Narrow win to Shirley B.H.S.

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 10

Narrow win to Shirley B.H.S.

S. Scott, the Shirley captain, drop-kicked a goal to give his side victory when Shirley Boys High School and St Andrew’s College played their annual fixture at St Andrews on Saturday. Shirley won 15-13. For Shirley, R. Lodge kicked four penalties and Scott dropped 8 For* 1 St Andrews J. McLay scored two tries, C. Abbott kicked a penalty and a conversion. . , , St Andrews must have felt desperately unlucky to lose. It looked the better side for threequarters of the game and came close to scoring several times. Its backs received a liberal supply of ball and played with purpose and design. Many moves were well executed but often fell down through elementary handling errors. Shirley’s recognised back-line seldom functioned well and until the latter stages of the game received too little good ball. The Shirley forwards eventually dominated and at all times were superior in loose play. Both teams will have to relearn the fundamentals of handling and tackling, for there were glaring weaknesses In both these departments. McLay, the St Andrew’s captain, scored two good tries and made several bruising runs but his game as a whole suffered through a tendency to hang off rucks and wait to be handed the plums. This contributed in no small measure to Shirley’s forwards eventually gaining ascendancy. S. Hill jumped well in the line-outs and fed his backs with good two-handed takes that showed the futility of many tapbacks. J. Whiting played a good front row forward’s game and hooked well until his pack faded.

N. Pyne, S. Clarke and B. Eves were a valuable trio in the loose and Shirley owed much to their mobility and speed. Pyne gave a grand display of number eight forward play and he foiled several tries.

A. Bateman was übiquitous and received grand support in the tight from S. Lockie and E. Taylor. It says much that the Shirley forwards were able to gain control in a game that seemed to have slipped away. It was in the backs that St Andrews looked so superior. Given plenty of ball R. Eastgate fed D. Abbott with long passes that gave M. Wilson plenty of room at second five-eighths, where he was able to dictate I play. Only one move resulted In a

try and this was a brilliantly executed scissors that sent P. Johnston off on a slashing run that gained 50 yards before he passed in to his forwards to score. D. Hay was dangerous on the wing and C. Abbott was a very sound full-back. Williams did not strike up a working relation with R. Kllworth and the Shirley backs were consequently spasmodic and individual Scott, though closely marked, proved difficult to hold and did tremendous work on attack and defence. Lodge virtually kicked Shirlev to victory but this must not obscure the valuable role he filled as full-back In a team whose goal-line was frequently in danger. The game ended excitingly with first Johnston almost going in for a trv for St Andrews and then Scott coolly dropping a goal, for Shirley. Referee: Mr T. F. Doocey.