LEAGUE RUGBY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1641, 19 May 1919, Page 2

LEAGUE RUGBY.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. The Canterbury Rugby League's competitions were advanced a stage further < n Saturday when matches were played i 1 all divisions. Messrs A. E. I Powell (Auckland) and W. S. E. Movie (Canter! ury), who are. two of the selectors (f the New Zealand team for in which some of the players were quite evident! on their mettle. I sderal's Disappointment. At St Albans Park, there was yet another < vitlenc.e of the truth of the old adago that a game is never lost until it is With seven points up against Sydenham's three, Federal, in the closing minutes of the game and with darkness drawing in, was hammering hard at the cardinal and blue's goal. The match had been hard and fast and both teams were" just about played out. Federal did not score, but the southern team had to force. Then it happened. The black and yellow players- did not —could not, perhaps—run smartly back j to their places. The Sydenham player j who was kicking off saw his chance.! There was the old schoolboy arrange-! ment with a man on the wing for a i short kick. The only Federal back handy did not get there as soon as F. Hill, who had only one other man to outpace. He won the race—it was from well, behind half-way l —and scored behind the-posts. W. Smyth goaled, and Sydenham had pulled the match out of the lire. For the few remaining minutes, Federal went at it with renewed vigour," but Sydenham, having tasted success, was not to be out-played, and the yellows had the ball only a little over half-way when Mr A. E. Hooper called time.

This match, apart from its sensational winning, was all through one to hold the spectators' attention. The pace was fast and both -teams were playing hard right up to the whistle, although there was nothing in the nature of roughness. Federal rushed right at the commencement and for a few minutes Sydenham was kept on the defensive. For the most part, however, the game was very even. Early in the play, W. Mitchell placed a good goal from a Federal mark, but before half-time Sydenham had replied with a try which S. Trudgeon secured from a loose scramble near the line. There had been some fair passing on both sides, but -the Federal forwards were excelling in following up. Through the second spell Sydenham tried hard, while the Federal effort was no less determined. The winners' passing showed better finish than' earlier in the game and the backs moved nicely at times, but the yellow T line of'defence was wellmanned. A penalty .goal and a,try had brought Federal up to . seven points when Sydenham scored the run-through try.

Addington's Passing. It would certainly not be all hyperbole to say that Addington lost its game against Linwood in the time that the ball was "coming down" from the high * passes r.-oj the Black and White backs. Addington has a young team, a strong team, and a keen team, but until the. backs learn more of the time art of passing, the* ex-juniors : are pot likely materially to add to their list of wins. Six points ..t0...tw0 was,tke result, in Linwood's ; favour, on Saturday. The Greens appeared to have the balance of weight in the forwards, but the Addington pack secured a fair share of the ball, and the half was getting it away smartly, i Time after time it should have been within the power of that attacking line to go preciously near scoring, but man after man "tossed" the ball out to his companion. A couple of.hours this week devoted to mastering that movement of the wrists by which a, pass is "flicked" waist-high and accurately, should prove a very profitable investment to the Addiugtoh backs. A further fact for them to grasp is that a back who takes the ball when running at half or three-quarter speed is. 10 times more dangerous to the opposition than one who. is practically standing still when the ball comes to him, so that he has'then to start and work up his speed. Of course, with the weak method of passing so successfully demonstrated by Addington on Saturday, it is impossible for attacking backs to work with any pace up, for the simple reason that a player has to "mark time" for about six paces while he waits for the ball after it leaves another's hands; but the rearguard that '' does things "on attack knows the value of working with speed almost up. One of the features of the LinwoodAddirigton game was the number of Linwood infringements," especially as regarded off-side play. From one of the earlier free-kicks, D. Lagan kicked a neat goal, and one or two other of his attempts were creditable, but had Lagan, who has somewhat of a reputation as a* place-kick, succeeded in half of his efforts on Saturday,' Addington's score would have reached close to double figures. The first Linwood try came of an Addington back running "on his own" in daligerous proximity to his own goal-line.- As he was collared he went to kick, but lost the ball, and a Green man had practically a clean run in. The half-time score was 3-2. The second try for the winners was secured by Bateman, and was welldeserved. Following up well' on a loose rush, he secured smartly and scored near the posts. There was no goal. Penalising Defaulters. The fact that two out of three division "games" were won by default on Saturday,may have prompted the severe remarks concerning defaulting teams generally which were uttered at the executive meeting in the evening. The chairman pointed out that, while it was to be regretted that there were so many defaults, the League had no way • of " getting at". the offending teams. Any alteration to the rules would require a general meeting, which must be called on a notice of motion. Several speakers urged, the desirability of taking some action, and, finally, the necessary requisition was handed in for a general meeting to consider the question of providing a penalty for defaulting teams. Stray Notes. Only six teams are now left in the League's- third division' competition, whence Linwood B, Avon B and Addington have withdrawn. There was some misunderstanding concerning the fourth-grade fixtures on ..Saturday,'owing., to alterations in the draw as it was originally made and handed to the newspapers. As a result, Sydenham A and Woolston B did not play their match. Linwood and Addiingtori lined out on Beckenham Park, but some of the boys had not been too sure of the ground and the teams had only 10' men aside. Linwood won by seven points to five, but the win will not count, as the executive of the League on Saturday evening decided,

in view of the misunderstanding, that both fixtures be played later in the season if they are likely to have any bearing upon the final result of the competition. -Mr W. Blood, of the Linwood Club, opposed this action, contending that the equal sides in the LinwoodAddington match had been very well matched and that the game was evenlyfought out. Henceforth, a senior division match will be played on Sydenham Park" every Saturday. At Saturday evening's meeting of the League executive, the chairman (Mr A. E. Hooper) proposed that step. Rugby matches were being played on the park every Saturday, he said, and Sydenham was a stronghold of the League game. No team would be at a disadvantage and the move would be in the interests of the game. The motion went through without op-. position, club delegates all being favourable. .-.,.-. \ ' I

Followers of the code are shortly to have an official notice-board. The executive has decided to erect this in some convenient central spot in the city, and lit will be the posting place for all official announcements in connection with the game. The Canterbury League has made arrangements for a players' accident insurance scheme. Club secretaries will furnish particulars. j Mr S. Mallard, present captain of the 'Sydenham juniors and in his third sea- ■ son as club secretary, is leaving for; ! AVanganui. At the executive meeting. on Saturday evening, occasion was taken to thank Mr Mallard for his good work in Christchureh and to express best withes for his future. Considerable .confusion was caused in the St. Albans Park match, Linwood v. Addington, by the fact that the ground was not marked out properly. It appears that the local team was "playing away" and had not bothered to have the work done, but a senior match on a ground marked only by flags and goalposts is somewhat of a joke, and it is to be hoped that, in future cases of this nature, it will be someone's business to have the field prepared. The League executive, on Saturday evening, removed the disqualification which was imposed upon S. Hern, of the Woolston Club, 12 months ago. His club petitioned for the removal. This Week's Fixtures. Fixtures, grounds and referees for Saturday next are" as follow: First division: Sydenham v. Addington, -at Sydenham' Park, Mr A. R. Brunsden; Hornby v. Federal, at Hornby, Mr H. Ormandy; Linwood a bye. Second division: Addington v. Avon, at South Park, Mr A. Morris; Woolston v. Federal, at Woolston Park, Mr* W. Campbell; Linwood v. Hornby, at Linwood Park, Mr C. McLau,ghlan; Sydenham a bye. Third division: Linwood A v. Avon, at St. Albans Park, Mr J. Stevens; Woolston v. Sydenham, at Beckenham j Park, Mr J.'Puddle; Templeton v.J Hornby, at Templeton, Mr C. Pearce. Fourth division (all matches at 1.45 p.m.): Svdeuham Av. Linwood, at Sydenham" Park, Mr T. MeClelland; Sydenham B v. Addington, at South Park, Mr W. Evans;-Woolston A v. Woolston B, at Woolston Park, Mr Gaskell, sen. Fifth division: Linwood v. Woolston, at 1.45 p.m., on Linwood Park, Mr Gaskell, jun.