacked with any purpose. There were periods of thrilling duels among the hacks, when they threw the ball aliout with rare abandon, passing and inter-passing in dazzling fashion. The scoring opened soon after the start, Dick opening Grafton's account f>y galloping away for a spectacular try. Within a minute the scores were even, Bayer having landed a penalty for Otahuliu. But Grafton's sustained attack and the tcheming of their backs gave them, a fivejoint lead when half time came. Five points was not a great hurdle for any team to jump, and Otahuhu started about' their task of recovery confidently. But Grafton drove them back far, and a glorious forward attack ended-in. Ferguson going over for Paton to- convert with a great kick. Alternative fast raids by both sides kept the crowd cheering excitedly. Pearson, who in the firat spell played on the wing for Otahuhn, went to his usual place at centre three-quarter, and the Otahuhu back attrack was considerably, sharpened up. He made several brilliant 1010 bursts that went near to success. But strive as they did to overhaul Graflon, the luck was all against Otahuhu, and half-way through the second sppll they lost-the excellent services of G. Solomon, who was carried off with an injured knee, ijp to that stage Solomon had been always a menace to the Grafton backs, and while a close watch was kept on E. J. Hedge, much damage was done by Solomon at second five-eighth. The all round defence of Grafton was one of the features of the watch. Every man tackled with wonderful determination and there was never any suspicion that, even when the Otahuhu attack was at its fiercest, the Grafton defence would falter. . So the game ended with the score at 14 points to t> in Grafton s favour—a reasonable indication of the respective merits of the two teams on the flay.