PONIES LOOK LIKE CHAMPS

NZ Truth, Issue 1127, 7 July 1927, Page 14

PONIES LOOK LIKE CHAMPS

• '.■■■ •■ ' ' ■ v Another Win Notched to Their Credit AUCKLAND GLUB^PLAY SPARKLES (From "N.Z. Truth's" Special Auckland Representative.) Despite the heavy state of Eden Park, the. games played on that area were well up to the standard, m fact that between Ponsqnby and Varsity had the big crowd on their feet for the greater part of the game. . . ,

IT has taken supporters a long while to, show ' their enthusiasm, ■ but this was not lacking on Saturday. Play was so., kaleidoscopic that it would have been only a mute that could have kept still. Even the old heads round the members' stand felt the wave -and two of them were anxious to jump the fence and score, a try. It was a game so full of incidents and so quickly changing that the supporters of each side would almost simultaneously cheer on their side. The passing bouts of the Ponsonby team was something worth while. It was wonderful to watch the accuracy of their passing and. fielding. They certainly had* "sticky fingers" pn ; the day. Though there were only two penalty goals and a try scored through the game it was not due to a tighteningup of play. ' . ' It was a good, open game, but the tackling was so quick and so deadly that attacks ended fruitlessly with the exception of th^ one ,ori call' of time when Knight scored a well-merited try m the corner. , : Penalties were very frequent throughout the play due to eagerness mostly, by the rovers of both sides. Keene was penalised much more frequently than he is m the habit of receiving, and perhaps the referee might have inflicted a few more' without being told he was slowing up' the game. Ponsonby were, lucky m making a win of the game. It happened that when time was up an infringement gave "Varsity the option of a free" kick just about their own twenty-five line or a scrum further back. „ They- elected to take. the scrum and from resulting play the Ponies scored after a very fine burst of passing. Had Varsity taken a free kick.it is almost , pertain that they would, have

found the line and so brought the game to a conclusion with a draw. < It was one of the fortunes of football and ,went against the students. , ' The winning of this game places Ponsonby m practically, an unassailable position. ' ■'•/■■' . ' ■ -..•'.■ ■ Dick Syme was not too safe at full and Freddy Lucas was always handy to save the situation when necessity arose. : \ * In Knight the Ponies have the makings of «a' fine winger for next year, With a good, pair of hands, plenty of pace and the.,necessary forcefulness to give everything a . go, he will always be a dangerous scorer. Lucas played his usual, heady game! Woods, on the wing, was sound, but play did not come his way too often, Cammick's lightning dashes • were much m evidence. . With a few more stone m weight he would .be ai crackajack. . ,• '■'-„ . -■ ' . ._■■:" Hook was again a brilliant star. In the absence of Berridge he was m thai player's position, ,and was . quite as much at home as when on the wing; Hook is /one of. the most difficult players to tackle; A strong runner, with a good side-step, he is always dangerous.. Just which of the two^ he or Lucas— is. the better it is hard to decide.-. ; : ' . ; , Failed Again Though ripf altogether unexpected, Graf ton again 'failed to rise to the standard they have shoAyn during the season; ; . ; ' . ■■: i Grammar beat them to the tune of 11 points to 4, a fair indication of the merits of the teams on the day's play* % i The game --developed into one between the Grammar forwards arid! the Graf ton backs, and on the day,, with a heavy ground and greasy ball, the forwards had the better of the play.

There is no doubt but that the Grammar forwards are the best pack m the competition this season. Favored with both weight and height, they have it on all teams opposed to them, m addition -to- which several are capable of handling the ball m passing rushes. Batty arid Knight, Jn particular,; indulge m many. ! passing bouts, and as both of these players are of the vigorous type, they naturally take some stopping. ' The winners have also developed footwork to a fine art, and it is a treat to see them m this particular work. Would that other clubs, took a leaf out of Grammar's book. Too much solo work on the part of some of Graf ton's backs militated against any hope of success. Football is not a solo game and players should have long ago realised this fact. Tiirei put m some effective work and landed a rather good goal from E. Singleton's try. Conditions did not give Cec. Badeley many opportunities. The dribbling and passing rushes of Batty and Knight were very fine. . ..'• Now that representative games are m the offing Knight is putting more, ginger into his work. Probably Selector Meredith has whispered a word into his ear. At Last On a quagmire at Devonport, Training College scored their first-win this season. ' They have been an unlucky team: right through the competition. Their, football has been of a good class but the Indian sign has been on them! Unlucky m their first game they played well enough to suggest that Ponsonby would have.no easy task m defeating them. And so it proved, for they were the first team that made a draw with the redoubtables. • Since then, owing to various causes 'the students have not shown the same .form, ii'iiim'm'miiu^ ■ . ■ - : = =

! but from* recent results have shown : that t.he^e is still a chance' of their I coming back. .. . Though' no tries were scored m the game, College were f o'rfunate enough to land two penalty goals which gave them the game. Shore have certainly not done, [ r muclv to warrant the self-boosting' ' of this season's team. : , Admittedly a young fifteen, they had the experience of last season m their . favor, but it does not appear to have ! availed them much, and it must now I be admitted that on the. whole, their i play has been distinctly disappointing. Undoubtedly there are a few good players m the team, but, when it comes ■ to the finer points of play, which means '. success m scoring, they do hot rise, to J the occasion. , Though College Rifles managed to , beat Marist by only three points, they had much the better, of the game for , the greater part of the four spells. . Their handling and fielding was of a \ high order,' more especially under the conditions existing. The passing bouts I were worthy of a dry ground, and had ' -thisr condition prevailed it , is, hard \to I say how many t points they might have '. pui up. ■■.■-:■ ■-•-•">. - f •-.:■■ ■ For some reason it is always m the final stages of the competition that the Rifles show their true form, and when they do the opposing side know it. Hec. Gillesple had .some ..difficult fielding to do from the- long kicks of tlie Mai'ist backs, but he got through more than well. Sheen was m good form and kept the opposing team pretty busy. He was a bit unfortunate oh- one or two occasions. • Dv Chateau again gave a very classy display at' half. He has the initiative well developed and is always willing to give it a go. v