WINS FOR SYDENHAM AND LINWOOD

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27090, 13 July 1953, Page 7

WINS FOR SYDENHAM AND LINWOOD

SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES Grounds were on the heavy side when the second series of games in the second round of the Canterbury Rugby League’s senior championship competition was played on Saturday, but both the games played on the Show Grounds oval produced bright and open football. In the early match Linwood, second in the competition, was hard pressed to beat Marist. and in the main game the result was always in doubt when Hornby beat Christchurch in an even game. Sydenham, the competition leaders, overwhelmed Addington to score the highest total of the season. Results:— Linwood 8, Marist 5. Hornby 6« Christchurch 0. Papanui 20, Woolston 7. Sydenham 58, Addington 3. Competition points:—Sydenham 17, Linwood 16, Hornby 13, Christchurch 10, Marist 8, Papanui 6, Woolston 2, Addington 0. SYDENHAM V. ADDINGTON Scoring at a rate worthy of Old Trafford (on a fine day) Sydenham added 40 points in as many minutes in the second spell to beat Addington by 58 points to 8. Sydenham took some little time to settle down, and in the first 20 minutes the hard tackling and bustling tactics of Addington caused most of the passing rushes to break down. Towards the end of the first half Sydenham was showing a marked superiority in both backs and forwards, who were combining well in some good movements. In the second half the Addington defence broke down completely against the repeated Sydenham attacks, and tries came regularly. * Sydenham gave a firstclass display of clean handling, straight running, and positional play in numerous combined movements against an admittedly weak opposition. Addington fought back gamely on occasions, but stayed on attack for only brief periods. Towards the end of the spell the side offered only token resistance and was finally beaten by the highest score compiled this season. PAPANUI V. WOOLSTON Papanui played one of its best games this season to beat the improved Woolston side by 20 points to 7 in a fast match at the Show Grounds. Although mistakes were made by both sides, -the standard of play was pleasing, with the Papanui back line showing better combination and the Woolston forwards playing much better football than in most of the recent matches. Woolston played particularly well in the second spell, although Papanui broke through the defence to score two tries, and its display gave promise that the side will win some matches before the season ends.

The heavy Papanui forwards held an advantage in the first half and gave their backs every opportunity to play attacking football. J. Bond, R. Broadhurst, R. Cook, and R. Claridge swept through the lighter opposition almost at will in the tight play to gain much ground, and showed good judgment in sending the ball out to their backs. The competent I. Campbell, at half-back, made the most of the good work of the forwards and sent the ball out smartly to his supports. L. Brown, the first five-eighths, played his best game for some time, and varied his play well by making an occasional breakthrough to leave the defence standing. He cohered much ground in the second half, when Woolston was attacking fiercely, and made some good tackles when Woolston was in a scoring position. It was in the centre three-quarters position that Papanui showed most Improvement, when R. Marsh, handling well, ran hard to straighten up the attack and give it the needed thrust. Outside Marsh, P. O’Rourke ran strongly to gain ground. In many of its best movements the Papanui backline had the assistance of E. Griffiths, the loose forward, who has now returned to his best form after his absence from the earlier games. Handling well and showing plenty of speed, he scored an excellent try in the second spell after a run of 40 yards. Although Papanui had the best of the forward play and its backs attacked at every opportunity with some first-class combined movements, the side scored only two tries in the first half, due to the rugged Woolston defence. Solid tackling by both the backs and forwards repeatedly stopped Papanui’s progress, and if the side did not show any attacking ability at tnis stage jt at least proved the value of hard tackling and good cover defence.

Woolston made a much better showing on attack in the second half, when its lighter forwards gave away nothing to the heavier Papanui pack. They played with plenty of life and their bustling tactics enabled them to hold their bigger opponents on even terms for most of the spell. In an evenly-matched pack J. Young and H. Swann were outstanding for good work in the tight play and their ability to link up with their backs. The best of the Woolston backs on attack was J. Churcher, at first five-eighths, who ran straight to find some gaps in the defence. G. Pitcher, a capable wing three-quarters, had few chances, but on occasions showed all his old speed down the line. R. Hill, the full-back, wsa kept busy, particularly in the first spell, but he made few mistakes. For Papanui tries were scored by Broadhurst, O'Rourke, Griffiths, and Tinning. Campbell converted two tries, and Bond kicked a penalty goal and converted one try. Woolston’s points came from a try by Young, converted by Pitcher, and a penalty goal by Hill. The referee was Mr K. Cox. HORNBY v. CHRISTCHURCH

The very strong Hornby defence was fully tested when the side met Christchurch in the main game at the Show Grounds. The game was played at a fast pace throughout,. considering the heavy state of the ground, and produced many fine movements. Both sides at all times attempted to keep the game open and interesting. Hornby won by two unconverted tries io nil, but by no means had the better of the game. The cover defence of the winners again reached a high level, and this was the deciding factor in the win. Christchurch lived up to its reputation of playing open football, and with clean handling attacked at every opportunity. Time and again Christchurch

swept down the field in promising movements, only to be stopped by Hornby’s solid defence. A Christchurch player would beat his opposite number and start a move only to find that supporting Hornby players were right on the spot to stop it with a solid tackle. Two very even packs had a great tussle, and honours were even at the end of the game. They did not attempt to keep the game tight, but opened up the play for their backs at every opportunity. The outstanding forward on the ground was the Christchurch second row man, Crofts, who gave one of his best displays. Not shirking anything in the tight, he also gave a fine exhibition in the loose and was up with the play from start to finish. He handled as well as any back on the ground, and his bursts to set his backs in motion were a feature of the game. He was well supported by Collins and McCormack, who held their own with their heavier opponents. The Hornby forwards were always led by Rutherford, who frequently burst through with powerful runs, B. Woodgate and Coake, who did great work on cover defence. . . „ Henry gave a very safe display of fullback play for Hornby. Other Hornby backs to impress were Woodham, the halfback, D. and G. Neiman, and C. Courtney. Courtney’s fine pace saved his side on several occasions when the Christchurch backs broke through.

Brown, behind the Christchurch scrum, gave a neat and solid display. His handling and passing were crisp and clean, and his covering up was first-class. Turner, the first five-eighths, dropped a few passes but made some nice openings. Purdon was a solid link and was content mostly to get the ball away to supports. Paskell, at centre, strove hard to find a gap in the strong defence and made many fine runs. Harrison and Mitchell were determined wingers, and almost scored on several occasions. Burney, the Christchurch full-back, hgd a bad day with his handling and did not seem to be able to handle the heavy ground, slipping over several times as he went for the ball. Hornby’s first try came when Courtney chased a kick. Burney misfielded and Courtney kicked ahead and won the race for the ball. Hornby’s try in the second spell went to Rutherford, who made a strong run to go over in the corner. Referee, Mr W. Massey. LINWOOD v. MARIST

The heavy ground did not suit either Linwood or Marist in their curtain-raiser game at the Show Grounds. It was not until late in the second spell that Linwood, which had already played two drawn games this season, scored the deciding try to give it an 8-5 win. Both sides were disorganised through injuries. Marist played Haig at second five-eighths, and Linwood played A. Atkinson at centre three-quarters. These two players, however, showed their real football worth by giving first-class displays in their unaccustomed positions. The state of the ground was against fast open play, and both sides played a tighter game than usual. „ , Dropped passes and cross-field running were faults in both sides’ play. Linwood’s fast back line was hampered by the play of the half-back, Jones, who ran far too much from the base of the scrum and did not allow his fast outside supports enough room in which to get going. Some of the Linwood forwards also erred in this respect and tried to do far too much by themselves. Hobson, at first five-eighths, made some nice openings, and with A. and C. Atkinson, was most prominent in the Linwood back line. Hudson, whose handling is generally the strongest point in his play, had a definite day off. and it was strange to see him mishandle such a lot. Even at Second Haig was the spearhead of the Marist attack, working hard all the time to get his side on the move. He received most support from Shaw and Bowrigg. The Linwood pack was strengthened by the inclusion of Blanchard, who was having his first run after an injury. Blanchard gave his usual solid display and was always on the ball. He was well supported by Roberts and McGee. Most prominent Marist forwards were Middleton, a young player who shows a lot of promise, Hislop and Stokes. Linwood’s tries were scored by A. Atkinson, who scored x after a 60-yards run,