WIN FOR WELLINGTON.

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 102, 4 May 1925, Page 9

WIN FOR WELLINGTON.

A combination of wind and weather favouring their particular style of play, with its greatest streugth among the forwards, helped as much as anything to give Wellington a win over Athletic at Lyall- Bay. The wind was a heavy northerly in the first spell, and Wellington had the advantage of it. but were only able to establish a lead of three points, a penalty goal, to nil. At the same time they had the better of the game, and were unlucky in not getting over. One passing bout saw an inter- I change between Christie, Johnston, Corliss, and Morgan, with the last going over at the corner with two men hang- j ing on to him. The referee ordered a kick out from the twenty-five. The heavier pack of Wellington, with Joyce and the veteran Francis getting most of the' ball from Osborne and Boyd, early established a superiority at the forward game, which finally gave Wellington the match. What definitely settled the question was, however, an extraordinary change in the wind. The showery northerly, which, if it had held; would have probably helped Athletic to win, just aftsr half-time swung round to a fierce southerly with drenching rain. All this was to the advantage of the forward team, and that was 1 Wellington, for the ball became difficult to handle, and all the efforts of the All Black pair, Porter and Svenson, with "Osborne, Adam, Webb, and M'Kernan doing their best among' beaten forwards, could not restore the filial-balance/ Svenson had equalised early in the second spell with a try, j which Gibson failed to convert, but Joyce, with a beautiful bit of forward work, skillful dribbling on his own, and then a quick follow up and grounding of the ball for an unmistakable try, put his". Side-ahead again, and Athletic, fur ail their resolute onslaught, could not pierce the Wellington defence, and : Wellington ran out winners by 6 points ..to o. The teams were : Athletic : Cookson, Malmanche, Svenson, Sutlon, Gibson, M'Dougall, Warwick, Porter, Boyd, Osborne, Webb Pn: r.t e > s Pcnccr, Adam, M'Kernan. : Jarvie, .Morgan, Frater, Khodes,. Corliss, Johnston, Christie, .Lindsay, Francis, Joyce. Phillips, Honeyfteld, Theyers, Fyfe. Voice. The first spell was characterised by I combined attacks by Wellington, with the for wards, beating the opposing pack, and Christie opening up the game nicely for his backs, whoso handling of the ball was spoilt a good deal by the diagonal wind. Frequent rushes were iorced out by overcrowding into touch, and opportunities were lost at the final touch. Morgan was over once, but failed to gam the . referee's award. On the other hand, Athletic, beaten mostly for the ball in the scrum, for Osborne sorely .missed his old partner Swain seized any.casual chances in the ruck and Svenson showed by his dodging swervuiK and side-stepping, all with the utmost coolness, how much, he had learned in the "triumphant tour." He was however, iil-supported, and too wellmarked to get over, though often close. Jhe only score of the spell came from a penalty goal kicked by Johnston. Wellington were thus leading at half-time by o to ml. Had conditions remained unchanged, no doubt Athletic could reasonably have looked for a safe win with the wind in the second spell, for they had more "punch" m their rearguard tactics. Unfortunately, the wind changed; a violent southerly came up, with heavy rain, rendering back play difficult and at a discount. Everything was wet, and tho fan--crowd of spectators, except for a few enthusiastic souls, who took a soaking to see who would win, quickly vanV nf s cUel" further afield, after the northern fence lost its value as proW° n t - Still Athletic did equaC against odds. Warwick opened up to ™d S°£ aY? th° ball t0 Sve "Bon, and the All Hack scored near the cor' "er- Gibson failed with a difficult kick. ♦ » ; Wlln g^°n were by no means content to remain on the defensive and trj to make a draw of the game. Their forwards swept all before them in some fine' combined work, and at the finisli of one of these effort,, Joyce took the ball at too, and dribbled parallel to the touch hne through the defence, and then followed up a httle kick to. ground for a good try. Johnston .could not manage the kick. Wellington, 6| Athletic. 3 Ihen come the best part of the game. Athletic did their level best to escape .Meat, and launched attack after attack Porter cspcnal y playing ; , U he knew! The Blues had two chances in fairly easy penalty kicks, but Gibson missed both jI hen lortcr himself look a simiW kick, and the ball looked as if it had gono 1.0 the mark, but tho touch judge, ruled otherwise Wellington answered tho challenge with a -slilrdv defence, which proved impenetrable till the time the whistle went for time. Wellington had won a meritorious vielory, o — a. Mr. YV. Carson controlled the came with a minimum of whistle.