WELLINGTON.

NZ Truth, Issue 1018, 30 May 1925, Page 10

WELLINGTON.

, AH power to Poneke. Six — nil against Athletic doesn't half represent the drubbing they "admiriistered.i ' . >. Petone must look to their laurels this week-end. The ancient rivals will be at it again m a match with a distinct bearing on the championship. , Petdhe will have the , advantage of playing this game— the first-round 1 ■ draw — on- home grounds. Athletics in-and-out career seems to have finally settled m outs. Though reinforced by Osborne, . the Athletic pack couldn't foot it with the , Bed and Blacks. Duncan 'played a hefty game, especially m the second spell, using iiis height and weight to 1 the uttermost. y ■ Athletic had the weight and were pushing Poneke, off the ball m the lat-ter-stage scrums, but -m the open- the Bed and Blacks had it over them. For dribbling and- fast, rushing tactics the palm goes to Jack Shearer. Slater and Jack and Sid Shearer were distinctly valuable men who seldom let lip, ' A ' *■ , "Dooly" 'Calcinai having given „ the game best, the -wing-forward post was filled by Jessup, .whose previous five- ■ eighths training combined with strength and weight make him a capital man for the job. B. Wilson, who hooked with Sid Shearer, is something of a find from junior obscurity. , A powerful youth, hard as nails, and full of^'vim he hoed m from start to finish,,, He was nearest at hand for ,the second try after a forward tussle. A player of promise, this Wilson, i • ' Wilson has since been selected to train for the Wellington 'reps, for the 3rd June game. l „ " Whore Athletic, tried to ' get the backs moving, Poneke; landed upon them like an avalanche. In any case, neither the ball nor jround were ' satisfactory for bank movements. Faulty handling by the backs lost Poneke tries on at" leaet three occa-

sions. But if the Red and Black backs failed to put the steel on the arrow's ; head they never failed m defence. Fred Tilyard's forte, is defensive play and on he /showed what | his worth is to Poneke. . Gibson (Poneke) handled well enough; he is a wizard at' scooping up a wet ball, but showed sad lack of judgment as to Avhen to hold it and when arid how (particularly how) to rid himself of it. Harry Tilyard went up to half m the first spell when Harry Hall left the field with an injury to the shouldeiv If an extra stone weight or so could be distributed over that boy he'd be a champion, : for he's an eel at getting through. But nine stone is not much to oppose to the buffets of a heavy forward pack. . -]'■„/ Gordon Gibson swallowed a dummy from Tilyard hook, sinker and all.'. The former was well above himself on the play*against /Petqne. „. * ■■': ■ ;"■': ■'■• Hickey,'; ori -the Poneke wing,, and Malmanche, on Athletic's,,had no more than one chance each — mores. the Ipity — to show 'their paces, and then they fractured the speed limits. : ■TMcDougallf Athletics- centre, show's a i>it of pace, or, at least he did, when he-headed, off /Ifickey m full flight. The. rest looked like milers m a sprint; ■;..,;., Porter was "eyery where, "' antipipating everything. ; It; : wasn't his fault the s # ide':lpst.': i'.+/'\'-;'-\- .'.\r/'.. '' 'V. .■■- • Svenson is a dandy, and how Poneke realised it. .They gave him ho show at'iall, except ;to stand out as a defensive player par excellence.- --: Poneke's forwards have a wonderful ■esprit-de-corps. It was a game to telt the training of any team and they never realised the \eff ort. Much gym. training has gone to achieve that re-' suit." r ■./■■;::;':-' 4. .;■ X; ■•■■■■/{ : ■: : .; ;.■;- . The; ■; nimble ".'. sixpences for ' prograriimes still .■jingle'; with -a music that must be /sweet: for the executive into Rugby 'Union ' coffers. . The price of admission being niriepence it seems queerly disproportionate to have to part with sixpence to ascertain the names of the thirty men who provide the 'fun-, gratis. However, there it. is, and the booklet is stuffed iwith advertisements with a leavening of photographs of team's and 'events Jin the All •-. Black- tour. -If the photographs, were new each Saturday ,the. price of the programme might have "some justification, >' biitf the same old faces peer from the pages unf ail-; ingly. 'In the interests 0f... brighter haif-times this might be amended .with advantage. /Bedell, three-quarter for Old Boys, showed last Saturday thatMie has all the attribute's /that go towands the making of a first-class- player; weight, pace and fend; but he still has to show more courage m using these advantages. ■'.-'. ••'•. •'■'.: '.«"■. '■'".'•' •;'■- Mansfield, first five-eighths for Old Boys, 'is a man without fear, gqing down to heavy forward rushes with a fine dash. He tackles well and makes many openingis. : '- t ... '■■.-. v ; V-.. > -: ;■ : Oldßoysfhave a cool and resourceful full r back m 'Malcolm. One /'"of the finest kicks either for the fine or goal m the district, he also tackles soundly aiid is not afraid of work. y . ', the burly Berhampore forward, played a sound game last Saturday.^ Always m the thick, he is a, hard grafter and plays a clean, fair?' unselfish game. 1 '(■■/.' . He ". has an equal m Deere, a consistent and heady player. Walters, Berhampore's full-back,' is calm and steady, but dodged some' of the hard and Vigorous play last Saturday.- He is keen and reliable, when on his gsunoi : : ■ ' ■ '■: : ■■ Lang,- of Berhampore team,; is one of the mainstays of the back division and his goal-kicking is a yaluable .asset to his team. - v y ; .; -.;* v -- ■/■-.■ ■ ■