AUCKLAND DEFEAT WELLINGTON

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 68, 17 September 1925, Page 16

AUCKLAND DEFEAT WELLINGTON

AN UNINTERESTING PEOCESSION.

That Wellington is not the home of League football was well exemplified at Newtown Park "yesterday afternoon, when an Auckland. B team scampered through the Wellington defence, if it can be called that, with monotonous regularity. ' Initiative was lacking in the Wellington forwards, who were incapable of concerted effort, and their passing and tackling were equally ineffective against the well-combined tactics of the Auckland team, who were in better condition, as well as having slightly the better of the weight, the score ending 68 to 9 in favour of the visitors. There was only a small attendance. The teams were:— Auckland: Herewini, Riley, Davidson, List, ■Hardgrave, Cole, Chrewther, Payne, Mason, Townsend, Te Whata, M'Donald, and Bass. Wellington: Balks, Riddell, Gray, Hodgson, Evans, Ryan, Brace, Anderson, Mouatt, Green, Ramm, Elder, and Shanahan.

| Detailed description of the game j would convey little. It was a succession of successful passing runs by Auckland, with interference rather than opposition by Wellington. There was little penalisation of offences by the referee, and the scoring was fast—by Auckland. Balks, the Wellington full-back, was an outstanding figure for the Whites, making the first score for his side with a penalty kick, and he deserves almost all the credit for keeping the Auckland score from reaohing the century. Time and again his well-placed kicks saved trie 9, and he potted a neat goal from 40 yards away. Riddell, Gray, Evans, and Shanahan wore useful members of the Wellington team, and Brace also put in some good runs with the ball. Line-kicking saved Wellington several times in critical situations, but the team was woefully lacking in passing cohesion, selfish play by forwards alternating with clumsy catching and awkward attempts 'to tackle. Several times the Auckland men were allowed to dodge through quite 'a hive of opponents, and they seemed able to wriggle out of the grasp of the Wellington players \.ithout much trouble whenever one of the latter was alert enough to seize an opportunity to tackle. Many such chances were missed. On frequent occasions it took several of the Whites to stop a Blue. Pace was all with the visitors.

For Auckland Bass was brilliant, and shared with Te Whata and Davidson most of the tries, List, Hardgrave, and Chrewther also scoring well. Bass and Cole converted most of the tries. Davidson showed both pace and strategy in many clever runs, Te Whata, one of the sturdiest of the Auckland team, being easier to catch, but harder to stop. The score at half-tfme was 23-4, Brace and Balks being the only scorers in the second half for Wellington. Mr. Parkinson was referee.