THE LEAGUE CODE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20881, 25 May 1931, Page 11

THE LEAGUE CODE.

CITY'S SURPRISE VICTORY. SUCCESS IN HOOKING BALL. SPLENDID DEFENSIVE WORK. Tho defeat of Marist at tho hands of City on Saturday came as a great surprise to all followers of tho code. City in tho first three matches this season displayed erratic form, but on Saturday it played as a team inspired and was tho better side on the day. A good deal of credit for City's success must go to Pascoe, the hooker, who, especially in the first spell, practically monopolised the ball in tho scrums. This gave the Marist rearguard very few opportunities, and when any came its way later in the game there was no proper understanding among the players. It was surprising indeed to see the Marist backs bottled up, but at the same time tho splendid defence of the whole City team must not be overlooked. Nevertheless, there were times when the Marist backs should have done better. Gregory made his first appearance this season and was not in his best form. The fine understanding between Brisbane and himself, which in past seasons lias delighted League fans, was a minus quantity OYI Saturday. List stood down owing to an injury and his placo was taken at centre by Brady, who also was well below form. Carter was starved on the wing, while Batchelor, on the other side, failed to put any determination behind his running. He lost one certain try on one occasion by stopping badly and going infield. Brisbane was the best back and Hassan was also prominent. Campbell, the fullback, was weak in ground fielding. Tho Marist. forwards were beaten by a better set, and. Webberley and Young were always in the thick of the play.

Rearguard Improves. The City rearguard made a far better showing against Marisb than it has dona in previous matches. Much of its success in this direction can be attributed to the diminutive halfback, Aldertoh, whose clever play round the scrum made a vast difference. Ho also showed up for some splendid defensive work. If Iveson could handle the ball more cleanly the City backs would present a formidable attacking machine. Iveson showed improvement on Saturday, and was responsible for checking several dangerous Marist movements.

I lie brains of the City backs was Davidson, who played a fine all-round game. Ho defended solidly throughout, while some of his preconceived ideas on attack were deserving of a better reward. Another outstanding player was S. Watfine, the fullback, who gave a faultless exhibition. His handling, kicking and tackling were all high-class, and two of his penalty goals were magnificent efforts. Laurie Barchard came into the picture in scoring a sensational try after showing a fine turn of speed over threequarters of the length of the field. The City forwards maintained the fast pace throughout—a tribute to their fitness. They were always up with the play, and their determined tackling nipped many concerted efforts by the opposition in the bud. M. Watene played a fine game, and also shone when played as a five-eighths later in the game. Clark and Hamilton were conspicuous for good all-round play, and Pascoe .was always in tho picture. Combination Lacking. The game between Richmond and Ellerslie was not an inspiring exhibition of tho code. Neither side showed much combination, although Richmond's backs played good football in patches. The forwards were well matched, and consequently controlled the game for tho most part.

Tho really bright movement in the game resulted in G. Davis scoring between tho posts. Tho scorer, Prentice and Dunne combined effectively in clever reverso passing. Had the Richmond backs attempted moro of the unorthodox football tho score would have been larger.

Most of Ellerslie's thrusts were of an individual nature. A noticeable fault was the tendency of the inside backs to run across the ground. Several chances presented themselves early in the game, but on each occasion Hickey, tho wing, was pushed into touch. Of late tho Richmond forwards have shown a tendency to wait off-side instead of hunting as a pack. It was different last season, when the forwards were noted for their bustling tactics. G.-Davis was in good kicking form and converted four goals besides scoring a try. Lee, the Richmond fullback, was below form. Several times he missed the ball and placed his sido in dangerous positions. The wings, Pell and Patterson, got few opportunities on attack. Pell, however, played with plenty of dash. G. Davis and Dunne were the best Richmond backs. Prentice did some fine work on defence, but moved too slowly on attack. B. Davis, who replaced Agnew behind the scrum, was fair. Ritchie and Telford were the best forwards, while Jones also worked hard.

Hickey stood out prominently among the Ellerslie backs. The wing has plenty of pace and is a tricky runner. Drew and Eustace played well with limited opportunities. Dufty kicked too often, revealing lack of condition. The forwards hunted well as a pack and perhaps Quirko and Boswell were the best.

Hard-fought Match. Although tho hard-fought match between Ponsonby and Newton was not productive of a spectacular display, tho Ponsonby backs showed up in a greater number of combined movements and evidently had mere knowledge of tho finer points of the game. Throughout the contest the Tonsonby hooking -was superior and tho halfback, White, was quick to give tho ball to his backs. Delgrosso, as usual, was one of the outstanding players and made several good openings by his clever tactics in possession. Culpan, at fullback, proved a distinct' acquisition to his sido, being sound on both attack and defence; Angelo was another verv useful back. Among tlio forwards McLeay and Goodwin wore prominent,- and Gardner used his weight to advantage. For Newton, Dempsey played a good game and was instrumental in spoiling aggressive movements by the opposition. Eddleston and Beattie, tho latter using a nico side-step effectively, did well on tho wings. Hill displayed ability at kicking which often improved Newton's position. Among the forwards Francis made some fine dashed which, if supported, would have resulted in Newton registering a higher score.