RUGBY LEAGUE Consistent Runanga Team Scores Another Win

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 May 1949, Page 8

RUGBY LEAGUE Consistent Runanga Team Scores Another Win

A combination of good football and the luck of the game gave Runariga its’fourth successive win when the West, Coast. Rugby League’s senior championship competition was continued yesterday. and it is more than ever evident that as long as the weather conditions favour back, play, Runaiiga will be a very difficult team to defeat.

Blackball moved up to second in the ladder by a surprisingly easy victory over Ngahere and indications are that the next meeting of "Runanga and Blackball will go a. long way towards deciding the championship., Ngahere, after a good win over Marist the previous week, was disappointing at Blackball yesterday. Another large crowd at Wingham Pai k saw ah excellent game between Runanga and Marist and at .one stage it. appeared as if Marist might upset the leaders. Then, luck took a hand and a Marist team depleted and weakened by injuries, fought a losing battle lor the final 25 minutes. Easy wins were the order of the day in the senior reserve competition, in which the leader, Brunner had a bye. Nelson Creek, Rapahoe ami Runanga were the successful teams. „ , -..Results in all grades were as follows:— A . Senior: Runanga 25, Marist 14; Black-

ball 17, Ngahere nil. S.c?ror Reserve: Nelson Creek 28, / . tanst 9; Rapahoe 19, Blackball “ ; a; Runanga 22, Lake Brunner 2. Third Grade: Marist 26, Te Kinga 10; Brunner 31, Ngahere 2; Ru-

nanga 13, Cobden 6. Fourth Grade: Kohinoor 5, Blackball

2; Hokitika 23, Brunner 8. Fifth Grade: Runanga 44. Blackball 3; Kohinoor 11, Hokitika 6. Ninth Grade: Hokitika 18, Kohinoor 3. Fine Back Play In RunangaMarist Match Some of the' best back play seen on Wingham Park this season was witnessed in the Runanga-Marist game. Both teams threw the ball about in good style. Runanga, however, appeared the better trained side and the manner in which the play was varied by the inside backs stamped them as top class. An excellent game ended on an unfortunate note, however, as Marist suffered severely through injuries. There was nothing between the teams up to 15 minutes in the second half when Marist lost its wing three-quar-ter, L. Dunn, but from that stage on it was only to be expected that the remaining 12 players wilted a little under the constant Runanga attacks. Prior to this last blow, Marist had lost its half-back, T. Dunn, through an injury and he had been replaced by J. Curnow (having his first game for the season). No replacement was permitted under the rules for L. Dunn, as his injury was received after the interval.

Menzies Outstanding The Runanga backs, individually and collectively, played splendid football with G. Menzies and M. Thomas outstanding. J. Curragh and J. Soster also did well. The manner in which Menzies found every gap in the defence stamped him as the best attacking five-eighths the West Coast has had for a long time. The Runanga forwards appeared to miss the generalship of J. Newton who was having his compulsory “holiday.” They went well in the loose, but did not ruck as well as in previous games and generally they met their match in the Marist pack, which showed improvement, in spite of the fact that R. Neilson was missed in the tight. Although he was out-hooked by J. Calder when the scrums were at fullstrength, I. Marley played a sound game for Runanga in the tight, with good support from A. McTaggart. R.

Baxcndale and L. Forrest were the leaders in the loose, the last named making several good breaks. The outstanding Marist back was V. Meates, although he lost some “sting” through a severe bump in the second half. L. Dargan at full-back played his best game for a long time, as did J. Pascoe, although he might have fed his outsides more in the second half. The Marist forwards showed more life than in recent matches, with C. Mcßride always in the van. He was sadly missed when he had to fill the gap in the backs for most of the second half. J. Calder and F. Molloy were probably the best of the remainder. The teams were as follows:— Runanga. —J. Soster; J. Curragh, R. Forrest, W. Curragh; M. Thomas, G. Menzies; J. Higson; R. Boxendale, G. Scalmer, L. Forrest, L. Giles, I. Marley, A. McTaggart. Marist. —L. Dargan; L. Dunn, V. Meates, M. Teen; L. Beban, J. Pascoe; T. Dunn; J. Meates, C. Mcßride, K. Moseley, F. Malloy, J; Calder, J. Stokes.

Scoring Movements Runanga, playing with the advantage of a strong sun, opened the scoring. From inside half-way Thomas sent on to R Forrest, who made a nice opening before transferring to J. Curragh on the 25, and the winger raced for the corner, flinging himself over the 'irie as he was tackled by Teen and Dargan. Soster failed to convert. Two minutes later, T. Dunn opened Marists account with a splendid 35 yard goal kick Moving up fast as the ball came out to Marist from a scrum on the 25, Thomas was in position to accept a rebound from a Marist player and he ran straight through to score an opportunist try at the posts. Soster converted. Marist’s first try came in a similar manner, V. Meates seizing his opportunity when R. Forrest mishandled, to score wide out. T. Dunn converted. Immediately after the resumption Marist took the lead. V. Meates succeeding with a kick at goal from 40 yards but. but within four minutes of f-he kick-off, Soster restored the lead to Runanga with another fine goal from’a penalty. With less than half Tie spell gone, L. Dunn and V. Meates met in a head-on collision in tackling an opponent and Dunn had to retire, C Mcßride filling the gap in the backs. Shortly after, from a scrum near the Marist line, Baxendale handed on to McTaggart, to W. Curragh, who had come inside and the winger scored a good try, which Soster converted. Then from a scrum in a similar position. Higson worked the blind side to Menzies, who cut through for a try in a handy position. Soster again converted. Marist' made a determined rally and Pascoe, Curnow, Mcßride and V. Meates all handled in an excellent movement for the last named, to score between the posts. Dargan converted. The final try was scored by Runanga, Menzies making a good opening from a scrum on the 25 before sending on to R. Forrest, who touched down wide out. J. Curragh converted, to make the score, Runanga 25, Marist 14. - Mi- J. Griffin was referee. BLACKBALL TOO GOOD FOR NGAHERE TEAM The game at Blackball was disappointing, in that Ngahere, after several good displays, definitely slipped and never looked like beating Blackball in the second half, which it entered with a deficit of only two points. There was little between the teams in the first half, but once the Blackball team settled down it played good football and deserved its win by 17 points to nil. Many Infringements

The Ngahere backs concentrated on spoiling tactics and they earned innumerable penalties by attempting to stand “on top” of the Blackball backs, who were given a feast of the ball from the set scrums, A. McLure’s hooking being most effective. Even they did get the ball, the Ngahere backs were unable to press home any advantage that they gained. The outstanding Blackball back, in fact, on the field, was W. Pascoe, at centre, and he made several fine runs. W. Mountford also turned in another good performance on the wing. R. O’Donnell and. R. Aynsley were again the best of the Blackball forwards.

C. Manson, at full-back, was easily the best of the Ngahere backs, while F. Mulcare, W. McLennan, and P. Mulcare were the leaders in the forwards. The teams were as follows: — Blackball.— R. Nuttall; W .Mountford, W. Pascoe, J. Mountford; A. O’Donnell, C. McGougan; L. Sweetman; L. Kerr, F. Thompson, F, Haisty, R. O’Donnell, A. McLure, R. Aynsley. Ngahere. — C. Manson; J. Kirwan, C Reedy, P. Richards; J. McLaughlin, A. Bernard; M. McLaughlin; F. Mulcare, P. Mulcare, D. Watson, R. Thomson, J. McLaughlin, W. McLennan.

The Scoring The only points scored in the first half, which was evenly contested, came as the result of a goal from a penalty, kicked by Nuttall. . Early in the second half all of the Blackball backs handled in a good movement, in which W. Mountford outpaced the defenders to score wide out. Nuttall failed to convert. With play m the Ngahere 25, McGougan intercepted a pass and made a clean break to score between the posts. Nuttall again converted, and shortly after kicked another goal from a penalty. Almost on the call of time Sweetman secured to score a solo try between the posts, which Nuttall converted, to make the score, Blackball 17, Ngahere nil. . The referee was Mi- J. P. Mathews.