SPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 169, 19 July 1941, Page 3 (Supplement)

SPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Fullback's Unique Scoring When V. Underwood, the Suburbs full-back, scored 15 of the points by which the club beat Takapuna, 21—8, he utilised every method of scoring known to the present-day Rugby game (a force-down once counted half a point to the opposition). He secured a try. converted another, potted a goal and landed a couple of penalties. There is even a contro ver s y whether he

scored for the opposition! Some spectators consider that he obstructed M. Fraser in the first spell, when the Takapuna captain seemed certain to beat all opposition in the race for the ball as it lay ingoal. Takapuna certainly was awarded a penalty try soon after the interval, at which stage last year's champion XV. was leading 5—3, but it was the younger Brady (Chas) who obstructed H. Kelly when referee R. K. Hayhow imposed' the maximum penalty. Underwood has played through the grades for Suburbs, and was originally centre-three-quarter. He left at the end of last winter to take up duty as a mechanic in the Royal New Zealand Air Force at Wigram, and was transferred to Hobsonville just after the opening of the present season. He has proved a tower of strength to Suburbs. On the field Underwood wears a noseguard, which has caused fans to confuse him with D. L. M. Martin, the former University centre and cricketer, who was married in March before leaving as a sergeant pilot in the R.N.Z.A.F. Tired of Full-back Role Jack Hemi's indifferent display at full-back in the first half of the match with South Auckland at Carlaw Park last Saturday may be partly attributable to preference for a position nearer the scrum. In club games Hemi has played on the wirtg and in the five-eighth position, and it is stated that he now does not like the full-back role. There was an improvement in the display of both Hemi and Smith, the winger, when they changed positions later in the game, but the necessity for this change a sain raises the argument that preference should have been given to W. S. Clarke, the City fullback, who has been the outstanding player this season in that position. Hemi's picking nowadays is not as brilliant as a few seasons back, and , all the goal-kicking last Saturday was undertaken by Smith. Bob Banham In Form ! Brilliant football by Bob Banham, the ex-Auckland and Mount Albert player-coach and the re-appearance of international Dave Brown, were features of South Sydney's sensa- : tional victory over the crack Eastern i Suburbs' team, leaders of the Sydney i club championship, a fortnight ago. South won 22 to 15. Commenting on Banham's form (he is captain of South), a Sydney critic said that Banham was easily the best back on the ground, and the players included many State stars. In one brilliant run, when he paved the way for a try, "he brought down the house." Banham cut through cleverly in South's twentyfive, and beat man after man in a 70 yards dash until Dermond, who had come from the other wing, made the tackle, but Banham timed his .pass nicely to Wunch, who dived over with two East men hanging r*n I

Aucklanders will be pleased to hear of Bapham's good form. He was a member of the Kiwi team to visit England in 1939, and was originally brought to Auckland in 1937 as the official player-coach. In this capacity, Banham played for North Shore, City and Mount Albert clubs, besides coaching other senior teams during the week days. He returned to Australia early in 1940. Dave Brown reappeared in first grade football in Sydney in the South-Eastern Suburbs' game after several years in England. Brown kicked three goals from four attempts, and Eastern Suburbs believe ne is going to "prove the championship winner. Brown came to New Zealand with the Kangaroo team on its way to England in 1936, and was captain of the Eastern Suburbs' team on its two visits to Auckland.

Was It a Try? Was Hawea Mataira offside when lie scored his try, the conversion of tvhich put Auckland one point ahead of South Auckland last Saturday? Many spectators disagreed with the referee's decision which was given under the advantage rule. Actually, when Shaw, the South Auckland fullback, knocked the ball on, Mataira, it appeared, was standing within the five yards radius, and was therefore offside. At this stage of the game South Auckland was leading, 14 points to 10. Maurice McHugh Missing Advice that his son, Private Maurice James McHugh, has been posted as missing has been received by Senior Sergeant A. G. McHugh, of the Hamilton police station. Private McHugh, who was educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland, and the Auckland University, was employed in the Customs Department in Auckland and Wellington before joining the forces. He is 24 years of age. Private McHugh is a prominent athlete and is known throughout the Dominion as a boxer. For three years he held boxing championship honours at Sacred Heart College. He was the Auckland University heavyweight champion from 1936 to 1938, the New Zealand University heavy-weight I champion in 1937 and 1938, the Auckland amateur heavy-weight champion from 1936 to 1938 and the New Zealand amateur heavyweight champion in 1938. En route to Egypt, Private McHugh won the heavy-weight championship of the ship and he also won the New Zealand troops' heavy-weight championship in Egypt for 1940. He followed this up by winning the Australasian troops heavy-weight championship in Egypt, and he won the New Zealand troops' championship in Egypt i for 1941. Before his departure from New 1 Zealand Private McHugh was an 1 Auckland representative footballer, and also played for Marist Brothers Old Boys Football Club in Auckland. He was prominent in shot-putting and swimming.

Cricket in Egypt H. Adams (North Shore) and W. Higgins (Eden), after getting safely through Greece and Crete, lost no time in donning the pads again in Egypt. They played for the Willcocks Sports Club on Sunday, June 8, when a New Zealand Artillery XI. was defeated by five wickets. The j gunners batted lirst; 149 for seven | wickets declared, top-scorers being Pomeroy (retired) 54, Major Stewart (1.b.w., b Adams), 37, Byrne (not out) 35. Adams and Alan Swain, the former Grammar Old Boys' Rugby half-back, opened for the club, and both fell to Burtt (two for 29), the ex-Wel-lington Institute player. Swain went cheaply, but Adams compiled 24. Higgins, going in second wicket down, just reached double figures. A week later the club, nine for 151, beat Royal Air Force, Heliopolis, by 36 runs. This time Higgins opened, but was out for six; while Adams, fifth on the batting list, made the top score of 52, the runs being compiled in an hour and including six boundaries. Both were to play again the Sunday after the mail left Egypt, and they were in somewhat of a quandary. Willcocks invited them to play against the New Zealand Divisional XI., in which they hoped to be included. As there is plenty of cricket talent there now—the 1939 New Zealand captain, D. A. R. Moloney, recently arrived—Adams and Higgins may have had to turn out for the club again. Higgins, by the way, made over 1000 runs last season in Egypt. The next mail will reveal how all the New Zealanders fared, and whether W. N. Carson, wounded in a leg in the Crete evacuation had recovered in time to p.cld in the cricket match.

Akarana Golf Final \ In winning the Coltman Cup final | at Akarana last Sunday R. Davie i was responsible for a remarkable performance in the last 18 holes of c the 36-hole contest. He completed a the round in 76, with a 7 at the last, • and had a Stableford score of 43, • off a 12 handicap. The fact that he <■ won the match 3 and 2 suggests that his opponent, R. F. Williams (15), was, in ordinary circumstances, also a rod in pickle for this match play < event; Williams played his second round in 81—a net 66. The pair 1 were square in the morning round. 1 When Davie reached the turn in 38 * (scratch 37) he was only 1 up. ] Shaded by Davie's stableford sqore - was the 41 of L. Johnson (1). whose - round was 69, 35 out and 34 home. J Johnson has been the outstanding 1 plaver at Akarana in recent months ' and on a previous week-end twice 1 recorded 70. 1 Ewert in Wellington It did not take the Takapuna , player, D. J. Ewert, long to hit the imelight in Wellington football. : Playing for the Army against Uni- . versity last Saturday in his first match, he scored the first points of the game with a dropkick. E. S. Jackson, who had captained the Papakura Army team, was another new player in the side. Ewert was playing inside T. Berghan, the star back of the last All Black tour of Australia, and the pair worked well together until Ewert had to retire in the second spell as the result of a knock received earlier in the game. Referee From Wellington Temporarily in Auckland as a member of the staff of the State Advances Corporation while taking a special course on valuation at the University, Mr. D. G. Kelly has made a favourable impression as a Rugby referee. He was for ten years in the Wellington Association, the last! four as a senior, so it was not surprising that on his Auckland debut on May 17 he should have been ; Gallaher Shield ' contest. The fact W formerly a 1 " Grammar Old I*Jp- ' scored 16 of the [ S | points by which serve to keep the game evergreen in his memory. p Born at Khandalla, close to the 1 , home of J. L. Griffiths, the 1936 All , Black skipper who now is A.D.C. to ; General Freyberg, Kelly, too, had his " secondary education at Wellington College. In his final year, 1926, he ' played in the pack of the senior XV. That was the season an old boy, J. A. Malcolm, now president of the - Auckland Rugby Referees' Associa- ~ tion, brought renown to the college I by his fine play at full-back for North Island when South was overwhelmed 41—9 at Wellington.

England Beats Scotland A little more tnan a year ago England and Scotland met in a football war charity match at Newcastle, and Scotland won by three goals to two. Seventy-five thousand people assembled at the Hampden Park ground in Glasgow on Saturday afternoon and saw England gain her revenge in a similar encounter, turning the tables by three goals to one. It was a good effort on the part of the English players after Scotland had taken the lead with the only goal the team was destined to score before the match was ten niinutes old. England equalised just before half-time, and it must be admitted that during this part of the game Scotland appeared in every way the better team, though they aid not again succeed in penetrating the English defence. The star of the match was Don Welsh, the Charlton half-back, who has recently proved a great success at centre-forward. He did splendid work in this international, and scored two of his country's three goals. The week before, m the international against Wales, he scored all four goals for England—not a bad record. Apart from one or two good individual efforts the outstanding feature of this match was the amazing staying powers showed by every member of the two teams. It was a hard match from start to finish, no quarter being given by either side. Yet these men, some of them munition workers, others in civil defence and others in one or other of the services, who have had no real football training to speak of since the season started, never let up and seemed very nearly as fresh when the final whistle sounded as they did when the ball was first kicked off. It says a lot for the keenness with which.they must privately have worked tr keep themselves fit in their spaie time.