RUGBY

Southland Times, Issue 21479, 22 August 1931, Page 14

RUGBY

NEWS AND NOTES

(By

“Onlooker.”)

(By “Onlooker.”) Star v. Pirates—the third test—will be player! this afternoon. Last Saturday's games were very disappointing and many vowed they were satisfied for the season, but it is certain another Star-Pirates clash will get the crowd back again. By their loss against Blues last Saturday Star are right out of the running for the Galbraith Shield, but, nevertheless, they are right out after Pirates to-day. Should the blue and whites win it will place Blues and Pirates on a level mark from which to contest the final next Saturday. The Australian team opens its New Zealand tour at Dunedin this afternoon. On Wednesday the tourists play Southland at Invercargill. Tom Metcalfe, captain of the Southland team, was appointed pack leader of the South Island team. The Pirates’ man appears to be well in the running for All Black honours this year. George. Purdue and J. R. ("Wampy”) Bell will be members of the Southern Maoris team playing against the Northern Maoris at Christchurch to-day. Bell has not played this season, but he has kept, himself in fair condition by refereeing regularly. It is a pity he did not. decide to play earlier in the season. He is just the man the Southland team required in the live-eighths line this year. The Southland members of the South Island team, T. Metcalfe, G. B. Purdue and J. 11. Geddes, were greatly impressed with G. Max, the Nelson representative who locked the scrum. Metcalfe hails him as a coming champion, although, in his opinion, he (Max) is not built to correctly lock a scrum. “'They pushed them all over the paddock like a lot of schoolboys,” is how one critic summed up the difference between the South and North Island packs, the advantage, of course, favouring the South Island pack. The New Zealand team to meet Australia at Auckland on September 12 will not be announced before August 29. Canterbury is having a tilt at Wellington for the Ranfurly Shield this afternoon. All over New Zealand to-day there is “big” Rugby. The full programme is as follows:—Australia v. Otago, at Dunedin; Southern Maoris v. Northern Maoris, at Christchurch; Ashburton v. South Canterbury at Timaru; Wanganui v. Manawhenua, at Palmerston North; Canterbury v. Wellington, at Wellington (Shield challenge) ; Hawkes Bay v. Auckland, at Auckland; and Waikato v. Thames Valley. According to reports there were only seven scrums in the inter-Island game. The displays of the respective halves (Kilby and Strang) in the inter-island game will give the New Zealand selectors (Messrs Ted McKenzie and Alex. McDonald) some serious thought. Both are up to New Zealand standard at the present time and will not surprise should the two ex-Southlanders be included in ‘this year's All Black team, Kilby as half and Strang as five-eighth. It is a pity Mr McDonald elected to put Strang behind the South scrum. Good half as he is, Strang is a better five-eighth. In view of the mediocre showing of Day it would have been much wiser to have coupled up Oliver and Strang in the fiveeighth line and put Simon (Otago) behind the scrum. Strang and Oliver opposite Nicholls and Lilburne would have made the South backs a much stronger unit, both on attack and defence, than it turned out to be. There we-e thousands of spectators at Athletic PaiK last Saturday to witness the annual North-South clash, hut as to the actual or approximate number present it must have been a very difficult matter to gauge. The first report through to Invercargill said “25,000,” the next was “20,000” and a Wellington paper to hand claims 18,000 as the number. Taking an average there must have been aUout 22,000 present, or “between 15,000 and 25,000.” Tom Metcalfe returned from Wellington on Monday sporting a “lovely” black eye. In answer to a question Metcalfe said the inter-island game was not rough, but hard all the way. He received his injury from a forward’s knee when stopping a rush. Ross Sharp, not Murray (as reported in Monday’s issue), dropped the field goal against Waikiwi last Saturday. This reduces Murray's high scoring by four, but still gives him a splendid aggregate (21) for two Saturdays. Sharp showed plenty of dash in last Saturday's game and looks like getting a job in the five-eighth line for Southland against Australia. He Is not a first fiveeighth, however, and if room is to be made for him, Grant will probably be stood down. Niven (first) and Sharp (second) paired well for Southland last year. It was significant that the maroons lost the shield when Niven was dropped from the fiveeighth line. Mr E. McKenzie's judgment appeared to be at fault in the choice of G. Kerr (North Auckland) as full-back for the North Island team. According to reports of his form in the inter-island game Kerr was many rjmoves below the standard of play shown by Roach (Wairarapa) and Heazlewood (Auckland). On the face of things it would appear that both Roach and Heazlewood were unlucky to have been passed over. Heazlewood, in particular, has not been shielded by Dame Fortune. Last year he was without doubt the best full-back in New Zealand until Nepia came along, or rather came back, and was given preference. Now, this year, it looks as though Bush, the Otago man, who is not up to Heazlewood’s class, is going to get the fullback position in the New Zealand team. Having seen Heazlewood, Roach and Bush in action this season, I repeat that Roach and Heazlewood are unlucky. 'The Southland members of the South Inland team were loud in their praises of A. H. Andrews and his play in the NorthSouth match. This is indeed refreshing news after Andrews's display in the Canter-bury-Southland game. On that day Andrews performed like the veriest novice and was made to look a third-rater by Ussher and the Southland five-eighths. In the inter-Island clash the Canterbury wingforward is said to have repeatedly saved the southerners and was little behind Soloman in general “rover” play. Although Ball (Wellington) did not participate in the North-South trial, he appears to be well in the running for the New Zealand team this year. Hart and Ball would make a good pair, and as Hart is the only wing to have impressed last Saturday it looks as though the selectors will go elsewhere for the second wing threequarter. Who will be the New Zealand wingers against the Australians? asks a writer in the Christchurch Star. There seems to be little doubt that G. F. Hart (Canterbury) will again guard one of the flanks, though an exceptionally good game by two of the other men in the North v. South Island

match may put him out. Geddes (Southland) is in good form this season, as was shown when he marked Hart in the Can-terbury-Southland game. K. Fookes and D. Watson are the other wingers in the interisland game, and unless Fookes can strike his form it looks as if the two southern men will be chosen. There is no guarantee, however, that the selectors’ choice will be confined to these four men, as there are also Ruru and Mackay to be considered. Southland has for years been famed as the home of great forwards and two of them, Purdue and Metcalfe, have gained inclusion in the South Island team to play North, wrote the Christchurch Star before the inter-Island game. Metcalfe played a solid game against Canterbury three weeks ago and has justly earned his right to be in the running for All Black honours. INTER-ISLAND GAME WELLINGTON OPINIONS. SOUTH PACK OUTSTANDING. NICHOLLS STILL A CHAMPION. Comment by the two Wellington daily papers on the inter-island match is given below. Inter-Island and New Zealand trial games have come to be recognized among the events on the Rugby calendar most likely to provide a real taste of the delectable football fare, with sparkling play seasoned by thrills in the run of scoring, declares the Post critic. It was no wonder, therefore, that, with the weather fine, this year’s North v. South game attracted about 18,000 people to Athletic Park on Saturday afternoon. Their healthy appetites were satisfied up to a point—the game had its thrills and a most exciting finish was staged, with the result that most people were able to leave the Park in a happy frame of mind. “Twenty all” was the result of the game, and that in itself was good cause for satisfaction. Taking the play from first to last, however, there was too much of an inferior tvpe of football in it to make the game a 'Rugby classic. It was good in parts only. Talent Unimpressive. Better performances and better teams have been seen in inter-island games, and it is difficult to imagine that those two teams on Saturday represented the best available Rugby talent in the Dominion. A better result should have been achieved in combing the country for New Zealand's best, and, unless the Australian side is overrated, some hard thinking will be necessary during the next two weeks in building up the New Zealand team to play in the one Test on this season's programme. This is not to suggest that Saturday’s clash did not reveal talent of the right kind. There was a certain amount of it, but not enough in a parade of the elect of both islands. Of new blood, so far as the higher grade of Rugby is concerned, there was fair supply, ami some of that produced by the South Island was of the order likely to be needed by New Zealand. It was most apparent in the South Island pack, and it served the side splendidly. Otherwise ,the impressive performances were given mainly by players of considerable experience in big Rugby, and it was one of the striking features of the game that some of the most outstanding work was accomplished by players who have been marked down in some quarters as back numbers. It did not take Mark Nicholls long on Saturday to indicate where he stands, or, rather, how he can leave others standing. Nicholls played in his first inter-island game nine years ago, and he was a New Zealand representative a year before that. Charlie Oliver, too, was a conspicuous performer on Saturday, and yet he played in inter-island football five years ago, as did Kilby. Then there was Cooke, not so prominent as formerly, with an interisland and New Zealand record dating back to 1924. Others have been in big football since 1927. While some of the players of longer experience left little doubt as to their ability, several obviously had slipped. It was all very interesting to study the form of old and young, and, while there was a feeling of regret that youth did not receive more recognition in view of events to come, one was able to appreciate the value of experience to a side. That experience was worth a good deal to each side, especially in having it at a vital point in the rearguard. Unfortunately, however, it did not realize full reward owing to weaknesses in the supporting play. Weak Wings. The North Island’s wing three-quarter play was palpably weak, and it often happened that Cooke, at centre, was forced into a position which gave him little chance of operating in anything like the manner expected of him. Nicholls gave his backs every chance, and there was a fine lesson alone in the way in which he drew his opponents. Lilburne was inclined to run across field, and that reduced the penetrating powers of the North backs. When Lilburne did go the right way a distinct danger was presented, and good evidence of this was shown in the registration of a try by Cooke. Kilby had a much harder task than his vis-a-vis, and fine breakaway play often prevented him from snapping up the ball at the first effort. Usually, however, he made a recovery, but he had a particularly hard row to hoe. G. Kerr gave a fair display as full-back, although he appeared to lack the knowledge of positional play. The defensive play on the flanks was weak. As with the North back division, there was room for a good deal of improvement in the southern rearguard, but the action by this force was helped materially by Oliver’s sense of appreciation of the requirements of a second five-eighths. Strang, a fine utility back, served his side extremely well at the base of the scrum, and was not hampered to any extent by the opposing wing-forward and breakaways, as was the case with Kilby. Day, Allen and Geddes were not very impressive, nor was Hart, the Canterbury wing three-quarter, until he came to light with a couple of dashes, in one of which he shook off several opponents and scored. He was quite the best of the wingers, and Bush gave a fullback display much superior to that of the North Aucklander. The outstanding back unquestionably was Nicholls, and once again he silenced those critics who have been writing finish to his brilliant career. The scoring of the first eleven points in the game was but part of a splendid all-round performance by Nicholls. Strang did not fall far short of his scoring record in the last inter-island game (1929), when he kicked four penalty goals, scored a try, and converted a try. On Saturday he contributed eleven t points, by place-kicking, to South’s tally. South Forwards Surprise. . It often happens in inter-island Rugby that the side whose prospects are least fancied springs something in the nature of a’ surprise, and this was the case with the southerners on Saturday. Splendid play by virile forwards had a good deal to do with South’s achievement in drawing level with North and in having the lead at one stage. Cottrell and Horc outplayed the northern front-rankers, Hadley and Reid, as did the side row men, Purdue and Manchester, whose work was of far greater assistance

to South than that of Anderson (who played formerly for Athletic in Wellington) and Cameron ?o North. • McLean (playing on the back) and Steere were quite the best of the North forwards, their efforts being exceptionally good in the second spell. Max, the South Island lock, played a fine game, and McNeight, although handicapped by a nail in one of his boots, alsp showed up well. Batty was below his nest form, alt hough for some of his efforts Solomon appeared to gain the credit. Metcalfe was not quite so prominent as the others in the South pack. The wing-forward play provided one of the surprises of the game, Andrews, who was at High School last year in New Plymouth, appearing to much better advantage than Solomon, whose form did not support the claim that he is Porter’s successor. Solomon was too prone to get in the way of the backs, and on a couple of occasions he missed good scoring chances. The game was not a difficult one to control, and Mr J. Scott, of Hawkes Bay, and formerly of Wellington, handled it capably. STRONG FORWARDS MATERIAL FOR ALL BRACKS. WEAKNESS IN WINGERS. If one thing more than another was notable in the play of the North Island and South Island fifteens at Athletic Park it was the southern selector, Mr A. McDonald, of Otago, had picked a great pack of forwards, observes the Dominion writer. With less material to work with, probably, than Mr E. McKenzie, the North Island selector, he found eight men who more than held their own against an admittedly strong opposition. Between them the packs provided the best exhibition of forward play that has been seen on the Park since the. memorable fourth Test against the British team last year. From the sixteen forwards who took the field will be selected the New Zealand pack to play against Australia on September 12, and their exhibition on Saturday held the deeper significance, because it is known that the Australian fifteen contains something exceptionally formidable in the way of powerful and experienced forwards. Saturday’s play provided a study in contrasts, with the South unquestionably superior in the tight play, and the North Islanders showing up as the clever and more versatile men in the loose. More and Cottrell, the South Island hookers, proved a better pair than did Reid and Hadley, and their efficiency accounted for the fact that Kilby seldom got the ball cleanly from a scrum—it was usually from some loose ruck that he was able to set his backs going. Opposing Locks Play Well. Two of the outstanding forwards on the ground were the opposing locks, Max, of Nelson, and Steere, of Hawkes Bay. Both played rugged, determined games, and both, once they got going, were hard men to stop. The opposing wing forwards, Soloman, of Auckland, and Andrews, of Canterbury, both gave inspiring exhibitions. Soloman, perhaps, was the more successful in co-operating with both backs and forwards, and he hampered Strang and Day a good deal. McLean showed up well in the loose, and was responsible for some good break throughs. He was rather inclined to leave the scrum a little early, but his weight was there when needeel most, and he worked well in the short passing rushes staged by the North forwards. Cameron, the other breakaway, for North, used both his speed and his weight to good effect. The two North Island side row men were usually a more dangerous pair than their opponents, McNeight, of Buller, and Purdue, of Southland. Anderson and Batty played well in the back row for North. Metcalfe was the better of the South Island back-rankers. Fine Half-Backs in Action. Two fine half-backs, Kilby and Strang, both performed well. Kilby sent out some beautiful passes to Nicholls—the two displayed perfect understanding and made scarcely a mistake all day—and confined himself mainly to that. Toward the end of the game he marie a great opening when he whipped round the blind side to start Reid and Bullock-Douglas going for the final try of the day. Strang had a more difficult job than Kilby, because his first live-eighth, Day, was weak. Quite a lot of the work done by Strang should have been performed by Day. The South Canterbury man played a fine game, nevertheless. Nicholls in Great Form. Nicholls gave everyone a surprise, for no one quite expected that he would show such a complete return to his best form. His openings, were made cleverly, quickly and decisively—the old Mark Nicholls touch —and if he had had good wingers outside him North would have scored two or three more tries. His own try was a masterpiece. Lilburne, in the first spell, was inclined to run diagonally, with the result that Cooke was always crowded when he got the ball. Later, however, Lilburne made some great openings. His defence was good. He and Oliver were well matcheel, but on the day’s play the South Island five-eighth was the better.

If the spectators expected to see the Cooke of three or four years ago in action they were disappointed. He was sound, but no more. Certainly he was handicapped a good deal by being crowded by Lilburne’s diagonal running, and he was closely watched by Allan all the day, but he gave the impression that he was finding it hard to keep up with the pace at which the game was played. Of the four wingers, Hart was the only one that impressed. Fookes and Watson, the North Island men, were obviously out of their class, and Geddes, the Southland three-quarter, was hardly up to Hart s standard. Such wingers as Olliver and Ball would have made the world of difference to the North Island team. Both the full-backs, Kerr and Bush, did all that was asked of them, though on their exhibition neither can be classed as a great, full-back. Bush’s kicking was more powerful than Kerr’s, but the North Island man had his ankle badly hurt early in the game. CAN SOUTHLAND WIN? HIGH SCHOOLS’ TOURNAMENT. REVIEW OF COMPETITION. On Monday and Thursday of next week some bright Rugby should be witnessed at Timaru when the annual high schools tournament will be played. Can Southland repeat the successes of 1918, 1922 and last year? There will be keen competition from Otago, Timaru and Christchurch, particularly the last-named as they have been very successful this season. The odds are against the local boys; but they are leaving no stone unturned to bring credit to* their

school and when they leave for the north this morning they will carry with them the best wishes of all Southland enthusiasts. Timaru have won the tournament five times, Christchurch five, Otago three and Southland three. The Invercargill boys have been training hard lately, and recent form displayed should give them an excellent chance. Previous Winners. The following table shows the previous winners of the tournament: — 1915 (at Timaru)—Timaru. 1916 (at Dunedin)—Otago. 1917 (at Christchurch)—Timaru. 1918 (at Invercargill)—Southland. 1919 (at Timaru) —Otago. 1920 (at Dunedin)—Christchurch. 1921 (at Christchurch)—Christchurch. 1922 (at Invercargill)—Southland. 1923 (at Timaru)—Timaru. 1924 (at Dunedin) —Otago. 1925 (at Christchurch)—Timaru. 1926 (at Invercargill)—Christchurch. 1927 (at Timaru)—Timaru. 1928 (at Dunedin)—Christchurch. 1929 (at Christchurch)—Christchurch. 1930 (at Invercargill)—Southland. In Retrospect. It was in 1915 that the tournament was inaugurated and the Timaru team feeling very much at home amidst their own supporters, gained a well deserved victory. On the first day Southland were defeated by Timaru by 30—nil, but in the second round Southland managed to draw with Christchurch, to the surprise of all, both teams registered 8 points. The Southland team then included Lance Johnson, who has played many games in the ranks of the All Blacks. He failed to gain recognition of his true worth while in Southland, but he subsequently represented Wellington, Hawkes Bay and New Zealand as a five-eighth. Another member of this team was Len Lopdell, one of Southland’s best, three-quarters for some years, being a member of the Southland team which in 1920 robbed Wellington of the Ranfurly Shield. P. Rice was also a member of the Southland Boys’ High School team and a stalwart forward, representing Southland for many years subsequently. In 1916 Southland were defeated by 15 points to 6 by Otago at Dunedin, the scene of the tournament. Southland, however, managed to defeat Christchurch by 6 points to 4. In 1917 Southland were defeated by Timaru by 30 points to 3, and Christchurch administered a defeat of 23 points to 7. At Invercargill in 1918, Southland came out. prominently, and on a wet and greasy ground on the first day of play Otago went down to Southland by 6 points to 5 after a grimly-fought game that marked Southland’s first victory over Otago for several years. Timaru defeated Christchurch 6—3. Christchurch ran over Otago on the second day by 20 points to 0, one of the bright particular stars being "Snowy” Dailey behind the Christchurch pack. It was after the game that a Southland Times writer freely prophesied that Dailey was destined to win New Zealand honours before he was finished—a prophecy that has since come true. The final match between Southland and Timaru was noticeable for the remarkably sound defence of the Southland team, which was victorious by 13 points to 3. The Southland side included 11. D. Morgan, E. 11. Diack (who has represented both Otago and Southland and played both for Otago ’Varsity and the New Zealand Universities), G. Cleland (a fiveeighths, who later developed into a fine fullback), 11. O. Jefcoate, R. Johnstone (a half-back who has represented both Otago and Southland, and who played for University A in Dunedin) and F. Holz (a forward who afterwards played full-back for Southland.).

In 1919 Southland were beaten by Christchurch in the closing stages of an exciting game by nine points to six. On the second day Southland defeated Timaru by 6 points to 3. lire following year Otago defeated Southland by 36 points to 11 and Timaru carried on the good work by a similar victory 19 to nil. lire only experienced player in the Southland team was the captain (E. 11. Diack) whose third year it was in the team. The following year F. Kilby made his first, appearance for Southland and played again in the team next year. In his first appearance in tournament football Kilby weighed only fist. 131b5., but his play at Christchurch greatly impressed the critics. He represented Southland in 1925 and 1926 and then played for Wellington. He has represented both the South Island and the North Island, and was in South Africa with the All Blacks. E. Dyer (afterwards a well known club player in Southland) captained the Southland team that year. They were defeated by Christchurch by 35 points to nil and by Timaru by 8 points to 6, making a better showing in the last match. The tournament in Invercargill in 1922 marked Southland’s second success. On lhe first day Southland beat Otago by 8 points to 3, and in the final game Southland downed Timaru by the same score. In the South Island semi-final of the Moascar Cup competition, played following the tournament, Southland defeated Christchurch by 8 points to 3, but went down to Auckland Grammar School in the final at Christchurch by 16 points to 9. The team included Kilby, R. C. Morgan (late 220yardsamateur champion of New Zealand on the track), S. Foley (a well-known amateur boxer at Otago University subsequently), C. Clark (a well-known club forward in Southland) and M. WelLs (who subsequently won his way into the University A team). Playing his first game in tournament football that year was J. R. Page who took his place on the wing. Subsequently he was to develop into one of the best fiveeighths seen in action in these games, and his was a record that will take some beating. When barely 14 years of age he first played for the fifteen as a first-year boy and he played in the team for five years taking part in .five tournaments—a record. He was twice captain of the Southland side, and he was invited to take part in a Southland representative trial while he was still at school. Page was prominent in football circles in England and has since figured in big football in New Zealand. In 1923 Timaru won on their own ground again and in 1924 Otago won at- Dunedin. The 1925 tournament, played at Christchurch, gave Timaru their fourth win. Then came the 1926 tourney at Invercargill when there were hopes that Southland would, repeat their performance of 1918 and 1922. This was not to be, however, for the tournament was won by Christchurch who were captained by W. E. Merritt, Otago being runner-up. Otago were led by Caradus, ’ Southland by Page, and Tirnaru by S. Blue. Christchurch beat Timaru by 20 points to 18, Otago downing Southland by 17 points to 9. Timaru beat Southland by 29 to 9, and in the final Christchurch beat Otago by 13 to 3. Southland were captained by J. A. Hamilton and in the team were G. Macdonald, N. Pride, E. Hawke, D. Strang and O. Yule who all distinguished themselves. In 1927 Timaru again won on their own ground. In the next two years Christchurch who had three wins to their credit equalled Timaru's total by winning both at Dunedin and at Christchurch. In the 1928 tournament Timaru and Southland drew 11 all and Otago beat Southland 13—nil. In

1929 Christchurch beat Southland 38—11 and Timaru beat Otago 16 —11 in the first round. In the final Christchurch defeated Timaru 13 —3 and Otago beat Southland 14—6.

Last year some epic struggles were witnessed when the tourney was held at Invercargill. On the first day Southland defeated Timaru 7—5 and Otago (14) defeated Christchurch (3). There was much jubilation locally at this initial success of the home team, but it was anticipated that Otago would prove a hard nut to .crack when the two teams met in the final, and so it proved. After a strenuous game Southland secured a popular though somewhat lucky win by 8 points to 6. Christchurch beat Timaru 11 —5. Gallant defence by the Southland team and lack of speed in the Otago three-quarter line combined to give the former team victory over a team which had a very much greater share of the ball, particularly in the last half-hour of play. The Southland boys were first into their stride and it was not long before they had a lead of B—nil. Before half-time Otago reduced this to B—3. With the wind behind them in the second spell and with their forwards dominating play, Otago had the greater share of attack, but met with resolute tackling. The Southland backs who were superior on attack, were starved for ball in the second spell. The forwards, thoqgh beaten, never let up. It was the pluck of the local boys and their determination to carry off the honours that pulled them through. The teams were:—

Southland D. M. Page; R. Henderson, K. Uttley, G. R. Henry; T. P. Crowe (captain), M. Hamilton; T. Mackie; R. Rodger, W. L. Crawford; N. Irwin, A. G. Pickard, T. Bird; S. Jack, A. L. Smiley; A. Hind. Otago J. L. Jolly; J. G. Henderson, J. M. Meek, F. B. Herbert; G. G. Rae, H. Martin; J. W. Manning; L. G. Moller, F. G. Walker; R. R. Ritchie, R. Rangiheuea, W. L. McLean; C. B. Stuart, O. W. Chapman (captain) ; R. G. Jolly. Monday’s games at Fraser Park, Timaru, are: —Christchurch v. Southland; Otago v. Timaru. The finals will be played on Wednesday. The following is the selected Southland team: —

Full-back: W. Strang 11.6. Threequarters: R. Henderson 12.4, K. Uttley 10.3, C. Milne 11.0. Five-eighths: D. M. Page 10.13, N. Polson 9.7.

Half back: B. Peterson 9.7. Bjigk Row: W. Crawford 12.5, G. Anderson 12.4.

Middle Row: R. Rodger 11.6, A. Pickard 13.5 (captain), N. Irwin 12.6. Front Row: A. Smiley 11.5, W. Bisset 11.6.

Wing-forward: H. Crawford 11.6. Emergencies: Backs: T. Mackie 9.6, H. Gcorgeson 9.8, N. Watts 10.10. Forwards." S. Jack 9.8, M. Buddle 11.4. Notes on the Competitors.

Christchurch Boys’ High School have not been beaten yet this season and have won the secondary schools’ competition in Christchurch. They have also defeated Waitaki.

Timaru won a handsome victory over St. Andrew’s College, but were defeated by Waitaki by 48 to nil. Otago defeated Waitaki 9 to 6, but were beaten by Christ’s .College B—3.8 —3. The Southland team have not played any outside matches and this is always a handicap on the first day of a tournament. Duringtheir last three games the local team have been playing brighter football. Reports from Timaru convey the information that the long spell of dry weather has made the grounds very' bare and hard. Dust rises from them after a tackle, and all this may hamper the Southland boys, who have played on heavy grounds all season. junior jottings AROUND THE GRADES. (By “The Scribe.”) CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

Some interesting games. Blues now look certain winners in the second grade. Old Boys and Waikiwi tie so far for the wooden spoon. Congratulations to Invercargill A on winning the fourth grade competition. Congratulations also to High School A in emerging champions of the fifth grade competition. Blues A played throughout the season without losing a match, as also did High School A, the performances of both teams being extremely meritorious. Blues played 11 games in their competition while High School played ten games, they having a bye last Saturday. The annual tournament between South Island technical Colleges will be held in Invercargill commencing to-day, when Christchurch meet Southland at Rugby Park at 1.30 this afternoon. The Dunedin team will not, however, play Southland until Tuesday. Southland have won the tournament on six occasions previously—in 1921, 23, 25, 26, 27, and last year. On recent form displayed they should have an excellent chance this year; at any rate followers of Rugby will wish them the best of good luck against the redoubtable Chris.tchurch team to-day. Southland’s record in winning six out of ten tourneys played so far is a most creditable one.

A certain amount of general all round superiority allowed Blues to triumph over Rimu by a margin of eleven points last Saturday. It was really the back division that carried the day, however, for the Rimu forwards pressed hard and on many occasions had Blues on the run.

Tapley did not show up as well in the Blues rear division as on former occasions. He does not seem to take things seriously enough. Fairweather showed both good judgment and initiative behind the scrum.

The Blues forwards put in some good work in scrums and line-outs but could not dominate in the loose.

Cournane and Wyeth were two stalwarts in the Rimu’s forward line. They both put in some great work on attack, and generally proved themselves most useful. Scott played at second five in the first half for the reds, but in the second half changed over to a place on the wing. In both positions he distinguished himself. Maitland was always solid behind Rimu’s scrum. The Rimu team was without the services of Thomas, Crosswell and Wilcox, by the way. There was a very good attendance of spectators at Biggar street last Saturday, proving that these games can be extremely interesting to the public. The standard of football played in the junior grades in Invercargill is high, and is usually well worth watching. Partisanship was well in evidence during the course of the Rimu —Blues match, and supporters of the respective sides cheered on their warriors in great style. Although providing a strong victory for Blues, the match was by’ no means onesided, and there were many exciting exchanges. . The match between Old Boys and vv aikiwi was rather a poor exhibition and, not particularly interesting to watch. lhere were some bright individual efforts on lhe part of the Old Boys’ rear division, but. they failed to combine as a team, lhe same may be said of Waikiwi, who could do nothing right. There was no score at half-time, the Whites compiling six points in the second half. Derbie as usual played well in the backs. With more practice together Old Boys will be a dangerous unit, but at present they are in need of more combination if they are to stand up to the solider and more experienced teams. Pirates’ third-grade team secured a victory over Clifton by a good margin. It was a hard, even go between the forwards, but the Pirates backs proved superior. Knight and Galbraith played well in the forwards, while Ferris and Thomas also showed up well in the backs. Thomas, for a small player, is possessed of an unusually big kick. He compiled nine points with his boot on Saturday. There was some bright back play at times by both sides. E. Scobie, playing on the wing for Clifton, was outstanding. Clifton were unfortunate in losing the services of D. Flynn and Ross in the early stages of the game. Baird (forward) is at the top of his form; he is very fast and a good all round player. Roff was unfortunate not to score, dribbling the ball from half-way, only to lose possession right on the line. Saunders seems to be improving every game he plays. McKenzie at first five was a little slow at getting rid of the ball; he is a good defensive player. Gregory is a big forward who is improving every game. Hughes played a great game for his side and is a hard man to stop; he uses his weight to advantage. The High School —Blues match as a cur-tain-raiser at Rugby Park proved a great success. Tire High team played sparkling Rugby, and it was in many respects a tryout for the tournament. They acquitted themselves creditably, especially members of the back division, who played their usual bright game. Uttley at centre was well up to previous form, while Henderson played well on the wing. Smiley and Blssett were seen to advantage in the forwards. High won the match chiefly with their back division. lite Old Boys—Technical fourth-grade game was a close and interesting one. Lemin, Smith and McLauchlan played well in the backs, while Sefton, Willett and Morrison were well on their game in the forwards. Challis’s kicking was good. Pirates and High School B had a very close game, the former team winning by one point (9 —8). High School proved superior in the backs and were unlucky to be beaten by Pirates, who fielded a scratch team.

The match between Borstal and Rimu was hard and closely contested. For Rimu Baird played well, and Graham, Watt and McLew showed up well in the forwards. Calvert proved most useful to the Reds throughout. Borstal won 18—7.

The Pirates team suffered defeat at the hands of Star by a margin of 11 points. The game was a drab and uninteresting affair, neither team appearing able to infuse any dash or life into their play at all. There was practically no back play, and what there was was usually marred by bad handling or poor judgment. Both forward packs toiled hard, with Star predominating, but there was not a great deal between the two teams. Without detracting at all from Star’s victory, however, it must be mentioned that Pirates played wtih one man short throughout. The match was not up to usual seyond grade standard.

The Star Football Club has lost a valuable player in Don Lorimer who left Invercargill this week to take up work in Napier. Lorimer, who has played first grade for Star, turned out for their juniors this season and in their interests did yeoman service. His possession of a fast turn of speed always made him a dangerous scoring man.

SECOND GRADE. P. W. L. D. Points Ch. Pts For Agst Invercargill 9 9 0 0 200 24 18 Star 9 7 11 97 26 15 Bluff 9 5 4 0 110 101 10 Rimu 10 4 5 1 79 58 9 Pirates 10 2 8 0 63 165 4 Waikiwi 9 18 0 36 141 2 Okl Boys 4 13 0 15 93 2 THIRD GRADE. Points Ch. P. W. L. D. For Agst Pts High School 12 11 1 0 234 49 22 Borstal A 12 10 1 1 244 61 21 Invercargill 12 8 3 1 117 99 17 Star 12 8 4 0 127 51 16 Pirates 12 7 4 1 128 104 15 Old Boys 12 6 5 1 146 75 13 Railway 12 4 8 0 69 129 8 Bluff 12 2 10 0 45 285 4 Clifton 12 2 10 0 27 211 4 Borstal B* 12 0 12 0 22 156 0 ‘Withdrawn from the competition. FOURTH GRADE. Points Ch. P. W. L. D. For Agst Pts Invercargill A 11 11 0 0 183 9 22 Technical 11 10 1 0 213 44 20 Marist 11 8 3 0 110 33 16 Star 11 7 4 0 99 66 14 High School A 11 7 4 0 102 60 14 Old Boys 11 3 7 1 65 120 7 Waikiwi 10 3 6 1 41 92 7 Pirates 6 3 2 1 20 38 7 Invercargill B 6 3 2 1 73 44 7 Borstal 10 1 9 0 41 153 2 Rimu 9 18 0 36 136 2 High School B 10 0 10 0 27 215 0 FIFTH GRADE. Points Ch. P. W. L. D. For Agst Pts High School A 9 9 0 0 131 31 18 Invercargill A 7 5 2 0 101 34 10 Marist 8 4 4 0 97 74 8 Technical 9 3 5 1 77 96 7 Invercargill B 6 2 3 1 44 62 5 High School B 8 2 6 0 33 120 4 Wai wiki 5 0 4 0 11 90 0