OLD BOYS, HORA HORA NOTCH WINS

Northern Advocate, 5 July 1948, Page 6

OLD BOYS, HORA HORA NOTCH WINS

THE two leading teams in the Whangarei senior Rugby championship, Old Boys and Flora Flora, added to their winning records on Saturday.

Old Boys was rather lucky to beat City B—nil in the Rugby Park quagmire. City had all the better of the game till the final quarter when the Old Boys pack wore the opposition down and paved the wav for victory.

Flora Flora beat Mid-Western 13—8 on the Maungakaramea ground which was in well-nigh perfect order. The match was spoilt to a certain extent, however, by a wind of almost gale force which blew straight up and down the field.

Central consolidated its position at the head of the senior reserve grade with a 25-nil win over Kamo.

The best Mid-Western back was M. Russek behind the scrum. His defen. sive work, in particular, was outstand-

In the most important match in the junior grade. Mid-Western beat Hora Hora 11 nil. These two teams were first and second respectively on the south zone ladder, and Mid-Western’s success places it in a very strong position. It now holds a lead of four points from Old Boys Colts, who beat Manaia 8 nil.

Wingcrs Cook and Pitman were dangerous. and O’Hagan was safe at fullback, although not in such good form as before his injury a few weeks ago. The two Child brothers, P. Russek and McDonald led the -Mid-Western pack in great style, and the work of the eight in the tight was highly commendable.

The third-grade leaders. Kamo, boat City-Hikurangi by default. Hora Hora, one point behind Kamo on the ladder, beat Mid-Western C nil.

The honesty and strength of Brian and Ellis Child in the hard graft and their intelligence and mobility in the open, stamp them as splendid allround forwards. KAMO UNDISMAYED

Highlight of the fourth-grade was the defeat of Portland by High School.

This was Portland’s first loss of the season, and the two tries which School gained were the first conceded by the leaders.

Central and Kamo, top and bottom teams in the senior reserve, started their game in heavy mud at Rugby Park. , Central won 25 to nil, but the score was'no indication of the merits of the two teams.

The No. 1 and No. 2 fields at Rugby Park are in very bad state and a spell of fine weather is needed to bring thorn back into reasonable playing order.

Kamo, playing with 14 men, was without a last line of defence and most of the tries scored were of the runaway variety. The Kamo men were triers all the way and were still going strong at the finish. Kingi, Whiteman and Taylor showed up in the Kamo pack, and Baker shone for Central in the line-outs.

City Unlucky

After having the better of exchanges for three parts of the game with Old Boys. City was decidedly unlucky to go down to the competition leaders. On the day the decision might well have gone the other way by a similar margin. In the frigid conditions which prevailed, the City men proved the better mudlarks, and with any luck at ail should have been 10 points up at halftime.

City forwards gained their fair share of the nail from set scrums and rucks, and Richardson was tossing it out in fine style. Coutts. Skipper and Griffin handled the greasy ball remarkably well, but although they always made ground they could not capitalise. Old Boys pack is undoubtedly the best in the competition, but it was only in the tight where it. had the advantage on Saturday. The City eight made frequent sweeping sorties and were still going strong at the finish, but failed to bind in rucking. Richardson played an outstanding game for City at half. He gave splendid service from the base of the scrum, was always backing up on attack and was everywhere on defence. It was easily his best display this season. Griffin, too, got through a lot of work. His first attempt at a penalty hit the crossbar, and this was typical of his luck during the game. Fagan clayed a sound game behind the Old Boys pack. He made some slashing runs, and worked hard on defence. Cossar extricated his side from some nasty positions and handled and kicked well, but the fast-followinT Citv forwards were right on top of him ail the time.

Pou was a tower of strength with a good all-round display. His judicious kicking to touch and to gaps in the field were sound tactics on the day. Although he registered all his side's point's. Beazley was not at home in the mud fight. Old''Boys looked dangerous early in the game when Fagan dummied his way right to City’s line. He handed on to Power but the winger, with a clear run in. could not hold the pass.

Then City had a really bad run. Griffin’s penalty kick hit the crossbar. a foot-rush with Keys in the van just failed to bear fruit, and when Richardson sent the backs away Skinner went over with the ball at toe. but the greasy leather evaded him. It was nil—all at halftime.

Pou was nearly over twice after the resumption, and when a serum was taken on City’s line Beazley rained the flags with a penalty after the City five-eighths were penalised for standing offside.

Old Boys kept the pressure up and, from a scramble, Beazley cut through for a try wide out which he convert-

For the remainder of the game City hammered at the defences without scoring.

Used The Wind

The Hora Hora seniors owed their success over Mid-Western to a more intelligent use of the wind by their backs.

The red-and-gold rearguard was much more impressive than that of the home side, but most of the forward honours went the other way.

The Mid-Western pack was dominant in all phases, and strove gallantly against the gale in the second spell. Hora Hora was eight points down till just before halftime.

The Mid-Western backs had fanned out and three men were lined up with only Kingi between them and the goal lino a couple of feet away. The pass that would have meant a try was dropped, however, and Kingi snapped the ball up in a flash and was clear with nobody lo stop him. He racetl Ihe full length of the field against the gale for a try under the bar. R. Macnay converted. Only three points down at the interval, Hora Hora was in a happy position. The equalising try came about halfway through the second spell and 10 minutes before the end another converted try put the issue beyond doubt. GOOD BACKS Relishing the ideal conditions under-" foot, all the Hora Hora backs played well. M. Macnay gave an excellent allround display at half; R. Macnay troubled Mid-Western with his fine kicking and good attacking play; Povey and Langdon tackled like demons and were dangerous on attack, and Dunn was sound at full-back. Front-row forward Thorburn played his best game of the season and in the onen was the best packman on the field. William, Burkhardt and Main also did well.

Results At A GSa nee

SENIOR Hora Hora 13 (W. Kingi, D. Thorburn, I?. Macnay tries, n. Macnay two conversions) boat Mid-Western 8 (T. Cook, G. Pitman tries,-E. Child conversion). Old Boys 8 (B. Beazley try, conversion, penalty) beat City 0. SENIOR RESERVE Central 25 (Pal tie on ,'j tries and conversion, .Latham. Pcvats, Andrews tries Louden conversion, Dobson penalty) beat Kamo 0. Hukcrenui 22 (M. Rouse 2. Keatley, Smith, Bain, Dobbs tries, R. White penally. M. Rouse two conversions) beat Pipiwai 3 (Puriri penalty). ARRANGED GAME I-likurangi beat City senior reserve by default. JUNIOR NORTH ZONE - City 12 (Cunningham, McNaughton tries, Ackers two penalties) beat High School 9 (McCullough two tries, Maihi penalty). Hikurangi 37 (Cairns 3, Nisbet, Bull. Wellington, McDonald, Marshall tries, Lawson five conversions one penalty) beat Hukcrenui 0. Old Boys It (M. Beazley, G. Beazley, E. Fickling tries, W. Hamilton penalty," R. Fitzsimmons conversion) beal Whnkapara 3 (G. Cross try). SOUTH ZONE Mid-Western 11 (Grantham. Gunson tries, Walker penalty and conversion) beat Hora Horn 0. Fortland. 17 (Morgan 3, Jones, Potter tries, Ferguson conversion) beat Mala 3 (Thompson dropped goal). Onerahi 3 (O. McLean try) beat Centra! 0. Old Boys Colts 12 (Hartnell, Erceg tries. Arneil two conversions) beat Manaia 5 • Birehall try, Thompson conversion!. THIRD GRADE Hora Hora G (Goodhue try. Pierce penalty) beat Mid-Western 0. Central !) (Nicholls, Clarke tries. Newman penalty) beat High School Colts 0. Old Boys 11 (Goodison, Goss, Henderson tries, Goss conversion) bent High School 5 fKennett try, Bell conversion). Kamo beat City-Hikurangi bv default. FOURTH GRADE " Old Bovs 0 drew with Carruth 0. Hora Hora 19 (Flaveil 2, Gentil, Edlington, Pierce tries, Flavell. Pierce conversions) beat High School (Central) 0. High School 6 (Dent, Newett tries) bent Portland 0. FIFTH GRADE Carruth 6 (Davis two tries) beat Old Boys 0. Hikurangi 2!) (Tait 2, Ward 2. Clark 2. Gravall tries, Tait 2, Hale. Clark conversions) beat High School (City) 0. SIXTH GRADE Intermediate B 9 (Wilson. Marshall, Richards tries) beat Portland 3 (McCollum try). Intermediate A 12 (McPherson, Nash, Drake, McKay tries) beat Carruth 0. Hikurangi G (Laybourne, Gravatt tries) beat High School (Old Boys) 0. Kamo beat Convent bv default. NORTHLAND REP. TRIAL Rodney 19 (Hatharley 2. Kcfe. Phillips trie:;. Kelly two conversions, Cam obeli penalty) beat Otamatea 8 (Doclds, McLeod tries. Nelson penalty). t'AKGONUI.—Senior A: Auoouri 3. Kiwi United 0; Kaitaia 8, Houhorn 0: Rarawa 11, Herekino 8. Junior: City 0. Kiwi United 0: Pukepoto 8, Rarawa 0;' Old Boys IG, Herekino 0. Third grade: High School 27, Kaitaia 6; Awanui bent Kiwi United by default. Fourth grade*: Rarawa 3, High School 0: Awanui 25, Kaitaia G. AUCKLAND.—Ponsonby 11, Grammar Old Boys 9: North Shore 11, Suburbs 3: Grafton 21, Training College G; Marist 18, Otahuhu 9; University 9, Northcote 8. BAY OF ISLANDS.—Senior: Otiria 3, Ohaeawai 3: Kawakawa 9. Ngawha 3; Okaihau 3, Rehab. 0; Kaikohe 31, Horeke 5. Junior: College 15, Mataraua 8; Ohaeawai 5, Kaikohe 0: Kerikcri 25, Okaihau G; Maromaku 3, Waitote 0; Kawakawa 8, Moerewn 3. Third grade: Moerewa 49, Kerikeri 0; College 13, Okaihau 6; Kawakawa beat Kaikohe by default. WHANGAROA.—Senior: Te Huia 9, Kaco 8; Pupuke 12, Totara North 3; Matauri Bay 23, Waipapa 3; Mangonui 12, Snow White 9.

lIOKIANGA.—Seniors: T.iangamuka 8, Panguru 3: Broadwood 3. Mouikolru 0. Broadwood is in an unbeatable position for the championship.