POLO TOURNAMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 113, 12 April 1929, Page 11

POLO TOURNAMENT.

i HANDICAP GAMES

(Special to “Standard.”) FEILDING, April 12. With the games in the polo tournament drawing to a close after over a week’s play, interest in the contest is beginning to lack and yesterday there was but a handful of spectators to witness the handicap games. Drizzling rain fell, but this did not interfere with the ground which has come through a gruelling time in splendid condition. By their defeat of Feeding A, Matangi B meet Waimai this morning in the final. FEILDING A 16 v. MATANGI B 21.

The players took six minutes of the first chukka to get going and then i\. Scott shot a nice goal—l 7-21. Feilding got away again, R. McKelvie starting the movement, but he nnsseu his shot when the opportunity for scoring was favourable. E. E. Short, who followed up, also missed and then N. J. Short missed. Matangi was lucky to clear and race away to goal—l 7-22. The home team had the better of the second chukka, although the pace was quiet and the hitting indiscriminate. Most of the game was fought round Matangi’s goal, Feilding hitting seven behinds and failing to score. In the next chukka, some minutes clasped before Feilding got away and then N. Scott .shot a beautiful back-hander, which E. E. Short sent home —18-22. Matangi now. brightened up and kept Feilding defending for the remainder of the chukka, but failed to score, hitting two behinds. In the first 60 seconds of the fourth chukka, N. Scott, with a powenul shot, sent home another brilliant goal--19-22. Li a melee round Matangi’s goal a moment later, _ Scott again scored —20-22. Immediately _ afterwards, the play saw Feilding in full flight and Rex McKelvie scored —21-22. Matangi rallied again and scored four behinds in the effort to goal. Feilding had to contend with some excellent hitting by Bryant and Hinton and the pace was lively. Both these players were conspicuous in the fifth chukka for their strong hitting and able checking of the home team's strenuous efforts to get away. Throughout the sixth chukka, Matangi was more than a match for its opponents, its No. 1, Hinton playing a brilliant game. His clean-shots kept the movement rapid’ throughout. Towards the end of the chukka, McQueen goaled a sitter—2l-23.' This placed Feilding in a bad positioii for th 6 final chukka.

E. E. Short gave Feilding the open-, ing for an attack which Rex .McKelvie followed up. Short cut in for another shot, which drifted towards the goal when Hinton hopped in to save brilliantly, sending the willow with a swishing backhander for down-field. Matangi then took charge and registered a behind. The hit out took Feilding back to the assault, N. Scott misdirecting a powerful shot. N .Short saved nicely as Matangi was fighting for another goal and Scott had the players in full flight. As the final bell rang, Scott sent up a nice shot which flew high through the goal, but too late to count. The final score was 23 to 21 in favour of the visitors. HOMEWOOD A 14 v. WAIMAI 28. The first chukka of this match was evenly contested, neither side scoring. Steady rain fell but this did not interfere with the pace, which the Waimai players . found no difficulty , in maintaining/ In tho second chukka, Homewood set out to overtake its handicap, Sherratt being -instrumental in reducing it by three goals—l 7-28. For the first three minutes of the third chukka, Homewood was kept defending and then the Ormond brothers were the means of putting on a goal—l B-28. Waimai then got away and was on the high road to goaling when E. W. Ormond dangerously crossed. Snodgrass made certain of the shot —18-29. Homewood was attacking when the chukka ended. Sherratt scored early in the fourth chukka and then J. D. Ormond put on one, after a strong attack by Waimai had broken down in Homewood’s goalmouth 20-29. Waimai failed to withstand another attack and E. W. Ormond scored —21-29. Wilder made an opening with an excellent backhander for E. W. Ormond to scoro immediately the fifth chukka opened—--22r29. Waimai rallied and Snodgrass hit a nice goal—22-30. No further score eventuated until the sixth chukka when Wilder goaled—23-30. Homewood were now ton far behind to make good and the last chukka had not gone many minutes before Butler goaled for Waimai —23,31. J. Ormond then put one on for Homewood and Wilder, a moment later, lost a sitter. A little more effort saw Sherratt score and then Snodgrass g0a1ed—26.32. The game then ended with the Waimea team the victors.