RUGBY HONOURS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 244, 16 July 1928, Page 13

RUGBY HONOURS

PONEKE NARROWLY BEAT OLD BOYS ORIENTAL TOO GOOD FOR ATHLETIC EASTBOURNE OUTCLASS- PETONE Idea! weather prevailed on Saturday afternoon for the twelfth series of Senior A Rugby championship games. The feature of the day was the spirited showing made by Old Boys against Poneke at Athletic Park, the leaders having to play all out to get home by four points. University maintained second place on the ladder by disposing easily of Berhampore. The rapidly-improving Eastbourne, fifteen outclassed Petone. Wellington scored their second victory of the season at the expense of Marist. Athletic took the field against Oriental a man short, and paid the penalty, as the magpies won. by twelve points. RESULTS AT A GLANCE Poneke (16) beat Old Boys (12). University (20) beat Berhampore (6). Oriental (17) beat Athletic (5). Eastbourne (19) beat Petone (3). Wellington (8) beat Marist (0).

A HARD TUSSLE PONEKE JUST HEAD OLD BOYS. The 5000 spectators who assembled at Athletic Park witnessed a stirring tussle between Poneke and Old Boys. The Red and Black forwards are acknowledged to be the best pack in the competition, but the Old Boys’ vanguard held them until within the last quarter of an hour, when superior condition told. The teams were constituted as follows: Poneke (Red and Black): Turner; Elliott, Murphy, Edgar; Hartwell, Gilbert; H. Tilyard ; Wilson ; Pearson, Jessup, Sly, Pickrang, J. Shearer, Organ, Peterson. Old Boys (White) : Malcolm; R. Lamason, Du Chateau, McDonald; D. Dustin, Fitzmaurice; Bydder; Bray, Claridge, Emerson, McPherson, Hurn, Meadows, Preston. The contest resolved itself into a fierce battle between two strapping sets of forwards, and for the first time this season, the sturdy Poneke vanguard met their match. The backs were given plenty of opportunity, but neither rearguard was clever enough to grasp the many openings. The Old Boys’ backs were troubled by the glaring sun in the first spell, and failure to properly sight the high kicks, let the Poneke forwards down on the line several times. Malcolm opened the scoring for Old Boys by goaling nicely from a penalty kick. The Red and Black vanguard then got going. Pickrang made a break through, and, following up fast, fell on the ball. J. Shearer failed to goal from well out. Fast play continued, J. Shearer, Pickrang, Sly, and Wilson showing out conspicuously for Poneke, and Claridge, Hurn, Emerson, and McPherson for Old Boys. Considering the ideal conditions, the rearguard work was disappointing, though the defence was sound. The White forwards at last got the upper hand, and snappy passing by Dustin, Du Chateau, and R. Lamason took play to the Poneke line. Hartwelk cleared, but Claridge and Hurn came back with clever footwork, which beat the defence for Hurn to score a great try. Malcolm’s kick missed. The Poneke backs essayed passing, which broke down, and Du Chateau kicked through to . let Fitzinaurice and McDonald carry on, the latter scoring in a handy position. Malcolm | again missed. It was now Poneke’s turn to get busy. From a scrum, H. Tilyard worked the blind side, and Gilbert made a nice opening, which let the speedy Elliott over. Turner failed to convert.

The southerly breeze had freshened in the second spell, and assisted Poneke materially. Fierce duels amongst the contending packs saw the advantage -with Old Boys, but their backs lost the opportunity by wild passing. A great Old Boys’ rush saw McDonald go over with four Poneke men hanging to him, but a five yards scrum was ordered. Old Boys kept hammering at the line, ajid J. Lamason went close with a long-distance penalty kick against.the wind. From play in the centre of the field, Wilson, the Poneke rover, intercepted a pass, and got well away. Travelling fast, he beat man after man; Malcolm made a dive, but failed to hold him, and Wilson went over, to score a sensational try. J. Shearer goaled with a splendid kick from the side-line. In front for the first time, the Poneke forwards got on a hammering foot-rush which swept all before it. Dustin and Du Chateau allowed them through the centre, and a veritable red and black avalanche ended in J. Shearer falling on the ball between , the posts. Turner’s kick just cleared the crossbar. Old Boys were not done with yet, however. Malcolm notched three more points for them by putting over a penalty kick against the wind, from the side-line. Old Boys looked like scoring twice when the backs got aivay near the line. Fumbling by Dustin, however, lost two glorious chances, and a gruelling battle between two good packs ended with the board reading: Poneke 16 Old Boys ....12

Mr J. B. Benson controlled the game well.

WELLINGTON NOTCH THEIR SECOND VICTORY HARD-FOUGHT GAME. Wellington and Marist met at Kilbirnie Park, and a hard-fought game ended iu Wellington .recording their second win of the season. At times play was unnecessarily rough, the referee having to caution several players, Marist being the chief offenders. The teams lined out as follow: — Wellington.—Johansen ; AV. Wright, Campbell, Macken; Faulkner, Dyer; Jaggers; McLean; Giles, Siversen, Voice, Phillips, Thornton, Carter, Donnelly. Marist.—Murphy; Griffin, Broderick, Condon; Johnston, Eville; Smith; McHardy; Reid, Jones, Butler, Burns, Barry, Dennehy, Ottway. For the first ten minutes Wellington Set up a strong attack. Tight scrums on Marist’s line were the order till Griffin intercepted, and passed to Broderick-, who was forced into touch. An attack by Marist backs saw Broderick collared near the line. Give-and-take play followed till Jaggers started n passing rush, which ended on Marist’s line. A mistake by one of the Wellington backs lot Marist away, and Johnston all but goaled from a free-kick. Wellington forwards broke away, and after a good passing rash Carter scored in a handy position, but no goal resulted, and half-time saws the score: Wellington 3, Marist 0. On resuming Marist jumped to the attack, play becoming on the rough side. Wellington forced their way to their opponents’ territory, where Campbell, taking a pass, went over at the corner, for Johansen to convert with a good kick. Strenuous play and tight scrums followed till the call of time. The final whistle saw:

’Varsity: Noble-Adams; Williams, Ramson, Brown; Irwin, Mackenzie; Leys; Diederich; Hislop, O’Regan, Hart, Blacker, Grant, Blakeney, Cormack. Berhampore: Hurley; Weaver. Pickering, Lang; Love, Capiil; Harris; Mouatt; Mollier, McDonald, Goodall, Brown, Cameron, Deere, Mason. Repulsing an attack, ’Varsity soon came downfield, the ball going out at the corner. Ramson missed with a long penalty shot, but succeeded with his second effort. ’Varsity, 3; Berhampore, 0. Loose play ensued, from which Leys set his backs going. Irwin gathered a difficult pass, sending Ramson away, and Brown scored in the corner after a good run. Ramson’s kick missed. 'Varsity, 6; Berhampore, 0. A Berhampore attack broke down. Shortly after Williams gained possession to score a runaway try. Ramson failed to improve. 'Varsity, 9; Berhampore, 0. Scrummaging developed on the Berhampore twentyfive, from which Loys again sent ’Varsity away. Ramson broke through to score under the posts. He converted his try. ’Varsity, 14; Berhampore, 0. Later Berhampore were lucky to save by forcing. A penalty in front of the posts enabled Pickering to open Berliampore’s account. ’Varsity, 14; Berhampore, 3. Weaver retired through injury and was replaced by Nicholls. On resuming after half-time Berhampore had somewhat the better of the opening play. ’Varsity cleared an attack and Brown lost the ball when within a few yards of the goal line. A scrummage on the lino saw Diederich dive over. Ramson's kick missed. ’Varsity, 17; Berhampore, 3. Another rush by 'Varsity backs saw Irwm make a good, ojjenr

Wellington , 8 Marist 0 Mr. J. B. Watson made an efficient referee.

ORIENTAL BEAT ATHLETIC A POOR EXHIBITION. The game between Oriental and Athletic at Newtown Park, and won by Oriental by 17 points to 5, was a very poor one. As usual, Oriental forwards carried the day. Nor were Athletic at full strength. The teams were an follow; — Oriental: Spalding, Tulloch, Packuatz, Walker, Davis, McNicol, Chambers, HiU, Kinzette, Fox, Graham, Pinkerton, Williams, & H» Smith.

Athletic: Keenan, R, Cookson, Pelham, Carey, Whinham, L. Cookson, Kinloch, Porter, Watson, Wallace, Pope, Edgar, Howard, McDougall. The handling of the ball, especially by the Oriental backs, was bad in the extreme, and knocks-on were frequent. Spalding, nt full-back, was a chief offender. He added to this a penchant for hanging on to the ball too long, and his line-kicking fell away as the match progressed. McNicol, with an injured shoulder, ought not to have been playing. He was of use only occasionally, and then scarcely for tackling. Chambers was Jess happy at half than usual, being bustled by Porter, Athletic wing-forward. Walker, on the wing, was well marked, and given very few opportunities. Tulloch played the pluckiest game on the field, and his try in the second spell when he braved Porter’s effort to stop him, was well deserved. His tackling throughout was a feature. Packnatz played a heady

game. All the Oriental forwards put their weight into it, and Athletic were several times saved b being awarded free kicks. Porter was the' life of Athletic. Keenan, at full-back, played a sound game, and the Athletic backs showed sounder combination than did the Oriental backs. But Oriental got the ball more often from the scrum, and their defence was sounder than Athletic. Tries for Oriental were scored by ‘Williams (2), Graham, Pinkerton, and Tulloch, Pinkerton converting one. R. Cookson scored for Athletic from an opening made by Porter, and Pelham goaled. Mr. A. Brown was referee. EASTBOURNE BEAT PETONE A ONE-SIDED GAME. A large crowd gathered at the Petone oval, to witness the match between Petone and Eastbourne. The game, although very open, was one-sided, Petone being outclassed in every phase of the game. The teams lined out as follow :— Petone: Davis; Peterson, Hawkins, Udy; Whitley, Lambourne; Cbman; Parker, Fraser, Potts, Martin, Thomas, Carr, Spence, and Dickens. Eastbourne: Clark; Murray, Jowett, Brunton ; E. Foley, N. Foley; Martin; Jones, Allan, Cullimore, Reid, Duncan, Buckingham, Thompson, and Price. Eastbourne attacked, and from the ruck, Clark broke away,’ and passed to Jowett, who scored in the corner. N. Foley missed with a good kick. Eastbourne, 3; Petone, 0. Eastbourne maintained the pressure, Murray secured and kicked well down-field, Buckingham followed up fast, snapped up the ball, and scored. N. Foley goaled. Eastbourne, 8; Petone. 0. Eastbourne continued to force the pace, and Murray and Brunton were each pulled down within inches of the line. Petoue instilled more vim into their play, and Coman coming round the scrum, dummied his way through for a try. He missed the kick. Eastbourne, 8, Petone, 3. There was no further score at half-time. Within a few minutes of resuming, Eastbourne were compelled to force. Only the solid tackling kept Eastbourne’s line intact. Eastbourne cleared, and Murray made a clever run, to score between the posts. N. Foley missed an easy kick. Eastbourne, 11; Petone, 3. Petone again attacked, and from a forward rush, Dickens transferred to Peterson, who kicked over the line, and Eastbourne forced twice in quick succession. Eastbourne retaliated, and a passing rush between Price and Brunton saw the latter score well out. N. Foley goaled. Eastbourne, 14; Petone, 3. Repulsing a Petone attack, Eastbourne, through their backs, scored again, N. Foley goaling. This try was the result of neat iiassing, N. Foley cutting in, handing to E. Foley, to Jowett, who scored. N. Foley had no difficulty with the kick. Eastbourne, 19; Petone, 3. There was no further scoring. Mr. Martin controlled the game.

’VARSITY DEFEAT BERHAMPORE A COLOURLESS DISPLAY. The game at Kelburn Park between Berhampore and 'Varsity was a drab display. With Berhampore getting the ball from the scrums, there was little opportunity for ’Varsity backs to get going, although they made the best of sueb chances as camo their way. The teams lined out as follow:—

ing, but Brown knocked on. Desultory play succeeded, from which Mouatt outdistanced the opposition to cross in the corner. Pickering missed. ’Varsity, 17; Berhampore, 6. Again the students surged up the field, Mackenzie transferring to Williams, who scored in the corner. The game - ended with the scores: ’Varsity, 20; Berhampore, 6. Mr. T. Fletcher was the referee. SENIOR B A sprinkling of spectators witnessed the Oriental v. Wellington game, at Wakefield Park. The play throughout did not create any excitement. Oriental’s try was scored by Wickens, and converted by Ramsay. The final score was: Oriental, 5; Wellington, 0. Mr. G. Hoare carried the whistle. The ’Varsity fifteen which went to Johnsonville on Saturday were outclassed by the local team. Johnsonville have only lost one game, and arc well in the lead for (he championship. Tries for the winners were secured by E. Neal (3), D. Mason (2), J. Moore, Creig, and Cathcart, Neal converting one, and also kicking a penalty goal. The game thus ended in Johnsonville’s favour by 29 points to nil. Mr. A. Anslow was the referee. Both Porlrua and Hutt played a back game in their match at Prince of Wales Park. Porirua became aggressive, and J. Rennie started a passing rush which Marino capped with, a try. Porirua, 3; Hutt, 0. A little later, a rush by the Hutt men resulted in Sundgreen evening the scores. Next, Pohio. received and scored. Porirua, 6; Hutt, 3. More passing by the Hutt rearguard resulted in McCarthy bringing the scores level again, and thru a clever “pot” by George, put Hutt ahead. The game ended with the scores: Hutt, 10; Porirua, 6. Mr. D. Paris was referee. The Selwyn-Training College match was played as a curtain-raiser to the Poneke-Old Boys game at Athletic Park. From the kick-off Selwyn attacked strongly, but a series of free kicks relieved the pressure on Training College s line. A penalty to Selwyn enabled Mitchell to open the score. Selwyn 3, Training College 0. Selwyn forwards “dribbled” downfield, and from scrambling play in Training College’s twenty-five Churchill scored and Mitchell converted. Selwyn 8, Training College 0. Soon after, Amadio (Training College) landed a splendid penalty goal from near halfway. Selwyn 8, Training College 3. Just before half-time Hawker scored for Selwyn. The second half proved even less interesting than thq first, faulty handling by both teams spoiling any, promising movements. Gibson, the Training College half, sent his backs away, but the Selwyn defence held. Selwyn gained ground by means of loose rushes, but could not press their advantage home, until Budge struggled across for a try. Selwyn 14, Training College 3. The game ended without further score.

LOWER GRADE RESULTS JUNIOR. Poneke 22, Selwyn 0. Old Boys 27, ’Varsity 7. THIRD.* Johnsonville 36, Wellington B 0. Athletic 15, Old Boys B 14. FOURTH. Petone B 16, Karori 0. Petone A IS, Oriental A 8. Athletic 10, Hutt 6. Wellington B 6, Eastbourne 5. Wellington A 8, Technical College A 0. Berhampore A 6, Old Boys A 6 . Oriental A 8, Technical College B 0. FIFTH. Taita 6, Institute 0. Technical College A 52, St. Patrick’s College 0. Old Boys 9, Petone 8. Athletic 13, Wellington A 6. Marist 11, Berhampore 3. Poneke 10, Hutt 0. Technical College B 27, Oriental 0. Selwyn won by default from Melrose. Old Boys 9, Petone AB. This is Petone’s first defeat so far this season. SIXTH. Petone 14, Selwyn 3. Oriental 8, Athletic 3. Melrose 3, Karori 0. Johnsonville 5, Wellington 3. SEVENTH. Institute 11, Oriental 5. Wellington 21, Selwyn 0. SCHOOLS’ COMPETITION The following schools are at present leading for grade championships:— Senior. —South Wellington. Junior. —Newtown. Third.—Brooklyn. Fourth.—A: Clyde Quay, Jfewtown. B: Roseneath. C: Marist. Last week’s matches resulted as follow :— Senior.—Marist 27, Te Aro 3; Rongotai 9, Berhampore 5;. South Wellington 37, Terrace 0. Junior.—Kilbirnie 3, Karori 0; Newtown 3, Mount Cook 0; Rongotai 7, Thorndon 3. Third.—Brooklyn 9. Berhampore 3; Hataitai 3, Johnsonville 3; Kelburn 19, Lyall Bay 0; Ngaio 51, Terrace 0. Fourth. —Clyde Quay 23, Kilbirnie 0; Hataitai 3, Lyall Bay 0; Newtown 3, Miramar 0; Island Bay 17, Brooklyn 0; Mount Cook 0, Karori 0; Roseneath 3, Muiritai 0; South Wellington 16, Te Aro 3; Terrace 3, Kelburn 0; Marist won by default from Kaiwurra.

RANFURLY SHIELD MATCH CANTERBURY BEATS SOUTH CANTERBURY By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, July 14. The first Ranfurly Shield challenge match was played on Lancaster Park today, when Canterbury beat South Canterbury by 29 points to 9. The match was regarded as of some importanec as a guide to the local team’s form in view of the important match with Wairarapa on Wednesday. About 12,000 people witnessed the game. In the first spell Canterbury played against a strong wind, and at the end of the spell the scores were even, 6 points all, Canterbury two tries and South Canterbury a try and a penalty goal. All through the spell the South Canterbury side showed an almost entire lack of cohesion and seemed content to remain on the defensive, although the forwards were vigorous and fast, and by clever footwork had the Canterbury backs in trouble very often. Had they followed the obviously correct tactics of high kicking and following up they might have held some advantage in the scores while they had the wind. In the second spell South Canterbury surprised the spectators with their stubborn! defence for. twenty minutes, but thereafter the speedy Canterbury backs showed undoubted superiority and ran up a score which was considerably augmented by Cheslcy’s excellent goal kicking. For South’ Canterbury penalty goals were kicked by Halstead and Fairbrother, the latter a magnificent kick against the wind forty yards out, and a try scored by Manning, who was outstanding as the leader of the visitors’ forwards. For Canterbury tries were scored by Oliver, Chesley (2), Grant. Hint (2). and Fookes, seven in all, of which Chesley converted four. WAIRARAPA HIGH SCHOOL v. WELLINGTON COLLEGE MATCH POSTPONED. Owing to an outbreak of scarlet fever in the Wairarapa High School the match between that school's fifteen and the Wellington College fifteen which was to have been played at Wellington College on Saturday had to be postponed indefinitely.

= CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE. For Agt. Pts = P. W. E. D = Poneke .... 12 10 2 0 198 88 20 = University . 12 9 2 1 243 123 19 - Oriental ..12 9 3 0 136 146 18 = Old Boys .. 12 6 5 1 167 131 13 = Athletic ... 12 6 5 1 122 130 13 = Petone .... 12 5 70 138 169 10 = Eastbourne. 12 4 7 1 100 152 9 = Marlst .... 12 4 8 0 86 122 8 = Wellington. 12 *> 9 1 74 153 5 E Berhampore 13 2 9 1 134 184 5