TROPHY AND SHIELD GAMES BEGIN

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27090, 13 July 1953, Page 6

TROPHY AND SHIELD GAMES BEGIN

RUGBY FOOTBALL

Old Boys Retain Lead In First Division

WINS FOR CHRISTCHURCH AND MARIST

With six teams in each division, competition games for the Harewood Trophy and D.C.L. Shield began on Saturday in fine but cold weather. The grounds were heavy and the foothold uncertain.

In the first division the leading teams, Old Boys, Christchurch and Marist, beat Linwood, Sydenham and Belfast by comfortable margins and in the second division University, Albion and Air Force had victories over Technical, Sunnyside-Spreydon and New Brighton. Following are the results of senior games.— Harewood Trophy Old Boys 17, Linwood 3. Christchurch 13, Sydenham 0. Marist IC, Belfast 3. D.C.L. Shield Air Force 11, New Brighton 8. Albion 8, Sunnyside-Spreydon 6. University 12, Technical G. The following table shows the positions of teams:— HAREWOOD TROPHY

A COMFORTABLE WIN Individual effort, rather than any good display of combined work, gave Old Boys a comfortable win over Linwood by 17 points to 3 as against a win by IJ> points to 6 in a game played between the two teams in the first round. The heavy ground slowed up the Old Boys backs, whose combination was sadly lacking, and only poor tackling by some of the Linwood backs gave Old Boys at least three of the five tries scored. The game generally lacked the sparkle usually associated with Old Boys football, and 20 minutes before the end of the game spectators commenced to leave the ground. The dullness of the game, with a very cold south-west wind, was responsible. Yet there were patches in the play in which forwards took a prominent part and which bordered on the best class of Rugby. Old Boys opened the scoring early in the game when Pilkington, playing on the left wing, raced into first five-eighths. Accepting a pass from the half-back, Vincent, he cut the defence to pieces with a fast dash to the goal-line. It was a surprise move for the inside Linwood backs.

The Linwocd forwards with I. Mitchell. P. Eastgate, and S. Mitchell showing the way, had Old Boys fully extended and only the solid defence of Preece and Mayo kept them from scoring. Vincent and Wilson played a leading part in the next try and Wilson scored wide out Linwood’s only score came from a penalty goal kicked by the full-back, Beaton, his J?? J rt s. enth for the season. At half time Old Boys led by 6 points to 3. Mayo scored his ninth try this year wben he joined in a passing rush and with a straight dash he caught the opposition on the wrong foot and went over J" , a good position. He failed with the kick, but did better with the next try which M. Hern scored after N. Main. 2 ia .! f ‘ b ?. ck - had slipped and tumbled the ball after receiving from a scrum. Hem snapped up the ball verv !^ rt }i y and ran 20 yards. Chain passing l h ® ba J ou «, to ~ Ke nnedy and the strong-running Old Boys’ wing bumped very good"ry. a ” d Bcaton and scored a ,°' d B ? ys w °n by 17 points (a goal “„ try “?? ,our tries) t 0 3 P° in ’ s (a penalty goal).

. OM Boys Forwards in Form ainlr o J s 'J? oo £ er ’ D - Hattaway, gave his side a good share of the ball from the set scrums and in line-outs, too, the foiwards held an advantage. The honours the -> gam ® must go to the Old Boys forwards, who worked in cohesion and, I t USbing u S ' )1 i dl £ in the scr ums, proli ada y . I ? ve . ,y breakaway in M. Hern. ™?. z/ u, a tlreless worker and showed speed when scoring his try. wav ?o b }L in !. De 5 UOUS ’ M ’ H e™ is on the M best company. His brother. fr ont-ranker, was not so prominbad been in the representative SftJSLe e P r « vl ous week, although he ?h??N d JL V u ry serviceable game and the with 2k b< L r o£ the D. Hern, with R. Cochrane and N. Roberts, took the honours in the line-out. **ilson, at first five-eighths, gave °" ly b i m i Pses « of A hls rcal brilliance and X ®t»S ? ly a ? ect -?M by the hea vy nature ?olidY ln <* nt - who d ‘ d some Shu W «I k ’. dld no‘ help by the hesitancy DnJ Ing * did more running than SSL? 1 ? ground with several snappy bursts. The most impressive of the ♦ l ys backs was the fast improving ™n g J?H ee ’% Uar A ter )K G - Pilkington, who L ? hard and straight for the line and was not found wanting when called on defen ce- Pilkington has the o, xt high-grade wing threequarters. Neither Preece nor Johnsen, usually two of the most reliable centres, w n _ ear ly so impressive in this game. The Linwood forwards have nothing to be ashamed of in their display. Although 15SL, were beaten lor the ball in the set and were at a disadvantage in the line-outs, some of their dribbling rushes deserved better results. Always in the front and making ground in every move, P. Eastgate, solidly built and very nt, set a fine example, and the always-con-‘ sistent I. Mitchell was usually his nearest attendant, with S. Mitchell and D. Tabb as good supports. Unfortunately the efforts of the pack were not well supported by the backs, who had some bad lapses at critical Keriods of the game. At half-back, N. lain, with limited chances, did some fine work, and it was unlucky for him and nis side when he slipped and, fumbling the ball, gave Old Boys a try. On defence he did more than his share. H. Waterland and M. Munnerley, at fiveeighths, made unpardonable errors when they failed to tackle straight running backs, although when handling the ball and kicking for the line they performed creditably. The passing, however, lacked fire and penetration, and the wings, M. Stoop and L. Hunter, were given few chances in orthodox passing. On occasions, however. Hunter, a young wing, made his own play and displayed cleverness in his elusive runs. He shows promise and will improve with experience. Mr K. Noonan was referee. MARIST BACKS WIN GAME Realising early in the game that its backs were no match for the more experienced Marist seven, Belfast concentrated on preventing attacks from being started by the inside backs, and with loose forwards and five-eighths standing almost level with the scrum, they succeeded in curbing the activities of the Marist men. As in the Old Boys-Linwood game there were only flashes of brilliance by the backs, although the Belfast wing three-quarters, R. Odgers and G. Wilson, must be commended for some very fine tackling. Marist owed its decisive win mainly to the efforts of the full-back, K. Stuart, and half-back, P. Creedy, who played outstanding football. Always sound on defence and brilliant at times in his kicking, Stuart showed fine judgment in joining the attacking backline, and he assisted in giving the overlap in the scoring of three of the four tries. Creedy had a hard time of it at the hands of the Belfast forwards, who broke very quickly from the scrum. This did not stop him from sending w’ell- . directed passes to his first five-eighths. J. Cadigan, whose handling was uncertain. This meant breaks by the Belfast forwards, and it was often Creedy whose great speed served him well in covering ' up the mistakes of others. K. Davidson and C. McDonald and later P. Dempsey , showed up as good wing three-quarters . and each scored a try. J. Small and K. Meates shone in the line-outs. D. Hodgins gave his side a fair share of the ball, and he was ably assisted < by M. Griffin, ’with J. Fahey showing up in the loose. E. Brown and C. Cassidy, at five-eighths for Belfast, concentrated on harassing the Marist inside backs, and though their close-up play could only mean crossground running when they did get the ball, they partly succeeded in their main object. It was not attractive. football. R. Odgers, wing three-quarters, was given : few chances to show his form on attack. <

His tackling was exceptionally good, and he prevented more than one try being scored. W. Radford, at centre,, showed judgment in kicking to the gaps. ' Of a lively set of forwards, L. Halligan, A. Cassidy, D. Small, and C. Neale were most prominent. At half-time Marist led by 8 points (tries scored by E. Heenarf and Davidson, Stuart converting one) to 0. In the second spell Dempsey and McDonald scored tries, Stuart converting one. For Belfast, E. Brown kicked a penalty goal. Marist won by 16 points (two goals from tries, and two tries) to 3 points (a penalty goal). Mr L. Kirk was referee. NEW BRIGHTON BEATEN New Brighton, which has improved its record considerably in the last few weeks, was beaten narrowly by Air Force in a match played at Wigram. Air Force, which was two points behind at the interval, won by 11 points to 8. New Brighton was the first to score, when R. Quaid, a good all-round forward, went over after the Air Force defence had become bustled. The try was converted by M. Hadley, but Air Force reduced the deficit with a long penalty by D. Jameson. Early in the second spell the Air Force forwards attacked strongly, and a good movement ended in a try by Mac Gee New Brighton was soon in front again, Mitchell scoring an opportunist try, but Air Force clinched the game in spectacular fashion, Hadfield running 40 yards to score after a New Brighton pass had been dropped. The try was converted by Jameson. Air Force won by 11 points (a goal from a try, a try and a penalty goal) to 8 (a goal from a try and a try). Mr M. Cason was referee. SYDENHAM WELL BEATEN Christchurch never looked like losing to Sydenham in the match at Rugby Park, and the score, 13 points to 0, was a reasonable indication of Christchurch’s superiority. Christchurch was without several of its leading players, including G. Johnson, F. Hill and R. Smith, but its forwards', particularly in the first spell, controlled the scrums and line-outs, and the Christchurch backs’ attacks always looked much more likely to succeed than their opponents’ efforts.

The ground was sticky, but the ball remained dry, and there were many bright movements and forward rushes. In the loose, Sydenham’s forwards were particularly effective, and the attention paid by W. Mockeft to the Christchurch half-back, K. Allsop, probably saved Sydenham from a heavier defeat. Some of the Sydenham forwards’ loose rushes took a lot of stopping, and when in the second spell Sydenham began to see more of the ball, the side might have done better had it ignored its backs, for the halfback, D. Sampson, and the first fiveeighths, I. Meacham, were ah unhappy pair. They failed to settle down together, and when Sampson was not bustled into erratic passes, Meacham usually dropped the good ones. Not long after the second spell began M. Dixon moved in from the tight wing to take Meacham’s place, and he gave the attacks a little more thrust. The best Sydenham back was the centre, D. Bowick, who ran hard and straight whenever he had the chance. He also tackled superbly. Mockett, W. Wakelin, O. Gibbons, and M. Kilworth were at the head of most of Sydenham’s forward rushes, and J. Miles, a lightweight front row forward, played a fine all-round game until he tired in the last 15 minutes.

In a lively Christchurch pack, A. Bellamore played another outstanding game. He was in everything, and showed a speed and enterprise in the broken play uncommon in a front row forward. R. Duff and J. Watkins were good in the heavy work, and R. Wells, playing a useful all-round game, made some spectacular and effective tackles.

Allsop and J. Hotop outside him were a good pair. Allsop was caught in possession a few times, but generally he got the ball away well, and Hotop played another very fine game. He sent the ball along quickly until it was, clear that the men outside could make little headway against very solid tackling, and he then more often kicked effectively for the line ga P- Only once in the first spell did he go by himself, and he scored a typically determined try. The second five-eighths. P. Moir, showed speed and enterprise, and at' full-back M. Gold was reliable, handling and kicking safely. Christchurch’s first points came after s scrum on the Sydenham line. Allsop went round the open side and forced his wav over. Hotop converted. Hotop made r lovely run from outside the Svdenharr twenty-five, and although he seemed to be effectively tackled near the line, he struggled over for a try. Christchurch, playing with the wind, was on top for some time, and when Moir broke through Hotop took an in-oass and scored a try he himself converted. Hotop’s kicking was good, but once, from nis own side of half-way, he put the ball out just on the dead ball side of the Sydenham line. In the closing stages Sydenham rallied well, and kept Christchurch busy, but there was no further score. Christchurch won by 13 points (two goals from tries and a try) to 0. Mr V. C. Empson was referee. PENALTIES WIN GAME University is one of the leading teams in the D.C.L. shield competition after beating Technical by 12 points to 6 in a scrappy game at Lancaster Park. Techncal won 5-0 when the teams played a week earlier. All of University's points on Saturday came from penalty goals kicked by the full-back, J. Croucher—two in the first half of the game against the strong southerly wind. University was fortunate in that it was awarded penalties when it approached the Technical goal-line after long periods on defence.

Play. by both sets of backs was weak, due partly to good tackling, but also to mishandling and bad passing. Most attacks comprised sorties with the ball being kicked ahead. J. Waine, Technical five-eighths, cut through nicely at times. , His pot after a quick heel by the forwards near the University line was a good effort. As usual, one of the best attacking backs. P. Logan (wing three-qusr-ters) saw little of the ball, and the only time his side capitalised on his ability was in a blind-side movement early in the game, from which Logan scored. Croucher, as well as scoring all the points, was an asset to University when the side was pressed. Apart from him, D. F. Stewart, who varied his play well at five-eighths, was probably the beert in a set of backs changed beyond recognition from the usual combination. The team had six of its- regular players on the side-line It was surprising that a Technical forward pack including so many individuals with good reputations did not play with more fire as a unit. I. Rathgen, W. Teague and A. Couling shone on occasions, but they did not overwhelm their opponents. A. Care and J. Steere led the University pack in many ruches, which relieved pressure on the goal-line. The eight was unable to get its share of the ball through lack of weight. University won by 12 points (four penalty goals) to 6 (one try and one field goal). Mr D. H. Parks was referee. WIN FOR ALBION Sunnyside-Spreydon put up its best performance to date this year when it held Albion to a two-point lead in a game played at Sunnyside. Albion won 8-6. Sunnyside-Spreydon, which attacked from the start, was rewarded with a penalty goal kicked by A. Jemmett after the game had been in progress for a short time. It continued to press, but Albion was able to relieve the pressure after a penalty kick had found the line. J. Ackland, Albion second five-eighths, made a good run, but M. Inglis was unlucky to put his foot out just short of the line. However, it was not long before W. Garlick, a forward, scored after a penalty kick by R. Dyer had gone astray. Early in the second half of the game Jemmett kicked another penalty goal. It was an excellent effort from a long wav out. Sunnyside-Spreydon held the lead in the face of determined attacks by Albion, and three attempts at penalty goals by different players. Near the end of the game a breakthrough by J. Palmer. Albion first fiveeighths, resulted in R. Fleming scoring after Palmer had linked up with his forwards. Ackßnd converted to make the final score 8-6. Albion won by 8 pointe (a goal from a try and a try) to 6 (two penalty goals). Mr F. B. Campbell was referee.

LOWER GRADES

Senior, Second Division.—Teachers’ College 14, Merivale 6; Linwood 6, Christchurch 3; Marist 13. Kaiapoi 3.

Junior A.—Old Boys 14, SunnysideSpreydon 3. Junior B.—University B 19, Sumner 9; Air Force 43, Merivale 3; Marist 20, Christchurch 0. Third Grade A.—Sydenham 11, Linwood 6; Albion 8, Papanui Technical 0; University B 15, Air Force 5; Marist 21, Christchurch 0. Third Grade C.—Merivale 3, Teachers’ College 0. Fourth Grade.—Marist 6, SunnysideSpreydon 3; Sydenham 35, Christchurch 0; Technical 14, Belfast 0; Albion 6, New Brighton 3. Fifth Grade.—Lyttelton 26, RiccartonSockburn 6; Linwood 14, Merivale 0; Marist 8, Papanui Technical 0. Undew 18 A.—Christchurch 17, Linwood 3; Old Boys 18, Marist 3. Under 18 B.—Technical 11, Teachers’ College 9; St. Bede's College 6, Boys’ High School B 3. Under 17.—Belfast 8, Christchurch 8; Nexv Brighton 11, Old Boys 6; SunnvsideSpreydon 0, Linwood 0; Merivale 32. Technical 3. Under 16.—Marist 25, Technical 3. Under Bst 101b.—Sunnyside-Spreydon 25, Old Boys 0; Marist 9, Linwood 0; Christchurch 25, Technical 0. Under 7st 71b.—Sunnyside-Spreydon A 15, Sydenham 0; Marist 14. Linwood 0; Lyttelton 25, Sunnyside-Spreydon B 0; Technical 15, Papanui Technical 0. Under 6st 71b A.—Marist 25, Christchurch 0; Sunnyside-Spreydon 6, New Brighton 0; Linwood 25. Kaiapoi 0. Under 6st 71b B.—Belfast 25. Linwood 0; Sydenham 25, Sunnyside-Spreydon 0. Under sst 101 b A.—Marist 12. Sydenham 0; Linwood 9, Sunnyside-Spreydon O' Christchurch 6, Merivale 0. Under sst 101 b B—New Brighton 3, Marist B 0; Marist C 17. Sunnyside-Sprey-don 6; St. Mary’s 13, Albion 6; Kaiapoi beat Sumner by default. Under sst A.—New Brighton 15, Riccarton Marist 3; Marist 3. Albion 0: Sydenham 3. Sunnyside-Spreydon 3: Linwood 16 Christchurch 6. Under sst B.—Marist 12, Merivale 0; Sunnyside-Spreydon 12, Linwood 0; Belfast 11, Sumner 0.

P. W. Pts. L. D. For Agst. Ch. Pts. Old Boys .. 12 11 0 188 60 j 1 Christchurch 12 10 2 0 170 60 10 Marist 12 8 3 144 78 84 Linwood 12 6 4 2 127 98 7Sydenham 12 6 5 1 126 109 64 Belfast 12 5 6 1 98 134 54 D.C.L. P. W. Shield L. D. Pts. For Agst. Ch. Pts. University 12 5 7 0 81 113 5 Air Force 12 4 6 2 113 128 5 Technical 12 4 7 132 121 44 Albion 12 4 7 94 128 44 N. Brighton 12 4 8 0 99 127 4 SunnysideSpreydon 12 0 11 1 44 260 4