WANGANUI COLLEGIATE v. NEW PLYMOUTH HIGH.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 11 July 1921, Page 5

WANGANUI COLLEGIATE v. NEW PLYMOUTH HIGH.

I A MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY. The second of the Winter Show! matches, the . college match, provided j ,one of the prettiest displays of Rugby j seen on a Hawera ground, and de-! lighted a large crowd of spectators at the Show Ground on Saturday after-! noon. It was, as is always the case j with college teams, a match, typical of j • the best that is in football, and proves ; that good open Rugger will always i command and keep the interest and i enthusiasm of €he spectator. As the j ; teams lined out on the field of play j and exchanged with one another! ! hearty cheers the large crowd greet- • ed them with the keenest enthusiasm, j The Wanganui hoys (Whites), losing i the toss, played against the wind" and j sun. From the kick-off New Plymouth (Blacks) rushed down afield ' Brown and Abbott in the van. * The I Whites returned and worked to half-! way, when Foden made a. good dash, i and a mull by Bailey gave them a f chance, and Abbott, receiving from j Brodie, ran down and kicked. Brown j took a good pass from Foden, and; racing down the line scored in a good j position. The kick failed. > New Plymouth 3 | Wanganui 0 j From the kick-out Wanganui made j a fine dash, but back came the Black \ forwards, headed by Palmes, kept; up the. pressure,, and Wanganui i forced. A few minutes after Foden: made a good attempt to pot, and j Whites forced again. Immediately on ! resuming the Whites got on a fine! rush, Bailey and Babbage making! good runs almost to the line, where ! Paterson secured from the side of a I serum and-dashed over the line. No ! goal resulted. New Plymouth 3 Wanganui 3 Blacks, principally through good work by Brodie, Alexander and Ab- ! bott, rushed right down to their op- ' ponents' territory. Brownlee and Hewitt relieved, but hack came / the Blacks, Brown and Abbott prominent, ' till good kicking by Bailey sent them < back. Good play by White forwards looked dangerous, till Foden sent tVm hnok with a fine kick to the j line. Play was very fast and open, ; and Blacks had two shots at goal^one a good attempt x at potting by F,oden, j and play centred round Wanganui goal line. Paterson broke away, and unluckily after a very fine run passed forward, and Blacks made ground |. with a good ki k. They were throw- i ing the ball about well, and at length ! were rewarded, Alexander passing to S Cranby, who concluded a fine dash by I getting over the line. Foden goaled with a really good kick. /• New Plymouth 8 Wanganui 3 j Up and down the field play surged, both sides doing excellent work. Then ! Whites' set up a hot attack, Babbage passing to Bayley, and he to Bailey, who unluckily knocked on, and Blacks relieved with a free kick. Play was fast and very even, neither having ' much advantage. Then Blacks 4 broke away, the ball passing through the hands of all the backs, and Abbott. was just collared by Bayley in the nick of time, and half-time was \ called. From the opening of the second spell Whites made the pace hot and the play open. Babbage put in a fine dash and passed to Hewitt, to Bayley, to Brownlee, who took finely on the wing and scored a brilliant try- j Bailey goaled, making the scores even. New Plymouth i 8 Wanganui ...: 8 Blacks retaliated by very fine play, and Foden after a brilliant dash sent the leather to Abbott, who returned, and again took a pass and then lined. Back came the Whites, and only: good defence saved the situation. Not to be denied, Wanganui continued to attack, and Babbage securing from a scrum sent the' 4 ball to Hewitt, and it J went to Stone-Wigg, who, running' straight, passed when blocked to Bayley, who finished a brilliant xun by dashing across the line. It was a well-deserved score. He took the kick and goaled in good style. Wanganui . 13 New Plymouth 8 Whites maintained the pressure, Stone-Wigg' breaking through finely, and enthusiasm N ran high as the Wanganui backs set up-attack after attack in sweeping passing rushes, which only excellent tackling spoiled of certain scores. Then Foden sent out the ball past half-way with a fine kick, and from the line-out Blacks went up field, and Bayley and Blake mulling Brown -secured, and instead of passing tried to pot and failed, Wanganui forcing. Blacks were having the best of the deal, 'and got on fine passing rushes, in which Brodie, Fotlen, Alexander and Abbott were most prominent, the last-named being collared twice' when a score looked likely. Again and again they' swept up field, but they could not penetrate the solid defence. Whites returned to the attack, and play was fast and open, both sides straining every nerve to score. Up and down the field went the play, both sets of backs showing capital, clean, and accurate passing, but defence was sound and each movement in turn was, checked. In their own territory Whites were penalised, and a shot at goal by Blacks made Wanganui force. From the kick-out Blacks broke away, the ball travelling from Brodie to Brown to Abbott, but back came the Whites with, a very fine dash, which ' looked dangerous till Foden sent them back with a capital line kick. Blacks at once set up a hot attack, which invaded White territory, and the line was seriously threatened. Then in a | flash the ball came from a scrum to j Babbage passed through the | whole line of backs, but Brownlee was crowded on the side line, and Brown relieved with a useful kick. Brodie secured from the line-out, and sent th% ball out to his backs, who invaded White territory. Almost immediately after the ball went out, and no-side 1 was called, leaving Wanganui victors I after a brilliant display by both teams by a margin of five points. Mr Hooker (New Plymouth} was referee.