A MISSED CHANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 66, 15 September 1934, Page 22

A MISSED CHANCE

Marist threw away, the chance of an outright win in tho senior championship last Saturday when they failed to finish off the clearest of scoring chances which came to them on four notable occasions. Tho contest was between a team-with, a sound defoneo and opportunist forwards and one 'which held a balanced and clever forward line, but was less quick and rugged round the goal, i and the result was stalemate. Bufj though Hospital delivered assaults which looked as though they must shatter tho \ Marist defence it was the latter team which held the balance of the match and which, threw its winning opportunities away!' The Hospital attack was foiled by a lack of cohesion among the' forwards (characteristically the most dangerous attacks ■ woro those finished off by the halves) and by the individual brilliance of Turkington, Marist, however, had tho Hospital defence beaten on at least two occasions, pud on these occasions J. Kershaw and |E. Kershaw shot right at Wyatt from pointVblank range. There was no excuse for this, and.tho only explanation of it, was that tho forwards were not playing wifh customary coolness, That view is endorsed by tho fact that towards tho end of tho gamO there was a complete broak-away by the' Marist front line, and with four men against the two Hospital fullbacks, J. Kershaw wildly swung tho ball across field as soon as a tackier approached, the leather going yards behind where Condon was running.' That action spells nerves. Yet" when this same player had the opportunity to break through the overzealous Hospital half-back line which was vigorously backing up its forwards in 1 the first half he usually throw it away through keeping the ball too long, the reverse of nervousness. The Marist tnam, apart from the forwards, was outshone by Hospital, the half-back honours definitely going to the Suburban team and the full-backs being more solid and showing better, judgment than the toiling but less steady Marist pair. The Hospital halves were a standing menace .^to the Marist men,, and only the vigorous work of T. Quirke gave Marist a chance to share tho honours. Even in the forwards, though their methods were different, the Hospital team came off with credit. Their attacks were- maintained at greater, in-

tensity, were begun with more determination, and went just as close to scoring as the majority of Marist assaults which ended in a curious gentleness. Science may have been on the side of Marist, but vigorous tactical efficiency was with Hospital and tho poor shooting of the Kcrshaw brothers, wh:«o certainly lost the match for Maris£ was redeemed by the sharp decision vZ Twkingtou which equally certainly saved it. In the circumstances a draw was the best thing that could have como out of the game. /