PETONE AND OLD BOYS.

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 151, 29 June 1931, Page 14

PETONE AND OLD BOYS.

A rack of forwards'which gave as gooci prevented the: opposition E?^**? away from the scrums carried Wellington College Old Boys to victory against Petone on the Petone ground From the start Petone were never allowed to gam the upper hand, as in the match against Hutt. and the eight back formation which functkmed so Effectively on the previous Sat, urday was thrown out of gear. Although the margin of pointa in Old Boys' favour was smalli Petone were more outplayed than in any Of their former en^, casements this season. Lind was absent from the Petone pack, but-otherwise both sides were at full strength. The teamsWellington College Old Boya.—Masters; Wyllie Cromie, Tait; Eushbrook, Baldwin; Dv Chateau; Lamason, Bydder, T. Keynolds, Clark, Claridge, Williams, Wright, and J. Keynolds. . < :.-,... Petone—J. Lambourne; Elvy, Pollock, Huxtable', Valk; M'Gurk Nieholls; Brice; Potts, A. Lambourne, Martin, Keid, .1 ell, Wilson, and Spence. " ' Matters were keenly contested from the outset, both sides narrowly missing scores as play swung from one end of the held to the other. Old Boys were playmg ■with the advantage of the wind, and this was -partly responsible for their having-

slightly the better of the exchanges. A breakaway by the Petone backs ended'in a race for the ball after Pollock had kicked through, but Rushbrook won arid forced. Old Boys retaliated with a loose rush by the forwards which swept all before it, and Claridge scored after several players had missed in a dive for the ball. Lamason failed to convert. In the subsequent play Baldwin _ was nearly over after giving the Petone inside backs the slip, and Nieholls missed narrowly in an attempt to goal from-a penalty. The play was mainly of the ragged order and, although Old Boys held a territorial advantage, it was not until just on> halftime that their account was improved, Dv Chateau' slipping round the side of a scrum near the, Erie to score/ and Masters converting with a"'good kick. Old Boys, 8!'-Petone, 0. ■ ■ Old' Boys again' proved a handful for Petone when play was resumed, but two gosd-kicks to touch by Pollock put Petone on the attack and, during a struggle on the Old Boys line, the same player "potted" a goal from close in under the posts. 8-4. A sensational movement by the Petone-backs then reduced Old Boys' lead to a point. Huxtable broke clean away in his own twenty-five and, after a dash of about 70 yards, passed to Elvy, who returned the leather when he was tackled, Huxtable going over for a try. Nicholls failed to convert. 8-7. The game continued to be fought out at a great pace, and the Petone backs received more opportunities of getting, under way than earlier in- the- game, but solid tackling kept them in cheek.' The opposing forwards were showing no signs of letting up, however, and repeatedly cleared play from their line. A splendid solo effort by Wyllie,. who raced away from ; midfield to score as he was tackled made Old Boys' position safer, Masters adding the extras with another good kick. . 13-7. There was now less than a quarter of.an hour to go, and when Petone gained three more points from a try in the corner by Elvy, after Brice, Nicholls, and Pollock had handled, the game was within a minute or two of, finishing. There was ho further scoring, and the game ended, Old Boys, 13;: Petone, 10. Mr. IX Ga.lcinai was the referee. . . .■,;■■■'_..