Canterbury Notes.

NZ Truth, Issue 160, 11 July 1908, Page 3

Canterbury Notes.

For a semi-final contest ; between . tli* top-grade teams and from a spectacular point of view, the Sydenham-Albion struggle on Saturday was disappointing" The ground, thoueh damp, wasn't too hoid-

ing, and a more' brilliant expQ^itjjpn'wa^ expected. Hpwewqi;/ two teaifts niiv "be so evenly matched as to ".sup-x ipress brilliancy on etttEr side, %ti& W merely erupted m spasms 4jip a wet" tt^y, finding tbe.weak sppj;s'vin an eJldejly -.paM of guntbpois, ■'•■/* " ■'■' Albion had liuck win,- pf a penalty goal, aiid, summing up on the afteri noon's play, the three points, ijf jxano^l to the rightful team, would hay» r»grel* sented Sydenham's sMperipritiy ov«sc; the winners.^ Albion for^£r<3s, IjJqs t*» firltr isbers, hooked the ball lour tiros out 'p|« fiye, but the JSydeahain. .pack vrae \aj& ■. m the loose; and the Syden^am -backe played with unexpected da^n. Had if At| been . for the magnificent deleajdve ylay pi the Albion backs, Sydenham zamt JJaVt-? scored time and again. TX is 9l fig»ifits^,i^ii fact that Syflenbam were forc*dior^ral first time late m. the second spell, ami, play was oftenest m the 25 of the win? Ders. ■ • . " '-. " ' "'; •" ■"■.. . Sydenham has been beaten by <Aibions twice — on each occasion by three jiplntiS and hard luck, whereas a 'draw would -have expressed the respective merits of the two teams. i Th,us Albions with 7-* wins ! and! Sydenham 5, have practically won the championship, and jsrill apprV priate it for a certaitrty, if Meriyale don y t effect a surprise arrd bowl the half-blacks over next Saturday. --Meriyale is a steirV ling team .that has had rotten luck right through the season and is quite capable of pulling off the unexpected. In such an event Sydenham would still be 1 m the running. - .;■ - ■•'- ' - • . ' , A. Henry > played . a magnificent game at full-back for Albions on 'Saturday, " and extricated his team from painful; posi^ , tions on more than one occasion. He is ■ a longer kick .than Doell^ his Vis-a-vis,, and smarter on his pins than' the South Island full. Henry is a man who has played m most places on : the fielil. "■"' Patriclc played a fine game -at centrer jihree-Hjuarter for Sydenham. ' : The time-keeper m the Syxtenham-Al-bion match dmitted to take" off time for' play stoppage while , injured men" were being attended to, and the' actual time pf the.second spell Avas 35 minutes'. As Sydenham were attacking like'demons' when the" whistle spundeU, this lapse' may;' have lost them the match. ' ~ " ' ; ' l ■ \ Th? penalty gpal kicked by Weston for Albidns was a ma'gniXiceiit root, 'from a few yards short of h.alf-way. ' ' : ! f The Britishers had hard luck tp lose if '■ remarked a UockAey person,' lofldlV;" i# ■k a »;9as|er Park stand. . .f-jv^it till" thjJ <39t0 : they'll cray/1 all over New 3eai> and," "Yah !" remarlsed th.c übii[)ii|bl£s 4imall hoy., "Are we dpwn,-h.car.t6& y^ii* chaps?" "Npi?" yelled a chorus. ir P<M% you think they had the /tip V pursued \m ' f™ v al i > ov - ''Yes'!/' hontled-jthe choria. "Wot sort of a: gate wud theyjiadat tiis^' borne if we beat 'em ?'■' j" yell?«1 "S c *P*V$ -V ; •''*»■ B^wkjß's B,ay\t" '••Sptten f" shouted the chorus, ecstatically. '?A.a' the pther places .?" "Rot^ten {,'-' shrieked the choius, jn a'state of wild abandon. !^Ther.e ain^t/no gate at Auckland !," remarked' the smalfhpy, witi asuperipr air. "No .!;" chprussed the Pateiats. Small boy: i'Are we \ downhearted, yous Tjlokes ?." Terrific response : • M No-p-o-o !/'• Cockney sinks into obscurJty. / / . ' ;