FOOTBALL.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18399, 4 June 1925, Page 10

FOOTBALL.

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY BEAT CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

AN EXCITING GAME.

Sydney University, who.were beaten in the second Test match at Lancaster Park on Saturday last, showed much improved form on the same ground yesterday, when they met Canterbury College, and defeated them, after a most exciting game, by a solitary point, the final scores being: Sydney University 17, Canterbury College IG. There was a large attendance, who, particularly in the second spell, had no ground for complaint in the matter of thrills. In the first spell Canterbury College, playing against the wind, ran up 13 points to the visitors' nil, and it was confidently anticipated by their supporters that, with the sou'-wester behind them, they would do even" better in the second spell. Seldom, however, has a more complete reversal of form been shown at the Park than was the case in this spell, for the Sydney University team set up attack after attack by their backs, with an effect that proved bewildering to their opponents, who, for the greater part of the spell, played like a side demoralised. Sydney, using the English 3-2-3 formation, got the ball from the Scrum with a regularity that was almost monotonous,. and the result was that their, backs were given plenty of opportunities, which,. it must be. admitted, they' eagerly seized. They made mistakes," of course, but too few to allow Canterbury College to keep- their lehd towards the end of the second : spell. Indeed, had , their goal-kicking been even reasonably good, the margin in their favour would have been greater at the finish than the odd point which gave them victory. Canterbury Collego forwards played well in the loose, and the backs in the first spell were fair enough, "but by reorganising their rearguard Sydney University made no race of it in the-second spell, being on top until the last ten. minutes of the game, when the home sido became imbued with a new lease of life and attacked with a persistency that was not to be denied. Their action in taking Drader out of the pack in the second spell and playing him in the backs seemed to have a good deal- to do-with their poor, showing, in the latter half of the game. Sydney University 'in the second, spell tsiif ted Williams, their full-back, up to the three-quarter line, and Hingst, breaking awav from the scrum, gave them eight men in ihe backs, the change of tactics proving the deciding factor in the game. / ' The teams lined out as follows:Sydney 'Varsity. . Full-back—M." A. "Williams. Three-quarters —A. M. Johnston, J. Andrews, A. G. Smith, C. E. Tilbury. Half-backs—C. A. McDermott, A. P. Pratt. ■Forwards —J. A. Todhunter, J. Flynn, It. A. Waddington, M. Bosenbaum, G. P. Storey, ,H. C. Hingst (captain), A. H. Garrett, J. E.' Wiseman.

Canterbury College. % ' Full-back —G. Green. Three-quarters —W. M. Te Awarau, A. L. James, E. D. Summers. Five-eighths—J. T. Shaw, W. E. Alexander. • Half-back—J. Brodie (captain). Wing-forward—C. Drader. Forwards—Smith, P. Pederson, J. T. Burrows, W. Bryden, A. Y. Montgomery, M. Barak, Thompson. Emergencies—B. Calder, E. Beaumont. THE PLAY. .. Sydney > kicked off. against the sun, and with a. light . sou-'-wester. behind them., After the" opening exchanges, in which .Sydney had-, the' advantage, the visitors got away, from the. line-out in a passing rush/which,. however, - did not progress; far. The-local side* also attempted' passing, but ' the " movement fizzled out after going almost straight across the ground; Storey, for Sydney, was conspicuous in a likely-looking rush a few moments, later, the defence, however, 'being equal to all demands made on .it. Sydney were keeping the College busy, play being mostly inside ■their, territory, Sydney, kicking bo_ as to make plenty of use of the wind. From a scrum ten yards from the College line, Storey came through with tho ball at his toe, but again the defence was effective. Simmers, for College, broke away after getting the ball from James. The former passed infield again, the movement then breaking down. A rush by the Sydney forwards carried play over the line, where Canterbury sought relief in a force. The local side's passing was bad, and frequently it caused them to lose ground. A penalty kick from half-way was taken by Williams, Sydney's full-back, but it missed the posts by a narrow margin. A good forward rush headed by Burrowes was taken up by Drader, who followed up quickly, just failing to tackle the: full-back in possession. Brodie, Canterbury's half-back, nearly got across, play then being removed to the home side's territory again. Qanterbury secured the ball from a set scrum, and the ball, after being handled by nearly all the backs, .was dropped near- the line. However, the Canterbury backs got going again, and the ball was passed from Shaw to Montgomery, who darted past several pairs of clutching hands and scored under the posts. Thomprfbn's kick at goal was successful. Canterbury .. ..5 Sydney .. 0 A few moments later Drader broke away and passed to James, who outpaced the opposition, to score near the posts. Thompson failed to convert. Canterbury .. 8 Sydney .. .. 0 Canterbury were now playing with more dash, and some smart openings were made by them, which caused the visitors many anxious moments. Te Awarau fumbled the ball a yard from the line, and- Smith, picking it up, ran across, but had bad luck to knock the flag over as he did so. Sydney kept up the pressure, and getting the ball from a scrum, set up a passing movement. Shaw intercepted. and settled the visitors' chances. In another passing movement a few moments later, Shaw made a beautiful opening, from which Simmers dashed across to score a good try, although strongly attacked as he did so. Thompson's attempt at goal was successful. Canterbury .. >. 13 Sydney .. o Just before half-time was called the visitors' forwards removed play to within striking distance, where the backs came into the picture, Smith knocking on when he had no one to pass. A penalty kick at goal was i missed by Williams. Half-time sounded with the score:— Canterbury College .. 13 Sydney .. o • From the kick-off, Sydney rushed the ball, down the line* but it was speedily

returned. On play coming back, Sydney carried a scrum, and McDermott cut in beautifully, beating two or three players, but being then pulled down. Just afterwards Hingst beat some opponents and passed to McDermott, who passed in again to Hingst, that player dashing across for a spectacular try. Williams missed the kick at goaL Canterbury .. .. 13 Sydney .. .. 3 Sydney kept up the pressure, and their passing gave Canterbury a busy time defending. They could not be kept out, however, for long, and McDermott gathered up from the loose and passed .to Garrett, who got across. Williams missed the kick at goal. Canterbury .. ..13 Sydney .. • • 6 Sydney's passing was a greatly-im-proved feature of this spell, and every time their backs got moving Canterbury's supporters had anxious moments. Te Awarau let the ball Blip his legs, and in a flash McDermott had kicked past the defenders, the ball striking the posts and beating him by the way it bounced. Waddington was handy, however, and darted across to score. Pratt missed an easy kick. Canterbury .. , .. 13 Sydney .. .. 9 Prom another scrum McDermott, who was playing like a champion, cut in and made a splendid opening. Williams hung on too long, and an almost certain try was lost in consequence. Still passing well, Sydney kept the local men busy, .and a try was lost by hard luck just 0 n the line, Canterbury forcing. McDermott cut in and scored beside the posts. Williams missed converting,/ Canterbury .. .. 13 Sydney . •■ ..12 ' With only one point between the respective scores, play now became very exciting, but it was Sydney who held the upper hand and provided most of the thrills. Storey missed a penalty kick awarded to Sydney, and play settled temporarily near half-way. Tho spectators were getting plenty for their money now, and from another passing rush Mc"Dermott ran across and scored, Williams converting from in front of the posts. Sydney .. .. 17 Canterbury .. ..13 Canterbury woke up, and, getting the ball from the scrum, set their backs in motion, Drader's pass to James being missed. Very hard work in front of the posts gave Sydney a busy timo defending, but they kept 1 their line clear. Not to be denied, Canterbury again came back, and Montgomery, accepting a short pass, hurled himself over, Thompson's kick from a difficult angle missing. The game ended:— Sydney University .. 17 Canterbury College .. 16 Mr L. W. Guiney'was referee. The visitors went-North by last night's ferry steamer. NEW ZEALAND TEAM. BEATEN BY WELLINGTON. BITTER PLATING CONDITIONS. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, June 3; Under the worst possible conditions, the New Zealand fifteen to tour. Australia met a. Wellington representative team to-day before an attendance of 3500 people. A southerly storm which had lasted for two days soaked the ground thoroughly, and when the game commenoed tho storm showed no signs of abating; thus the play was reduced to little moro than a mud scramble, and the form of the players could not be accurately gauged. However, on the day, several of the New Zealand team' made, ah impressive showing. Blake was the outstanding back on the field, and Elvy, Matson, and Johnson also did well. In the forwards Lomas, Finlayson, Kirkpatrick, and Donald were the most conspicuous. Porter and Svenson played well for Wellington. Bright play followed the kick-off, with New Zealand so<?n on tlie attack. Elvy made a nice run up the touchline, but Hawkins intercepted a pass and saved. The ground was very greasy, and was quickly being churned up. After a period of even play, tho Wellington forwards took the ball into the Black twenty-five, where they tried tho latter's defence. New Zealand endeavoured to clear time after time, but the Wellington forwards were not to be denied. Blake fumbled a kick by Warwick, and Wilson, coming up fast, picked up and passed to Deere, who scored. Nicholls placed a beautiful goal. . ; Wellington 5 New Zealand .... .. ' 0 ■' Soon-after the kick-out, the 'local vanguard' again took charge, and good work by Duncan and Martin-Smith took the ball over the half-way line. Blake snapped up from the forwards' feet, and was right through the pack before he was downed. From a ruck the Wellington forwards came away, and were soon within striking distance. A smart piece of work by Warwick sent Svenson away to score in tho corner. Nicholls kicked a great goal. .Wellington .. ..10 New Zealand .. 0 Twice during the nest few minutes Wellington were all but over. The wind and rain were now driving into the faces of tho Blacks, and handling was out of tho question. Elvy picked up cleverly and beat three men with a dodgy run before being collared by Svenson. Porter was not giving Wright any peace, and carried too many guns for Donald. Lomas and Kirkpatrick were getting the ball from the scrums, and with the clearing off of the rain the Blacks made an attack. -From a ruck near half-way the forwards started a passing rush, and just on the twentyfive line Wright got possession and passed to Matson, who scored a nice try under the posts. Blake's kick failed to rise. Wellington ... 10 New Zealand ... ... 3 Then followed a strenuous forward battle in the mud, with the Blacks now doing better than - before. Blake made a nice dash through, but Wise could not keep his footing, and a try was lost. Half-time came with play in midfield. With the elements in their favour, the Blacks were soon on the attack, and were pressing hard on the Welling ton line. Donald, Lomas, and- Knight were conspicuous in forward rushes. A passing bout saw Wise collared at the corner flag, and soon after Wellington forced. The relief was only temporary, however. Soon after, Harris fielded "a hard speculator, and, running, around on the open side, passed to Matson, who booted through, and a force-down resulted. Again New Zealand came, but the Wellington defence was sound. Porter saved a tight situation with a fine line-kick, and Walters was safe at

full-back. From a ruck near the line he. burst through, and 'was not collared

until he had crossed the twentv-five line. Immediately afterwards the New Zealand forwards took the ball back, and near the line Finlayson passed to Kirkpatrick who scored under the posts. Kirkpatrick missed an easy kick. Wellington *. 10 New Zealand « 6 Elvy made a valiant attempt to score by diving for the ball after it had been kicked over the line, but it slithered out of his grasp, and Gibson forced. Towards the end of the game the ground was inches deep in slime, and the players had difficulty in keeping their feet. Tho game ended without further incident. w ST. BEDE'S COLLEGE. PRESENT V. PAST. Yesterday at St. Bede's ground the annual Past v. Present matches were played. The game between the first fifteens resulted in a win for Present by 14 points to S. For the winners, To Aika gained two tries and converted one, whilst- L. Spring kicked two penalty goals. For the O'.d Boys, Brittenden scored two trie 3, one of which was converted by Lattimoie. The ground wa? heavy and tho -play-' was mainly the forwards, although there were a few bright passing movements by tie backs on both sides. For Present, Bryce, in the forwards, and Doogan. and Galvin, in the backs, were the outstanding players, whilst for Old Boys, Mullan, at halfback, and O'Shaughnessy, in tho forwards, §howed good form. The Rev. Father J. Dowling, S.M., wan referee. The match between tho second fifteens was evenly contested, and resulted in a win for the Present boys by 3 points (a try scored by Anisy) to nil.® The Rev. Father F. Buckley, S.M., was referee. SECONDARY SCHOOLS. As some of tho Seoondary Schools were closed yesterday on account of the King's Birthday, no competition games were played in the Secondary. Schools' Rugby . football competition. In the Colts' Grade, Boys' High School beat Christ's College by 3G points to G. Bcferee, Mr- H. S. Baversto'ck. RANFURLY SHIELD. WAIRARAPA WELL BEATEN. (PEE3S ASSOCIATION* TELEGRAM.) NAPIER. June 3. The first Ranfurly. Shield match of the season waa played here to-day in fine but dull weather, Hawke's Bay beating Wairarapa by 22 points to 3. Tho ground was a trifle heavy following on the recent rain. The attendance . was close on ten. thousand. OTAGO V. NORTH OTAGO. (PBISS ASSOCIATION TSL*O!UIT.) DUNEDIN, June ,3. A match between Otago and North Otago was played at Carisbrook to-day. The Otago team won by 29 points to 9. Tries were scored for Otago by Williams (2), Ross, Halloch, Fox and Scott. Scott converted one try and potted a goal, and Hazelwood conVerted two tries. For North- Otago, trie 3 were scored by Sumpter, Muiurew and Direen. WANGANUI V. TARANAKI. (press association telegham.) "WANGANUI, June 3. The annual match between Wauganui and Taranaki resulted in a draw—l2 points each. WEST COAST UNION. (special to "the pbess.") GREYMOUTH, June 3. A seven a-sido tournament was held to-day at Victoria - Park. ■„. The attendance was large, but an easterly gale: made the conditions unpleasant, and militated, against good play. In the final of the senior competition United -A defeated Star by 5 points -.to 3. M. Jamieson scored for the- winners and Warnes converted, while Reynolds scored for Star. Blaketown beat Star in the final of the junior competition. Negri, McEnaney, and Melrose scored for the winners, the firstnamed converting one try. Technical beat Star in' tho final of the fourth grade. Martin scored a try for the winners and converted. _ Technical beat Star b'y 5 points to 3' in the fifih grade final. The losers entered a protest, - Kumara won the schools' competition, beating Technical by 8 points to nil in the final. ' LEAGUE. TRIAL In view of the visit of the New Zealand team to Australia next month and at the suggestion of the New Zealand Rugby Football League, tho local selectors arranged a trial game yesterday to assist in selecting a team to play againt the'Otago nnd West Coast representatives on June 13th, when the South Island team to play the North Island team at Auckland will be select?!!. After this fixture the team to visit New South Wales and Queensland will bo picked. Tha tennis were :

A team —W. Desmond,. E. O'Malley, J. Crooko, J. Parkes, F. Warr, W. Robins, and R. J. "VVatt; forwards, N. Vivian, A. Bateman, P. Burns, A. Collie, R. Lynskey, and B. Flood. B team—G-. Falgar, H. Mullins, P. O'Connor, W. Stewart, "W". J. Mitchell, C. Fitzgerald and D. Pahi; forwards. H. Blazey, L. Farrell, W. Dawkins, F. Henry, J. Childs, and A. Black. . Eaferes, Mr u. Healey.

Tho A team attacked, but were sent back by good "uefenaive play by W. Mitchell, D. Pahi, and F. Henry. After a aeries cf exchanges the B" forwards, with P. Henry in the van, broko through and a penalty enabled Henry to kick a splendid goal. Passing by the B backs give W. Stewart possession, but his in-field pass was forward. The A team then took a hand. J. Crooko scored wide out, but J. Parkes failed at goal. N. Vivian intercepted a pass and scored, "W. Desmond failing to add the extra- points. "Watts let J. Parkes through to score but he failed to convert his try. Changes were made in the teams during the interval, H. Mullins changing with E. O'Malley and F. Warr with C. Fitzgerald. The opening exchanges on resuming left th:> A team in a good position. The. B backs etarted a passing ru«h which ended in P. O'Connor scoring wide out, but H. Blazey failed to goal. J. Crooks i'iien scored for the A team, but A. Collie failed to convert. A. Collie then scored and converted. A strong forward rush let R. Lynskev over for a good try. which A. Collie goaled. After a.lon? period of even p'ay, the ilnnl whistle sounded with the scores: A team 22 points, B team 5 points.

WEST COAST CENTRE. (special to "the press.") GREYMOUTH, June 3. There was fine weather for to-day's League matches, but an easterly galo prevented, any 6pectacuUr displays. The attendance at the match between Marist seniors and Runanga was a record for a club fixture. The latter won by 9 points to 5. Marist led 's—o at half-time, but Runanga ran up nine joints with the assistance of the wind, Cust (2) and' Purnell scoring tries. Sir B. Muneon was referee. Marist third grade defeated Greymouth, the leading team in the .competition, by 13' points to 5. Runanga. fourth grade defeated Marist by 5 points to 3.