FISTS FLEW IN BRITISH MATCH IN THE WAIRARAPA

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 995, 11 June 1930, Page 13

FISTS FLEW IN BRITISH MATCH IN THE WAIRARAPA

SPONG A MASTER PLAYER Special to THE SUN MASTERTON, Tuesday. On the last day of May, Wairarapa suffered its second defeat in three seasons of. football, but on June 3 triumphed over the beloved enemy a: Napier, and Masterton Is itself again. Just what we would have done to Britain with Cooke and Cundy on deck can easily be imagined, but look what we did to Hawke’s Bay without Cooke and Cundy! Interest in the British team was languid before their arrival in town, though an inky battle was in progress with a view to forcing the Rugby Union to lower the prices of admission. And then it became common knowledge that a barber had shaved three burly beef-eaters who had played against Irvine in England, and all were included to enjoy once more the shock of battle with “Bull.” “Bull” played excellent football, but another member of the side felt the urge to supply some extras. His wind went in the first spell, his temper in the second. He delivered a half arm jolt to Welsh’s jaw in full view of the stand that nearly outed the Scotsman. Fortunately for the Wairarapa man, the referee did not see the blow, but after consoling the swaying Welsh, answered the insistent cries of “Put him off” by warning the offender. A Briton retaliated almost immediately with a heavy blow to Harvey’s nose, and it was easy to sense an impending Honnybrook. It is claimed for our illfated Colossus now that he has never struck a foul blow, and the unpleasant incident ended there, except that the original offender insisted on bringing all his victims heavily to the ground no matter where the ball had gone. It is time he was relegated to a line umpireship.

Gorki 11 was the only "Wairarapa player to cross the British line, though Britain had to force down any number of times. Corkill bustled the famous threequarter line, dribbled past the fullback, but kicked too hard, and in a great race caught the ball two feet from the dead ball line directly behind the goal, crouching on it for the referee’s inspection like a cat full of cream. But the referee stopped six feet behind the goal and gave the wash-out signal, to the displeasure of the crowd at that end of the ground.

It must not be inferred that Mr. M. S. Leith, the Wellington referee, has deficient eyesight. In the first spell the British scrum secured the ball three times running, and after that the referee stood alongside Murray while the ball was thrown in, and Irvine and Reid promptly had a run of success. Hue attention was given, too. to the opposing wing-forwards, Donald being penalised five times. Ivor Jones four

Jones’s vaunted connection with the scrum was mostly eyewash. He effectually stymied J. Mill time and again, and his off-side tactics might have been penalised more often. Wellington crowds chuckle over the slimness of Porter with his three backward steps to get behind the referee. But if in the test games we strike a referee who knows as much about offside play as Mr. Leith, Porter will be a potential match loser instead of a match winner.

Apart from a fine set of forwards, who more than held their own, Wairarapa had only two scoring possibilities —Fuller’s boot and the dash of X Mill. Fuller scored from two penalties, but Mill never looked aggressive, arid his line-kicking was only fair. Yet at Napier three days later he played

well, and in the last ten minutes scored two brilliant tries, di he converted. The halfback position in the tests will give the selectors mote anxious moments than the whole of the rest of the team. The gods, after dowering “Rik;” Jury, first-five-eighth, with the to: se of a blacksmith, cut short their benefactions and left him with a .slow pair of legs—a hundred-yard burst in thirteen seconds proved of no avail against the British greyhounds. In club matches Jury makes a way up midfield with a powerful fend, and ho is a hard man to bring down. Cheeking his stride to make an effective fend, Jury would be caught unexpectedly in his flight by Ivor Jones or Beamish, and man and ball lifted above the crowd as ho was thrown. A fleeting glimpse of Jury with one arm still raised to fend left the impression of an impotent Ajax attempting to defy the lightning Several times “Riki” fought the forwards so long for possession on the ground that he was penalised. Small wonder that no pass from the scrum reached the Wairarapa wingers all day. Jury, as five-eighth, was tried out and discarded five years ago for the same faults. A great defensive player, withal. Jury left the field with a great admiration for R. S. Spong. his opposite number. With considerable experience against Cooke. Jury was prepared to counter most of Spong’s moves. But given only a couple of feet to move in, Spong would evade the powerful grasp. The dynamic stand-off half gave a splendid all-round exhibition, finishing up with a dribble near the goalposts which he touched down with a long dive. Spong is in the same class as Cooke, and when Sobey takes the field in the tests with him the pair will take watching.

It is understood that the thirteen Internationals fielded against Wairarapa was the nearest approach to a test team to date, but places must be found for Aarvold, Sobey and Prentice. Even as Canterbury paved the way for Southland's victory against Wairarapa. last year by tlieir hard fight three days previously, so Wairarapa took the sting from the tourists three days before tlieir first defeat.

Lambert Roach, fullback, saved many points by his gallant tackling of Britons, big and little. Roach is over six feet, yet under twelve stone, so that he can be pictured as even more willowy than Hug. Nixon. Canterbury’s last hope of several years ago. The speed of Roach and nis tackling have made the selec - scratch their chins, but last year he was knocked out several times, and in these days of international rules he has little chance of a test trial. Ho is still young and now becoming more robust, so that his eternal gameness may gain recognition next year.

Fuller tackled better than was expected', handicapped as he was by the extra threequarter. who apneared from nowhere. Reeve got a start on him once, but Fuller caught the flying winger five yards from the line, and with Roach’s help put him on to the corner flftg, but Reeve had grounded the b.all like a tradesman. Reeve has a most attractive style, and with more to do should prove something out of the ordinary, though reports on other games have not been promising-