OFF THE FIELD

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 76, Issue 6533, 30 June 1948, Page 7

OFF THE FIELD

NOTES FROM HERE AND THERE GAMES AND PLAYERS (By “Breakaway”) That the Pirongia-Rovers team is a hard nut to crack on its home ground was proved on Saturday when the side turned the tables on Old Boys; but the Rugby Union will have to consider many matters before another senior game is- scheduled on this field. The spectators last week had no consideration for the players when they persistently encroached on the playing field. The game was stopped several times by the referee and the offenders asked to keep away from the touch-line. On the last occasion, however, the crowd on the township, side of the ground apparently were loath to retreat, and it was only the appeals of the players chat succeeded in getting the spectators back after the referee had taken up a squatting attitude and refused to let the game proceed. If a wire were placed on the other side of the field similar to the present one much of the trouble could be avoided, as the public could be kept behind the barrier. Improved Display In previous games this season the Pirongia-Rovers back-line has not functioned as a unit, but against Old Boys last week the red and blacks turned on several good movements. Favoured. with a good share of the ball, Peter Bell played a grand game for his side, and sent out some lovely passes to Empson, who was solid in all phases of the game. Tamaki was inclined to hold on too long, but made some good runs and combined fairly well with Dave Barton. ■ The latter did some strong defensive work, but was caught off-side twice in the closing stages of the game in his own 25, and had Old Boys possessed a reliable kicker the score would have been a lot different. Ormsby and Hardy played sound games on the wings. E. Barton was safe at full-back, and gained good slices of ground with well-judged kicks. Line Crossed The honour of being the first team to cross the Ohaupo fifth-grade side’s line this season fell to College Rangers last Saturday, who held the country lads to the low score of nine points to three in a game that was full of interest and which proved a triumph for the full-back of the Rangers’ team 12-year-old Herbert Fairweather, who turned on one of the best displays in this position that have been seen in any grade in this district for some time. He 'Was mainly responsible for keeping Ohaupo (whose winning scores so far this season had been 20, 57, 17, 27, 21) to a single-lgure tally. The only part of Fairweather’s play that could be faulted was his kicking, but too much cannot be expected of these under-seven-stone lads in this direction. Welcome Return

The Pirongia-Rovers seniors were greatly strengthened on Saturday by the re-appearance of the Hinton brothers, Bob and Rex, and they were partly responsible for the defeat of the competition leaders. Bob Hinton, who injured a knee in the first round of the championship, played a very heady gam/e, and the way he lasted out the 70-minute struggle indicated his fitness. H|e will be an acquisition to the Finlay Cup side next week. Brother Rex, who played in the* first half of the last Rovers-Arohena game, showed that he had lost little of his skill as a side-row man. He, too, wall go close to gaining a place in the representative team. Too Much “ Advice ”

The Old Boys’ backs seemed to suffer from the advice given by several so-called “ coaches ” on the sideline. With one advising the players to do this, and another telling them to do that, the players appeared very undecided in their movements, and their play was not up to the usual standard. Walker played solidly behind the scrum and Beet handled with his usual sureness and found many gaps in the defence with short kicks. The others were inclined to play a stereotyped style of game, which was effectively bottled up by very solid tackling by the Rovers’ three-quarter line. Unneessary Talking

The Old Boys’ forwards at Pirongia last Saturday spoilt their play by too much talking among themselves. Two or three of the pack were bad offenders, and must have rattled ” the other members of the team. At times the white forwards more than held their own with the Pirongia-Rovers’ team, but this superiority was short-lived. With Rowan (who has dropped his habit of talking) and the Hinton brothers in the van, the red and-black side held the upper hand for jnost of the game. For Old Boys good 7 efforts were registered by McDonald, Douglas, and E. Kay. Australia’s Cricketers

The manner in .which Australia, a country with a small population, can produce first-class cricketers to beat England, which has many more firstclass matches, is commented on by Mr Denzil Batchelor in his book, “ The Game Goes On.” Mr Batchelor attributes the superiority of the Australians to three causes—-climate, the skiiful way in which cricket is coordinated and planned, and the attitude of the players to the game. “ Australian cricket is correlated, integrated, indexed, and filed for reference under committee,” Mr Batchelor says. “If you see a handful of earthgrimed, sweaty youngsters in their collarless shirts and braces, indulging in a game in the heart of the bush, you are not just watching the aftermath of a picnic, but the semifinal of the Wobbolong Junior B Grade Novices’ Knock-out Cup.”

Offer from South Africa Laurie Petersen, the visiting Australian welter-weight boxer, who is under contract to the Canterbury Boxing Association for three bouts, has signed a contract to appear in South Africa within three months. Immediately he completes his contract'with the Christchurch Association he will return to Sydney, where

arrangements have been made for a passage to Durban. The amount guaranteed to Petersen is £2OOO for five bouts, with an option of further contests if he likes to remain. Petersen will also receive a bonus payment of a percentage of the gate money. He was originally to have gone to South Africa with Alf Gallagher in November last, but only one berth was available. Gallagher was on a similar guarantee to Petersen, and with his bonuses has earned in this short period £BOOO sterling. Saturday’s Programme With the senior A representatives playing their third Finlay Cup game of the season at Raglan on Saturday and the elect of the third grade also journeying to the same centre, the Te Awamutu Rugby Union has arranged a game between the senior B team and Waikeria. The latter have not played in this district this season, but reports indicate that this year’s team is a particularly strong one and will give a good display. The early game on No. 1 ground will be the first Gwynne Cup game of the season between the Te Awamutu and Hamilton primary school representatives. Patrons who remember the clash between these teams last season will be at. the Park early on Saturday. The junior, fourth and fifth grade competitions will continue as usual. English County Cricket

A succession of drawn matches has displaced Middlesex from the top of the English county cricket championship table, and the team which won the title last season, is at present in eighth place equal. The leading team is Glamorganshire, a county whose most successful season was 1946, when it was sixth. The points up to and including June 22 were: Glamorgan 88", Derbyshire 80, Warwickshire 64, Gloucester 60, Yorkshire and Surrey 56, Essex 54, Middlesex and Lancashire 48, Worcestershire and Hampshire 40, Kent 36, Nottinghamshire 30, Leicestershire and Somerset 24, Northants 16, and Sussex 4.