RUGBY ON HEAVY GROUNDS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 198, 19 May 1930, Page 16

RUGBY ON HEAVY GROUNDS

OLD BOYS BEAT EASTBOURNE, MARIST DOWN TO PETONE CLOSE CONTESTS, LOW SCORING As was to be expected, considering the heavy grounds aqd. generally slippery conditions, scoring in the senior “A” Rugby matches on Saturday was low; also, it was very close, and a glance at the result table conveys the impression that there is not a great deal of difference in the . strengths of any of the teams competing. This impression gains more weight when the results of previous Saturdays’ play ,is considered. There is no doubt, however, that Petdne was definitely superior to Marist at Athletic Park; under more favourable conditions the match would have been a spectacular one, though it is doubtful if the result would have been any different. Marist and Petone are again equal as far as championship points are concerned, and Old Boys, by tbeir win over Eastbourne, make the third of the teams beading the ladder. In all except the game at the Park and the Orieutal-Berhampore match, there was no more than two points difference between any of the teams on Saturday.

Wellington. secured another runaway win, defeating Upper Hutt 35—0, and still remain two points ahead of Johnsonville and Oriental on the championship ladder.

RESULTS AT A GLANCE SENIOR “A.” Petone, 12 v. Marist, 3. Oriental, 9 v. Berhampore, 0. Athletic, 5 v. Hutt, 3. Poneke, 9 v. University, 8. Old Boys, 11 v. Eastbourne, 9. SENIOR “B.” Wellington, 35 v. Upper Hutt, 0. Johnsonville, 3 v. Old Boys, 0. Miramar, 9 v. Porirua, 6. Selwyn, 21 v, Melrose, 0. Oriental, 14 v. University, 6. HOW THE TEAMS STAND SENIOR “A.” Ch.

' were quick to force the pace, but Heazlewood turned the tide with a fine kick and the attackers defended. Recovering, the Hutt forwards attacked again from a scrum and crossed the line, Athletic being compelled to force. Immediately afterward, Boyd, following up a kick by Heazlewood led Athletic on an offensive. The rush was carried to the quarter mark, where Dustin and Watson combined in a passing movement which resulted in the latter going over for a try. Heazlewood added the extra points. The Hutt backs made an abortive attempt to handle the greasy ball and swing into action, and in a counter attack they had a narrow escape, Poulton being thrown into touch a short distance from the line. In the second spell Hutt showed some superiority and after a series of attacks on their part Dowsett scored in a forward rush. Todd failed to convert. In another attack by the Hutt forwards Pomare missed a penalty kick. No further score resulted and Athletic won by 5 points to 3. . Mr. J. B. Bennett controlled the game. LITTLE BACK PLAY ORIENTAL AND BERHAMPORE. By 9 points to nil (tries scored by L. Smith, Cave, and Koster), Oriental defeated Berhampore at Newtown Park. Under the- wet and slippery conditions play was practically confined to the forwards. Oriental attacked at .the beginning, but play soon worked baek to midfield, where it remained for most of the first, spell. Chance entered into the game considerably. Lochore played a fine game for Oriental, as did Goodall and Taylro for Berhampore. Pringle’s kicking was'good but unlucky. Both packs did a strenuous afternoon’s work. The teams were:— Oriental: Lochorc; Foster, Davies, Kelly; Ormond, Smith; Jaggers; Hill; Smith, Tasker, Graham, Cave, Pringle, Biggar, McMullen. Berhampore: Hurley, Petherick, Cookson, Brettis, N. Taylor, V. McDonald; Hooper; Glennie; Mollier, McDonald, Cameron, Goodall, Dickson, Miller/ Charles. After twenty minutes’ play, the packs were still struggling in the middle of the field, occasionally advances being met with saves by the fullbacks, Lochore doing particularly well, considering ' the tricky surface of ground and ball, and finding the line with first-class kicks. He took an excellent mark. A rush by Oriental was met by a determined Hooper. Kelly, on the blind, deserved better luck than he got. There was plenty of slipping, and the ground was most difficult. Oriental was twice penalised, and Berhampore also, but play remained in much the same place, with the packs working hard. After the change-over Oriental combined in a forceful attack, and worked right down to Berhampore’s twenty-five. There was a wild scramble after one of the scrums, and the whistle went. “Freekick, Oriental,” said the referee. “Cut it out; there’s no need to fight,” he added. The kick failed, and pressure was relieved for a few moments until the deadly Lochore found Berhampore’s corner with a first-rate kick. Oriental was penalised in its anxiety to force matters, and there was a good movement by Berhampore in which Taylor participated. The latter had changed places with Hooper at halftime. Back came Oriental, however, and a combined rush resulted in L. Smith shooting across for the first try of the match. Lochore’s kick missed. Oriental, IL Berhampore, 0. Brettis got away well but just failed to make it. Lochore’s work was deadly. Things looked exciting for a while, with a willing battle going on in Oriental’s twenty-five. Berhampore was penalised, and the pressure was relieved in the nick of time. With the swing of the pendulum Foster raced up for a try, but the ball was forced. Another sound mix-up, and Cave produced Oriental’s second try. Pringle’s kick was good, but unlucky. Oriental, 6; Berhampore, 0. Berhampore was hard put tb it to keep up with the pace clapped on by Oriental. Foster again got away, and was successful in a spectacular try. Pringle’s kick failed once more. Oriental, 9; Berhampore, 0. \ Berhampore, at last springing to life, initiated a good move, but the ball was injudiciously handled. From now on play could be described as a slippery welter, neither side working successfully, although Berhampore sustained a good attack. Taylor showed up all the time, but could hardly do much by himself. UNINTERESTING MATCH PONEKE BEAT'S ’VARSITY. Poneke met ’Varsity on the Petone Oval on a slippery ground. The game throughout was a scrappy one, confined mostly to the forwards, with flashes of good play by the backs. The teams were: — Poneke: Gilbert; Barrett, Pelham, Edgar; Cookson, Neal; Foote; Currie, Jessup, Welch, Fraser, Moore, Stone, Joyce, Wilson. ’Varsity: Williams; Eastwood, Ramson, Mackay; Griffin, Mackenzie; Foden; Edgar, Blakeney,’ Beaumont, Blacker, Deiderich, Cormack, Hart, Claridge. ’Varsity kicked off and a forward dribbling rush saw the ball in Poneke’s territory, where a period of tight play ensued, until ’Varsity was awarded a free kick. Ramson’s attempt at goal failed. ’Varsity still kept up the pressure, and after a bout of passing among the backs Eastwood went over in the corner. Ramson converted from -a difficult position. ’Varsity 5, Poneke 0. Play was confined to the forwards and loose rushes were the order. After more or less uninteresting play Currie scored for Popeke. The kick failed. ’Varsity 5, Poneke 3. Immediately on resuming Poneke set up a strong attack and after some good work in which Barratt figured prominently Pelham scored. Poneke 6, ’Varsity 5. Continuing to dominate the play, Poneke scored another try, Barratt niid Pelbam again being responsible, the latter going over well out. The kick failed. Poneke 9, ’Varsity 5. ’Varsity forwards kept the ball at their feet and carried play to Poneke’s territory, where, after exciting play in which Deiderieh and Cormack figured prominently, Mackay scored. Poneke 9, ’Varsity 8. Mackay was playing a sterling game, and after a great’ run passed to Griffen, who was forced out in the corner. Krom the line-out Gilbert set his backs in motion, and after a clean passing movement ’Varsity was on the defensive. Owing to failing light the game was becoming hard to follow. The final whistle went with the scores; Poneke 9, Tarsity 8. Mr. G. Rathbone was the referee.

MARIST DEFEATED PETONE AVINS 12—3. A better knowledge and a better application of tactics that would succeed on a heavy ground and with a slippery ball are two reasons that could be advanced for Petone’s victory over Marist at Athletic Park. Marist played a hard game and put up very determined opposition; the forwards gave as good as they received until the late stages of the game, but Petone’s rearguard was too good, and in the last fifteen minutes the forwards were definitely superior. The outstanding back on the field was M. Nicholls, who displayed all his old wily anticipation. The teams lined out as follow: — Marist: Cuming; Graham, Broderick, Barry; Robins, Condon; Keegan; Stiver; King, Cummings, E. Barry, Butler, McHardy, Judd, Ottaway. Petone: Ryan; Walker, Pollock, Huxtable; Nicholls, Lambourne; Coman; Parr: Pickard, Spence, Reid, Clarke, Martin, Coulston, Lambourne. Tight scrum work and line-outs marked the beginning of the game. The line-kicking of the Petone backs gained a good deal of ground, but evntually the Green forwards broke through to half way, only to be called upon to stop a similar rush by the Petone men. Coman made a good opening when he eluded Stiver, who came round a scrum quickly in an attempt to intercept, and passed on to Pollock and Walker, the latter racing over in the corner for the first try of the day. Nicholls missed with the kick. Petone 3, Marist 0. Marist put a lot of life into its play and rushed the ball to the Petone line. Here an attempt w 7 as made to open up the game, and the ball was sent from one to the other in tine style, mainly by short kicks. The Marist men were too eager, however, and three times in succession were penalties awarded against them when play was only a few- yards from the Petone line. First the Marist forwards and then Petone’s dominated play with speedy, bustling rushes down the side-line when the second spell opened. Petone had the better of the exchanges, and Marist had to force three times in succession. Marist were awarded a penalty, but Stiver missed an awkward angle kick. Soon after, however, Keegan brought the scores equal when he secured from a serum in Petone’s twenty-five and evaded three men by side-step and swerve, scoring in a handy position. The kick missed. Marist 3, Petone 3. Marist followed this up with a rush that took play from half-way to Petone’s twenty-five, where Ryan found touch. By the same method the Blue forwards brought play back again to half-way. Martin, Coulston, and Reid were prominent in a rush that swept all before it —though Cuming’s attempt at stopping it was weak—and a scrum formed on Marist’s line. Here Coman sent the. ball out to Pollock, wh<s cut in and scored well out. The kick 1 missed. Petone 6, Marist 3. With fifteen minutes to play Petone definitely had by far the better of play. A penalty near Marist’s goal gave Nicholls an opportunity to increase the score, and he made no mistake. Next Reid broke away and put in a splendid run down the line, transferring to Walker, who dashed over in the corner. Nicholls missed, and the game ended soon after with Petone still attacking. Air. D. Calcanai refereed. TWO POINTS’ MARGIN ATHLETIC BEATS HUTT. The meeting "Between Athletic and Hutt at Hutt Park was characterised by hard fighting on a waterlogged ground. The condition of the field precluded any possibility of serious open play and consequently the game resolved itself into a test of strength.between the forward divisions of the contesting teams. Each side had a heavy pack and with both working willingly, fortune fluctuated to an extent that showed there was little to choose between the two teams. A good piece of work was responsible for Athletic registering a converted try. Hutt had its revenge in the second spell, when a try was secured, but failure to convert resulted in the game being lost to Athletic by that margin of two points. The teams were as follow: — Hutt: Jarman; Ball, Pomare, Russell; Todd. Feeney; Judge; Dowsett; R. Hinton, 11. Hinton. Monigatti, Roberts, Peck, Skelton. Stopforth. Athletic: Heazlewood; Dunn, Morgan, Poulton; Diack, Bingham; Dustin; McDougall: Swash, Watson, Ward, Boyd, Berry, Howard, Fraser. After the kick-off the Hutt forwards

AVIN FOR OLD BOYS EASTBOURNE JUST FAILS. “Well, we were beaten, but not disgraced,” remarked a supporter of Eastbourne as the team walked off the field after having tried conclusions with Old Boys. And the remark aptly sums up the situation. Eastbourne was beaten, but only by the narrowest of margins. The game was in doubt until the end," and at times the small crowd which braved wintry conditions was rewarded with a thrill or two. Play was fast, but not open, which was only to be expected, considering the soddeu state of the ground. The match early resolved itself into a battle between the forwards, a stirring battle with the backs showing up occasionally. Old Boys had the heavier pack, but the opposition was by no means outclassed; as a.matter of fact there was little between the teams when it came to securing possession from the scrums. For Old Boys Wylie and Bydder each scored tries, one of which J. Lamason converted, besides kicking a penalty. Price aud Murray were the scorers for Eastbourne. N. Foley kicked a penalty. The teams were: — Eastbourne: Hull-Brown; Murray, Dinniss, Tait; Chesterman, N. Foley; Martin; Price, Drummond, Gibbous, Read, Sleep, J. Dellabarca, N. Della-, barca, Pudney. Old Boys: Malcolm; Wylie, Rushbrook, R. Lamason ; McDonald, Dustin ; Bydder; J. Lamason, Bray, ,T. Reynolds, McPherson, Hand, Pitkosky, Emmerson. C. Reynolds. With the wiud in its~favour, Eastbourne kicked off, and for the first few minutes Old Boys had to step lively until a 'free kick brought relief. A passing rush from the twenty-five line, in which McDonald,, and Wylie were conspicuous, resulted in the latter crossing near the corner. J. Lamason failed to. convert. A loose rush gained ground for the bay, but by accurate placing Old Boys managed to extricate themselves from one or two awkward situations. Foley made a praiseworthy attempt to kick a penalty, the ball just falling short. Eastbourne backs were handling the leather well, and every effort was beiug made to wear down the opposing forwards, but Old Boys would have none of it and clipped on the pace. A forward pass bv Malcolm, who was inclined to be slow in getting of the ball, gave Eastbourne an opportunity, Foley adding the points. Old Boys 3, Eastbourne 3. Wylie and Rushbrook participated in a passing bout, the ex-AU Black being brought down after he had covered nearly half the length of the field. The defence was sound. Caught in possession, Malcolm placed his team in danger, and from a melee near the line Price went over. There was no conversion. Eastbourne G, Old Boys 3. Failure on the part of Rushbrook to take a pass saved Eastbourne. In the second spell play was even but patchy. There were too many infringements, and a heavy and greasy ball did not allow of accurate passing. Dribbling rushes were the order of the dav until the dying stages of the game. From a line-out, Bydder scored in the corner. J. Lamason kicked a magnificent goal. Old Boys 8, Eastbourne -6. . Eastbourne clipped on the pace,, but the Old Boys’ forwards were equally as fit and rose to the occasion. An infringement resulted in three more points being registered against Eastbourne, Lamason taking the kick from a difficult angle. Old Boys 11, Eastbourne 6. A hot attack by Eastbourne, in which Chesterman played a prominent part, resulted hi Murray securing a well-deserved try m the corner. The kick failed. A battle royal ensued in the few remaining minutes, but neither team could do any good, arid the game ended: Old Boys 11, Eastbourne 9. Mr, H. F. Leith made a capable referee. SENIOR B MATCHES Solid forward play and superior handling of the greasy ball accounts for the victory of Oriental over ’Varsity on Saturday, and tho final score, 14 to 6. is a fair indication of the game. The half-time score was: ’Varsity 6. Oriental O. /•/' 1 play was almost entirely confined ■to ’Varsity territory, and the students were finally defeated by .two unconverted tries,i one converted try and a free kick to one unconverted try and a free kick. Johnsonville scored a narrow win on its home ground when it defeated Old Boys by 3 points to nil. During the first spell the backs of both sides attempted" passing movements, in which Old Boys were the better team, but the slippery ball did not suit that style of play. Early in the secbud spell Parsloe, the Johnsonville wing three-quarter, securing the ball in a handy position, dashed over at the corner to score a try which was not converted. The forwards were evenly matched. Well directed line kicks kept the Johnsonville team continuously in the Old Boys territory. Outstanding players were Sadler, the Old Boys half, who set his backs going well, and also proved a staunch defender, and W. Hawke, the full-back, who got his team out of trouble time' after time. In the Johnsonville side/Cathcart was always prominent. The game ended: Johnsonville 3, Old Boys 0. , Selwyn and Melrose met at Wakefield Park, the former team having the advantage of play throughout the mntch and winning by 21 points to nil. The first score came from a free kick by Legatt for Selwyn. A passing rush, in which Ward was prominent, soon afterward brought another three points. The kick missed and ■ half-time went with the score 6 —o in favour of Selwyn. On resuming Selwyn pushed the ball into its opponent’s territory, but an effort on the part of Ward to get through was lost through lack of support. A few minutes later, however, Nash got over the line and Legatt converted. Melrose made several attempts to score, but Selwyn seemed bent on maintaining its advantage without taking the risk of increasing it. A little later Legatt converted his own try and brought the score up to 16 points. Just before the call of time Ward scored and Legatt converted once more, making the final scores 21 to 0. Though Wellington won by 35 points to nil, Upper Hutt at ail times offered stout resistance, the forwards especially playing well. However, the side as a whole was outclassed. Kilby did not play'for Wellington owing to an injury received in the match at Palmerston North on Wednesday, and his place was taken" by Hislop, a junior, who showed creditable form. Disregarding the conditions, the Wellington men threw the ball about, and though the slippery conditions deprived them of more than one try, some very fine passing movements were executed, as is shown by the fact that of the nine tries scored seven came from the wing three-quarters. The halftime score was 14—0 in favour of Wellington. Tries were scored by Pryde (4), Olliver (3), Infull and Gaudin. Still converted throe and Johnson one. RESULTS IN OTHER CENTRES SOUTH TARANAKI Hawera 3, Patea 3; Okaiawa 19, Eltham 3; Waiinate 17, Athletic 3; Opunake 3, Kaponga 0. HAWKE’S BAY High School Old Boys 10, Pirates 6; Hastings 15, 'Technical Old Boys 5; Celtic 10. Maori Agricultural College 10; Tamatea 6, Hastings Old Boys 5. WAIRARAPA Old Boys 14, Gladstone 1.2; Carterton 58, Mastertou 3; Greytown 32, Bed Star G. CHRISTCHURCH Football matches were played on sodden grounds and were finished in a light driving rain. Old Boys 14, Linwood 3; Merivale 17, West Christchurch Old Boys 3; Albion 11, Sydenham 3; Christchurch 22, Technical 8. SOUTH CANTERBURY Rugby matches were played in steady rain and on heavy grounds. Old Boys 16, Celtic 11; Waihi 16, Zingari 3; Tennika 11, Star nil.

NELSON Dominion Special Service. There was fine weather for the football. Senior: Nelson 23, Pirates 9; Old Boys 16, Waimea 3; Rivals 10, Wakatu 3. Junior: Old Boys 25, Rivals 3. Thirds: Nelson 20, Old Boys 3 : Wakatu 20, Rivals nil. DUNEDIN ' Pirates 12, 'Varsity A. 11; ’Varsity B 11, Alhambra 5; Kaikorai 11, Zingari 9; Southern 5, Taieri 0; Dunedin 6, Union 3. SOUTH ISLAND TRIAL OLIVER REPLACES CARLETON. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, May 17. G. Oliver, replaces S. Carleton in the South Island trial Rugby match on Wednesday.

P. W. L. D. P. A. Pts. Petone . 4 3 1 —— - 62 47 6 Marist . 4 3 1 B7 40 6 Old Boys .. , 4 3 1 40 51 6 Oriental .... , 4 2 1 1 29 20 u Eastbourne , . 4 2 9 «■ 61 45 4 Poneke .... . 4 2 2 — 63 54 4 Athletic .... . 4 2 2 —— 31 33 4 Hutt . 4 1 2 1 39 39 3 Berhampore . 4 1 3 — 23 60 2 University . , 4 — 4 — 35 54 0 SENIOR “B.” P. w. L. I). Pts. Wellington 4 4 —— —— 8 Johnsonville 4 3 1 — 6 Oriental ... 4 3 1 6 Miramar .. 4 2 2 — 4 University , 3 2 1 —— 4 Selwyn .... 3 2 1 —— 4 Melrose .... 4 1 1 3 Porirua .... 4 1 3 2 Upper Hutt 4 0 3 1 1 Old Boys ... 3 0 .3 0,