RUGBY LEAGUE Close Games on Heavy Grounds

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 August 1946, Page 6

RUGBY LEAGUE Close Games on Heavy Grounds

■■ Surprise by ; iVgaliere .■ Mririsi Fully Extended by Brunner Although conditions were against spectacular football, the opening matches in the West Coast Rugby League’s one-round senior competition yesterday were some of the most exciting of the season, close scoring being the rule. The majority of the teams.. fielded a number of substitutes and this, as well as the ground conditions, had a levelling effect. Ngahere sprang a surprise by a well-earned victory over Runanga, at Wingham Park, and Marist had a close call at Brunner, averting a draw by a last-minute try. Blackball defeated the hew Hokitika team by the largest margin of the day—ll points. It was a day for the forwards, sodden grounds and driving showers of rain making conditions the worst experienced so. far this season. Results in all grades were as fol-

. SehioH Ngahere 16, Runanga 12; Marist 13, Brunner 10; Blackball 19, Hokitika 8,. Junior: Riinanga 5, Blackball 0; Rapahoa 8; Ngahere 3. Third Grade: Blackball 16, Marist 6, .Brunner 20; Runanga 3. fourth Grade: Brunner 21, Marist A .3; Blackball 6, Runanga 0. Schoolboys: Country 8, Town 5. • Ngahere Always Held Lead Playing one short for the greater part of the second half, Ngahere fully deserved its .victory over Runanga at Wihgham Park. In the tight the forwards were evenly matched, but Ngahere had an advantage in the loose and exploited it. The backs had few opportunities but, on the day, the Ngahere set was the more impressive, the Runanga rearguard Being too inclined to run across field. Neither team was at full strength, but the substitutes in each case did well, several of the promoted' juniors in the Ngahere team being particularly noticeable. There was much scrambling play, but there were also some.great tussles among the forwards. Ngahere- secured most of the ball from the set scrums and this was probably the deciding factor., In the forwards, D. McVicar, Tuck and Ord .(Ngahere) and R. 1 Thomson, F. Thompson and W. Glynn (Runanga) were always in the van. Smith, A. Gibson and Mulcare (Ngahere) and McTigue, Curragh and Kiely (Runanga) did well in the backs. The teams were as follow:— Ngahere:. Howden; Mulcare, McLaughlin, Bryce; A. Gibson, Smith; W.. Mcyicar; D. McVicar, A. McVicar, Tuck, Rankin, Ord, F. Gibson. Runanga:. Kiely; T. Anderson, L. Forrest, Dalzell; Curragh. McTigue; Kennedy; Glynn, F. Thompson, McTaggart, R. Thomson, Fitzgibbon, King. There was no scoring for the .first 2.0 minutes, until Howden opened Ngahere’s account with a . penalty goal. A loose rush by the Ngahere forwards had Runanga in trouble and Tuck picked up to score. Howden’s kick hit the upright and | bounced cut. Shortly after, a, well] placed penalty kick by McTigue put ) Runanga on the Ngahere line and] some hard rucking saw F. Thompson touch down. McTigue failed to convert. Smart back play gave Ngahere its next points. From a 10 yards scrum Smith sent on to Gibson and the five-eighth, travelling at top, cut right through the defence to score under the posts. Howden converted. After .the bell had sounded for half-time, Dalzell, intercepted from Mulcare on the Runanga 25 and sent to Curragh, to McTigue, who ran 60 yards in. a spectacular dash down the line, to score in the corner. Thomson failed to convert, the half-time score being: Ngahere 10, Runanga G. ; Ngahere were the early attackers in the second half, but Runanga gained the first points, McTigue securing. from a line, drop-out to send on to Curragh, to Forrest, who scored well out. Curragh’s kick hit the bar and bounded out. Shortly before this A. Gibson retired with an injury. A short punt by Smith caught Runanga linawares and Bryce secured on the blind side of a 10-yard scrum to run in for a. solo try. Howden missed the kick. Shortly afterwards, Ngahere again exploited the blind side. from a five, yard scrum,, McVicar, Smith and Mulcare handling for the lastnamed id .force his way over in the corner. Howdcn’s kick missed. In the closing stages the Runanga forwards pressed hard and T. Anderson scored a gOQd try from a loose ruck. Curragh failed with the kick, the game ending: Ngahere 16, Runanga 12. . „ Mr. T, F. McKenzie was referee. . Marisf s LashMimite : Victory . A try in the last few minutes of ‘ th’e match at Taylorville gave Marist j victory over Brunner, after a keen- , ly-fbught game. The Brunner forwards, with K. O’Brien playing an , outstanding game, did well but the Marist defence was sound, its line never being crossed. Despite the conditions, Marist owed its success 1 to its backs, Pascoe and J. Curnow 1 doing well with the greasy ball. L. t

Williams, the Brunner first fiveeighth, was in form with his goal kicking and was responsible for all of his side’s points. With less than four minutes left in the second spell and the score standing at 10-all, Teen gained the winning try for Marist. Pascoe and Curnow also scored tries, Coll converting one and kicking d penalty. Williams kicked five penalty goals for. Brunner.. Mr. J. Mathews was referee. Hokitika Makes Good Showing

Playing its first senior competition garh'e,. tire new Hokitika, team put up a good shbwihg against Blackball, before a .fair crowd at Cass Square,

Hokitika. Although the Blackball backs handled the wet ball exceptionally well in the first half, the score at the interval was 8-all and there was little between the teams until the final quarter, when Hokitika tired and the Blackball forwards took charge. Blackball added 11 points in the second half. Neilson (forward), Calder (five-eighth), and W. Bell (half) were impressive in the Hokitika team. Tries were scored for Blackball by McLennan, O’Donnell, Blue, Galiand, and Kirk. Ord and Nuttall each converted one. Neilson and Atkinson scored for Hokitika, Neilson converting one. Mr. J. Williams was referee.