IMPROVED FORM

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 287, 31 August 1931, Page 10

IMPROVED FORM

Home Team Play Better Than in Shield Game / alterations in side Although there still seemed to be something missing in the play of the Wellington team on Saturday, its performance was much better than that it put up against Canterbury the week before. On the day it fully deserved its win, perhaps by a little more than _ a margin of two points, and in beating Otago it not only came off best, against an admittedly strong side, but it did a great deal to restore some of the confideuce that supporters had lost after the Canterbury match. . There were several alterations in the side from that which Canterbury defeated. Bydder replaced Coulston in the front row of the scrum, Blacker replaced McPherson as lock—the latter not being available through illness—and J. Shearer replaced‘ J. Dellabarca. -In the - bapbs, Coman was brought in to replace Kilby behind the scrum, Kilby not having recovered from injuries received in the Canterbury game, and Ball and Mackay again took the field as Wellingtons representative wing three-quarters. All the new men, if they can be called that, played well, and the two wing threequarters did especially good work whenever they got half a chance. Ball again showed himself, to be a fine attacking winger. . Hard-working Forwards. There was not. a great.deal of difference between the forwards;, the Wellington men held their own better against just as strong, a pack as■■ Canterbury s because they played more as a pack; with better -backing up and scrummaging• combination than they showed in the Shield game. There was still room for improvement, however, and it seemed that a few more lihe-out forwards of class would have made the world of difference. Barry and Jessep, perhaps,, were the pick of a hard-working pack. Deiderich and Blacker did well, mostly in the tight work, and Shearer was- noticed doing good work in the loose now and rita}* 1 - Bydder was quite a success, and Reid, also, was bn the ball all day. Of the Otago forwards, Hore, the captain, Gifford, Souter, R. Allan and Cavanagh, the wing-forward, kept going at a great pace and gave the Wellington defence plenty of trouble. Souter s goalkicking proved valuable to his side. Behind the Wellington scrum, Coman was a little slow in sending the ball out, but otherwise played a sound gam®, £“® Otago half-back, Simon, was the better half-back, however. . Lack of Penetration. Nicholls was closely watched by Bathgate all day and was seldom seen to great advantage. His display was a distinct'improvement on that he gave in the Canterbury match, but there was still a lack' of penetration in the inside line. This applied to Lilburne, playing at second five-eighth, also. Apart from magnificent defence, Lilburne was not in the picture a great deal, with the exception of some fine bursts in the first spell. Fookes, the Otago five-eighth, was sound. Nicholls was in good goal-kicking form, and his accuracy in that department, won Wellington the game. ■ The main “punch” in the Wellington attack came fromi the centre three-quar-ter Page. Often he was the only player in the line to try and beat a man, and he was often' successful. His speed proved dangerous to Otago, and his kicking and tackling were both exMilent. In conjunction with Mackay and Bull, Page gave Otago a good deal of trouble. Pollock in Good Form. . -Pollock played one of the best games he ever has at the full-back position. He made hardly a mistake all day; his kicking and tackling were .accurate, and he was not afraid to use his speed when riven any open ground. He was quite as sound at full-back as Bush, the Otago man, who also played, an excellent game. The match was one in which both fullbacks got a more than ordinary amount of work to perform. .. The Otago team plays Manawhenua, a., Palmerston North, on Wednesday, and ■goes north to meet Auckland at Auckland next Saturday. On September 9it plays Taranaki, and on September 12 meets Canterbury; this match, possibly, will be for the Ranfurly Shield. WELLINGTON COLTS WIN Dannevirke Soundly Beaten '■ A ’ ■ By Telegraph—Press Association. • Dannevirke, August 29. Wellington Colts defeated Dannevirke under ideal conditions by 24 points to 12. The visitors had better position players than their opponents, who time and again lost good scoring chances, while- the Dannevirke forwards more than held their visitors’ backs were faster and combined better in the first spell, which ended 12—3 in favour of Wellington; Wylie scoring a try, which was converted by Griffiths, Watson scoring a try, and Griffiths potting a brilliant left-footed goal. * After getting the ball from a line-out, Dannevirke started off . the . second spell well Pearson scoring a try from play near the line, and Power kicking a good penalty goal. Then Griffiths, Dennehey and Connor 'and Griffiths, again, with a brilliant passing movement, enabled the last-named to score an unconverted try. Griffiths and Wylie later finished off another passing movement, the latter scoring on the corner, no conversion resulting. Grant then notched a penalty goal for Dan; nevlrke, which was its last score. Wellington got across twice before time sounded, Griffiths, Connor and Hanson figuring in a passing attack, 'Ball going right across the field for an unconverted try. Just before time Wylie ran up on the'quarter, Intercepted the throw in, and scored. There was no goal, the game ending in a victory for the better side. CLUB FIXTURES Playing as a curtain-raiser to the Wel-lington-Otago match, the Petone A third grade team defeated Wellington ■ by 17 points to 3. A "married” v. “single” match between members, of the Miramar club was won by the "married” team, 19—11. A match between a Poneke team and Telegraph Messengers on Wakefield Park resulted In a win for Poneke by 17 points to 3. . THIRD GRADE REP. TEAM The third grade selectors, Messrs. W. Kinm A. E. Price and H. Wilson, have chosen the following team to nlay Horowhenpa juniors at either Otaki or Levin on Saturday next: — , Full-back. Drhyberg (Poneke); threequarters, Platt (Petone), Brooks (Athletic). Fredrlc (Poneke); five-eighths, Brittain (Marist), Greenbank (Oriental); half. Toms (Poneke); wing-forword, Bradley (Oriental); hookers, Barry (Marist), Taylor (Poneke); lock, Henshaw (Oriental); supports, Whittington (Petone), Green (Seiwyn); back row, Bromley (Old Boy.nl, Chudley (Petone). Reserves: Back. Sturrock (Old Boys); forward, N Th? teaintrain at the Oriental gymnasium at 7.30 to-morrow evening. i Games in the Provinces Wanganui: Pirates 10, Marist 6; Kaierau 7, Technical Old Boys 8; Old Boys -11, Ratana 3. Technical Old Boys win the cup, with Kaierau runners-up. Mnsterton: Carterton 16, Old Boys 3; Gladstone 34, Dalefleld 6; Greytown 41, Combined Stars and Masterton 12. Carterton and Greytown will decide the final t for tha championship ne±t Saturday,