PETONE AND PONEKE.

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 122, 26 May 1930, Page 14

PETONE AND PONEKE.

Before some 2000 spectators, whom the bleak southerly kept bunched on one side of the field, Petone defeated Poneke by a margin of eleven points on the suburban team's ground. - s The first spell was rather quiet, full use being made •of the cross wind as an aid to touch-finding with considerable success, indicating that the local players are - becoming alive .to opportunities for gaining ground provided by the International kick-into-touch rule. In the second session matters'were of a more open order and there was more colour m the game. : Although the, forwards did their 'slinre by proving inst a'littlo better than the- traditionally linrd-to-master Poui'lce pack; PctoncV win' must be credited.- mainly ■ io:tl-.e.'superiority, of the rearguard, where Nicholls's generalship brought the best, out of She two colts playing on either side- of. him and paved the ;w;.y for two dangerous wing-three-quarters to break through. Walker, who scored1 four times, must be given the credit for making his own play on more than one-occasion/ 'He applied his speed with .determination,, handled splendidly, and" Narrowly : miflsed at least as many scores as came his way. Julian was still absent from the Poneke team, though it is probable'that both he and Shearer will be turning out again next Saturday. Petone were without Elvy, .who, however, could have taken the -field, had he been badljl" needed, J. Lambourne, suffering from an injured leg, and Carr and Clarke who had colds''• Davis, who played early last season but .was obliged to pull out owing to an illness, was,back in the fullback, position.. ■'.-.' \ The teams were:— , Petone.—Davis; Walker, Pollock, lluxtable; Nicholls, Wilkinson; Coman; 'Wilson; 't'oulston, A. Lambourne, Martin, Reid, Pickard, Potts, and Spence. Poneke.—Foote; Barrett, Pelham, Edgars Cooksou. Nealc; Gilbert; Currie; Rere, ■■ Jessup, -. Eraser, Joyce, Moore, Welsh, and Store. Petone won the toss and opened with the sun at their backs. - Though the wind was slightly against them, 'they hacV an advantage in that it. aided their right-foot kicks' in- finding touch. Poneke, however, met with the greater success in this department early in the. game and had the home team defending hard. When Petone also began to; rely .largely on kicking, tlu\v more than held their own. Petono opened the scoring fifteen; minutes after the start when Wilkinson slipped through the defending Poneke . backs, after receiving from a scrum in front of the posts, and threw out a long pass to Walker, who raced over. Walker broke away on _ his own soon afterwards, put in a judicious punt, and regained possession to score a clever try. ■ His third scoring effort finished off a snappy piece of play initiated; by Coman. Just before the interval. Coman and Nicholls combined to let Huxtable over on the .blind side of a scrum near the Poneke line, Nicholls converting this try with a flue kick from the louchl mo. Poneke's only score was a try by Barrett after Pelham had put in a strong run from half-way to within ten yards of the Petone line. Pel-one led at the interval, 14-3. Play fluctuated .considerably in the second half, both sides scoring twice, and the honours being evenly shared territorially. x Towards the finish the rivalry was very t keen and one or two tempers became rather frayed, the referee, who had the game well under control, issuing a warning in one instance. Walker and Huxtable scored for Petone, and for Poneke Moore scored an unconverted try and Neale kicked a penalty goal. The final score was: Petone, 20; Poneke, 9. . The referee was Mr. J. Moffitt.