HUTT SUPERIOR

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 143, 20 June 1938, Page 17

HUTT SUPERIOR

JOHNSONVILLE DEFEATED,

In a game in which they always had something in reserve, Hutt made no race of it in the last twenty minutes, finishing up With 14 points to Johnsonville's 6. The Hutt Recreation Ground was soft and greasy and these condi-

tions spoilt a number of promising movements. The game was largely con» fined to the forwards. Now and again, however, the Hutt back line swung into action, and it was the abil\*r of these players to handle and run that gave Hutt a defintie advantage Kilmisler was well fed from the scrums, and Sargisson handled well

and gave Burton every chance. Concerned mainly with getting the ball out. Burton hahdled cleanly, arid gave Holland, who showed remarkable dash, many Opportunities. Another big factor in Huit's success was the very fine display given by Graham at full'" back.

Johnsonville felt the absence of A. Kenny, their captain, L. Liddle, and J. Sufns, and dut-ing the game lost two more of their regular fifteen. With the wind at their backs, Johnsonville had the better of the early play, and, after M. Kenny Graham had opened the respective scores with a penalty kick each, a snappy passing rush.in which o, Burns, ivamy, Welsh, arid T. Liddle took part ended in the iast»nßmed scoring ih the corner. The JOrirtsOhVille forwards Were dangerous in the loose, showihg up ill many fine dribbling rushes, but the Hutt defence held, Graham and Sargissoh kicking particularly well. With theirNbacks receiving more opportunities, Hutt wgre always dangerous in the second spell, and after narrowly missing with several attempts to score, their chance came when Kemp cross-kicked at the twenty-five. Ivamy missing the bounce, for Holland to pick up and dive across without oj> position. With the scores level, the HUtt forwards displayed more dash, and, very Soon Holland had scored again from a good movement initiated by Evans, Cassidy converting. Just before the finish, Evans and Holland handled Well for Williams to cross in the corner. The Johnsonville defence was largely at sea under the prevailing conditions, H. Kenny making many mistakes and Liddle being often out of position. On the other hand, Holland and Graham, particularly, played as well as if the ground were firm, handling cleanly and revealing plenty of dash.

The teams Were:---Williams, Holland. Evans; Burton, Sargisson: Kilmister; Kemp. Cassidy, Foley, Griffin, Flanagan, Corkin, Potter, Grant. Johnsonville. —H. Kenny; T. Liddle, BrOwn, Welsh; Ivamy, G. Burns; Lyons; Dean, M. Kenhy, Cunningham, O'Malley, Mcßride. Lee, Engel, Krebs. (During the game Brown and Engel were replaced by E. Chaney and Coulter). •The referee was Mr. J. S. King.

SECOND DIVISION

MIRAMAR V. ATHLETIC

Rain arid Wind did their best to spoil the game betweeh Miramar and Athletic on the Polo Ground, but in spite of the conditions- a good stahdard was beached. Although Miramar won by goal kicking and Athletic did score & try, there was no doubt that on the day the better team won. To . the Miramar forwards went , the, honours, and their dash and combination gave them the advantage over (he opposing pack, and stopped the ad-1 Vances of the Athletic backs. There j was a tendency on the part of some of the Athletic forwards to break away too soon, thus nullifying their extra weight. In the first spell Miramar' were constantly in their opponents' territory, and more than one try might have resulted, but for breakdowns at the critical moment. Miramar scored, all their points in the first spell, Potietr potted a neat goal from a scrum near the Athletic goal line, and Troy kicked two fine penalties from well out. After the heavy rain that fell during the early portion of the second half. the game became one solely for the forwards, and it was during the course of one particularly heavy shower that a couple of errors by the Miramar backs enabled Rowberry to score a try, for Pelham to convert, Athletic strove hard, but the greasy ball and sound defence prevented any addition to their score. The game ended with the scores: Miramar 10, Athletic 5. Mr. A. Hooper was the referee. | ORIENTAL V. WELLINGTON i Failure to adopt tactics suited to the i Conditions, coupled with stout defence by Oriental, made the first spell breeze, or rather gale, at Hataitai Park of ! little real assistance to Wellington, ] who were defeated, 11-3. There was \ too much attempted handling (this applied to both sides) and insufficient foot work. It was not & day for con- ] Centratlon on back attacks. Rather was s it a day for keeping the ball on the js ground, with some variation in the t way cf high punting. True, Wellington might have scored a couple of tries as the result of rearguard movements if passes had not been delayed, but so many of' the attacks just faded into indeflniteness. . Oriental, after an . early period under pressure, broke fairly even territorially in the first half, and actually finished the spell three points up (a try by Marchment). It was nearly all Oriental after the change- f Over. The game developed along Soc- ± cer lines ahd became just a gambol in „ I the mud, but Oriental did score two , iquite fair tries for the conditions. » [Humpherspn dummied his-way oyer, j and Davies, who converted Humpher- a son's try, made a sharp run to get the t] final points. Wellington, although never out of their own territory much, d struggled hard, but the best they could do in the way of points was a penalty 0 goal by Lang. » v The referee was Mr, D. C, Lawson. it

ST. PAT'S JUST WIN ; In a keenly-fOught match, character jsted by hard forward rallies, St. Patrick's College Old Boys, beat - Pirates, 15-14. in a senior A second division match at Wakefield Park on Saturday afternoon. Rain early in the game made heavy ground really Sodden, and play was mainly confined to the forwards, although on several occasions the St. Patrick's backs endeavoured to open up play. Occasionally a good run was made, but generally the greasy ball caused the passes to be mulled.' St. Patrick's attacked at the Start, and Todd raised the flags with' a penalty goal. This was followed by a try by McCashin, which put St. Patrick's Six points ahead. Pirates improved considerably after these early setbacks 1 and hurled attack after attack until they were rewarded with a try by Bracefield, who, incidentally, played a splendid game until he left ' the ground with a leg injury. Just before half-time Tichbon evened the scores with a penalty goal for Pirates. In the second spell both teams had turns at scoring. McCashin almost immediately scored for St. Patrick's, and Drury scored for Pirates, Tichbon conVerting Thereafter it was up-and-down play. St. Patrick's went to the lead and managed to hang on by One'point in an exciting finish until the end. Paino and McDonald scored St. Patrick's remaining points, and Tichbon sicked a penalty goal for Pirates. The game ended St. Patrick's College Old Boys 15, Pirates 14.

The referee was Mr. T. J. McArtney.

EASTBOURNE WIN

i 1? vy ra ' n the commencement of the Eastbourne-University match made the ground at Hutt Park very greasy and, had the day been fine, the result might have been diifqrent. Soon after the beginning of the game King, the Eastbourne half-back, dived over and Fleming converted. 5-0. University attacked with a series of passing movements, but the ball and the ground were too slippery for back-line play. Several times they went close to scoring, but were not able to cross during the first spell.

Eastbourne opened the second half with a vigorous attack, but the University backs broke away and eventually Wild, the first five-eighth, scored. The kick missed. 5-3. Dellabarca (Eastbourne) and Palmer (University) were injured and replaced by Percy and O'Regan respectively. University, always dangerous, were unlucky at! times, but Eastbourne managed to keep them out and the game ended with the score Eastbourne 5, University 3. The referee was Mr. B. Matthews,

SENIOR B Following are results of Saturday's games in the senior B grade:— University 15, Wellington 6. Hutt Army 17, Hutt 11, .. Marist Brothers' Old Boys 10> Poneke 3. Onslow 6 ( Wellington College Old Soys 3.

LOWER GRADES Lower grade results are as follows;— JUNIOR. First Division. Hutt 20, Poneke 9; Athletic 9, Johnsonville 0; Technical Old Boys 11, Porirua 3: Petone 8, Seatoun 6; Kaiwarra 6, Upper Mutt 3; Wellington College Old Boys 3, University 0. JUNIORi Second Division. Training College 12, Wellington 3; Seatoun 6, Miramar 3: Onslow 6, Oriental 0; Plimmerton 8, St. Patrick's Old Boys 3; Marist 12, University 5. JUNIOR; Third Division. Institute 18, University 3; Johnsonville 3, Technical Old Boys 0; Pirates 11, Taita 6;' Wellington 8, Petone 6; Wellington College Old Boys 14, Poneke 9. THIRD. First Division. Silverstream 32, Poneke 3; University 9, Hutt 3; Wellington 9, St. Patrick's Old Boys 3; Athletic 8, Oriental 6; Wellington College 6, Training College 0. THIRD. Second Division,' Marist 20* Seatoun 3; Hutt (Army) 15, Technical Old Boys 3; Wellington College Old Boys 6, Athletic A 0| Oriental 6, Johnsonville 5; Miramar 14. Wellington 0; Eastbourne 9, Athletic B 6; Upper Hutt 15, University 3. THIRD. Third Division. Wellington 24, Seatoun 3; Oriental 3. Kaiwarra 0; Marist 8, St. Patrick's Old Boys 0; Petone 12, Hutt 0; Poneke 3, Athletic 3; Porirua 3, Karori 3; Pirates 9, Onslow 9. FOURTH. First Division. Petone 6, Technical 0.8. 0; Poneke 6, Hutt 6; Wellington College 0.8. 5, Wellington 3. FOURTH. Second Division. Hutt 12, Poneke 9; St. Patrick's 0.8. 8, Johnsonville 7; Miramar 0, Seatoun 0; Petone 6, Upper Hutt'3. FIFTH. First Division. Upppr Hutt 28, Onslow 3; Hutt 13, Miramar 0; Petone 19, Pirates 3. FIFTH. Second Division. Petone 16, Plimmerton 6; Wellington College 0.8. 6, Poneke 5; Athletic 11, Marist 0; Wellington 3, Oriental 0. SIXTH GRADE. Porirua 22, Taita 0; Poneke B 10, Upper Hutt 0; Johnsonville 12, Poneke A 0; Poneke B 19, Upper Hutt 0; Hult 6, Peton"e 5; Athletic 3, Institute 0.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS Results of Saturday's secondary schools' matches are: — FIRST GRADE. Technical 23, Wellington B 0; Wellington A 12, Silverstream All; Rongotai A 4, Hutt Valley A 0; Scots 12, Hult Valley 80. SECOND GRADE. Silverstream A 34, Scots 3; Hutt Technical 6, St. Patrick's B 0; Wellesley 23, Wellington D 6; Silverstream B 6, Wellington C 3; Wellington B 14, Technical 3; Wellington A 15, Rongotai 0; St. Patrick's A 11, Hutt Valley 3. THIRD GRADE. Silverstream A 26, St. Patrick's A„0; Wellington B 22, Hutt Valley B 0; Scots 6, Wellington 0 3; Hutt Valley A 18, ROftgOtai A 0; Wellington A 17, Technical 0. FOURTH GRADE. Wellington B 14, St. Patrick's B 3; Silverstream C 12, Rongotai B 0; Silverstream B 9, Scots 0; Wellington D 15, Techhical 0; Wellington A 41, Hutt Technical 0. FIFTH GRADE. Hutt Valley A 50, Rongotai A 0; Wellington B 37, St. Patrick's C 3; Silverstream B 9, Scots 3; Wellington A 11, Silverstream A 3; Technical 3, St, Patrick's A 0.

From the sideline PLAYERS AND THE GAMES Although Marist are not a champion-' ship winning team, they have earned for themselves in the past the reputation of a side capable of Upsetting all expectations and some of their victories have created ho little surprise. Against Poneke it seemed, especially in the closing stages of the game, that another surprise was in store,, and, although Poneke won, it cannot be said that they were the better team on the day. Territorially, Marist gained the honours, and their backs, particularly on attack, functioned to far greater advantage. Heavy rain which fell during the play likened the ground to a quagmire, but, despite this handicap the Marist backs kept their foothold and handjed the elusive ball in mas-j terly manner. Taken on the whole, Marist were a little unlucky in notj turning the tables on the leaders.

An outstanding feature of the MaristPoneke game was the fine display given by the Marist forwards. In the set scrums Ingpen gained his share of the ball but it was in the rucking and in the loose that the Marist forwards showed the way. Following up fast and showing good team-work they caused their opponents many anxious moments and one of their movements was really brilliant. After some loose play in their own quarter, the Marist forwards broke away with the ball at toe and controlling the leather well swept towards the Poneke line and literally carried all before them. The rush was fittingly rounded oft when Ingpen, following up fast, scored a fine try under the posts. #•# " * Those who made the greatest appeal among the Marist forwards were Butler, Gillespie, and O'Flaherty. Marist suffered a severe loss when Gillespie was forced to retire owing to an injury.

The Marist backs have seldom shown to better advantage than in their game against Poneke. Although conditions were not conducive to open back play, ■the Marist backs revelled in the heavy going and it is doubtful whether they would have functioned better on top Of the ground. Fitzgerald left Griffiths standing several times and Robins not only combined well, but also made use of every opening with fine penetrative runs.

: Little fault could be found with Poneke's half-back, Hoskin, although at times he was inclined to assume too much responsibilty. Griffiths was allowed little scope in which to display his wares, but his sound defence, especially in the latter stages of the game, was invaluable. Barrett was another Poneke baCk who could not get going, but in scoring Poneke's only try he contributed his share.

Crisp, Poneke and Wellington representative full-back, was the outstanding player in the Poneke-Marist game. Both on attack and defence he stood out in bold relief. His fielding of the greasy ball was commendable and not One of his line-kicks failed in its objective. From difficult angles and at long range he kicked two splendid penalty goals and was responsible for the points that gave Poneke the victory. He also converted his side's only try, collecting altogther eight points.

Although the Poneke forwards met with moderate success in the line-outs and set scrummages, there was little combined ball control in their foot ruhes and their defence was rather

disappointing. On several occasions the Marist forwards took Complete control and met with little opposition. In* dividually, there was some bright play but under the prevailing conditions combined efforts proved the most profitable. Pringle was seldom missing in the forward drives and Hegglum was always to be seen in the middle of the fray. O'Neill was valuable and Rastall held his own in the scrums.

A Lambourn, who this year once again has a place among NeW Zealand s representatives and Shortly will be packing his bag for the Australian trip, has riot forgotten much about hooking, judging by his display of the art for Petone against Athletic at Athletic Park. Lambourtt is a specialist and in the set scrums he gave Petone a veritable feast of the ball. P. Mollier, the Athletic stalwart, knows a thing or two about hookihg, but Lambourn was too hot a proposition for him. Those who claim that beyond his hooking ability LaftiboUrn does not contribute much must have been agree&bly surprised by the pep he put into his play out in the open.

Although the game, considering the ground and weather conditions; pro-' vided some tip-top fare, with the standard never at any time dropping to a fierce mud scramble, it was a pity that it rained. Athletic, by bustling tactics, arid, in particular, the smartness of their backs, were able to counteract Lamboiirn's scrum service to a very great extent in the first spell. The rata seertted to help Pe-> tone. At any rate, it was Hot until the second spell that they got into top gear. By that time, with the ground muddy and heavy, it was a case very largely, of the forwards being up and doihg, and the Petone pack did not fail. Whether, had it remained fine, the Petone backs, with the Wind hind them, would h.ave been able to make greater use in the second spell of the service Lambourn gave lh the scrums is a matter of some doubt. Judged on performances in the first spell the Athletic back division appeared to be better equipped.

The oUtstahditig player on the field was Jones, the Athletic second fiveeighths. His play on attack was sharp, he was quick to back up, and showed great anticipation, and on defence he was sound. He gave a performance which Confirmed th,e opinion that he is unlucky not to be in Mr. Ted McKenzie's selection for Australia. But if he retains his form Jones must win New Zealand honours.

Apart from Lambourn, there was another New Zealand representative in action, E. W. Tindill, whose play at half-back for Athletic was Very sound. The Athletic forwards went well enough in the looser play of the first spell, but. as in the match with Poneke on the King's Birthday, they were not nearly so effective when the pressure was on from the opposition in the second spell. Quy, Bishop, Gunn, and Wales were very active in the first spell, but the Petone forwards in the second half, playing With greater powet and splendid cohesion, unsettled and upset the Athletic men.

It was an interesting coincidence that a Jones should also oe a conspicuous member of the Petone back division. The Petone Jones is a first five-eighths, and although not showing the ability of his Athletic namesake, he is, never' theless, a promising young player and contributed seven of his side's ten points.

A really successful goal kifker has yet to be seen "putting them over" on Athletic Park this season. Without exception the players who have essays ed to convert tries and kick penalty goals at headquarters have had a very lean time of it. Thin position was the same on Saturday. Athletic scored three tries and Petone two and none was converted. However, spectators were treated to two "field" goals, both spectacular efforts, one by Mclntyre for Athletic and the other by Jones for Petone.

• * * * The Miramar forwards put up a great exhibition against Athletic at the Polo Ground. They surprised their admirers by their combination and dash. If they can show this form in future games they will prove a handful for opponents. All did their bit. and to name any particular player would be unfair to the rest.

Smith, the young Miramar full-back, is improving in every match, and his accurate, handling and kicking were features of the game with _ Athletic. He quite outshone his vis-a-vis, Boddy.

The Athletic second division back line has shown some excellent form this season but it did not function as usual on Saturday, Perhaps the extra attention showered on Wilson and Pclham accounted for the ialling-olt.

Until he was forced to leave the field With a leg injury, Bracefield, the young Pirate's full-back, was ; one of the most conspicuous backs in the match against St. Patrick's College Old Boys, He showed initiative on attack and was game 011 defence, going down well on the ball in the face of numerous loose St. Patrick's forward rushes. He scored an try. # j

It really boiled down to a forward battle, with St. Patrick's shining in the loose but losing a little, ground in the tight work. McCaskill and Tichbon worked hard throughout and the former was seen to advantage in a number of loose rushes. #

Todd is a great pack leader and was in the thick of things again on Saturday- Though he suffered a couple of rtiinor injuries during the game, he was a constant thorn in the side of the opposing team. His kicking was affected by the greasy, heavy ball.

, The St. Patrick's three-quarter line showed pace at times, but faulty handling spoilt a nutnbdr of promising movements. Doubtless the slippery ball was one of the reasons for this.

Both sets of backs were disinclined to go down on the ball when the opposing forwards were bringing it downfield at their feet. The actual tackling and collaring Was of a quite fair standard.

There was little between the two teams, as the score, 15-14, indicated, and Pirates were unfortunate in losing both Bracefield and McCaskill at a critical stage in the game.

Fleming, the Eastbourne full-back, played a good game against University. His tackling was sound and his kick* ing good. Several times he cleared when University were pressing dangerously close. In the forwards N. Dcllabarca was prominent until he left the field injured. Indeed, all the forwards of both packs were kept busy all the time. A number of dribbling rushes by both sides nearly ended in success.

The University backs went well in their match with Eastbourne, and it is hard to single out anyone as being much Wetter than the others. Weld and Kissell perhaps deserve special mention, and Blacker was a toiler in the forwards.

Had the ground at Hutt Park been in a better state University might have beaten Eastbourne. Their backs were getting the ball from the scrums and, handling well considering the conditions, made many passing rushes which would have been dangerous on a dry ground. Of course, had conditions been different Eastbourne may have changed their style of play, but they may not have had the chance. In that the ball was very heavy, too, University were unlucky, for of thfe eight or so penalty kicks they were allowed Several were in good # positions.

Wild, the University first five-eighth, scored a good try against Eastbourne in the second spell. With a fast, swerving run he left the opposition gaping and crossed in a handy position. Had the kick gone over the match would have been drawn.

Thompson, the youthful Wellington first five-eighth, who has been playing in the senior B grade, got his side out of no end of trouble in the match With Oriental. He handles well, runs straight, and altogether appeals as a

player who might develop into something really good.

The dive pass was very much in evidence in the Wellington-Oriental game, both halves exploiting this mode of transfer. Unfortunately the greasy ball prevented any marked degree of accuracy. It so often just slithered away out of reach, and the advantage won by the forwards was lost.

Physically, the Oriental pack is quite formidable, but there Seems to be an absence of fire about its work. Certainly Saturday was scarcely the day for devil; it was difficult enough in ail conscience to remain on two legs, but this feature has been lacking in earlier games from the play of the Oriental forwards. D&sh is a virtue that can cover a multitude of football sins.

Noticeable absentees from each team in the Old Boys v. Wellington match were the two captains—Cooper IVVellington) and Bydaer (Old Boys'). Wellington apparently sorely missed Cooper for nis leadership, but Bydder's place as leader was well filled by J. .Lamason. Bydder's knee trouble may keep him out of the game for some time. Cooper will be back in the Welnext Saturday.

Old Boys' forwards, were the better mudlarks. There was rtiore method understanding in their play, in addition to. which ihey were faster and covered mistakes made by the backs well. They were quick to take advantage of opposition errors, and in the first spall many dangerous rushes resulted from fooling the ball on after a breakdown in the Wellington handling attempts. * » * *

J. Lamason appears to exercise a strong influence over Old Boys' pack. Their play is marled by a greater confidence and understanding when he is leading them. This factor was well illustrated against Wellington. Lamason himself. has the happy knack of always being on the spot when required, and he turned on a good game. He played a prominent parft in the try obtained by Burns, and headed a fine rush to secure a try himself later.

No forward On the field in the Wellington v, Old Boys game played better than did Miller, Old Boys' lock. Miller is now coming into his own, and on Saturday he was right in top gear. Miller applies his weight when most needed, and is also able to do his part in jhe loose play, He headed several fine dribbling rushes, and his tackling was of a high order. Worboys outhooked his opponent Ranford, and gave his side more than a fair share of the ball. Worboys also played well in other phases of the play, and his following up darned him a deserved try. Waller and C. Gotlieb had their, heads down in the tight sttifT, of which there was plenty, and both were seldom seen far from the ball.

In the first spell, Whenever they obtained the ball from the serums or rucks, the Wellington forwards' let it out to Thompson, who, more often than not, was promptly smothered by the attentions of Lamason and company. They changed these tactics later and held the ball in the scrums, tactics which their opponents had been exploiting from very early in the game.

A. Wright and Baldwin were both conspicuous for heady play for Old Beys in the early stages, and Wright continued to be a source of danger to the opposition right through. Even when the ball became too greasy to handle with certainty, Wright showed his ability in coping with the conditions. ana twice he .••'.st misled securing tries at the corner.

Old Boys' half-back, Ongley, who was making his first appearance for the senior team, showed distinct promise. Ongley has been used to playing at five-eighth in his lower grade career.

The Wellington backs early made the mistake of endeavouring to make I ground in passing rushes, against Old Boys, and it was not until their opponents had capitalised on some of the handling errors that they changed to kicking tactics. Fultbn and Edwards showed up on attack <sfi occasions, and Edwards was noticeable for his clean handling and fielding Of the wet ball. The line, however, was forced to play a defensive role for much of the time, ahd ill this respect Paterson, at fullback, and Edwards and Veitch got through a heavy afternoon With credit. I

Morrissey. Stevens, and McLean were the pick of the Wellington forwards against Old Boys. These three never let up all through, and they were supported in the open by Cpupland. With a minimum of line-out play, FraserSmith's effectiveness was reduced considerably, and he did not appear to relish the conditions. McLean was a little unlucky not to score a try in the first spell when he Was brought down n few inches from the line.

The ex-West Coaster A. Graham showed that he is a good wet-weather player, his display at full-back for Hutt being well-nigh faultless, He handled cleanly, and found touch regularly, saving his forwards much needless running about.

The Hutt centre, J. Holland, was another player who Was unaffected by the conditions, and throughout the game he gave Speed to the back attacks, his two tries being well deserved. The speed with which he flashed away once he got the ball was too mucn for his opponents.

Until he retired injured early in the game Brown, the Jonnsonville centre, revealed similar dash and a promising duel was spoiled by his retirement. E. Chaney, the veteran, came on in Brown's stead, but he was not at home in the conditions. This was his first appearance this season.

Sargisson used the short punt very effectively, repeatedly finding a gap in the opposition.

M. Kenny played a good game, leading the Johnsonville forwards well, and frequently giving his backs a hand. His penalty kici? was a beauty. He received good support from Dean and Cunningham.

When they livened up, the Hutt forwards showed plenty of dash, Cassidy and Kemp being particularly effective. Griffin and Foley were solid workers all through.