LEAGUE AND LEAGUERS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 437, 5 July 1915, Page 2

LEAGUE AND LEAGUERS.

SYDENHAM'S BRILLIANT DISPLAY

It would appear, now that Sydenham are certain to again win the Thacker Shield; and after the excellent exhibition they gave on Saturday, he would| be a captious critic who would consider them unworthy of the honour. In beating Northern Suburbs, Sydenham gave a top-of-their-form exhibition, and both teams have plenty to be proud of in their' play. The game was the best that the League matches have produced this year, and from whistle to whistle there, was- not one dull moment. Great things had been expected'by many of Northern Suburbs, and these expectations were in every respect warranted. Their plaj r , though by no means free from defects, was the best thoy have gi\ T en to date, and the fact that it w r as> not quite good enough to beat Sydenham does not detract at all from its quality. The match was the hardfought, even, and frequently brilliant struggle that everybody had expected. Sydenham, though confident of victory, did not commit the blunder of regarding: their opponents lightly. From the outset they treated the affair in the most serious spirit and let slip no opportunity to advance their prospects.

Northern Suburbs' Good Forwards. Northern Suburbs lost because their backs have not yet attained that machine-like precision, that accuracy, resource, and quick initiative that make the play of the Sydenham backs so admirable. Their forwards, as an offensive combination, were superior to Sydenham, and it was due entirely to the never flagging energy and cleverness of the forward ranks that the margin of points by which Sydenham won was so small. Time after time the tricky dribbling', rushes of the Northern . Suburbs!** forwards piloted their side out of danger and put Sydenham very seriously on the defensive. .. Sydenham found these attacks a ; great, deal harder to deal with than those where the ball was flying about among the backs. Occasionally it seemed that Sydenham, without men to.'grass,: but with the ball still advancing, were seriously nonplussed, and a> Sydenham player usually settled the question for the time by falling on the ball when'he/failed to pick it up, and so give his side another start. The Northern. Suburbs backs were usually quite good, occasionally clever, and on rare occasions brilliant. Their efforts were, however, too spasmodic and irregular to avail them 'much against, the neverfailing cleverness and constant readiness' of the Sydenham rearguard. A man wasn't always in his place in their

attacks, good openings were sometimes found when the nocessary support was not offering. It was such ragged ends as these that helped the already good defence of Sydenham and kept Northern Suburbs' points down. Similar mistakes were not made by Sydenham. The narrow margin between the two scores, as a matter of fact, gives a pretty fair reflection of the respective merits of the teams. \ Fine Back Play. The Sydenham backs were nearly always brilliant, were always reliable, and even in their worst moments were never mediocre. .The Sydenham back combination is- one of the. most certain and reliable things in Canterbury League football. Mistakes occur so sel» dom that it is a case of good tackling or a score every time they get in motion. The men are always nicely placed, ready to lend adequate support to the principal attacker, there is no disposition to selfishness, and the ball is always cleanly sent out and surely taken. Quickness to seize openings and the instand response of that swinging back attack —oji the move as soon as the nearest player jumps the brief opportunity —have always been a characteristic of Sydenham's play; and .they showed it at" its best on Saturday. With the imperfections that existed in the Northern Suburbs' backs it would have been extraordinary if even the splendid efforts of their forwards had wrested'the palm from that splendid 'Sydenham rearguard. Sydenham certainly deserved their win, and Northern Suburbs have no cause to . be other than proud at the manner in which they acquitted; 'themselves'. Certainly they gave Sydenham the fight of their life, and the winners were.fully extended all the way. The defence of both teams was excellent. Every try scored came as the result of a hot fight : in which the defence was of the most lively description. The tackling was sure and vigorous, and no man in either team hesitated to plunge into the : middle of hot and hard work.' Addington v. Federal. What these two teams most require is the services of a capable , Their play is most erratic, spurts of brilliancy alternating with the most dismal fumbling. Both teams are possessed of a number of men, who, with proper training, would develop into most capable; players, but, as it is at present, they: cannot be relied oh. These remarks a.pply particularly to Federal. Cook, Fletcher, and Cunningham are vigorous players, and on Saturday were the most effective men on their side, but their inconsistencies- are depressing to the spectator. Meadows played a good game for Addington, and, with his bulk and paee,takes some stopping. But he appears to have occasional bits of that "tired

feeling/' and at these periods his one idea appears to be to get rid of the ball ar quickly as possible, irrespective of whether there is one of his side ready or otherwise to take it.

Sanders played., a good and fairly consistent game, and when he "got going'' with his head down and the ball tucked under his arm, he required some chasing. The fundamental error of the Federal players was the disposition, continually manifested, to pass without any effort to beat the opposing man, thus leaving man for'man on the opposing side. This failure, combined with the habit of breaking-down in the face of a substantial score by their opponents, is chiefly responsible for theie defeats. Even with their deficiency from • the point of scientific - play> they would make a much better showing were they to display in the second spell the same vigour that they usually show in the first part of the game. la addition to Meadows, Sanders, Manning, and Hardingham also played well for Addington in Saturday's match.