RUGBY

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6918, 23 July 1932, Page 8

RUGBY

Tho Manawatu Rugby competitions wero continued last Saturday undei favourable conditions, the afternoon being fine and the playing areas in good order. Tho senior competition games completed the second round, and at the end of tho day Palmerston North Ola Boys and Fcilding Old Boys were sharing the top rung of the championship ladder with 14 points each, followed by Kin Ton (12), Fcilding (10), United (3) and Massey College (2). Tho third round is due to commence to-day, and it must be concoded that at least four of tho six teams arc still in the running for the championship, while the other two are quite good enough to lower the colours of any of the other teams engaged.

P.N. OLD BOYS BEAT FEELDING BY THREE POINTS GAME FULL OF THRILLS The star garno on the oval was that in which Palmerston North Old Boys accounted for Fcilding by three points after some spectacular and thrilling football, which had the spectators keyed up all through. It was a really -line match, and the margin was a fair indication of the relative merits of the teams on the day. Feilding started off at a great rate, and tho yellows were all over their opponents in the earlier stages of the game, during which they rattled on eight points. They were superior in every department and gave the impression that Old Boys were going to be soundly trounced. Cooinbc very nearly added another three points to the total, but Old Boys were lucky when the ball glanced off one of the uprights. Half way through the spell the Old Boys forwards settled down to the going and, after a sustained attack and repeated thrusts by both forwards and backs, Bradley scored in the corner. This effort raised the hopes of tho blacks’ supporters. For the rest of the spell the game was played in Feilding’s territory, and before the interval Old Boys had established a three-point lead. In the second half each side added 11 points, and a great game ended 22—19 in Old Boys’ favour.

Both teams played the football the spectators like to see, and the game was fast enough and open enough for anybody. The result, which might have gone either way, was in doubt until the final whistle.

Old Boys were not convincing at the start, Hut Feilding were all over them and gave the blacks little or no time to find their foot. When they did get going the blacks proved to be a wellbalanced side. The forwards packed well to get a good share of the ball from the set scrams, worked well in the loose and on the lines-out, and made pdenty of openings for the backs, who made the most of their opportunities and showed to advantage in many fine scoring movements. The full back, Bradley, handled well, and his line kicking saved his forwards a lot of running about. The threequarter line was good, and a noticeable feature of their work was the straight running of all the backs. Irvine, Ollivcr and Wehipeihana worked well, both in attack and defence, and they got through a lot of hard work. The forwards, ably led by Blake ncy and Henry, played" convincing football. Fedlding were beaten, but not disgraced, and it would not have required much to turn the game the other way. They rattled on eight points in as many minutes at the start and, had Fitzgerald’s reverse pass been accepted

Third Round Opens To-day

Last Saturday's Games Reviewed

after he had drawn the last lino of defence, Feilding might easily have led by 13 points in the first quarter of the. game Stevens did all tnat was asked of him at full back, but he had to leave the ground during the second spell because of an injury. The yellow threequarters and live-eighths played well together and were always dangerous. The forwards were really good for the greater part of tho game, but Old Boys were superior in this department in the latter part of the match. Palmerston North Old Boys meet Fcilding Old Boys at Johnston Park to day, and Fcilding meet Kia Toa on the oval. Both games should be well worth seeing.

FEILDING OLD BOYS LUCKY AGAINST UNITED A converted try during the closing stages of tho game gave Fcilding Old Boys a rather lucky victory over United in the game played at Johnston Park. The match was a disappointing one. United played better Rugby than their opponents, who did not produce tho form expected of them. Until a few moments before time was sounded the score was three all, and a draw, which would have been a. good finish to the game, seemed certain. United were unlucky in losing MePhee during tho first spell, and for quite a while played with only 14 men. Stone eventually stepping into the breach. Towards the end of the game R. Ormond broke away with the ball at his toes and, after lie had beaten M. Amadio, Dalzcll and Fenton secured the leather. They moved too slowly, however, and Fcilding Old Boys were able to rally. Just before tho end -of the match the greens staged the best back movement of the day, and it was this that gave them the victory. It was a disappointing game and the greens were lucky to win. *

United play'Massey College to-day on the oval, and the game is timed to start at 1.15 o’clock.

THE MASSEY COLLEGE-KIA TOA GAME THE SURPRISE OF THE DAY Massey College were out-weighed by the Kia Toa team on Saturday, particularly in the forwards, but the collegians carried off tho honours of the day. by beating the double blues by five points to three. They thoroughly deserved their win, for they played the better football. In the .first spoil the Kia Toa backs displayed a lack of cohesion and tho ball rarely got out to the threequarters. Massey College were playing better football than their opponents, and Kia Toa were late in waking up to the fact that they were being outplayed. Man for man, tho blues were superior, but they were playing as individuals, and College had a five-point lead at tho interval. Kia Toa started out in dead earnest after the spell and they displayed moro toam work, which enabled them to secure one unconverted try and to penetrate the defence on another occasion, when one of tho flying division learned a lesson that a try in the corner is worth three points, and that tho difference between an easy shot at goal and a difficult one is not worth the risk of running round behind the posts. Massey College’s defensive work was a feature of the second spell, for there was nothing wrong with the quality of the Kia Toa attack. The College thoroughly merited their win, and they will meet United to-day.