Canterbury B has easy win

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32677, 5 August 1971, Page 24

Canterbury B has easy win

Superior running backs an d stronger forwards assured Canterbury B of an easy, 25-6, win against North Canterbury at the Rangiora showgrounds yesterday.

I The Canterbury backsi ran hard and with determination, finding the gaps in the North Cantebury line with ease. The vice-captain, D. Murchinson, ran very strongly I from centre, and bad tackling from North Canterbury let him through repeatedly.' The Canterbury backs really 1 came to life in the second half, however, and from halftime, when the score was 12-3, quickly swung the ball from the left to the right of the field, completely fooling' the North Canterbury cover defence. A. Penny fed the Canterbury backs with surety and ease, although his passing at times was unpredictable. FINE TRY BY HALES The second five-eighths, D. (Hales, possibly the hardest player in the Canterbury side to stop, was rewarded | for his efforts by a fine 55- • yard try. Hales came ■ through at full speed after <the ball had come free from

a ruck, scooped it up without hesitating and beat three of the opposition to score under the posts. Kicking with accuracy, D. Bruce kept Canterbury on attack. The North Canterbury defence, however, performed with credit. Had it not been for the side-row forward, G. Henderson, North Canterbury might have been beaten by a much higher

>i score. Henderson played a . | magnificent covering game. Jcontinually backing up the North Canterbury backs and ' was seldom more than a few yards from the ball. I V. Stewart kept North, ■ Canterbury starved of the ball in the line-outs, and the Canterbury B forwards ' poured through on to the ■'ball when it did get back to '(the home-side half-back. 1 For Canterbury B, tries ’ were scored by D. Berry (2), j B. McConnochie, D. Murchison and D. Hales. R. '(Griffith kicked two penalties I and converted two tries. North Canterbury’s points came from two tries, one ■ from S. Wyllie after a kick J ahead by P. Gibson in the 1 forty-second minute of the second half, and one from the hooker, P. Higginbottom, . who scored after taking a ; pass from Bruce.