THE LEAGUE CODE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20899, 15 June 1931, Page 11

THE LEAGUE CODE.

BETTER COMBINATION WINS. SIMONS' FINE EXHIBITION. SPLENDID DEFENSIVE PLAY. Considering the conditions the match between Devonport and Ponsonby on Saturday provided one of the best contests of the season to date. Devonport played with better combination than its opponents and thoroughly deserved its victory. Although the result was in doubt right up to the final whistle Devonport would have been unlucky to lose. The heavy conditions were all in favour of the heavier Ponsonby forwards, who for most of the game adapted their style of play accordingly with a great deal of success. In the first spell, especially, Devonport used its backs at almost every opportunity, but the rearguard, although doing well individually, could not strike its usual combination. There were times, however, when prettv passing was witnessed and the handling of the wet ball was exceptionally good. When it realised about halfway through the second spell that it possessed a fast and clever set of forwards in the loose Devonport did much better and within a few minutes two tries were scored, which proved to bo the deciding factor in tho game.

At fullback for Devonport Simons was again outstanding for a splendid allround exhibition. He was called on to do a great deal of work, but his handling and kicking never faltered. The enly fault which could be found with his play was that he was inclined to stand too deep at times under, the conditions. One of the best defensive games it would be possible to see goes to the credit of O'Donnell, who repeatedly went down on the opposing rushes in fearless style. His fine defence meant a great deal to the winners. O'Donnell was also prominent on attack on occasions. Clever Individualist. Rhodes, at half, also defended well while T. O'Leary played a fine individual " game, being one of the outstanding players on the field. This clever little player" was always handy on attack. He made a good opening from which L. Scott scored and his own try was the reward of fast following up. Seagar played a solid game, but on attack neither he nor L. Scott received many opportunities. T. • O'Leary, on the other wing, was prominent in some bright dashes and he used his head well when he dribbled over and scored instead of attempting to pick the ball up. The Devonport forwards held to their task well and at the end were going better than the Ponsonby set. From halfway through the second spell they played a great game in the loose. E. Scott stood out for a good display, his low tackling frustrating many a promising movement b}' the opposition. Ruby played his best game this season, while the other forwards all played well. A. Scott again proved a capable leader and gave his usual sound display. Clever kicking on his part resulted in :wo tries and it was a wise move of his in the final stages when he dropped back between the half and the fullback. In this position ,he checked several rushes which had broken through the defence. It was no fault of the Ponsonby forwards that the team faiicd to win, as one and all played well. Fleming wa3 in the picture all the time and he was ably supported by Fagan and McLeay. Cyril Thompson showed speed in the loose and it is a tribute to the Devonport defence that in spite of the clever forward play of Ponsonby the team failed ■ to cross the winner's liue in the second spell. Backs Disappoint. As a combination the Ponsonby backs were disappointing. Except for a few poor passes White was conspicuous for clever play, both on attack and defence and his try was a neat effort. Delgrosso was not in his best form, although he stood out- for good defence. Skelton and

the threequarter line did good individual work, but lacked opportunities. With Ponsonby receiving more than its share of the ball from tlje scrum, Delgrosso was inclined to overdo the short, kick. Thompson, at fullback, made two bad mistakes in handling, which cost his team tries. He is a type of player who would do much better closer up. Marist played with excellent combination and put up a surprisingly large score against Ellerslie. The heavy ball did not hamper the Marist backs, who delighted with fast, open football. Good passing from the halfback gave Brisbane and Brady plenty of opportunities on attack and their thrustful runs had much to do with breaking down the Ellerslie defence. The score was a good indication of Marist's superiority. Rarely has such good handling been seen at headquarters, and again Marist proved a redoubtable team on a wet ground. The team was fortunate in gaining the ball from almost every scrum. Credit :.s due to Donovan,, the reserve hooker, who replaced Campbell. The losers gave a poor exhibition of tackling, especially the inside men. The forwards put up a good fight in the loose and were a match for the Marist set.

Meehan, at fullback, gave a sound dis-* play. He kicked six goals. The wings, Batchelor and Drew, showed a lot of pace in the heavy going. List was a little uncertain in passing. Brady and Brisbane were in great form and are outstanding players in wet weather conditions. Hassan was the pivot of the attack. He sent out beautiful passes and varied the attack well. Carter -and Young were perhaps the pick of the forwards. Webberley was also prominent. Ellerslie's rear division was outclassed and did little work on attack. Webb and Hickey were prominent on occasions. Dufty kicked and Oliff stood out for splendid defence. Quirke, Boswell and Hobbs did good work in the forwards. Poor Exhibition. The conditions were so adverse to spectacular football that the City-Newton game at Western Springs was a very poor exhibition of the code. Thet wet and greasy ball made accurate handling practically impossible and the ground, being little more than a quagmire, militated against reliable footwork. Throughout the first half Newton kept its opponents on the defensive and had the better of the exchanges. It was only in the last twenty minutes that City really showed its true form and the Newton team was sorely tried to protect its line. Watene, for City, gave his customary good performance. Munce and McLaughlin also pleased, while Alderton played with great dash and was always a in the thick of the play. Among the forwards Hamilton, Iveson and Len Barchard were most noticeable. For Newton, Dempsey war# a reliable custodian, and Hill, Harris and Brimble were prominent on attack, although they were not so sound on defence. Porteous gave a nice display behind the scrum. In the pack Francis' dashing tactics in possession were in evidence, while Allen, St. George and all worked well.

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