NORTHERN DIVISION

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 21 May 1928, Page 7

NORTHERN DIVISION

OLD BOYS v. TUKAPA. Plenty of movement, , bright open passing rushes among tlie backs,' dashing forward attacas, good kicking and sound tackling were the characteristics ol a bright game between Old Boys and Tukapa, which took place at PukeKura Park before a large crowd of spectators. The result was in doubt until the final whistle, when Old Boys ran out winners by 1G points (three tries, a penalty goal and a dropped goal), to 12 (three penalty goals and a try). Uhl Boys had the advantage in the opening stages, in which Prior had a shot at goaf be.ore the game liad been in progress for five minutes, but lie missed. , -

The first score came to Tukapa in a beautiful goal kicked by Hooker who proied during the afternoon, to be in great kicking form. Old Boys rallied from the first reverse and .evened matters with, a- try from a loose forward rush, in which several White forwards went down on the ball together. Play was in neutral terirtory for a time, and though there was some gcod kicking on both sides, there was little advantage to either. The Old Boys’ backs tried to open up the game but good tackling checked their progress. A good opening was made l>v the Blue rearguard ami Oliver shook off two opponents to. store a good try, which was not converted. The Whites again swept down the field and while in a tight corner in Blue territory Fookes neatly potted a goal, which pub his side one point up. hut before the interval Tukapa added another three points with a penalty goal by Hooker from cl-.se to the half-way line.

Early in the second half Old' Boys pressed their opponents hard and when they failed, to break the defence, they swung the 'game across field and in a melee near the line Morey dashed up and whipped over with the ball, adding a further three points from penalty goal kicked by Prior. Hooker placqd another penalty goal to his credit from just inside the half-way line and thq scores were again within a point of each other. The concluding stages saw Tukapa hard pressed, and by following up in a move initiated by Drader, another try was added to Old Bovs' score by Brewster and the gamo ended as stated. Mr Gilmour was referee.

STRATFORD v. STAR. Stratford had a- close call against Star at Pukekura Park, the visitors winning by. two unconverted tries to a penalty goal. Conditions were good, though light ishowers fell towards the end qf the game. Forward play predominated, and though there was some good individual play amongst thet backs, their concerted efforts for the most part broke down. Early in tlie first spell Stratford scored a spectacular try. Sangster got the ball well away from a serum to Owen who drew the defence nicely before handing on to Carter, whose speed carried him across near the. corner flag. Collins just missed the kick fom a. hard angle. Hard play continued throughout the match, most of the game being a con--test- for supremacy amongst the forwards. Neither side turned all their opportunities into points, but Stratford secured another good try in! the latter half of the second spell. Carter brought play through midfield, where lie kicked out to 'Vynyard. The left winger took tlie ball on the bounce, and leaping away from Hi Wolfe, swept down the touchline to. cross at the corner as he was brought down by Morris. Collins failed to convert. Star returned with renewed dash and were held up by Collins right on the line. An infringement occurred in the scrummaging and Stratford were penalised. Morris took the ball back to quarter way and from the touch line kicked a fine goal. Both sides finished with:. vigor, but -this was the final score. Air. Julian was referee.

ELTHAM v. INGLEWOOD.

Jubilee Park, Inglewood, was in first-class order for the meeting of the, above teams. Heavy rain fell throughout the- night, but a good drying wind during the day produced a perfect- turf. The football served up was of a decided mediocre nature. Inglewood bad. much the I letter back team, but- for the major portion of the game they failed lamentably to reap the advantage of opportunities thrown iutlieir way. Dropped and inaccurate passes were the order of-the day with them. On the other hand, the Eltham team was a disjointed machine, back and forward, and it was not' surprising that they were defeated by 16 points to nil. The forward teams were fairly evenly matched, but neither was brilliant. The teams were: Inglewood (red). —E. Ghard (fullback); X. Boss, L. Boss, H. Brown; Cor kin 11.. McKay; Gudgeon; Fusscll, B. Atkinson, Devereux, Scanlon, (lock), Clegg. A. Chard, Gyde (honkers); Courts (rover), captain. Eiltham (black and white).—H. McDonald (full-hack); L. Cooper, L; Gower. Trolove; L. Page, D. Gower;Hickey; Campbell. Elliott, Thomas (captain), Righett (lock), H. Potts,' Gruden. A. Ale Donald (hookers); Len Peppered (roer). Inglewood kicked off’ with a wind advantage and with the sun in their eves. Tne Beds at once set up an attack, and E Itham were forced from a long kick. Gudgeon and Trolove were noticeable for successive splendid receptions from high returns. Gudgeon | got away in a promising run, hut could not get past Cooper, who brought off a fine tackle. Ale Donald. the Whites’ full-back, was sorely tried with both long kicks and dribbling rushes, coming through with credit.. A smart burst by L. Ross was- well stopped by Peppered. and Eltham streamed' down to Chard, the latter finding touch below midfield. Loose olav in front of .Eltham’s goal resulted, in Bi-own cleanly taking a short high kick from Ale Donald and in a flash drowning a neat field goal. Inglewood 4. Eltham 0. In the next few minutes Courts dashed 1 through' ai\d over and. losing possession, had to accept aforce. From the kick-out- play swung over to Brown, whose nippy run ended at the 25. Offside tactics gave Inglewood a shot at goal *in a good line well out. and L. Ross increased the score to Inglewood 7, Eltham 0. Misdirected and hi ah massing among, tjic home hacks nullified many opportunities of scoring. Eltliam taking due advantage of the errors, though unable to work far into opposing territorv. Tn one of repeated aftneks' Courts scored near the line, and daining the passing game, bur?f-. way over. NT. Ross failed to .imhvJjflfl

Inglewood 10, Eltham 0. Up and down play followed. Brown being conspicuous with a fine run to the 25, where he fell a victim to Cooper, who was tackling with deadly effect. Then came Eltham’s first chance to score' by way of a penalty shot at goal midway between the half and 25 hags. H. McDonald made a good but ineffectual attempt with the kick, and Inglewood was forced for the first time. Lob ■passing by the home backs was a feature of the game, and the Whites kept play at midfield till Gudgeon secured and sent out to N. Ross, who centred from the touchline, D. Gower taking a mark and averting an almost certain addition to the Reds’ tally. Hickey brought off a profitable dribble, and play went to midfield. Here Ah Ross took a high return beautifully, passed infield to his brother, who in turn gave the leather to Russell at the head of a. charging band of Red forwards. With a clear run in he grounded 10 yards from the posts. L. Ross failed with the kick, and halftime was called with the score: Inglewood 13, Eltham 0. .Resumption saw Inglewood return to McDonald, who found touch at the centre, from where a brief incursion was made to Red territory. Back at midfield the game was stopped for a while in consequence of a slight head i.njixry to who liad -been transfered to the pack, Campbell taking liis place at wing three-quarter. H. McDonald essayed a field goal in a handy position and immediately afterwards gained prominence by marking in front of a charging Red horde. Coutts initiated a dribbling movement that ended by Pepperell kicking to the dead ball line. The Reds returned to the attack and a fine passing movement in which both backs and forwards participated. A T . Ross secured at the end of the chain and being tackled threw out blindly, Coutts, however, was handy and snapping up the leather went over near the post. Brown’s kick struck the cross-bar and rebounded in-field. Inglewood 16, Eltham 0. The quality of football presented to this stage was not of a high order . and -'showed no tendency to improve, the Reds passing movements invariably breaking down and Eltham’s only means of advance —by way of forward rushes —were of too disjointed a nature to bear fruit. Brown, on the left wing for the home team and N. Ross on the opposite wing, were the only two players who seemed capable of infusing sparkle into their work. .1 rown put in a Stirling run down the touch line and what appeared a try was discounted by the referee’s de-cision—touch-in-goal. N. Ross then siiot into the limelight with a fine run to McDonald, the ball travelling to the dead line from the resultant melee. The- game see-sawed between the centre line and Eltham’s goal, McDonald always proving the stumbling block. Full time arrived with no addition to the score. Mr F. Eggleton was the referee.

CLIFTON v. OKATO. Bv 14 points to nil (four tries, one converted') Clifton defeated Okato at u’aitara in a rugged' and somewhat uninteresting game. The winners were superior both in the forwards and backs, but the younger team sliowed promise of developing into a sjtrong combination. Okato worked hard, buit the handling of their .backs was faulty. The first spell was uneven for the most part, but Clifton seemed unable to push their attack home. Their only try in the first spell provided the one bright spot, when Tate .swerved past several opponents and handed: to Ogier, who scored, a try, which was not converted. - Early in the. .second .spell the ball was kicked over the: Okato line and Tate, coming fast from a long way back, reached it first. He converted his own try. Another .score followed .soon after, Jonas crossing at the end of a back passjng rush. The kick at goal failed. Towards the end. "Watson and Tate made a. good run, and the Clifton forwards carried the ball over the line, where, after a desperate race, Halcombe scored Clifton’,s fourth try, which was unconverted. Mr V. Ge.mboefer was referee.

NORTH v. SOOTH GAME.

SOUTHERN TEAM FOR THURSDAY. The selectors (Messrs. J. Kissick, D. Murphy, and \Y. 13. Fcaron) have selected the following as- the team to represent South Taranaki in the match against North Taranaki, to be played at Stratford on Thursday nest: Full-back: C. Whalen (Kaponga.). Three-quarters: W. Hoha-ia (Opunake), 'Rutherford (Opunake), J. Crawford (Patea). Five-eighths: D. Johnston (Okaiawa), D. Mercer (Kaponga). Half: Riley (Hawera). Wing forward: A. Guy (Kaponga). Forwards: W. Robinson (Hawera), O. Murphy (Patea), hookers; Ike (Okaiawa), lock; Baldwin (Patea), O’Rorke (Opunake), supports; AVills (Patea), Guy (Okaiawa) book row. Emergencies:—Backs: Hunter (Hawera), Sinclair (Opunake), W. Eliason (Kaponga). Forwards: B. Espin (Kaponga), F. Hickey (Kaponga), Clark (Okaiawa).

THE NORTHERN TEAM. The following havio been selected to represent the Northern Division against the Southern representatives at Straitford next Thursday:— .Morris (Star), Hunt (Star), Brown (Okl Boys), Medley Tukapa), Fookes (Old Boys), Owen (Stratford), Morey (Old; Boys), Kivell (Stratford), 80-nd' (Stratford), Wolfe (Star), Williams (Clifton), O’Keefe (Stratford), Walter (Stratford), Smith (iStratford), Young (Stratford). Eimergencies: Collins (Stratford), Berry (Stax*), Carter (Stratford), Gudgeon (Inglewood). Drader (Old Boys), Barrihall (Clifton).

IN OTHER CENTRES.

TIMARU. Zixigari 9 v. Celtic 4. Old Boys 19 v. Temuka 9. CHRISTCHURCH. Linwood 26 v. Technical if. Merivale 19 v. Christchurch 9. Old Boys 10 v. Albion 9. WELLINGTON. Senior A. Poneke 6 v. Petone 12. Marist O v. Athletic 16. Borhampore 3 v. Old Boys 18. University 27 v. Eastbourne 6. Wellington 3 v. Oriental 8. Senior B. University 12 v. Oriental 18. Wellington 3 v. Porirua 3. Hutt 8 v. Selwyn 0. Johnsonville 71 v. Training College 8, Kia Toa 8 v. Old Bovs 5. Eeilding 17 v. Woodville 3. Feilding Old Boys 9 v. Athletic 8. AUCKLAND. University 8. v. Grammar 8. City 18 v. Marist 9. .Uantikau (3 v. H.AI.S. Dunedin 0. Ponsonbv 34 v. Grafton 14. DUNEDIN. Kaikorai 7 v. ’Varsity B 5. ’Varsity A 14 v. Pirates 3. Union 19 v. Southern 8. Alhambra* 19 v. Dunedin 3. Taieri jl7 v. Zingari 10.