FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 491, 26 April 1909, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

KUGBY MATCHES. &fo 1 ' ' SATURDAY'S SENIOR-CRADE GAMES. Ilia eammencement of tho Rugby cham- ' pionship matolies on Saturday was not at- . - tended by such favourable weather as could \ have "been Reared-- At the Athletic Park, a . jcold, cutting southerly wind, though in- > i vigoratmg for players, made watching a ! ( rather unpleasant occupation. Despite this, - * thO;..fact that there wero other attractions elsewhere, about 2000 spectatois f01.,; ~; ..;lowed wth interest .tho -course of the two games played on the Park. Apart from tho ' fact that they'wero'the first of tho season, ... 1 / there - was nothing particularly interesting , m the contests. -< By their defeat of Oriental, after ia good display of football and a'very , 'oven game, Athletic showed that theyi possess tho material in their team to bo a - disturbing . element m the- calculations of \ , jchampion.'pickers. The match .on - No; ' 2 )' ground of tho Park, Melrose v Wellington, ! was not s6 exciting as the Athletic-Oriental i game, moat of t&o work being left to tho toi wards. At one timo it looked as if last , year's champions would lose tho first gamo I. or,this season, but, m,the- second spell, thoy livened up, and camo out victors - by a safe- ... j -!(... margin. The results:, of. tho ■ senior • games ■ were: 1 „ Athletic defeated Oriental by 13 points to 7. Melrose defeated Wellington by 8 points to 3. Ponetie'dcfcatcd Southern by 46 points to nil. '< , St, James defeated victoria College by 24 points to 4., 1 Petdrto-defeated Old Boys tJy 23 points to 15. - ATHLETIC V. ORIENTAL. Forward work, generally of an open and :tho' 'chief charac'-, ♦teristie of tho contcsi r between Athletic and •. ' . Oriental,';and, possessing tho heavier paclr, averaging 131b. more than their opponents,' i the former had the advantage. Athletic set '• { the'ball going, and after'a bit/ of prelimin- •: . ; ; ory : play, .Evenson made : ; aii"opemng for \ "Raup 1 ' Wilson, who put on tho first try . -.for 1 Athletic. - Some:time afterwards;a:pass'- ' ing ( rush, started by Roberta, saw the oval ( travel right along the Black and Tfhitc-line till Sturrock transferred badly to Garrard. , Roberts, failed to score from a subsequent ; . . penalty.;,..Bunckflnbur<; '. afterwards -carried , . . vthft£plajr back to: Oriental territory,; whero ... , ' the '.sure defence oE Roberts -was very, much in evidence. But n the --: persistent attack . t rCOlild-,notrfor ever ;be fruitless. A oouple of. force-doivns averted; tho inevitable for a .- time,, and then., Murray rwas to thread -. ■ ■ his '.way:. l through -the opposing pack and touch down. Li Evenson-convortod,. and shortly 'after . .hdlfr-time.vwos.:called: Tnth "Athletic leading i by Bto nil. s i ;,- . ~ ~ Oriotital took np.tho attack'nfter tho spell, ;-.-;- ,pnd,: both backs ;and ; forwards had".a. hand in this.- Play was gradually working down i the field away from tho , Blue and. "White gdal, when Kinvig, with a nicely calculated - ■ ,:>, dtop-kiek,'t sdored.MiVnother : attack by Ori- . eStal, Roberts bping lesponsiblo, and ' the 1 scene of; play changed, placing the Black :.;:. . / and ]~.Whito, in;, danger,. "Wilson snb.se- : : quontly.rdpdgmg,:all .tho opposing- backs and scoring in a good position. Evenson had no 1 cUfhculty m converting. 'It looked as if the i Ath'etio.;.team ,would 'Tetain.-this ; snhstantial lead, but, after tho bell had rung, a penalty . > . iwhich > he did not play concluded iwith tho scores: j Athletie ... . ... 13 points. Ofiental . . 7 pom t<j , _ Mr. H." Card was an efficient referee» , - i . f - MELROSE 'V., WELLINGTON. , ■ In coinpsi-ison with the game on No 1 ground "the Melrose-Wellington contest was - 1 dull.' During tho 1 first spell Wellington < played up well, and attracted a little attention by the way-, m which 1 , they threatened Jast r year's champions. work , by their forwards, notably .TVl'Kellar and 1 . . ,b,odod .-.ill,,.for,, them..:\jßeavis -during - . ti11.5 ,tinie was putting jr some- -good .savinc ■ , , work, finding tho line with good effcct. Despite ; his efforts the Yellow and Blacks forced tho ball , _ to withm a yard of tho Melrose goal-line, ~" , and a score would probably havo resulted but " 'for' the hesitation 'of Hill. After this y Melrfise played a safe, close game. All would , wfcll, but when the half-time boll 1 had rling a maroon (Melrose) player tried »' to keep the ball in play instead of kicking 1 , to touch,'and Bridge, picking up from the r:-'. .'' oyer. The try was not converted, i and the spell ended with Wellington holding 1 V- ,L ' j 1 "*"; 1 -'-'.i i j Maxooiis? ;S set yf r i , '-o 'wipe out their opponents' load. Once they alniost- secured a ; penalty .goal, and. twice i .w-ero to savs by forcing • down. 'At last their opportunity camo, and i - wh3t was really their first concerted baclj L'd-in^Marihall/^nhg;near : ithe _, v.' v '.j oomer. flag.., The position ; was. a -.difficult one ? ; tpPrConyerbing,: but) -Boavia was equal to ' it/ r'.i - A ■.Jat'er who -ivfis' playing ,a' ' ' but thjs timo Beavis was not so successful with the attempt at goal. Tho bell ranc v- 8 tpointa J: ;■ . .. A3 points ?V;every; ! 'Mtwfaetion'; ; ; ;: as : , PONEKE V, SOUTHERN. made a sorry showing against : v-v jPoneke,.at..Miramar.. -Whon the- services 'of .■ 1 ..: ■ . .:; -: Organ, half-back, and- Hogan, lock forward,' , H ( i of shoiila- i: ' he materially improved. But m addition, ' ... v ' .-practice, and,plenty of it;-must'be its motto; ] Ten minutes , after, tho gamo had- -begun Til- : ■ '. ; yard'started a fino passing' rush among the ;; Ppneke' backs, with' tho. result that Jlitchin- . j son got over near the-comer. Walsh failed -, -'.:' ;to-:enhance,the score..- -'.Another, passing - rush ; . . by- thp'.Ponokes 'a fow. minutes'later culmin- ! - ated ,in Ryan registering a try, which Gardiner improved. Further tries were ob- -.- tamed for Poneko in the. first spell"'by--Hun- ' , ,ter,, llyan, Shadbolt, and- Flannagan, 1 and '■ ,•: ; two. of theso ivero converted by Mitchinson iWhen half-timo .'sounded' the- scoro stood— '-i : ' ... -. ■ - Poneke. :24,.: Southern nil.. :'.-:Tliioughout' : the - f " second half Poneke again romped over their ' j ,' opponents. to tho mfenoni-y of • . Southern play on the Poneko rearguard ' got ui what was really ' a lot of practico at passing Tries nere gainod by Walsh, Fhn- ' Jiagan (2), Mitchfnson, Gardiner, and Shad- 1 bolt. 'Gardiner converted tiro of these, but ' Shadbolt, Flannagan, and Mentiplayi .; vrpro* unsuccessful in their attempts. The 3 final I'esult Poneke 4G poinis. i si;.'-;." nil.. rv.^' -i-'/:;; Mr Francis controlled tho game , ; VICTORIA COLLEGE V. ST. JAMES. , There was not a great, deal of interesting ' play m tho contest between St. James and . .. Victom. Collego/.,which place, at Mira- ;. mar Hardly had the gamo commenced when Ferguson scored for St, James from a i .. . . passing- rush,:Crowes-being successful with i tho kick. Three or four minutes later < ... - OjLcary notted. a goal from woll beyond the i i; . ;2p'hne,-for Victoria .College—tho only score ' -whichthat:.side-mode;.;:.Play,- which. : was of ' ;. ;the. open,ordor,'gravitated up ai)d: down:tho 1 " field. Several good passing rushes wero made by the St. James backs, but without success. , Towards, tho end of the first spell-' i -; ; '; -\Vright.-throw well in.'from touch to,his.live- ' . . eighths, H. who made a good run •-.v., right, up to the Victoria College coal-lino. ' , : Hero; ho: .transferred to Ferguson, who regis- ■' " v.'.'.tered-ya 'try. •; Crewes'.mado a good .but un- 1 r„ : •;.:.successful•• attempt; to:-enhance tho -scoro.- S .y , .Early <.in .the second: half Amodco obtamed a' ! : : ;; : :.-;mark;for Victoria College in a good position,; ' but O'Leary's shot was a poor one. At this ' stage College wero 'doing fairly well. St. ; JanieS, .again.;became aggressive,; ; . and from a rushMackay. got across, Crowes ■ . - landing a goal;; Additional tries were gained Donaldson, and 1 -;.,v ; i;Baumgart.; ; ;Ono- of "the scores was improved J ;i'.;v by Thomas, but ho,and Wright failed in re- . . gard' to"-the. others.. tho, whistle 1 Bounded tho scoro stood: St. ... . ... 31 points. ' Victoria Collego • . 4 points. , ' Afr. Bell acted in tho canacity of reforoe. ]