ORIENTALS' FIRST WIN.

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 121, 25 May 1931, Page 15

ORIENTALS' FIRST WIN.

The return to the pack of Boyd, the big lock, and a rearrangement of the backs, while making an improvement, were not sufficient to bolster up the Athletic ranks and make the team a .winning combination against Oriental at New town Park. The result was that Athletic suffered another rather heavy reverse for the second time in succession on the same ground. Oriental on their displays.against. University, Petone, and Wellington in the past few weeks were due for a win, and their defeat of Athletic by 21 points to 3 gave them their first two championship points of the season. There was some fast.play in the match, even although there were times when it was not of- a very high order, and now and again some snappy movements, mainly by Oriental; were executed with players travelling at top speed. A big improvement on their form of the previous week was noticeable in the Athletic back line in the first spell. The forwards were given good support, and at the end of the spell, in which honours were even, Athletic were only five points down. In that they were somewhat unlucky, for once or twice they should have^put on points. Early in the game Scotland had two opportunities from penalty kicks, but each time he failed to find the cross-bar. Then two promising bursts of reverse passing in which the principals were Scotland, Fitzmaurice, and Poulton had Oriental - thinking, but the movements were not finished off. Lochore did some fine work in checking *Athletic attacks, handling and kicking with accuracy. A fast follow-through by Davies gave Oriental their first try, which Ramsay converted. Just before half-time-Jolly, with a penalty kick from half-way, had bad luck. He made an excellent effort, but the ball struck the crossbar. In the second spell Oriental had the wind at their backs, and they returned after the interval full of vim. Davies and Mill exchanged places, and this brought about an improvement in the penetration of the backs. Within a very few minutes Ramsay, Davies, and then Ramsay again went .over the Athletic line for tries. Ramsay converted two, and Oriental were 18 points up. There had been nothing in Athletics first spell performance to indicate this quick change. The team, however, had wilted under the fierce thrusts by the Oriental forwards, and the Athletic tackling had been weak. Another try was added to Oriental's total, -and probably it was their best. Mill started the movement. The bull then came, infield to Davies and Wiggs, and Cave finished off. Priugle was unable to goal. There wa3 a cry of "one more" from Oriental supporters, but just when the team seemed to be heading that way, Sullings, the speedy Athletic winger, dashed away from his twenty-five, beating possibly half a dozen of the opposition. He was away up the line in a flash. The full-back, Hughes, was with him. and he carried on and then passed to Burnett, who scored. Jolly failed to convert, and the game ended within a few minutes. Oriental 21, Athletic 3. The referee was Mr. G. Kathbon.