RUGBY FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1943, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL

COBDEN AND BLAKETOWN WIN.

Ideal weather favoured the continuation of the West Coast Rugby Union’s competitions on Saturday. There was an improved attendance at Rugby Park, where Cobden, on the No. 1 ground, making their first appearance for the season, defeated Star-United combined. On the No. 2 ground Blaketown narrowly defeated Hokitika by nine points to six. Celtic defeated Cobden thirds and Technical and Blaketown thirds drew. COBDEN 21, STAR-UNITED 6. Cobden easily defeated Star-United by 21 points to six on the No. 1 ground at Rugby Park. It was a fast, open game, with some bright back movements. Star-United made a good game of it in the first spell, but in the second the Cobden backs asserted their superior speed and combination. and their forwards secured plenty of the ball, especially from rucks and line-outs. The teams were: — . , x Cobden: Lindbom, Hayes, Wright, Strachan, McLean, Horrack, King (2), Ryan, Watkin, Beardsley, Birchfield, Gilmour. Martini, Magee. Star-United: Blair, Thomson. Laing, Nelson, Sweetman, Jones, Dewar, Goodall, Quinn, Jackson (2), Wilson, Cringle. Hagan, Bertram. An attempted "pot” by McLean went astray but led tu the first try for Cobden, Strachan following up fast to score wide out. Dewar raised the flags for the combined team with a good goal from a penalty, to even the scores. Strachan added the second try for Cobden, scoring at the end of a bright back movement, Cobden were attacking strongly at the interval, with the scores: Cobden 6, Star-United 3. Early in the second spell Magee scored for Cobden from a melee near the line and Birchfield added the extras. Then King, Martini, and McLean combined in a passing bout which resulted in a try by McLean near the corner. Birchfield again converted with a good kick. McLean injured an ankle and was replaced by Keating. The combined team forwards initiated a try scored by Jones, but the kick failed. Then King scored for Cobden and Birchfield again secured the extra points to make the final score: Cobden 21, Star-United 6. BLAKETOWN 9, HOKITIKA 6. Blaketown scored their second win in two games when they defeated Hokitika on the No. 2 ground at the Park by nine points to six. Blaketown scored two tries and a goal from a penalty and the visitors scored a try and a goal from a penalty. THIRD GRADE. Tn the third grade Celtic defeated Cobden by 15 points to three, and Technical and Blaketown drew, six all.