OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PATIMES

Free Lance, Volume XVIII, Issue 949, 19 September 1918, Page 19

OUT DOOR SPORTS AND PATIMES

By TouchiliMQ.

Rugby Football.

a fine gathering of the * Rugby clan there was at the Athletic Park: last Saturday afternoon. Truth to tell j one has to go a long way back into the past to recal an attendance of close on six thousand people at a championship game, even though such match was the final one for the premiership as last Saturday's was. In the main the crowd, was good-hum-oured, prepared to take what gifts the gods gave them in the way of decent Rugby football. Here and there you could hear fellows growling about rough and unfair tactics, unfair decisions by the referee, etc., but in the main it was only the keenest "club partisans who expressed themselves . that way, or those who had besmirched the good name of Rugby by gambling on the result of the match.

The most pleasing feature of the gathering to me was the great number of old-timers there were in the crowd. Wherever you looked you would find some of the good old players of the past and mates and opponents on the field renewing their friendships and chatting together about the days that were. They had turned out to see the best game of all, and, although many of them have lost the habit of recent years, the spirit of the old warhorse is still with them, and you knew by watching them and chatting with them that the spirit to do the deeds of old is still with them, though the athletic feeling has left their bones altogether.

It was a great re-union, and proved to me that once a man gets the Rugby virus it never leaves him. He may, when his days of usefulness on the field have passed, allow other things for the' time being to occupy his thoughts, but sooner or later the old love will oome back to him and he will be found cheering on the younger generation to deeds similar to those of the days when he was a player. As I write the names of many whom I could mention in this connection flit across my mind, but I am not going to print any of them, for the simple reason that I don't think theiy .would like it ever to be thought that at any time they had lost their love for the good old game. ' * * •* * It is a remarkable thing in connection with the playing of Rugby foot-

ball in Wellington that whenever the Poneke and Petone teams meet in competition in the senior championship the contest has been always interesting. I have known occasions when one or other of these teams have been down and out as far as winning the championship was concerned, yet you could always rely on seeing a good game of Rugby when the wearers of the red and black and blue jerseys respectively were pitted against one another. Therefore, it was not surprising to me to see such a crowd as there was at the Athletic Park last Saturday afternoon in a deciding match for the championship between Poneke and Petone. I will not be contradicted when I say that it is the biggest crowd that has assembled on our principal football ground for an ordinary club game for more years than I can recal at this writing.

As to the game and its result there is not much for one to enthuse about. The players were too deadly in earnest for the game' to rise to the high standard it should have done considering the qualifications of the players concerned. It was a hard, fast game, with too much indiscriminate kicking in it to allow many of the details to remain in the memory. The whole of this kicking; was exercised on the ball, however, the game, to my mind, being almost free from any undesirable elements. There were many bumps given and exchanged, but most of them were in the game. I might, did I care to do so, pick out one or two instances that were not fair and correct Rugby football, but there did not appear to be sufficient vioiousness in any of t'hem to deserve the special mention.

The result was a draw, each team scoring 9 points, Hagen, Corner, and Hamilton getting tries for Petone, and Morris and Christopherson tries for Poneke, the last named also kicking a penalty goal. Someone tried to tell me coming off the field that Petone were the better team on the day but lam not willing to' subscribe to that conclusion. It is true that Petone attacked more when playing against the wind than Poneke did, but it must not be forgotten that the only time an up-the-wind try was scored it was a Poneke man that - did it. In the first half the lads from the village threw away a lot of opportunities through off-side play when in attacking positions, and that detracts from "them as a good Rugby side. My conclusion is that if the two teams meet again—as I hope they will —he will be a lucky man who can foretell the_ result, unless he is one whose inclinations lead him to a definite conclusion.

But if another match, is played I hope the Rugby Union will make such arrangements as to prevent the wind •being such a factor in the decision of the game as it has Tbeein during the last two Saturdays. One old-timer for whom I have the highest respect buttonholed me before the game, and said,' "I see the Rugby Union are sacrificing the players once again for the spectators—why couldn't they play the game across the wind?" I hadn't an answer ready, for I certainly think,

with a heavy wind like there was blowing last Saturday, the game should be played other than north- and south. The teams as they lined out were as follow: — P etone: Full-back, Heley ; threequarters, W. Thomas, Hamilton, and Nyhan; five-eighths, Corner and Green; half, Nicholls; forwards, Arthur and Albert Parker, Dickens, Scott, B. Thomas, Tancred, Shannahan, and Hagen (wing). Poneke: Full-back, Malin; threequarters, Christopheirson, J. Tilyard, and Anderson; five-eighths, F. Tilyard and Morris; half, Pollock; forwards, King, Dobson, Troy, Baker, O'Brien, Marks, McTaggart, and Bowe (wing).

Poneke won the toss and ©lected to play against a strong northerly wind that was blowing. It was early noticeable that those forwards who neglected to charge in the representative match the previous week- —"they were tired" on that occasion—were like hounds in the leash, and had to be held back on the mark. Early in the game Nicholls had two shots at goal—one from a penalty and another from a mark— and both went well within range. After some bright pieces by the Poneke backs a kick to Malin bounced badly for the reds' full-back. He took matters a bit coolly, and Hagen, following through fast to what looked a forlorn hope, gpt on to the ball and started the scoring.

Nicholls ' did a clever piece of. play, and then Corner met with, some success following one of those) short kicks of his. The ball bounded about in front of the goal,'and Marks failed to field it. Corner, coming through fast, scored a fine try. At this stage, aided by the wind, Petone over-ran the town team, but they threw away a terrible lot of chances by getting in front of the ball in the loose forward rushes. Away on thei far side of the field Nicholls got the' ball and he galloped towards the centre. He made a fine opening, and then passed to Corner, Hamilton scoring at the end of a good passing movement. This made Petone's score 9 points.

A sensation followed after this, the Poneke players indulging in a lot of movements that electrified . the spectators. Up the wind they went, the brothers Tilyard starting with a passing run. A following Poneke rush, headed by McTaggart, carried the good work on, and eventually thei ball went into touch near Petone's goal-line. From a quick throw-in Morris made a fin© run across the face of the goal, and scored a try that was really worth while. Petone 9, Poneke 3.

Shortly afterwards) the half-time bell went, and Poneke's chances of winning were considered very rosy with the wind in their favour. And ends were not changed very long, either, before Poneke wiped off the deficit against them. J. Tilyard and Christopherson combined in a rush that ended in the latter scoring a good try, and from a mark by Bowe Christopherson kicked a goal. But that was the end of . the scoring. Both sides attacked in turn; the Petone forwards pushed the Poneke boys back despite the wind, and for some time dominated the game. There was plenty of excitement in the play, but very few outstanding incidents. And the further the game went the wearier it got, and eventually time was called with things a bit on the flat side. There was always a chance tha.t the wind would help Poneke to the winning score, but it did not come, and in the end the bell rang with honours easy, and the prospects of another .match in the near future.

G. Heley, who has represented Wellington as a member of the Athletic Club and' has done his bit of the fighting on the Western Front, turned out as Petone's full-back. He did passing well for a first appearance. Another good lad in the past in the; person of Clem Green once again donned the Petone jersey. The little chap was a great half-back in his day, but a lot of bin cleverness has gone. Now and again he showed glimpses of his old form, but the ability to bring off the old-time movements was not shown. J. Tilyard, who was a contemporary school representative with Green, was prevailed upon to turn out for Poneke, and was one of the strong men on the side. The other twenty-seven players were all regular players during the season and did generally all that was expected of them. The way the game was played it did not lend itself to an open display of Rugby, neither the combination nor the individual being in evidence often enough to satisfy me. There was too much defensive work indulged in, the old adage of attack being the .best defence being altogether conspicuous by its absence. As an example of the strenuous character of the play there were "no less than twelve stoppages during the game for minor casualties, five of them in thei first twenty minutes.

An enthusiast writes from Trentham Camp :—' 'Dear 'Touchline' : "Would you be good enough, to publish the scores and scorers in the Athletic and Petone matches (three) played in 1915 ? I am asking you to do this as a favour, knowing that you have kept records of all matches played in Wellington for a good many years, and it is just to settle a friendly argument in camp." The information my friend wants is: July 16th, Athletic 13 (potted goal by D. W. Madden, tries by iR. Barry, W. McCarlie, and W. Hyan), Petone 12 (tries by J. Corson, H. Hagen, and J. Anslow, penalty goal by H. Nrmn) • September 3rd, Petone 24 (two tries, three converted tries and penalty goal by E. Hyan, tries by A. Parker, H. Udy, and J. Anslow), Athletic 0; September 24th, Athletic 8 (tries by A. E. Evensen and A. Church, converted try by A. E. E'vensen), Petone 6 (penalty goal by J. Ryan, jtry by H. E. Nicholls).