RUGBY FOOTBALL SCHOOL BEATS COLLEGE

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26477, 19 July 1951, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL SCHOOL BEATS COLLEGE

THREE-POINT MARGIN IN ANNUAL MATCH Brilliant back movements and rugged, determined forward rushes were features of the annual football match between Boys' High School and Christ’s College, played at. Straven road yesterday. High School won by 8 points (two tries) to 3 (a penalty goal), and the result was a good indication of the trend of play. . The School backs made some brilliant movements in the first few minutes of the game. From a scrum at halfway, D. Plumb, second five-eighths, backing up after handling, sent J. A. Stenhouse on for a possible try, but he was pushed Into touch a few yards from the line. From the line-out the ball was taken to midfield by the College forwards, but an infringement gave School a chanCe. From 30 yards out, K. M. Burnett’s kick hit the cross-bar. B. Columbus, in making the break for Stenhouse to score School's first try, gave an indication of the determined play he was to produce all through the game. Although the passes from Tregear were often slow and ill-directed, Columbus rarely made a mistake, and by his hard, straight running and good handling was the mainstay of the School back-line. In the face of fast rushes by the College forwards, he never failed to go down on the ball, and his tackling saved his team from many embarrassments. Plumb, outside Columbus, played a solid game, but he was inclined to do too much by himself, and usually worked J. Reeves, centre, into an awkward position in passing rushes. Reeves saw little of the ball, but generally contrived to do the right thing. A masterly display at full-back was given by Burnett. His handling of the greasy ball in the face of heavy forward attacks was exceptional. He was rarely bustled, and his line-kicking w&s well-timed and accurate.

The College Backs In comparison with the match-winning style of the School backs, the College line was brilliant. If not at all times efficient. The service from the half-back. R. P. A. Thomson, was at times appallingly slow, and great credit must go to the five-eighths, J. K. Wardell and D. S. Buchanan. These two players, through precise passing and straight running, often bewildered the opposition. The College centre three-quarters, P. M. G. Osborne, combined with Wardell and Buchanan to produce some enterprising movements, and it was unfortunate that support from the wings was not all it might have been. Forward play of the usual high standard found in school matches was produced by two evenly-matched packs. In the scrums College had a slight advantage, but the taller School players took the ball in most line-outs. Sweeping forward rushes with B. J. Bradley and M. Thacker, of School, and T. Tothill. of College, prominent, brought deserved applause from the large crowd. A commendable feature of the play was the backing up of both sets of forwards. When a back kicked far downfield. it was only a matter of seconds before hard rucking was in progress. There was no question of a slackening of the pace or the tenacity of either pack In any part of the game. The teams were:—

Boys' High School.—K. M. Burnett; J. A. Stenhouse. J. Reeves, J. S. Foster; D. M. Plumb. B. Columbus (vice-captain); J. Tregear; B. S. Loveridge. B. J. Bradley (Captain), R. S. Dalzell. M. Thacker. P. R. Howe. C. Sisson, B. Simpson, P. R. Hay. Christ's College.—J. W. Clarke; T. Gibson. J. G. Osborne, J. Hawkes; D. S. Buchanan, J. K. Wardell; D. M. Mavne; T. Tothill. E. C. Guy, R. C. Pears. E. W. Turrell. A. C. Iverson. R K. Wilson. M. G. Drayton, R. P. A. Thomson.

For Boys' High School, tries were scored by Stenhouse and Howe. Tothill kicked a penalty for Christ's College. The referee was Mr S. Whiteford.