THREE TRIES TO TWO

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12194, 20 July 1925, Page 9

THREE TRIES TO TWO

L ’VARSITY BEAT MARrST A BRIGHT, OPEN GAME. At Newtown Park on Saturday, he l fore about 1503 spectators. University defeated Mnnst-by!) points t.Q 6. The ground was very heavy, and patches of slimy mud -were .dotted over the field. The result—three tries to two—indicates the relative merits of the teams on the day’s play. ■The teams lined out ns follow:—University (green).—Marks ; Maifroy, Kells, Skcnts; Love, Walpole ; half, Hart; wing-forward, Mackenzie: forwards, Childs, O’Regan, Bird, Burns, Wiren, Pope, Joll. Marist (green and white). —Murphy; Foley, Griffen, Mabonev; Cummings, Johnson; Ward; wing-forward, ;Hall; forwards, Bowman, McKee. O’Brien, Dennehy, McHardy, Bell. Mcßae. ’Varsity commenced to play their usual open game, and their speedy tactics kept Marjst on the defence. Their, forwards wero the faster of the two packs, while their hacks showed more nippiness and enterprise. Hart gave his hacks every opportunity, and every passing rush gained ground. They might have heen even more had not l.ove minted freauentlv instead of drawing his man aiid giving the fast men outside of him a chance to use their pace. Johnson, the Marist five-eighth, played a good game on defence, and he showed his team mates the effectiveness of the-low tackle. He and Mahoney showed up well in defence, and in the second spell took a prominent part , in attack. In a -passing by the ’Varsi+v forwards Johnson intercepted and aft"" breaking through kicked upfield. The Marist forwards smothered an attempt to field, hut Mackenzie ended a dangero-is movement by finding the line. Mnlfrov, on the win", made a number of dashes down the line, hut he was well marked and well tackled. ’VARSITY BACKS AT WORK ’VarsTti' began n serins of passing rushes, and soon had Marist on the defence. In the latter’s twenty-five. Love m«de an opening, and passed- to Walpole, who drew his man and sent on to c Vkents. who scored near the corner. The kick was too mimh'for O’Regnn. ’Yarsit-. 3: Marist. 0.

’Varsity were now playing sparkling football. Forwards and hacks threw “•be bell about going at, top speed. Malfrov, on the’blind side wing; fielded 'n attempt to clear, and shot across m to the open side. ; There he passed to Love, who put in a good rub. Walpole was the next: man to handle, and he transferred to Kells, who ran o»»r unopposed, with three men outside him. rende if reonired. Love’s kick failed.’ ’Varsitv, 6: Marist, 0. ’Varsity continued to more than hold _their own. and their next ,try cam® from ,fi brilliant individual movement bv Kells. He intereepted a pass in a Marist rush, and, after running about twentv, -cards, minted and followed up. with Joll in attendance. They dribbled across their opponents’ twenty-five. Where Joll knocked hack in an attempt to nick up. Kells whipped up the leather, however, and went on to score. O’Regan’s kick went wide! ’Varsity, 9; Marist,> 0. ■

MARIST TAKE A TURN ■’ The Marist forwards now took u .hand and hammered away in the ’Var, sity’tWetity-five. Mahoney was all but over’ in a - blind-side movement, hut Maifroy saved,’ and brief relief came for the students. Again a Marist forward rush ended with a scrummage five .yards from the lino. Ward made a dive round the blind side, but his effort ended short of the line. Hall, •however, was handy, apd, picking up, flung himself pver at the corner. Murphy’s kick failed. The spell ended with the scores: ’Varsity, 9; Marist, 3-.;. PLAY LACKS . VIGOUR In the sepond spell, the ’Varsity forwards .seemed to tire, and, their, play, lacked the vigour by which it was characterised in the first. Their for- , wards -w.ei;© .ngtepacking as .well as those of theft' opponents, who went great guns throughout. In the second •half; also' the Marist backs handled 'the ball with more confidence, and in particular, showed enterlirise.pn .attkek., .Resourcefulness, howoyer, was nlwayan feature of the ’Varsity defence, and this asset saved them on diyers occasions. Twice they turned defence into attack by passing rushes on their own line. Marks, at fullback, Love and Skeats played fine de-fensive-games amongst the backs, and . thjey helped: materially to keep the

-greeu and whites at bay. During the spell, Toohill replaced Ward, whose knee was injured. A great fault of the Marist passing rushes was* the tendency of the hacks to run across the field and crowd their wings, but at last their persistent efforts gained reward. A passing in which Griffen and Cummings >vere prominent, ended in Foley scoring near the corner. Griffen’s kick fell -short. ’Varsity, Dj Marist, 6, Love started a couple of promising blind-side movements after the kick out, but tKe Marist defence .proved equal to the attacks, and the final whistle went with the scores unchanged.

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