STRATFORD DEFEAT STAR

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 139, 25 May 1936, Page 2

STRATFORD DEFEAT STAR

SATURDAY’S RUGBY GAMES IN TARANAKI. I KAPON'GA TEAM TAKES LEAD IN COMPETITION. UNITED.OLD BOYS BEATEN BY CLIFTON. Stratford United Old Boys, although defeated by a fair margin, deserve all honour for the showing they put up against Clifton in the Northern Division of the Taranaki Rugby competition match at ’ Victoria Rark on Saturday. The match provided fast, interesting football from start to finish, and as far as attack went Old Boys were /the superior team, particularly in set scrum and line-out work. * ■: ' V /-tv I '*” . w**-; ■ In the Stratford-Star match at New Plymouth, Stratford reversed their usual form. After establishing a long lead in the first spell they tailed off and barely held their own in a scoreless second half.In the other Northern Division game Inglewood gained a onepoint victory over New Plymouth Old Boys. Kaponga triumphed over Hawera to take the lead in the Southern Division. Patea and Waimate had comfortable wins over Eltham and Athletic respectively. Okaiawa beat Opunake at Opu, nake. Results were:— Southern Division. Northern Division. Kaponga 8 beat Hawera 3. Clifton I 7 beat Stratford 0.8. 8. Patea 14 beat Eltham 0. Stratford 12 beat Star 3. Waimate 21 beat Athletic 9. Inglewood !2 beat N.P.0.8. 11. Okaiawa 8 beat Opunake 3. Tukapa a bye.

FAST RUGBY.

OLD BOYS BEATEN. Early Tries Give Clifton > Victory. LOSERS’ FORWARDS IN FORM. Clifton defeated Stratford United Old Boys in the senior competition match at Victoria Park on Saturday by 17 points to 8. •A fast pace was made from the kickoff aud maintained throughout. Although they scored only one try to Clifton’s three. Old Boys did not look like the inferior team on the day. Clifton started off well and for a while forceful tactics of their forwards had the Old Boys men somewhat bustled. The visitors opened their account early when their forwards rushed the ball to the line, , and Olson managed to scramble over for Collins to convert. From then on, however, the Old Boys’ pack rallied and, although two more tries and a penalty goal were notched by Clifton, they had the better of the game territorially.

Cochrane Prominent. With Thomson and Kofoed doing great work in the line-outs and consistently snapping the ball back to Lash, and the front row men taking rather more than their share of the ball from the redoubtable Fowler-Arm- * strong-Longstaff combination, the Old Boys’ backs were able to get away frequently. Several pretty passing rushes in which the ball went the whole distance to the wings were turned on. Cochrane was well marked, however, and though several times within inches of home, he never quite got there. Old Boys were uunlucky not to score on one occasion when the ball was heeled out cleanly from a scriini'near the Clifton line. With two men outside him, Adlara chose to cut straight in, and he found the defence just a little too solid. Up to half-time Clifton's back line displayed none of the clean passing that the feature of the Old Boys game? Lash and Adlam kept up on Potaka and Brett, Clifton’s first and second five-eigths, and gave them little chance to initiate any movements. Potaka, who scored one try by timely use. of the stab punt and was the connecting link in another, showed a distinct inclination to use the short punt in preference to passing out to his second five-eights, even when his backs were well up in Old Boys’ territory. After the initial mishap the Old Boys' defence proved perfectly competent to deal with these tactics.

i 7-pipV ap d On Defence. For a period at this stage Old Boys were pinned on defence and Clifton were several times dangerously near the line. Collins nearly found the posts with an attempted field-goal. Old Boys fought their way back to midfield. Shortly ebfore half-time their hacks turned on one of their clean passing movements that ended with Cochrane getting well down the line. This was the only occasion that Clifton held play near the home team’s goal-line for any long period. Their second and third tries, came suddenly after

| defending at their own end of the paddock. In the second spell, when Clifton took their turn to face the bright sun, the complexion of the play completely altered. The Old Boys’ forwards went ever better than in the first spell, and led by Kofoed they had the better of the loose play, and increased their proficiency in the set scrums. The passing movements of the first session, however, were not in evidence. Lash was getting the ball away well, but Adlam seemed obsessed with the idea of breaking through on his own, and his passes were over-delayed. He and Thurston did a great deal of high kicking up-tield, which often had the effect of keeping Clifton well back in the paddock most of the time, but this did not yield any concrete result. T r &-V 5 ' •Collins was well up to his best form and the sun did not seem to bother him. He was. hard pressed at times and was occasionally compelled to use the grubber kick, but he was never forced j into errors. His single failure was ‘when Cochrane scored Old Boys’ try. On this occasion the Old Boys’ winger sidestepped him and Collins was a foot or so from making contact. Altogether Old Boys’ defence was inferior to Clifton’s. Their collaring was solid and W. Lash, behind the I scrum, Adlam and Thurston, kicked I to advantage: but Clifton’s solid pack- j ;ing was extremely effective. L. Lash ! at full-back stood up to charging for- j .wards splendidly, but the high kicks { had him in trouble sometimes, especi- I ally in the first spell, when he was S facing the sun. Then his line-kicking 1 was faulty. On one occasion when | the ball slipped on his boot it touch and go who retrieved and whe- j ther or not Clifton would add another ! try to their tally. More determina- | tion in going down on the ball and j faster hacking up by the forwards j would certainly have kept Clifton’s points down. The teams were:—

Old Boys.—L. Lash, Young, Thurston, Cochrane, Adlam, A. Lash, W. • Lash, Taylor, Kofoed, Thomson, Murphy, Heath, Goodman, Buhner, and O’Keefe. Clifton. —Collins, Wilson, Wetton, Martin, Brett, Potaka, Fenton, Olson, I Tate, Grenville, Major, Arms, Longstaff, Fowler, Armstrong. iTHE PLAY. I" Clifton drew first blood when their backs took play into Old Boys’ tend- j tory, and the forwards, carrying on i after a line-out, dribbled ahead. Olson secured and scored near the posts. Collins converted. Clifton 5; Old Boys 0. Headed by Longstaff, the Clifton \ pack rushed play up-field and after an 1 extended forward duel in Old Boys’ ( -area they were awarded a free kick j in a good position, which Collins j .goaled easily. | Clifton 8; Old Boys 0. j Old Boys’ backs then came into ac- j tion. W. Lash, securing from a scrum j in midfield, passed to A. Lash. From | the latter the ball went to Adlam, to | Cochrane, who got well down-field he- I fore he was stopped by Collins. Thurs- j ton opened Old Boys’ account by goal- I ing a free kick from this quarter. 1 Clifton 8; Old Boys 3. j i Old Boys’ backs got away in midfield and Thurston made an opening for Cochrane, who just failed to get over in the corner. From the resulting

scrummage the ball came out to W. Lash, who let it out to Adlam. Adlam chose to dive over and failed to score only by inches. Cochrane looked dangerous down the side-line shortly afterwards. Following up a fast kick, the Clifton forwards had Old Boys hustled, and Potaka, coming up fast, secured, put a short punt through to the line, and ran over to regain possession and touch down. The kick failed. Clifton 11; Old Boys 3, From a melee in midfield the ball came out from the forwards to Potaka, who cut through and made an opening to let the wing-threequarter, Martin, over. Collins again failed to convert. Clifton 14; Old Boys 3. SECOND HALF. Collins was successful in goaling a free-kick soon after the resumption, but from then on Old Boys pressed hard and Clifton were forced back to their own territory. From a scrum just inside Clifton territory W. Lash came round on the blind side and passed to Cochrane, who swerved round his man and, changing direction, got in past Collins with a great side-step. He left the Clifton full-back standing to score the last and best try of the day. Clifton 17; Old Boys 8. Mr. G. Weir refereed. *