WELLINGTON BRIGHT PLAY IN CLUB MATCHES

NZ Truth, Issue 1079, 5 August 1926, Page 14

WELLINGTON BRIGHT PLAY IN CLUB MATCHES

Athletic Still Hold Their Supreme Championship Position \

(From. "Truth's" Special Wellington' Representative.) «

Under conditions perfect enough to satisfy the most exacting the club fixtures were advanced another. stage on Saturday. Athletic again won, but many consider Poneke had the best oJ the argument even though the scores^ were^ them. Petone went under with a bump to Oriental^ : >

■A THLETIC this season have experiz"V enced all the luck > that has been floating' round. They look, like winning the championships but 1 , they Avere favored by the gods when . they left .the field ,on Saturd.ay. victorious over Poneke, who had def eated : them m the first round. , ■ ;■ V ; Poneke had the best of , the play throughout, particularly so m, all the forward movements. . . The red and black forwards . played with determination and their combined action was nigh perfect. They had their opportunities to 'score and; it is here a pronounced weakness -was manifested. .'■ ■ '•-.■■ ■■- /-•• .'- The backs 'could not finish pff : and thus the forwards worked m ' vain. On the other hand when "the ■ few opportunities- happened -alongAthletic made no mistakes and they finished up winners by "11 points to 3.: ■■■■■-■ ■ / ■•.■■•";,:•/ •/:.•: '■' \':;\ >,;. Thei whole ; --pf the scoring was.accomplished during 'the first spell. Through-; out the second spell 'Athletic ' had a^ royal- time defending, ;but to their- credit they did the, j,ob well. ■ Their fitness enabled them .' to weather the storm.' ' ' '■ ; '■ '•'* '."■ Petone Again Defeated f i Oriental -made no race of it against" Petone. , i Petone were without ; the services of : "Ginger" Nicholls and .this »made 'all the difference: to the team. It all goes to show that very often the .strength of a team is dependent entirely on ithe' doings .of one or two men: " . ■■ These men are the "thinking; pieces" of the team and when they are absent the rest of the organs won't function. Petone- were all at sea;;' played ;as a winning 1 side through*oiit and deserved the big mafgin „ of points. ','■..' .-•; ]\ ''■' ; -It ;was'_ j.ust'ja biti of the promising form "given by this^ team earlier m the season. . .... > : They are making their run too late to have a. chance of winning the championship, but they .may- still iipset one a>r?#wo':of thejeaders, j ; /^ t ■* ■ ■•..', f / ■•'.- -Tva The- Students Win ■ <■■'■■■ *• , 'Varsity put it across: Mar.ists to the •tune of 12 -points tp ; .6.; -., The students "were even" more .lucky, than Were Athletic m .their \victoryVoyer Ppneke. „ Marists had My. ;far -the ; :up.per hand m, all; departments o| a. very attractive ;'gam§-..,- ,T.h'fi sad:. experience .this team had "on Atliletic Park 'qn 'the previous Saturday was turned to advantage for they *Tyrere ...an-.centir.ciy -different, coinbination. "■::./"....".. '.'."~~J" '.."•': ' : ' •: !All thfii'r " 'efforts, v were jauirrpunded with confidence and they, were" really very unfortunate m losing the game. For a ; ;team that,/ had npt' attacked more than seven, oi' eight/times m /i game to finish winners by 12 points 6 seems hardly credible, but this- is the

way the 'Varsity— Marist match finished. . O'Regan was the man who; did "; the trick' for , out ,cf • the. 12 points he accounted for 9— thrice kicking penalty goals. . '''••'■';'. On the other .hand Marists twice crossed their opponent's line and they certainly spent the greater portion of the game ; attacking and attacking well. It is here one must pay . compliments to the students for their sound defence. Berhamppre Again Berhamppre. had . anything but an easy victory over Wellington, but nevertheless they fully deserved the win. It was -in the closing stages of the game that Wellington made determined efforts to save the situation and they >addeicL :; s. t points. •'' '- •- :; Selwyn suffered yet another . de- ' featfwhich i-Qfd Boys had little diffi- ; ciilty m inflicting. , • All the.sa^me^ one might have expected an even larger victory on the part of Old, Boys who can'play real football when>-in dfie . mood. ) VSeTwyri 1 always- go down fighting and<fighting;hard,itoo. : ■-.-. /■■■.■'■ '. -In view of the -near approach of the Ranfurly i Shield Unlatch at Napier it is ;o.hly natural to expect^that^interest will centre'on that. fixture and that , in the mean.tirne,.there will be but an indifferent'iiitere^tnn/UiecUTbfixtui'es.