ORIENTAL AND OLD BOYS.

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 124, 29 May 1922, Page 4

ORIENTAL AND OLD BOYS.

Kilbimie Park is about' the coldest ground in the city for players and spectators alike when a southerly -is blowing, Athletic Pal'k not excepfced, and it says much for Rugby enthusiasul that quite a crowd rolled out to see Oriental aad Old Boys amid tho squalls of Antarctic rain play out a game, which either side on paper might have won. Old Boys have a lot of barrackers, and so have Oriental. After the performances of the respective teams the previous Saturday, anything might have happened, meaning the defeat of Oriental. But not only was the day in favour of the "Magpies," but on the play they richly deserved their win, 14 joints to 8. The southerly at Kilbirnie is a diagonal, corner-to-comei wind, and Oriental had it behind them in the first spell. Old Boys had quite a good share ot the game, and it was riot until near the end of the spell that Ories* crossed their opponents' line, and then they crossed it twice within a few minutes. Olie of the tries was converted, and with an early penalty goal made the score 11-0. The conditions were reversed for the second half of the game, and Old Boys, by Bearing a try and converting it, and adding a well-kicked penalty goal, were at one stage within strinking distance of vic-tory—ll-8. Oriental, however, defied the wind, and, tacking heartily down in the teeth of it, sailed closenhauled over ihe KneM-a try-^-thxee points, which established the final order—Oriental, H; Old Boys, 8. The teams were : Heley, Riggs, Carroll, Scott, Adams, Griffith*, J. Gilohrist, Gair, Thorn, King, A. Giichiist, Scott, Pringle, Coulter, Matthews. Old Boys : Malcolm, Faber, Marris, Gtrey, Gibson, Robertson, Hanson, M'Collj Laurie, Barclay, Chegwidden, Jones, Fordhain, Menfcies, Cart.

The first score was a penalty goal for Oriental, kicked by "Snowy" Adams, formerly of Athletic, and then for a loiig stretch the game was even, with Old Boys gallantly beating to windward and three times reaching but not crossing the Oriental line. , Menzies, Chegwidden, and M'CoU were the leaders in these vforward movements. -Then Riggs, best of Oriental backs, came to light with a- touch-grazing run, as a sequel to a movement cleverly started- by Carroll from an intercepted cress-kick. Riggs scored far out, and the kick proved too much for Adams. Oriental 6-0. Nest came a really good old-stylo forward rush, and Matthews, who shines in the loose, was not to he denied in his plunge over the line. Adams kicked a fine goal. The half-time score Was: Oriental, 11; Old Boys, 0. , The weather had not improved for the resumption, and only the stalwarts stuck to the line for their view-point. Old Boys attacked, and once Faber was neatly over. Then a kick from a mark in front of goal went astray, "But Old Bojs, follqwiiig up keenly, rather took Ories by surprise, and Marris scored a very good try. Gibson converted with a neat kick. 11-5. Matthews a little later The half-time score was': Oriental, 11; sustained in the match against Poneke, re-opened, but returned after some minutes' absence. In the meantime, M'Coll kicked a splendid penalty goal, bringing his side to the position 11-8. The required points nearly came from a pot at goal by Marris, the ball not going far wide. The pot was quite the correct think to try, and only a tackle Upset the direction. It was Old Boys' last chance. Oriental woke up to they: | danger, ahd went at .increasing their margin with a will. They hammered hacks and fdrwairds all along" the Old B&ys' line, until from the left wing the I ball worked over to the l'iglit, and Carroll succeeded where others • had failed. Adams could make nothing" of the cross wand with his kick. And so the game ended: Oriental, W; Old Boys, 8. 1 Mr. Hilton was referee. j