CELTS LOOK LIKE CHAMPIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19679, 11 July 1938, Page 11

CELTS LOOK LIKE CHAMPIONS

Old Boys’ Challenge Fails

Narrow Margin in Hard Games H. 5.0.8 Just Defeat Marist Two closely-fought senior Rugby games at the Gisborne Oval on Saturday afternoon left, the championship positions ol‘ the fhToe leading teams unchanged. Celtic beating Old Boys and 11.5.0.8. snatching victory in their game with Marist after having been well behind in the earlier stages of the match. Celtic appear to have almost clinched their championship win. for they have only H. 5.0.8. and Marist to play before the close of the third and final round of the competition, and recent form suggests that neither will beat, the present leaders, on the. other hand, H. 5.0.8. have still to meet Old Boys, who can he expected to make a good effort to finish well up the ladder, though Ihcy now have no hope of achieving the championship for themselves. HcsuHs were as under:— „ . Juniors Seniors. n l,• r ,-nn Marist A 11, High School 3. Celtic G, Old Bo>.s 3. Marist B 9. H. 5.0.8. A 5. 11.5.0.8. 11, Marist 10. Old Boys B 11, Old Boys A 3. Old Boys Colts w.o. Y.M.P. Cc,^ic w.o. H. 5.0.8. B. Fourths Thirds High School 20, Celtic f>. Old Boys 27, Marist 3; Old Boys 12, Marist 3.

LOW-SCORING MATCH

POVERTY BAY REPS. TEAM TO MEET MAGPIES THREE COUNTRY PLAYERS The second senior representative Rugby team to wear the Poverty Bay union’s jerseys was selected during the week-end by Mr. T. French, and the side will meet Hawke’s Bay next Saturday on the Oval. In announcing his team, Mr. French said that three men, W. Smiler, W. Steel, and D. Swinburne, were not available on account of injuries and illness. The team would be training all the week and would be required on the Oval at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Three five-eighths had been named, but one would have to be dropped. There are three players in the selection who come from the sub-union districts, 'Scholium and Phillips from Motu and Avery from Waikohu. Six of the men. Scholium, O’Rourke, Sharp, Littler, O’Brien, and Aitken, will be wearing the colours for the first time, and Avery and V. Kutia also might get their chance. The team is as follows: Full-back. —'T. Scholium (Motu). Three-quarters—E. Grant (H. 5.0.8.) captain, A. Read (Old Boys), and A. McAneney (Celtic). Five-eighths.—P. Kutia (H. 5.0.8.), C. O’Rourke (Celtic), and M. Sharp (Old Boys); one to be dropped. Half-back—H. Littler (Old Boys). Front-row forwards.- —J. Lockwood (Marist), J. Leach (H. 5.0.8.), and F. Twigg (Old Boys). Middle-row forwards.—G. Phillips (Motu), vice-captain. J. Anderson (Marist), M. O'Brien (Marist), and W Aitken (Old Boys). > Rear-row forward. —R. Rogers (Celtic). Emergencies. Forwards: Aver) (Waikohu), E. O’Halloran (Marist) and K. Kutia (H. 5.0.8.). Backs: J Milligan (Celtic) and J. Symes (Celtic.) Scoring Account Opened Soon after the resumption, Celtic opened their account with a penalty goal, scored by J. Milligan from the 25yds line at a fairly easy angle. Hi. kick hit one of the uprights, alinos square, but bounced over the bar, giving Celtic a three-nil lead. Play livened up, and the Old Boys backs developed more combination h a movement which swept down the left wing to the Celtic 25yd line. There Shanks got the ball, by gooc backing-up, and made a determined run for the goal-line, but three Celt, converged on him and brought hirr down within a few yards of his o'bjec live. Shanks bounced up again and made another effort, but there were two hands on the ball as lie grounded it. Old Boys looked like scoring for a few minutes, but their hopes were dashed -when A. McAneney and O'Rourke broke away, McAneney drawing the Old Boys’ detence ana then transferring the ball to O’Rourke, who ran in untouched for the first try of the match,'scored amidst great excitement. The Celtic lead of six points was halved in short order, when a penalty was given to their opponents 15yds from the centre line, and A. Campbell made a successful kick at the goal, making the score G —3 in favour o! Celtic.

CELTS BEAT OLD BOYS HARD SPOILING TACTICS Celtic . . 6 points Old Boys 3 points Expectations for a close and even contest between Celtic, the leaders of the senior competition, and Old Boys were fully realised on the grandstand ground on Saturday, the issue resting on a single try. Each side scored a penalty goal, but only once was either goal-line crossed successfully, and this exploit, on the part of the Celtic team, spelt the defeat of their opponents and gave the winners a continued hold upon the district championship. It was a dour struggle, with both sides intent upon' the star members of the opposing side, and with plenty of hard tackling and a wealth of spoiling tactics. Old Boys started well, with a superiority- in the forward, play,- but the dominance in this department passed to their opponents later, while the attacking play of the Celtic backs was better all through the game. The former stars of the Old Boys’ team failed to produce the form which recently spelt defeat for H. 5.0.8. and Marist. Their inside backs could not do much against the fast work of the Celtic breakaway forwards, and in many passing movements the ball finished behind the spot where it started to change hands. 'Old Boys’ Mistake Old Boys made the mistake of continuing to play a defensive game once they were in arrears, for if they had opened up play more and tried kick-and-follow tactics on a more deliberate scale, they might have reaped a rich reward. Celtic had the better of the game in point of time spent in the opposing team’s territory, but the match was so even that : ust a little break might have swayed the game to their opponents. For the winners, Walker, Tippets. Rogers and F. Milligan were the most valuable forwards, and J. Milligan played a strong half-back game, with L. McKinley, A. McAneney and Symes also going well in the back division. McAneney was closely watched all through, but he did a good day’s work. The try which O’Rourke scored was a gift, once McAneney had paved the way. In the Old Boys’ team, Campbell, Aitken, Cave and Twigg were the best forwards, and Smellie'and Shanks also worked hard and effectively. Littler was fair at half-back, and Sharp showed flashes of' good form, but Haisman was the most effective of the inside backs. Read could not get going, owing to the effect of a recent injury, and gave none of the assistance which his team had come to expect from him. Hale was good in tackling, but could not make headway in attack. Short, a recent acquisition from the juniors, played a sterling game on his wing, and Jenkins, at fullback, also came through the test well. Both Sides Start Well Following the kick-off into Celtic territory, Old Boys gained ground rapidly, but an electrifying run by A. McAneney, the -Celtic centre, transferred play to the Old Boys end *n short order, and would have led to a score had McAneney shown his usual determination when faced only by Jenkins, Old Boys’ fullback. He lost control of the ball, however, and the whites soon took charge again with a raking forward rush. Malone stopped the rush by going down on the ball, but conceded a penalty by staying on it, and Campbell missed scoring a goal from the penalty by inches. Both sides were going well, and tuned up for a great effort. Both made mistakes from over-eagerness, and there were many stoppages fo> - minor infringements. The game travelled fast, and the crowd simmered with excitement. Defence Held Under Pressure The play was remarkable for the regularity with which each side’s defence held when the pressure went on. It was a full 25 minutes before either side forced the ball, and that was when the Old Boys’ forwards broke through with a characteristic rush, and Malone just dived in time to save a score. Two minutes after the force-down. Barty and Rogers were leading a Celtic forward attack which had the Old Boys’ line wide open, and must have led to a score but for Hale making a headlong swoop cn the ball at the Celtic forwards’ toes. Two successive scrums under the goalposts gave the ball to the Celts, but they missed both chances, and fimally a penalty kick gave Old Boys relief. Neither of the teams managed fo get going in a successful run before the interval, and at half-time there was no scofe.

Attack After Attack The closing stages,of the game grew hectic, as Celtic carried attack aftei attack into their opponents’ territory, scrum after scrum and line-out after line-out proving indecisive as Old Boys’ solid tackling was sustained in the face of every threat. There was one break-away by Old Boys which promised results, but that broke down when A. Read, with an open iielc! ahead, was unable to muster his usual pace, and threw a hopeless pass torward. Back came Celtic, and time after time they seemed certain to score, but each time the runner with the ball was brought down, and somehow Old Boys kept their line clear, by the slenderest of margins. The last few minutes were tense, more especially as Old Boys, though still under pressure, seemed to have taker: the sting out of the Celtic attack, and to have started a recovery on their own part. The end arrived with the score still six-three in favour of Celtic.