FROM THE SIDE-LINES

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30179, 10 July 1963, Page 13

FROM THE SIDE-LINES

The Christchurch senior lugtoy team's hooker, B. 'rancis, played a splendid H-round game against

Marist on Saturday. Besides holding his own in a keen duel with the opposing hooker, B. Loftus, he rucked purposefully and added hard and low. As the result of a bead gained by Francis in a crum close to the Marist me. G. War.erreus scored his side’s only try. • • * Two promoted lowergrade players, P. R. Black University) and M. O'Malley Linwood), played well on a greasy ground at Lancaster Park south ground. Black took his first opportunity in senior Rugby to score a good try for University, and O’Malley stood out for good work on defence and good following up when Linwood was on attack in the second half. ♦ ¥ •

•AN. Amer, a former : Kiwi, wag able to produce a ! surprising amount of speed • on a wet ground when • Papanui won its first Rugbj : League competition game ol ! the season, over Christ- • church, Amer has not playI ed regularly this season, bul J whenever he does play he ii ■ of great value to his team • His try in the second hall : was just reward for a good • effort. ■ uiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisiiiiiiisiiiaii

The Christchurch City player, D. Niven, must have mixed thoughts over the arrival of the former English League professional, G. Evans, to be his club’s player-coach. Had Evans delayed his arrival for another fortnight, Niven would have been centre-half for the Canterbury team to play Otago at English Park next Saturday. He moved to leftback for last Saturday’s game against Western, and has been chosen as reserve for the provincial team. Niven has been playing solid, constructive football at centre-half, and would have fully deserved a Canterbury place at another time. ¥ * ¥

One of the most consistent players in the senior women's hockey competition is the Carlton left-back, L. Drummond. She is not a spectacular player, but is most adept at keeping an opposing right-wing under control and has formed an excellent combination with her left-half, J. Witte. ¥ ¥ ¥ The best player in last Saturday's Rothmans South Island final between Nomads and Technical Old Boys at Dunedin was the Canterbury captain, G. Donaldson. In a game that will want to be forgotten by most of those present, players and spectators, Donaldson stood head and shoulders above the others, for his ball control, passing, positioning, and soccer know-how. The rest of the Nomads’ defence played well, and at times heroically, but none so consistently as Donaldson. ¥ ¥ ¥ The Cashmere High School first fifteen captain is the flanker, A. Grant. He is a strong. det,?~mined player who has the ability to lead as well as command He kept his forwards fairly tight against Shirley on Saturday and the result was a good win for Cash-

It appears three-quarters are suffering just as much from lack of ball in some inter-school matches this season as they do in many senior games. In the meeting between Christchurch Boys’ High School and St. Andrew’s College, even taking into account the heavy ground and greasy ball, there was little of note done by backs. Attempts to chain pass are now so often smothered close to the scrum, especially with tackling of such a high standand schoolboy footballers should be searching for infinite variation » ¥ ¥ Sh..iey Boys’ High School has a vigorous forward in G, C. Gass. A tight forward by definition (he is a prop) Gass is also a menacing-looking player in the loose. If he did not actually smash the opposition on Saturday, he certainly buckled it on more than one occasion. ¥ ¥ ¥ The Linwood Rugby League team’a senior wing, G. Wade, has scored some excellent tries this season, but none could have been more appreciated by his club than the runaway try he scored against Hornby last Saturday. It was this try that gave his side a 5-3 victory. The movement began when a Hornby player dropped a pass in centrefield. Wade suddenly appeared on the scene, scooped up the ball and ran almost half the length of the field to score. A track runner of some note, Wade was much too fast for any of the Hornby side to catch him. ¥ ¥ ¥ After the New Brighton senior Rugby side had been on the attack against Old Boys for 55 of 70 minutes, the New Brighton full-back, R. Bowick, demonstrated that surprise is as successful an element of attack in Rugby as it is in war. Play was swinging across to the right touch-line when Bowick called for a reverse pass from M. Dick. Bowick ran straight, then veered back to the left-hand touchline. The Old Boys defence, after coping with stereotyped attacks for 30 minutes of the second half, was caught off-balance and New Brighton scored with ease.