ALBION BEATEN

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25550, 19 July 1948, Page 5

ALBION BEATEN

IUGBY FOOTBALL

RAGGED game on OVAL THREE teams equal FOR SECOND ' fprhnical, which had lost two points o* ik Substantial lead when it was beaten 5 iuecessive Saturdays by Albion and £ Urist. was helped on Saturday when c denhatn beat the runners-up. Albion, S ;J New Brighton played Martst to a Albion's reverse now gives TechStcal’a clear lead of one and a half points Sth Mansi. Albion, and Sydenham equal ■_ second place. weather was fine for the Canterbury Rugby Union’s senior championship, "rd the grounds slower than they have hpen in recent games. A strong southJgt wind' troubled many players in handling the ball. Following are results of the senior games:- — §vdenham 16, Albion 0. Marist 3, New Brighton 3. Unwood 16, Old Boys 6. Sunnyside 16, Merivale 10. University 13. Christchurch 5. Technical 8, Training College 0. The following table shows the positions o f teams at the end of the fourteenth

Next Saturday’s games will be between Technical and Sydenham, Sunnyside and Linwood, University and Marist, Albion and New Brighton, Old Boys and Christchurch, and Merivale and Training legeALBION BACKS DISAPPOINTING Sydenham, with eight successive wins to its credit, and Albion, which was lying only half a point behind the competition leaders. Technical, were expected to provide one of the brightest displays of the jeason when they paraded at Lancaster park. The result of the game was important for if Albion won it would still be sole runner-up in the championship while only a win for Sydenham could give the team a chance of fighting out the final. The importance of the occasion appeared to weigh heavily on some of the Albion backs, who made mistakes almost unpardonable in senior football. Sydenham won by a good margin because the backs were steadier than those behind the Albion scrum, and because its forwards were a match for Albion in the line-out and rucks and infinitely better when it came to following up. The Albion forwards appeared lifeless at times, and it was hard to recognise in the eight the team that had played so gallantly against Old Boys and Technical a few weeks earlier. The run of the play also contributed to defeat, for while a mistake by one of the backs or a tricky bounce of the ball went in favour of Sydenham, the fatter made enough mistakes to lose any game. Sydenham might have had a slight advantage in forward weights—unlike Otago programmes the Canterbury official card does not give the weights of players. It was not weight that beat Albion. Distribution of the ball from the scrum was fairly evenly divided and backs on both aides were given plenty of chances Neither set could do much with the chances for, with exceptions, the speed was even and the tackling generally sound. More life and fast following up by Sydenham forwards spelt the difference. Clarke and Hardie were the 'brightest of Sydenham’s loose forwards but all handled well and in the line-outs and rucks Crofts and Rhodes were always honest workers. Clarke, Atkinson, and Hardie were especially prominent in raids on the Albion backs.

Injuries to Players The Albion pack was weakened by the absence of Garlick, injured in the representative match, and further misfortune attended the team when Mustchin was hurt early in the game and had to retire in the second spell. Bond was not so prominent As usual at the head of forward rushes, but he played a solid game and the pack had in Fleming a well-built forward who last year played for the Colts. Fleming was one of the best forwards on the ground. He used all his considerable weight and was often prominent in line-out and loose rushes. Cooke and Bodger also played gallantly when the tide was, going against them.

Behind the Sydenham scrum Bennett played his best game. His passes were not very fast but they were accurate, and the first five-eighths. Brown, was always in position to take them. Bennett and Brown were very sound on defence, something that cannot be said for Shaw at second five-eighths, and Barabithe at centre. Wilson. at full-back, handled well and kicked safe!;. The most impressive performance was i lade by Dixon, a young wing -three- , quarters, who has made great progress during the season. Lack of weight is against him, but in all other respects he is the polished three-quarters. The Albion backs did many things well and some things not so well-. They made simple mistakes and paid the penalty. Gerrard at second five-eighths made one serious error when his kick was charged down and he presented Sydenham with a try. Apart from this he played a splendid game and handled the hall with an ease and precision that few of the other backs attained. Cullen, behind the scrum, and E. Jackson, first five-eighths, did not make a happy combination. Raefield at centre was generally dependable but his failure to handle cleanly gave Sydenham its first five points. Harding, wing-three-quarters, met his match in Dixon, his opposite number, but Dixon was no more faan a match. Honours were even between two very promising young speed Merchants. Chandler was missing from tne team and Jewell, a forward, made £ute a creditable showing on the wing. ii}e full-back, Edginton, who had filled a •omewhat sheltered position in the early did not handle well when bustled £ Jr e fiery Sydenham forwards. His tackles were half-hearted and would not nave stopped a runner who had his attention on the goal-line. D . The Scoring ln *ke first spell was fast and open tta honours were so evenly divided that naif-time sounded with no score Wii? 33 hard pick which team would Sydenham played with the wind in the KccHid half and collecting a loose ball, had almost a clear field. He and missed a try and soon afterwards he finished second in a race when ball was kicked over the line. Albion X as defence and when Raefield popped the ball, Clarke for Sydenham on ? an d to pick it up and score near Sj posts. Bennett converted. Gerrard not ee J- P ro Perly on to the ball in atrF?.? to cJ ear and when his kick was * down Clarke was again on the Z? “L score a try. Mustchin retired after Cullen and Jackson had the ba ii< a speculator was acPted by Dixon who potted a goal. Jackfi/LJ’?*sseQ an eas y penalty and later pass. The ball was kicked Jae line and Hardy went over for a wiuch Bennett converted. won by 16 Points (two goals tries, a try, and a potted goal) to V. C. Empson was referee. . marist held to draw to fight out their match Brighton in the forwards, and »C* e well held by a hard-working pack, b S Was drawn, three points each. irJLJ^ri s*’s 5 *’ 5 backs had more chances, onJ^L migh t well have won. In the last lit of aR bour the backs were all hanri? Ver on several occasions, but miscost them tries. i.v 1 ® fame was a fast one and did not the p rest * but Marist did not look like ®°? d team it was a few weeks ago. V. Kearney was the best ng the most of his limited opHis try, from a quick blind vL. m « vement ’ was a gem. Bond « ew . Brighton, D. Gibson kicked a SOM penalty goal. me referee was Mr H. T. Coulter.

TT „, WIN FOR UNIVERSITY bit£i^- rsity and Christchurch met in an Ea^n o eSting and or tbe most part even t2X° n Park South, with both footSn en^ VOUring play fast - open but it • Th e score was 5-5 at half-time, to ?nS Versity reorganised its back line effect in the second spell, and it»mi«' orwards showing slightly more won by 13 points to 5. lettif y nive rsity backs took some time to combined in some bright D m the second spell, when A. ganc j, and D - Beatty began to find to and w - Doreen curbed a tendency PassZ? a cross-field. L. Savage threw good several was übiquitous on defence, bat* L ,lm ® s . helping J. W. Kelly at fuUtimp J? retrieve the situation. At halfback ft Burling went from centre to fullK e n ’ +X ea L- y f rom wing to centre, and thrw it? 41 }?’ 1116 change brought more mto the attack. was the spearhead of the ec ri^h. u rch attack, and he gave a polishban Bj ay °f centre three-quarter foot-Rhow-P J ones, Jaggar, and R. Smith all ticmaZ.jb? netra t* ve ability, but combinaa" d backin g- u P were' lacking. as « a great duel in the line-outs U-ith u R S. Duff and A. D. McKenzie, Piavert ° nours g°mg to the former, who LenihL a game. R. Bradley, B. hi th f /*A K ai ? d T - Rattray also toiled hard the TTni«Z n ?l dhurch pack. R. Stuart led forwards well, and he was jg, 5? Z- Dalzell in the tight work Sw'*S? d< ? ln loose. fr, a «?™' ard ? combined with the backs tide tbo 7T Passm - rush which started inWtth ijr L r^j Versit y twenty-five and ended between the posts Phri« D °rreen, Beatty, and HumTriL h d handled. E ?attv re sc °red for University by fr’o gnai. «? nd Hlis ’ and KelJ y ki cked to! Sm ith scored for Christchurch Mr averted. w. Oliver was referee. : 1

TECHNICAL EXTENDED Training College was anything but outclassed in the match at Rugby Park against the leading team, Technical, and although Training College failed to score, Technical gained only one try—which was converted—and a field goal. If Training College had had a little more weight m the forwards, the. side might easily have won, for the backs, as a rule, ran straighter than thjeir opponents and on several occasions were unlucky not to score. Technical, however, had much the better of the second half. Early in the game Training College had some moments of indecision on defence, but later the tackling was better. The match was a particularly bright one, with the Technical backs getting a feast of the ball. They threw it about willingly enough, but it rarely got beyond the centre three-quarters, G. Bolton. A Canterbury representative, Bolton showed speed, but every attempt to run his outside man into position was foiled by his opposite number, K. A. Milne, who played a fine defensive game, and Bolton was almost invariably caught in possession. The first five-eighths, J. Roach, was not served particularly well by the half-back, J. Robson, but he handled very well. He was able sometimes to profit by the inexperience of the Training College players; on one occasion h<e steadied himself to find the line, and while the defence was waiting for the kick he changed direction and left the opposition standing. W. McCammon, outside him, was solid, but T. Jackson’s performance at full-back was quite undistinguished. His kicking was sometimes good, sometimes bad, and he was guilty again of speculating, when he could have taken the ball. The Technical forwards, with a big advantage in height and weight, did not play at top form, but nearly always hed charge of the game. D. Herman was a fine leader and R. Allan distinguished himself in the loose. The Training College pack fought a grand uphill battle, with J. Ennis, M. B. MacPherson. and A. C. Upjohn prominent throughout and J. Kelly showing speed at times. The half-back, T. J. Evans, was perhaps the best back on the field. His position behind a losing pack was not one to be envied, but he sent away quick and accurate passes, defended stoutly, snd backed up-at every opportunity. J, Daniels, the full-back, was sound.

Training College played brilliantly in the opening stages, and , some excellent work by the backs all but brought results. The team had the upper hand for most of the spell, but just before the interval Technical attacked and an in-pass from a back sent E. Young, a forward, over for a try. Jackson converted. Technical attacked for most of the second half, but the Training College defence held, and with only about 10 minutes to go, Training College staged a desperate attack. The light forwards swept through* the opposition in several fine foot rushes, and the backs also looked dangerous. Technical’s tackling was solid, however, and when play went upfield again, W. McCammon put the issue beyond doubt with a neat field goal. Mr E. J. F. Parkes was referee. SUNNYSIDE FINISHES WELL

Sunnyside staged a fast finish to beat Merivale by 16 points to 10, at Sunnyside. With the second spell well advanced, Merivale was 10 points ahead, but Sunnyside’s forwards, in the concluding stages, made several brilliant rushes and gave their side a deserved win.

For Merivale, the outstanding player was again the full-back, D. Doak, who handled and kicked competently. B. Chandler, the representative forward, played a sterling game for Sunnyside. In the first spell Williams scored a try for Merivale, which was converted by Doak. In the second half Doak also converted a try scored by Southern For Sunnyside, Connell, Milliken, McCarthy, and Aitken scored tries, two of which were converted by Moran. Mr S. Whiteford was referee. WIN FOR LINWOOD In a poor game, Linwood beat Old Boys by 16 points to 6, in the curtain-raiser at Lancaster Park. Back movements were marred by poor handling and usually broke down before they reached the centre three-quarters. Play was even for the first 20 minutes of the game, but when W. McHugh, who showed some of his old-time dash, kicked through for Linwood, Gunton scored in a scramble near the posts. Barnes converted. Miller and both of whom played solidly all through, dribbled the ball to the Old Boys’ line, and Miller scored. Argus made a determined run, after Barnes had cut through. He beat Parker, the Old Boys full-back, and scored between the posts. Barnes’s kick hit the upright. When Old Boys attacked, Erickson relieved with a long kick. Linwood infringed, and Sinclair kicked a penalty goal from well out. When Linwood came back on attack, McHugh intercepted a pass, badly beat the Old Boys backs, and scored between the posts. Mitchell converted. Just on time, Inder, the Old Boys wing three-quarters, scored in the corner after Blackmore had started a passing rush in which Duggan and Sinclair took a hand. Linwood won by 16 points (two goals from tries and two tries) to 6 (a try and a penalty goal). Mr R. Empson was referee.

LOWER GRADES Senior Reserve.—Albion 8, University B 8; Christchurch 18, University A 8; Kaiapoi 28, Marist 13; Technical Old Boys 11, High School Old Boys 8. Second Grade A.—Albion 9, Linwood 8; Marist 22, Christchurch 3. Second Grade B.—Sydenham 14, New Brighton 9; Technical Old Boys 20, Papanui Technical Old Boys 8; Collegians 17, Merivale 12; Spreydon 8, University 8. Third Grade A.—West Old Boys 14, Lyttelton 0; Technical Old Boys 20, Albion A 5; University A 26, Merivale A 3. Third Grade B.—Linwood B 6, Sumner 3; Belfast 10, Sydenham 0; Albion B 29, Merivale B 6. Third Grade C.—Training College 14, High Schol Old Boys 8; Marist 19, UmVe Fourth =: Grade.—Albion B 11, University 0; New Brighton 11, High School Old Boys 11; Technical Old Boys A 12, Albion A 6; Linwood A 10, Sydenham 0; Merivale 18, Marist A 6; Papanui Technical Old Boys beat Kaiapoi by default. Under 18A.—Papanui Technical Old Boys 11, Sydenham 8; Technical Old Boys A 34, Merivale 3; High School Old Boys 3, Belfast 3; Marist 3, West Old Boys 0. Under 18B.—St. Bede’s College 19, Christ’s College A 9: Boys’ High School A 14, Christchurch West 5; Christchurcn Technical College 19, Christ’s College B 6. Under 16.—North Canterbury 11, Sumner 8; High School Old Boys A 32, High School Old Boys B 0; Marist 12, New B Unde? Bst 71b.—Technical Old Boys A beat Technical Old Boys B by default. Under 7st 71b.—New Brighton 12, Sydenham B 0; High School Old Boys 26. Christchurch 5; Sydenham A 21, Linwood Under 6st 71b—Merivale 29, Technical Old Boys 0; Christchurch 6, Lyttelton 0; Sydenham A 15, Albion 0. . _ Under sst 101b.—Albion 17, Merivale 3, Christchurch A 25, Linwood B 0; Kaiapoi 26, Lyttelton 0; Linwood A 17, Christchurch B 0; New Brighton beat Sydenham B by default. aim™ 7-i Under sst.—Sydenham A 3, Albion 3, Marist 21, Linwood 0; New Brighton 3,

round:— W. T Points L. D. For. Agst. Ch. Pts. Technical • • 12 2 0 178 95 12 Albion 10 3 1 139 128 101 jlarist 9 2 3 115 62 101 svdenham 10 3 1 178 93 lol Old Boys .. .. 7 0 161 129 , 7 Christchurch .. 6 8 0 190 157 6 University 5 7 2 209 164 6-< Linwood .. 6 8 0 143 143 6 Training College 5 8 1 130 154 51 Sunnyside - • 4 7 3 129 21G 54 jj e w Brighton 2 11 103 252 2S jjerivale 2 12 0 96 237 2