BY SLENDER LEAD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20257, 27 May 1940, Page 4

BY SLENDER LEAD

OLD BOYS BEAT CELTS Old Boys .. Bpts. Celtlo 6 By the slender margin of two points in a game in which the fortunes of the two teams varied in a breathtaking style, Old Boys gave Celtic their first beating of the year on Saturday, the margin being a converted try and an unconverted try to an unconverted try and a penalty goal. Old Boys opened up the game with the evident aim of keeping up the pace and tiring the Celts. Their object was achieved in the first spell and Old Boys came off the field leading by five points to three. The spell was notable for its dazzling display of handling by Old Boys and the deadly low tackling by A. Read and M. Sharp. One Old Boys player, R. Clay, left the field with slight concussion and was replaced by B. Smellie. Two Celtic players retired suffering from minor injuries and were replaced by T. McKinley and H. Read. There was more fire in the ‘Celtic play after the spell and the Celts adopted their opponents’ style in opening. From a scrum on the Old Boys’ line Baby Kingi, the Celtic half, dived across to put his team ahead by a single point, and both sides applied the pressure. A quarter of an hour before the end the Old Boys’ halfback, M. GlaSsford, speculated with a loose ball in the Celtic twenty-five and followed up to take the ball in his stride and dive over for the last score of the match and the one that decided the issue.

The best of an excellent Old Boys fifteen were A. Read, M. Sharp, M. Glassford, and P. Wood in the backs, and B. Smellie, P. Shanks, P. Livingstone, and Childs in the vanguard.

Celtic’s efforts were closely watched by. Old Boys, and the only Celts able to shine were C. McKinley, A. McAneney, Baby Kingi, R. Rogers, and Kani Pere.

6ld Boys (tries, M. Sharp and M. Glassford; conversion, A. Campbell) 8 v. Celtic (try, Baby Kingi, penalty goal, Reg. McKinley) 6. The referee was Mr. K. R. Waite.