SATURDAY'S SPORT FLASHES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 218, 15 September 1941, Page 3

SATURDAY'S SPORT FLASHES

RUGBY Disappointing Match. Taken all round the match for the Jubilee Trophy between Army and Grammar Old Boys was disappointing and the standard produced, except o>ll odd occasious, did not reach the heights anticipated. Nevertheless, Grammar was the better team on the day, and its 9 —6 win was popular and vvoll deserved. Grammar has lost many of its players to the war services and has ha<l exasperating luck in regard to injuries during the season. Its juniors have filled the gaps creditably, while former members who had emerged from retirement to help the club along showed surprisingly good form. Army did not field a pack of forwards equal in calibre to those who carried the team to victory in the senior championship, and practically a new pack had to bow to the superiority of the Grammar vanguard. A Big Advantage.—The Grammar side had a big advantage by gaining possession from most of the scrum.%. thus robbing the fleet Army backs. The Army rearguard, however, was well watched by the opposition, and good tackling did not allow many chances to go to their speedy three-quarters. Some opportunities were spoilt by Coughlan, at centre, who haiullerl and passed with uncertainty. It was only in the latter stages that the Army backs gave glimpses of their beet form as a combination, but they left their runs too late. Schubert Shines.—The Army and Auckland wing. Schubert, is now playing in his best form, and although closely watched he was always a danger to the opposition. He scored a fine try on the call of time when he ran with all his determination and when challenged by. the full-back kicked ahead to regain gossession and run over: It was an effoit which won rounds of applause from the spectators. Warner again played a very sound game at full-back for the Army, and he had plettty of defensive work to carry out. Moss, at half, etood up manfully to the strong opposing rushes of the Grammar forwarde, although he received little protection from hie own vanguard, who did not pack well and as a result tne opposing forwards frequently broke through. Noble's Three Tries.— For a forward to score three tries in a game is a particularly fine effort, and Noble's performance was the reward of a particularly fine game. Two -were from loose rushes and one from a line-out near the line. Nobje has caught the eye throughout the season as a good loose forward with speed, wbo uses his head and does not shirk any of the tight play. When he adds some more weight he will purely gain higher honours in the future. Wilson was in the thick of things throughout and Joe Gilmour, who made a reappearance after standing down for some weeks owing to a broken thumb, was also in good form. Among the Grammar backs Cato, at first five-eighth, who has come out on odd occasions in recent matches to fill a gap, played a very heady game.

LEAGUE Shore's Championship.—'North Sho-re had to battle hard to gain the ascendancy over Newton and achieve the final victory which meant championship honours. Until half-time Newtou, leading 7 —2, looked a winning team. It was well into

•the second epell before the Store team work was in evidence. Even tten it was only the fine all-round play of Clarke, at five-eighth, that turned the tide against Newton. The Newton backs surprised the crowd with ewift attacks, which often swept over the Shore backs. However, these early efforts were not and the Shore team in characteristic play went to. victory with a ten-point margin, 19 —9. The Shore vanguard was not neen to the eame advantage as usual. The forwarde appealed to adopt rugged tactics which were not successful against Newton's style of play. Once the forwards dropped the mixing tactics the backs >rot moving quicker-and the ball wasr thrown about. Marist Forwards In Form.—Good form and combination by the Marist forwards proved a deciding factor in the side's victory over City by B—s. It was a hard game, with City striving hard to wear down the fast-moving Marist forwards. Marist had not been seen in better form this season and deserved its win by the margin of eight points to five. The City back line did not function with its usual brightness, and in order to sharpen up the play, Clarke moved to centre threequarter in the second spell and sent Silva to the full-back position. The City play certainly improved after this change. Rogan, a convert from the Rugby code, played a great game on the wing for City and his try near the end was a fine effort. The Marist backs played up to the forwards and some fine passing movements were seen. McLeod was the outstanding Marist forward, and his good play resulted in the first score for his side. McWilliams followed this up with a great try which Blanchard converted, giving Marist the winning honours. Full-back's Play.— Outstanding in Shore's eucceee wae the polished play of Clarke at five-eighth. He was a of consistency and never once niiseed an opportunity of making it easier for the threequarters. Chatham, hi» partner at fiveeighth, penetrated the defence by strong, straight running. He has improved a lot this season. Naughton, the centre threequarter, has only played the code twice previously, and against Newton he showed promise of developing into a fine attacking back. Naughton wae responsible- for two tries. Behind the scrum McArthur kept up his reputation as a trier. Hβ was seen at hie be*t in the last twenty minutes of play. The position of the te*m< after the last aeries of championship matches at Carlaw Park on Saturday were:— Pt». Ch. P. W. L. D. T. A. Pts. North Shore .. 13 13 3 1 304 in 27 Manukau Iβ 13 3 - 360 115 3f •Richmond ... IS 0 6 - 23S Hβ 18 City 15 7 7 1 188 157 IS Newton Iβ 7 8 I 1M 377 15 Ponsonby 15 6 7 3 171 169 14 Matlet 16 8 9 1 183 387 13 Mt Albert .... 15 5 10 - 185 338 10 Papakura '....18 1 IB - 130 MJ 3 •18*0 champion.

SOCCER All Square at Davenport.—Comrades and North Shore provided one of the fastest and most interesting games of the season, and the draw of three goals correctly represented the run of play. Shore fully extended their opponents, and -with a bit of luck would have been victorious. The Shore iorwaras were quicker on the ball than ♦heir opponent*, and gave the opposing defence a lot of hard work, but Riggans and McKenna never faltered, both giving outstanding displays. McCamish was not so successful in goal, and scorned to be nervous in front of the large crowd of spectators. Healy was ttio beet of the half-line. Masters was tried at centre-forward, but was poorly supported, Curley being the only one to combine with him to any extent. In spite of this 'handicap Masters got his side's three goals, lor Shore both backs and forwards worked well together. Craxton gave an outstanding display in goal for Shore, and with Booth, Dacre and Kendall in good form the Shore defence was first-class. The forward line combined cleverly, and Price, Richards and Agate were always in the forefront of the attacks. The position in the championship, now is that Ponsonby has a two-point lead, but Comrades, having played only 16 games to Ponsonby s 18, must now meet both Abels and Thistle to finalise the competition. How They Stand Goals Ch. P. W. t. D. T. A. Pte. Potuonby 18 13 5 - 62 43 28 CemradC3« 18 10 3 4 M 32 24 Mount Albert 0.0.8. 17 8 8 3 86 48 19 ThUtle 17 7 5 a 43 31 19 Metro-College 18 8 8 2 40 35 18 North Shore 18 8 8 2 88 84 18 Abeli :..... 17 8 S-4 45 58 14 Ate Pott. 17 5 i 3 34 SO 13 Eastern Suburbs ../ 18 4 0 5 39 83 13 Onehunsa 18 B 13 - 37 73 10 *1»40 champion. Ponsonby Steady.—ln the game against Air Force at Victoria Park, Ponsonby displayed a marked supremacy .; in all | departments of the game, tto win 4—l. : Callaghan, Chapman, Brackenridge and [ Dowler shone in the forward line, the first-named being prominent with several fast left-wing rushes. Rutledge, at centreforward, had a roving commission and was able to keep his opposite as well as the centre half quiet. In the half line Poneoniby's trio worked well. Baker (Air Force) took the eye for stout defending. He often robbed the attackers to send Lucas, Waters and Willoughiby away, but these attacks too often broke down. Johnson, in the Airmen's citadel, had a hard day, and made many great eaves in the •face of Poneonby'e spearhead. Goal scorers were: Chapman (2), Oallaghan and Dowler, for Ponsonby; and Waters for Air Force. Promoted Players Impress. — Thistle defeated Mount Albert Grammar Old Boys 4—l in the main attraction at headquarters —the game being a Falcon Cup match. The Thistle team included two promoted junior players, Mann, at outside right, and Norman, in goal, and they each gave a fine display. Mann is fast and led several raids down the wing, plaeit-g his crosses accurately. He scored the second goal for his side with a good shot from the wing after a nice solo run. Mann w rather on the light side for senior football, but he is not aifraid to tackle heavier opponents, and with a little more experience he should develop into a good right winger. Norman made some excellent saves in Thistle's goal and showed promise of becoming a first-class custodian. Thistle Halves In Form.—Kerr, Orr and Wiseman had a big say in Thistle's threegoal victory. The line broke up numerous promising raids by solid tackling and fed its vanguard with some excellent passes. Orr was outstanding at centre-half and had one great shot in the second half from 40 yards range, which Thorn did well to save. Goals were scored by Morris (2), Mann and Belcher for Thistle, while C. Ward headed through for Old Boys-

■■■■■■■■■«•■■■•■■•■■■■■■■■>• Hemi Kicks Goals.—The value of accurate place kicking wm demonstrated by J. Hemi with six successful shots for Manukau against Mount Albert. One was a penalty goal and the othert, were try conversions. Some of the shots were from wide angles and one, right from the edge of the touch line, was a remarkable effort. Manukau won by 33 to 18, to hold second place in the c-hampionsnip. City Forward Reappears.—A shortage of senior grade players owing to the younger men being called to active service resulted in City calling on the services of J. Donald for the game against Marist on Saturday. It was his first game for several seasons, and in spite of his long absence he was up with the play from start to finish. Donald was one of City's best forwards three or four seasons ago. Close Scoring.—Papakura* put up a hard fight against Ponsonby in the early game on No. 2 ground. A noticeable feature was the improved back play by Papakura, although they still lack the finer points of the game. The Ponsonby backs were fast and in form, especially Riley, Funnell, Carr and Williams, while Hosken, Wellm and Halscy were the pivot of the Papakura back liue. The side was unfortunate to lose Branford from the fiveeighths. He was injured in the second half and was carried off the field. Ponsonby lost the services of Kay near the end of the first spell. He had to leave the field owing to an injury. Ponsonby's score was made up of four unconverted tries, and Papakura's score of nine points included three penalty kicks by Wellm and a try by Hosken. Ponsonby won 12—9. Watene Plays Well.—One of the best of the Manukau forwards against Mount Albert was S. Watene, who showed up well in the loose play, and was always ready to hand out a long pass to his supporting backs. Watene weighs 17st, and has the distinction of being the heaviest forward in the League game. Considering that he is in his 33rd year he has retained his form in a surprising way. Speedy But Light.—There was some bright play by the Mount Albert backs. They were speedy but light, and did not get the best chances, as the Manukau forwards were much heavier than the; Mount Albert six, and possession from' set scrums was a Mount Albert difficulty. Clements sent the ball away sharply, Carter and Hetherington were thrustfuX and Cowley, in the centre, showed great Speed. The latter was closely marked by Gregory, the Manukau centre, and as a result Cowley often tried the exploiting kick to try and get his wwjgs going. Juniors Beat Seniors.—A senior B representative trial was pla3'ed at Elleslie on Saturday between sides picked from the junior and senior clubs in this grade. TJie Junior Clubs had all the better oi the opening exchanges, and from a good passing rush Milligan, the centre, forced his way over in the corner. The score was further increased a few minutes later when Taylor, on the wing, caught Gasker- ! ville, the Senior Clubs' full-back, in pos- , session. Dormer, the Point Chevalier ; forward, came into the picture to score , an easy try. The Senior Clubs had a turn on attacK, but the effort was short- [ lived, for Taylor (Otahuhu) scored after a determined dash, diving over with two ', men hanging on to him. Allan goaled. i N. Johnson was the next to add to the Juniors' score, the big forward crashing his way over from the twenty-five, to 1 make lie half-time score: Juniors 14, • Seniors 0. Soon after the resumption Mci Kenzie went over to increase the Juniors' I tally. Led by Caples and Mc&innon, the . Senior forwards worked down field for [ Taken, the Manukau five-eighth, to score, i Then Milligan picked up at halfway to > outpace the opposition and score under , «h» posts. The scorer converted. Then T. . Jonson dashed over at the corner, to make the final score: Juniors 25, Seniors 5.

HOCKEY Albertians the main game at Hobson Park, the young AJbortian team looked like upsetting the Training College eleven, especially in the early etages of the match. The inside forwards, K. Gillatifl, W. Turner and B. JlcLiskey, were seen in some clever movements which frequently had the College backs "guessing," but unfortunately they lacked finish in the circle. It was only in the second spell that the teachers gained the ascendancy, when K. Bogue, through brilliant opportunism, snapped up chances which enabled him to put the result bcyend doubt. N. Giles, the College right wing, scored the other goal after a spectacular solo effort. Spectacular Goals.—Wramraar's four scores against Unitcd's throe μ-oio scored in a singular manner. M. Larson, the Grammar wing, had paved the way for a sharp attack and when he centred, H. Lawry took a flvinp reverse shot and scored. Almost immediately upon resuming, H. Lawry went through on his own to score his second jroal. In the second spell, S. Luyk. in supporting a hot bomburdment on the United goal, snapped up brilliantly and found the net. Within the next few minutes Luyk was again in the van of an attack ami he too notchr-d his second goal. J. Hoispool, the fast United winger, rertainlr showed his pace when he .scored two of his side's goals. Tn his second effort he made a fifty-yard dash in which his speed told on the opposition, and with little difficulty he outwitted the goal-keeper. A Splendid Performance.—The Somerville team Las brought off several surprises this season, but all efforts were sm-passed on Saturday. Playing two men short against St. Luke's, the team in a great uphill fight put on four goals to draw with tho rivals XT. In the first half some splendid defensive work was done by Marshall fgoalie), Stainton and B. Archibald. The second spell found the forwards in their element, with A. Anderson, L. Wyatt and E. Archibald claimins special mention. A feature of the forwards' work waK their nippiness in the circle. Most prominent of the St. Luke's rearguard wan Robertson, who repeatedly extricated his side by coining across field. Carroll was outstanding as centre forward, while McQuarrie gave a splendid display oil the left wing. Always On Top.—Hopes of Mount Eden checking University were soon dispelled. The leader in the Davis Cup competition ■was too resourceful in every way, and won 5—2. The feature of the 'Varsity Same was the excellent stickwork. Coldham was definitely a success in the new position of right-wing, from which he shot two goals. Cooper held the line together, but Smiler should have gone "on hie own" several times. Watson (left half), Revell and Woods (full-backs), not only stopped cleverly, but cleared with well-directed hits. The Turner brothers were Mount Eden's outstanding forwards, while Hughes and F. Horspool were outstanding backs.