TOWN BEATS COUNTRY

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27072, 22 June 1953, Page 6

TOWN BEATS COUNTRY

RUGBY FOOTBALL

Lead Of 24 Points Gained In First Half

CLOSE PLAY IN SECOND SPELL

Establishing a lead of 27 points to 3 in the first spell. Town appeared likely to have a runaway victory against Country in the annual game played at Lancaster Park on Saturday. The set scrums gave Town a monopoly of the ball, and the backs allowed a freedom which said little for the defence of the Country backs. In the line-outs the tall Town forwards also did much as they pleased, and against lifeless and leaderless opposition six tries were scored, a penalty goal kicked, and three conversions made to a solitary penalty goal scored by Country. The second spell was a different story. Country changed its tactics, and the forwards, breaking quickly, found weaknesses in the Town team. Town. won. 37-11. each side scoring two tries in the second half. Town had to struggle hard to hold its own, and although this was the third game it had played together, there seemed to be plenty of room for improvement. Following were the teams:— Town—K. Stuart; J. Douglas, A. Elsom, R. Smith; J. Hotop, D. Wilson; P. Vincent; P. Eastgate, D. Young, A. Couling; F. Hill, R. Duff, N. Teague, K. Meates, E. Hern. Country.—G. Patterson; R. Averill, C. McPherson, W. Snellex; G. Marshall, N. Mortimer; B. Hassall; W.. Chapman, W. Johnson, J. McLean; D. McMillan, M. Peach, N. Dalzell, L. Davies; M. Henderson. The Scoring McPherson, the Country centre, earned applause early in the game when he bowled over Elsom, and only good cover defence by Hotop and Wilson kept the Town line intact. A centre-kick by - Hotop was nicely handled by Smith, who sent infield to Meates and on to Duff, who scored. Hotop was prominent a few minutes later when he worked the blind side of the scrum and sent on to Douglas, who made a smart dash before sending Wilson over for a try at the corner. Stuart’s good attempt to convert sent the ball just outside the posts. Patterson, the Country full-back, kicked the first goal of the match when a Town forward was penalised for offside play. It was a good 3Q yards kick. Stuart soon replied with one as good. In loose forward play Hern secured and sent to Vincent. Wilson was handy to receive and after an elusive run sent on to Elsom, who had a straight run to the goal line. Stuart earned applause for

long line-finders after missing with a shot from a penalty, and when Hotop received the ball in broken play he brushed off weak tackles and scored a good solo try. The next points came when Vincent sent to Douglas, with Elsom and Smith on the inside in support. Smith gained a try which Stuart converted, and he also added two points to a try scored by Hotop after Wilson and Elsom had broken through the defence. At half-time Town, after having had all the better of the game, led by 27 points to 3. The Country forwards, headed by Davies, McMillan, McLean, and Peach, put plenty of dash into a rush at the start of the second spell, and in attempting to clear from their own goal-line a misunderstanding caused by the hesitancy of Stuart, Smith, and Elsom gave McLean a try, which Patterson converted. After this encouraging start the Country forwards -played inspired football* and breaking quickly from the scrums, continuously harried the Town backs. In a fast passing rush by the Canterbury backs, McPherson tackled Elsom splendidly. The ball came loose, however, and Douglas snapped up smartly and scored at the corner. Stuart converted with a fine kick, and a further conversion was made easy for him when Couling scored in a forward scramble near the goalposts. . Country was having the better of ths game, and when the wing three-quarters, Snellox, joined in a passing rush, the centre three-quarters, McPherson, cut through, badly beating Hotop and Elsom and scored a good try. Town won by 37 points (S goals from tries, 3 tries, and a penalty goal) to 11 points (a goal from a try, a try. and a penalty goal).

Hotop and Wilson Impress Although the form of the Canterbury forwards and backs against weak opposition in the first spell appeared to be that of Ranfurly Shield winners, the display against the rejuvenated forwards and sure-tackling backs in the second half should have given the Canterbury selectors something to think about. Hotop, Wilson and Stuart cannot be expected to bear the brunt of defence in more serious fixtures on their sturdy shoulders as they did in the second spell against Country- Nor can Wilson, especially, be expected to stand up to the buffeting that he received from Country’s rugged forwards, who handled him as they would a sack ofchaff on the farm. With Hotop, who runs with his feet very firmly on the ground and is a hard man to upset, Wilson worked in the best combination seen between the pair, and in this game there was no suggestion of passes being taken flat-footed. Wilson would give momentum to any passing rush. Yet at times there was a slight inclination to send play across field because in giving their passes they seemed over-anxious to double round and make an extra man in the passing rushes. Behind the scrum, Vincent gave his backs every service when the going was easy, but the hard-tackling* Country forwards had him in trouble many times in the second half. were no whit

The Town three-quarters were no whit S superior to their opponents in the second s spell, and it seemed that the straight run- I ning and deadly tackling of McPherson at a centre gave Country an advantage. Doug- ' las put more devil into his work than in I some recent games, and was the best of a rather disappointing trio. ; Every game that Stu ait plays seems to £ bring him nearer selection as New Zea- J land’s full-back. His play was almost ‘ faultless in fielding a rolling ball or taking J a high punt, and with ease, he gained 40 ‘ or 50 yards with his line kicks. The Canterbury forwards, after having , had matters all their own way early in the game, seemed taken by surprise in , the second spell, and did hot make a com- . plete recovery. Duff, Meates and Teague . appeared to be the best in the line-out and loose work, and for consistent endeavour from start to finish it would be hard to find one better than the sturdy front-ranker. Eastgate. The defection of ! the Old Boys forward, W. Roberts, be- ; cause of injuries, made necessary a, re- • arrangement of the scrum, in which A. Couling was included as a front-ranker, and E. Hern played in the unaccustomed position of No. 8, which did hot appear to suit him. Patterson, the Ellesmere full-back, ip not credited with being a very good tackler, and even if he had been he would have had little chance of preventing the tries being scored against his team. In other departments, however, he was up to standard, his taking of the ball being safe and his line-kicking generally sure. The halfback. Hassall, did some things very well, and his passes were accurate enough to be surely taken by his first five-eighths. Mortimer, a likely looking youth in need Of experience. McPherson Plays Well The' star in the back-line, however, was the centre, McPherson. Elsom, the Town centre, may have been unlucky in meeting such a good tackler with the speed of McPherson, who runs straight. McPherson is not a stranger to Lancaster Park patrons, although he appears to be a better footballer than he was last year. Snellox, who replaced C. McCauley at wing three-quarters, showed initiative in starting a scoring movement, and he could have seen more of the ball with advantage to his side. 4 ' If a rather lifeless display in the first spell is forgotten, the Country forwards may be given credit for a splendid effort, for in a fast second half they taught the Town men a number of lessons in hard, rugged football, in which mobility and sure tackling played a major part. Davies, always a good scrum forward, showed his versatility when he was called on to play as breakaway. He stood very wide in the line-out and effectually stopped any passing rushes being carried on by the Town backs, and in set scrums he and McMillan, the other breakaway, came out smartly and again helped to bottle up the-attack. Peach, a hefty North Canterbury lock, was a good match for Dalzell in holding the scrum, and M. Henderson, No. 8 forward, always did his share. ....

Mr ’ F. J. Shadbolt (Waikart) was referee.

NORTH CANTERBURY SUB-UNION The following is the draw for matches to be played in the North Canterbury Rugby Sub-Union’s competitions on Saturday:— Senior.—Wo v. Ox (Mr Huria); Glen v. Nga (Mr Kilworth); Rang v. Oh (Mr Grant): Ko v. Am (Mr Shaskey). Junior .—Rang v. Wo (Mr Eaglesome), 1.30; Lo v. S’brook (Mr Pearson); Ko a bye. Under 18.—Rang v. Ox (Mr Pulley); Am v. Cu (Mr Sfiicock). _ ’ Advt.