BULLER v. COAST

Grey River Argus, 11 July 1927, Page 3

BULLER v. COAST

A STRENUOUS STRUGGLE. i j Home Team Win by Two Points. (Per Press Assn.) WESTPORT, July 9. In a very strenuous game, played under fine weather conditions, Buller snatched a victory from the West Coast reps, in the. last few minutes of the play, winning by 14 points to 12. In the first spell, Hahn, Freitas, and Tainui scored unconverted tries for West Coast, while Sherlock and Alley ' scored tries for Buller, the spell ending * 9 to 6 in West Coast’s favour. On turning over, Buller, with the advantage of the wind, had much the ; belter of the game, and McCabe, gain- , ing a try, brought the scores level 9—9 after strenuous play, in which Buller , persistently attacked. : West Coast made a dash into Buller’s ; 25, and from a free kick Bell kicked a I goal. West Coast, 12; Buller, 9. Some fast open play ensued. Then. : close (in lime, Watson got possession of the bail, cut in, and passed to Tunicliffe, who scored, mid Caldwell, with a fine kick, converted the try, giving Buller the victory by 14 to 12. In a curtain-raiser, Ngakawau de- ' tented Old Boys by 5 to 3. Details of the Game. (By “Sasanof. ”) * WESTPORT, July 10. .After a full week’s rain the weather broke cloudy on Saturday morning, and it seemed us if the long looked for fixture between (’oast and Buller would h(‘ played under adverse weather conditions. However, the rain held off, and a good drying wind left the Square .in capital condition for the game. The threatening conditions mitigated, however, against the a;tendance, particularly from the country districts, but the sum of £GO was realised al the gate. Adverse criticism of the Buller team was once again at fault, and the “Lions of 1928’’ wagged their tails to some lune, one of the most sensational games seen on the Square eventuating—sensational, in that (’oast scored almost from the kick off. and then rattled on another couple of trie?; in quick time, | and were nine qp, with Buller to all ( intents well whacked. Not to be denied, Buller forwards got to it with a vengeance, took complete charge, and in a sensational ending, when scores were 12-9 in Coast 's favour. Watson dummied the full issue of j Coast back-, and passed to Tiinniclili’e, who scored, amidst rapturous applause, levelling the scores. Caldwell tooK | the kick, which was wide out, amt .completed the sensation l-y putting over a trimmer, amidst the wildest scenes of excitement. It. was truly a splendid finish to a brilliant game, and a fitting climax to the magnificent pl:y of the Buller vanguard, who never bd up from the word “go.” The Coast team was not up to the standard of previous visiting combina tions, particularly in the backs. Goodall, as full back, was off colour, and gave his worst display yet in Buller. His action in failing to force the ball towards the finish was no doubt re sponsible for Buller’s winning try. From a hard kick by Buller, the ball went well over the line, and Goodall, feigning- to force, ran up field in possession, and passed to Reynolds, who [reached the line at the 25. From the I ensuing scramble, Watson initiated ! the winning try. Of the ('oast threequarters, Reynolds played well, whilst (Tainui handled and kicked with accuracy. Houston as centre was safe, but • not spectacular. The five-eighths had a gruelling day at the hands of the (almost invincible Buller forwards, bid Pfahlert was equal to any emergency. To the other five-eighths, King, “Sasanof” hands the palm as the best back on the ground. lie played a magnificent game, both in attack and defence, and his kicking was a special feature of his vlay. Cool, resourceful, and with initiative, he was the best hack -on the ground, and being, according to reports, a youth, should be a big acquisition to' Coast football. McCleary, the Coast half, got down to all that came his way, but was too fond of running into the pack, instead of giving his gacks more of the ball. He has played a better game in Buller. The Coast forwards were up against a hard proposition, but Hagar, as winforward, played a dashing and brilliant game, excelling in loose play. Hahn was the daddy of the pack, and gave a great display. Time and again he broke through with the ball in his possession, and turned defence into attack when his rearguard had failed. He is easily the best forward Coast has produced in Buller for many years. Freitas and Jamieson were also prominent in the loose, whilst the other forwards battled gamely against a

stronger pack. | As for the Lions, Coutts was not < available for full back, and Beard was j included, and well and truly did he . fill the position. Tn a game in which ; I he was severely tested, he made no , mistakes, ami his kicking and tackling were a feature of the game. Ho was a tower of strength in defence an earned his place. The wings, O Biien (and Kearns, played only as could . expected, as the inside backs were not working in concert, and few attacking movements took piac >. Kearns used the lino to more advantage than O’Brien, and was responsible for some good kicks. Sherloe , ■ ■ centre, quite upset the apple eart and played a game “out of the box. His | fast running, good kicking ■ movements damped him as the best of the Buller rearguard, and the Sole can pat themselves on /be back | producing ‘ the goods. ’ live-eighths, played a good game for la young player, but does not p I the stamina that is essential for I rep player. He, however, made _ lew mistakes, and quite justified his rnelu sion for a try out. Watson played his usual sound, methodical game never dashy, but always P a ’? eularly on defence. He made history with 'his meteoric opening when _n left the Coast backs standing, to gi Tunnieliffe the winning try. Dunn as half, played well, but passed wildly, and gave his outside backs no chances. Hats off to the Buller pack. dividualise would be unfair. a Gardiner been included, in place or 1 Alley, his presence would have been I felt. Playing his first rep game, Alley did well, but it is doubtful if ho nas

anything on Gardiner. However, the Buller forwards won the game, and to thorn must be given full kudos. They got amongst the Coast rearguard, and upset all passing movements with uncanny precision. The Buller pack, when finally selected to play for Shiei<> honours, will be the best the District has produced for"gear’s. Mr H. Casey, as referee, was 1 ‘ it. ”

THE PLAY. The teams lined out as follows: — West Coast (colours, Red and White): Full back, Goodall; threequarters, Tainui, Houston, Reynolds; five-eighths, Pfahlert, King; half, McCleary (Capt); wing forward, Hagar; forwards, Bell, Devaney, Doherty, Jamieson, Freitas, Burley and Hahn. Buller (colours, Red and Blue): Full back, Beard; three-quarters, Kearns, Sherlock, O’Brien; five-eighths, Harden Watson; half, M. Dunn; wing forward, T. O’Neill (Capt); forwards, Tunhicliffe, Alley, McNeight, J. Stewart, Caldwell, Wallace and McCabe. O ’Neill kicked off for Buller, Coast playing with wind. Hagar headed a ■ forward rusfi* to Buller territory, winch was held up by a knock on. King picked up in loose play, and had a drop at goal, which missed. From the return, Tainui secured, dummied several Buller players, and passed to Hahn, who scrambled over at the corner, drawing first blood for Coast, after five minutes’ play. King made a good but ineffectual shot at goal. Buller forwards rushed play to Coast 25, where King saved. Dunn received and kicked to Tainui, who marked. Coast forwards secured from a line out, and kept the good work going, for Freitas to score a good try, King again missing the kick.

Buller forwards missed a likely ; chance when Tainui mulled on his line, but Freitas put in a good kick from . a mark. Buller backs here got going, but held on to the ball too long. Up . and down play followed till Tainui put • Duller on the defensive with a good i. kick up field. McCleary made a nice opening for Coast, but Pfahlert knock- ■ ed on. However, just afterwards, the latter player broke away with a good run up .field. Kearns intercepted, and relieved Buller with a good line kick. McNeight then broke away at the head of the Buller forwards, and passed 1o Watson, who gave to Harden. I but the ball went out, and saved | Coast. Coast forwards attacked, but ( Sherlock sent them back with :i r I kick. Sherlock picked up the ball I from the ground in great style ami passed to Harden, who could not get ■ the ball away clear. Watson then | stemmed a forward rush by Coast. McCleary opened up for his backs | and I’fahlert made a good inn ami I passed to Tainui, who was just grassed ; ion the line. From a subsequent scrum j (McCleary worked the blind side in | great style, for Tainui to score wide ■ out, King again failingwit h the Kick, j Coast. 9: Buller 0.

Tom O’Neil broke away for Buller,, but his pass was intercepted by Pfahlert, who was playing good fotball. , Buller backs wore now playing better, I and Harden made a good run, but . kicked too hard. Hagar, who was the I pick of the Coast forwards, here led a j rush, but was stopped by O’Brien. Bui- i kr forwards then swept up the field. • and Sherlock, getting the ball, passed I to Kearns, who essayed a pot at goal. | but failed, but Sherlock, following up I veil, scored a good try. Kearns fail- : cd to t-onvert. Coast 9, Buller 3. Buller backs were not combining , well, though Kearns ami Sherlock and ; Harden were playing good individual . football. Coast forwards made a rush ■ up fiefl, but Jamieson funibled when I things looked dangerous. Freitas next made a run, but his pass Trent astray. Tainui fumbled from a high kick, and Buller looked dangerous. Caldwell here had a fruitless attempt at goal from a penalty, and Sherlock put Coast on Hie defensive with a good centre kick. Coast’s inside backs, King and Pfahlert and Houston, were combining very well together, and their passing rushes gained a lot of valuable ground. Harden made a good run, and | Sherlock carried on, and the Buller , forwards, following up fast, enabled j Alley to score between the posts. Watson missed an easy conversion. Coast 9, Buller 6.

The large crowd were now barracking excitedly. Hagar held up the game for a few minutes, through injuries received, but resumed. Freitas led a Coast forward rush from one end of the field to the other. Coast backs threw the ball around, and a rush by Houston, King and Tainui nearly resulted in the last named scoring in the corner. Hagar also just missed scoring from a forward rush, but Sherlock forced. Coast were now pressing. Tom O’Neil and Caldwell were playing well in the loose for Buller, and lea several rushes up field. Reynolds got in a good kick up field, whicli was marked bv Beard, who was playing a good game. The whistle then sounded half time with the scores: Coast 9, Buller 6. Dunn, on resuming, opened np piny from a serum, but the backs knocked on, and Tainui put in a good line kick, which relieved Coast. Coast forwards rushed up field, led by Freitas and Hagar, but were held up by O’- j Brien. Buller backs started a movement, but kicked too hard, and Reynolds forced down. O’Brien got the ball on the wing, and, after step dancing for a few seconds, passed infield to his forwards. Dunn received from the serum and kicked up field, where Houston was tackled in possession, and things looked dangerous for Coast till Freitas took the ball offside and cleared with a good line kick. Buller forwards were dangerous in the loose till checked by King, who was defending well, and was the mainstay of Coast’s defence. Buller forwards

were playing great football, and were giving their bigger opponents the time of their lives. King received from a .ruck and kicked to Kearns, who found the line in Coast 25. Beard received the ball from a Coast kick, and centred high to Goodall, who fumbled, and McCabe, following up fast, scored near the posts. Kearns’s kick failed miserably. Buller 9, Coast 9. McCleary picked up in a ruck, and passed to ' Pfahlert, who dummied his way through and passed to Reynolds, who was grassed by Beard near the corner flag. In the ensuing ruck, Tunnicliffe reliebed with a good line kick. Buller returned to the attack, “ a forward scramble Jamieson dribbled through to midway, where play hovered for some time. Play stopped for a few minutes througK O’Neill being miured. A dangerous Buller rush, let by Tunnieliffe, was brilliantly saved bv King. Buller continued to press till Reynolds kicked out near the flag. King again saved after a Buller forward rush which threatened danger. McCleary was penalised rar taking the ball out of the. serunu but Stewart missed an easy kick. Bvllci backs started a passing rush Watfeon to Harden to Sherlock, but O -

Brien knocked on. O ’Brien then made i a good run up the line, but was pushed out. Buller forwards were still t pressing. O’Neil made a determined rush till collared by Goodall. Jamieson broke through from a line out, and made a fast dash up field, but was grassed near half way. The Coast forwards, led by Hahn, then pressed hard but Buller retaliated well. McCleary started the Coast backs m motion, but I a forward pass to Tainui relieved the situation for Buller, a scrum ensuing. Coast secured from the scrum, but , Harden intercepted a cross kick to , Tainui, and found the line at half , way. Buller continued to press, but Hahn relieved with a good kick to half way. A Buller forward rush, led by Tunnieliffe, looked dangerous, but a pass to McNeight went astray, and Tainui kicked out. At half way, < Jamieson and Hahn broke through for Coast, but Beard made a fine save, : and kicked the ball into touch. Coast now started to press, and carried play to the Buller line, till Dunn received ( from scrum and found the line on the ( ■25. Sherlock was penalised for offside in front of goal, and Bell landed, a beautiful goal. Coast 12, Buller 9. With ten minutes to go, Buller set ' out to make up the small margin against them, but Coast forwards carried play up field, till Harden relieved with a good kick. Coast still continued to press till McNeight kicked up field to Goodall, who just evaded a tackle and found the line at half way. Jamieson broke through at the head of (’oast forwards, but was held up by Kearns. Play hovered in midfield till O’Brien received, but he kicked so hard as to allow Goodall to force, but the Coast full back instead essayfed to run into play, and passed to Reynolds, who found the line. With excitement intense, Buller fdreed play .from the line out. and from a scrum the ball went to Watson, who beat several opponents and passed to the fast ; following Tunnieliffe, who scored (amidst loud cheers. Caldwell took the kick, and placed the ball fairly between the uprights, to the delight of the frenzied spectators. Coast came io the attack, but their fate was sealed, and the game soon ended: — BULLER 14 COAST 12

JUNIOR REP MATCH. HOKITIKA (12)7 GREY (9). The fir.-t junior representative Rugby mat<-li lliis season took place at Victoria Park on Saturday, when j Hokitika nut and defeated Grey b\ | 1.2 points to 9. The game was fairly evenly contested until the latter ftages of the contest, when the vis? tors’ forwards made better concerted] effort -, amt took advantage of openings left by Greys’ reprguard. Hokitika had a slight advantage in weight, I ! but the scores give a fair indication I lof the respective merits of the teams, | pind Hokitika’s win was well deserved. Grey too showed improved eomi binat ion in the second half, but t here I was too much dribbling by both sides. IThe kicking was very poor; no tries were convened, ami scarcely a gmul ■line kick was witnessed throughout (he game. The visitors’ tally was > made up by two tries by Staines, and 'one each by Davidson and Gardync | [Those mentioned, together with Paw- | son ami Stevenson, were all c.onspicu- ■ ous by their g ■< d individual play, George being worthy of special mention fo.r his steady handling of the ball. I G rev's score was made up by two tries (Secured in succession by Martyn, and a free kick by Negri. McEnaney, who , captained the home tram, gave a good I account of himse’f, and was responsible for much good solo work. Chow Fong proved a reliable defender, and saved more than one dangerous situation by his nippy pi a Y- Richardson was always handy on the wing, and made good use of (‘very opportunity that came his way; while Les Cooper. I Nash and Dimond all played good footI ball throughout the contest. The teams were as follows:— Greymouth (Red and White): Chow Fong, Martyn, Negri, Richardson, Brown, Nash, L. Cooper, Dimond, Shan | nahan, L. Eggleton, O’Hallaran, But-' cher, Grooley, G. Cooper, McEnaney (captain). Hokitika (Black and Red): Marshall, Gardyne, Hughes, Muir, Stevenson, White, Palmer, Mills, Butland, Davidson, Pawson (captain), Staines, Breeze, Freitas, George. Grey kicked off from the southern | end, a light breeze being in their favour. The Reds had the best of the first ten miuutes of the game, their efforts being finalised with Martyn notching the first try. Martyn also took the kick, but failed to convert. Grey 3, , Hokitika nil. L. Cooper and Richardson exchanged some neat passes, but the latter was pushed out of touch near the 25. Davidson recovered the lost ground by ’fending well, but lost possession at half way. Hokitika were hooking I well, and getting the ball away in good style from the scrum, but loose passing gave their opponents possession, and in a strong dribbling rush to Black’s line, Martyn grabbed the ] leather and scored his second try. Grey 6, Hokitika nil. Following the kick off, Chow Fong relieved, and McEnaney, Richardson and L. Cooper followed up well to Black’s line, but George secured and opened up play for the Hokitika forwards, who dribbled the ball to Grey’s

25. After a series of serums near the line, Staines wriggled through and scored. Stevenson was unsuccessful with the kick, the ball hitting the post. Grey 6, Hokitika 3. The Grey forwards followed up the kick off and made a determined attack on the visitors’ line. Marshail saved by kicking to the corner, the wind taking the leather over the dead ball line. George and Chow Fong exchanged some long punts, and the visitors then made a dribbling rush to Red’s corner. Offside play by the Grey gave George a chance to add to the visitors’ tally, but he missed an easy shot from the 25. McEnaney led a passing rush to half way, but the Blacks gpine<3( '.possession ana

pressed hard to Bed’s corner, where Davidson accepted a pass from Staines and scored. Stevenson made a poor attempt to convert, the ball going wide. Grey 6, Hokitika .6. Shortly after the ball was released Stevenson slipped through from half way to the 25, but failed to pass. Chow Fong, who, tackling well, saved a sure try. Richardson relieved with a long punt, play then centreing around the visitors’ 25 for a while

till half time was sounded. With the opening play in the second spell, Hokitika made some good passing rushes, but they lacked finish, and two likely efforts were nullified by the wing failing to follow up. Pawson was prominent in solo work, but invariably hung on too long. George took the leather well at half way, and had nearly cleared the opposing backs, when, he was grassed at the 25. Later, Hokitika made a fine passing rush to Grey’s corner, and Staines slipped through and scored. Hughes was unsuccessful with the kick. Hokitika 9, Grey 6. Following the kick off, some good passing by both sides was witnessed. Reds pressed forward, and Staines saved at a critical moment by kicking out of touch. Grey were granted two free kicks in succession, but did not turn them to advantage. Nash saved well, and gave McEnaney a chance to open up play, but loose passing allowed their opponents to gain possession, and, Jed by Pawson, the visitors took play to Red’s corner, and gave them an anxious time before the attack vas eventually repulsed. Grey then carried play to the Hokitika 25, where they were eventually granted a free kick, and Negri placed the ball neatly between the posts, thus evening up the score. Hokitika 9, Grey 9. In the concluding play, the visitors kept the ball well within their opponents’ territory, and made determined efforts to gain a lead. Grey forced several times. The visitors were having the best of the scrums, and with a little more steadiness in passing, they would easily have scored on at least two occasions. Pawson and George indulged in a passing bout, but Shannahan secured and relieved. The visitors, however, dribbled the ball back to Grey’s corner, and Garel vno cleared and scored. Hughes took the kick, and missed an easy shot Hokitika 12, Grey 9. Before the final whistle, Grey were kept busy defending, and several serums and scrambles on and near their line took place before they forced, time being sounded a moment later without, a further score. The game was well controlled by Mr Walton. i WEST COAST V. INANGAHVA. i The a l **'" 4 teams played a match at Bcefton R;■ <>oiirse yesterday after- | noon. w lii’i! the visitors won by 16 to 8 ■ ’ms a hard forward tussle, gave a better showing in ■; rtion''than at Westport the r'"' ; FIFTH GRADE. I CYl> len turned tlie tables on Techni- | ~,.1. at tile Park on Saturday, by the narrnv.’ margin of 3 points to nil. The pnnio was f.-i.-t and open. Cobden were sliiditl’’ superior io their opponents. psrth-uhirh- in their forward play, and their try was well merited. Higgin scored the trv, after a long spectacular run. J. Brailsford and Brimmer also ,-p,| 1 work for Reds. Rathbun (back) and Wilson (forward - ) were the outstanding players in Tech’s team, s.ett (Tech.) was inclined to hold on to the ball too long, and spoilt some good opportunities as a result. Mr. Winchester acted as referee.