SENIOR A

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 12, 14 July 1930, Page 14

SENIOR A

HUTT'S TUNE; PETONE DANCE.

The greatest credit must be given to Htitt for their very fine win over Petone, and to both teams praise is due for an excellent game, full of life and thrills. If was a game the 5000 spectators assembled at Athletic Park enjoyed to the full. At no: stage -was tliere a suggestion of dullness;' every minute, it may be said, was filled with 60 seconds of hard, fast play. It was a great afternoon for Hutt's large body: of supporters. Hutt won handsomely,;, completely turning the tables ou Pctone, who iv their game -with Hutt in the first.round of the championship scored a four-point -win. Hutt on this occasion did much better—they put on a 14 points margin, and' it was deserved. Petone were outplayed, fore and aft. Petone were represented <by a strong team, and in view of the fact that at least five,players who have been playing regularly, for'Hutt were missing, Hutt's win is all the more creditable. Hutt were without Feeney, Pomare,. Peck, Todd, and Dowsett, .but those who-took their places (and two of the backs called upon, Hansen and Killeen, are boys who are eligible to play in the fourth grade) covered themselves with glory. Both Hansen and Killeen played well, but Killeen particularly so, and Ross, on the other wing from the dashing Ball, was another young player who played a prominent part in Hutt's success. The game,was an excellent illustration of what a youthful team, tuned up as Hutt were by a good coach aud leavened with some players of experience, can accomplish. All the strategy of the Petone captain, M. F. Nicholls, and. he was conspicuous a number.of times with some typical pl»y, and the combined efforts of other tried hands, were of no avail against the team led by A. E. Cooke. Hutt's "shock" tactics were most effective.- Splendid bustling forwards were backed up by a reliable rearguard, some splendid kicking by Cooke, and solid, relentless tackling. Hutt's hookers did not have a monopoly of the ball in, the set- scrums; Petone's front rankers did their share and the ball was there for the backs, but they were not allowed to operate successfully. In the second half-Nicholls moved from first five-eigth to second five-eigth, exchanging places with Lambourne, possibly with the object of keeping a better eye on Cooke, but the move .did not appear to benefit Petone much, for Lambourne was caught in possession of. the ball by Killeen; in other word.?, movements by the backs were "nipped .in'the. bud,", and very effectively, too. The teams were:— . Petone.—Davis; Walker, Pollock, Huxtable; Nicholls, Lambourne; Coman; Carr; Spence, Potts, Fell, Martin, Reid, Lambourne, Coulstou, Hutt.—Jarman;, Ball, Hansen, Ross; Cooke, Killeen; M'Kay; R. Hinton; Wood, H. Hinton, Skelton, Roberts, Baker, Monigatti, Bradley^ Eight from 'the kick-off by Cooke, whose loss' of' the toss gave Petoue the right to play.'with the light northerly wind, the teams stepped lively, Hutt showing up first with- a run by Ball and R. Hinton, . -which was followed by other advances into Petone territory. On separate occasion's Cooke and* M'Kay stepped in" to stop Fetoue .passing rushes, and then Fcl) went right to the Hutt line with the ball at'toe. Nothing came of this effort, and a ' little'• later, after Nicholls had "sold the dummy". beautifully to Coofeo find galloped- through the Hutt backs, lie made the mistake of delaying a fraction too Jong before passing out. Nicholls had three men 'outside him, juid a try looked certain. .From tlii* on Hutt never looked back, ,and, finished up the spell with 11 points.on the board, Petone having failed to-score, Ross,kicked a penalty goal, opening, the account, and this was followed by a, try by Roberts, converted by Ros?, and an .unconverted.'try by Cooke. .Petone very quickly set about improving jheir positiou on-taking the field again, -^nd in the first few minutes there was ;i Jry. Goinan passed ou to Nicholls, who very' coolly, on the blind side, slipped the ball to Huxtablc, who went over. Nich,oils.made a good attempt at tlio goal, but missed. Hutt 11, Petone 3. In succeed.ing- play, however, any doubts of Hutt slipping-were dispelled. Petone tried hard, ■but-Hutt were -prepared. There were times certainly when matters looked bright for Peto'ne and bad for Hutt, but then more often than not Cooke cut off these moves. He-showed up whenever danger threatened, and his anticipation was wonderful. •Tarman,' too, was giving good service, and Ball was splendid. It was Cooke who started a spectacular piece of play, in which Hansen was the next to take part, and' Ross completed with a speedy run past Hustable for a fine try. Ross made v poor attempt to convert. Within a short time H. Hinton and Skilton forced their way over the Petone line, and Skilton scored. Ross failed to convert. Hutt 17, Petone 3. Several times in the play which followed Pollock made splendid saves for Petone. On one occasion when Hutt were on the. offensive in the Pp.tone twenty-five j Walker, snapped up the ball and made ;i splendid. nm to the other twenty-five, goiiig at top, but Cooke overhauled him. A _ little .later Follock sent Walker, away ' again, but once more be v.;is stopped, only this time the forwards i-irrind on nnd Fell.went over for a try which-Nicholls 'converted. In.the hazy, dim light of "late :ai'ternooD, with just a few minutes to.go, iPefcone made another raid, but !Ro*s cut in cn-'i tisssine bout. He intrrceuted a Dais

from Pollock to Huxtable, and outpacing everyone again in a long run for the line, scored his second try, running round behind'the posts. Ross goaled, and within a minute or so the game ended: Hutt 22, Petone S. The, refereeitig of Mr. J. A. Wilson assisted in making the game bright.