INTER-COLLEGE TOURNAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1921, Page 3

INTER-COLLEGE TOURNAMENT.

TO FINAL MATCH. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wanganui, Last. Night. The final match in tho inter-collegiate Rugby tournament was played here to-day between Wanganui and Wellington Colleges. It was a battle for the wooden spoon, as Christ’s College had atecadj’ won the tournament. The day was beautifully fine, and there was a large attendance of spectators, who were rewarded by seeing a fast and open game. Wanganui infused great dash into their play and were superior in all departments to Wellington, the final points being: Wanganui 19, Wellington 8. The scores were level at halftime. Malcolm kicked a penalty goal and Johnson scored between the posts tor Wellington and Malcolm converted, while for Wanganui Bayiy and Brownlee scored tries, Bayly improving the latter. In the second spell Wanganui's superior condition told, and they put on an additional 11 points. For the winners Stonewigg, Hewitt and Blyth scored tries, Bayiy improving one. Flay was exceptionally fast throughout, and the tackling deadly.

Tie tournament, which has been favored with exceptionally fine weather, was easily the best, ever held here. THE HIGH SCHOOL TEAM. MATCH WITH GRAMMAR SCHOOL. The match between the New Plymouth High School teaux and the Auckland Grammar School, to be played next Wednesday at Now Plymouth, should prove interesting. The Aucklanders Fave a very good team this season, and in them the local boys will find a tough nut to crack. Still, New Plymouth have done well this season, and are playing together splendidly. Their win this week against Nelson College was a highly meritorious one. for Nelson, on their own ground, are hard to beat. New Plymouth's win was a decisive one. One thing can be depended upon—they will iday their hardest against Grammar, in order to secure tire rubber. Grammar and New Plymouth hare met twice. On the first occasion New Plymouth High School was in its swadling clothes as regards football. Now it has grown into a sturdy, well-trained, clever team. It can confidently be asserted that the school that defeat New Plymouth In. the Moascar Cup competition will be a very good one. (Secondary school football, as a ru!e A is a treat to witness; they make the game open and play it, as it should be played, and a contest between two suet redoubtable exponents as New Plymouth and Grammar School should be a treat to witness. THE AUCKLAND MATCH. One of the outstanding features of the play in the Auckland match was tho triumph of the Africans’ 3-2-3 scrum over the Auckland 2-3-2 fonmation, for it was in very rare instances that the Auckland scrum obtained the ball, and consequently the Auckland backs had mostly to make their opportunities from line-outs or loose play (says the Star). In this connection Townsend at scrum half got away a good deal the first spell with picking the Vail out. of the scrum, but early in the second spell he was penalised four times in quick succession for the fault. The fourth time cost his side a penalty goal. Apart from Vu's fault Townsend played a very clever and keady game, being right up to international standard.

Among the other African backs only Clarkson, Zeller and G. Morkel showed a standard of play taeasuring up to New Zealand international Hass. Zeller, on the wing, was always brilirfnt When the ball camo to him, his fielding, handling, kicking and running being of the best class. Royal Morkel was literally a tower of strength to the African forwards in the line-out, and du Plessis and , Ellis wore good all-round men, hut generalij the Auckland forwards showed to better advantage on the line and In tlio loose. The Auckland backs were generally outpaced, and they got little chance to show scoring ability, hut their tackling was poor all round, and it was only the tackling of the forwards that averted a much greater defeat.

The African excellence in line-kicking, which is much above the New Zealand standard, was not relished by a crowd accustomed to line-kicking restrictions, and was several times the subject of complaint from Ike crowd when the side-line was used for working to attack.

The game throughout was marked by only fourteen penalty kicks, but in the first spell seven of these were awarded to the Africans, while in tho second spell not one free-kick was given against Auckland, while four were given against the visitors.

THE JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP. By defeating Toko at Waitara on Saturday, Lopperton annexes the junior championship for 1921, and are to be heartily congratulated on their success. The two teams in the final were very evenly matched, and the result was always in doubt. As the teaims took the field. Toko were noticeably the heftier, both in backs and forwards. Tlreir backs, too, seem to know something of the science of the game and combined well, but. faulty handling was largely responsible for failure to add the finishing touches to several promising movements. Nevertheless, Toko has the nucleus of a good scoring three-quarter line. Lepperton were indeed fortunate in possessing two five-eighths of the calibre of Copestake and Barriball, both of whom played groat games. Both of Lepperton’s tries were made by Barriball, who each time cut in cleverly and scored. Another feature of Lepperton's play was good tackling, a factor which undoubtedly had a considerable bearing on the final result. Between the opposing pack of forwards there was little. to z choose. Toko had the advantage of weight, but Lebperton got a fair share of the ball from the scrums, and appeared to have more staying power than their opponents. Summing up, the game was in all respects worthy of the final battle for championship honors.

ASSOCIATION GAME. NEW PLYMOUTH v. HAWERA. To-day a team from New Plymouth will journey to Hawera to play a unatch against the Hawera dub. The team will comprise : Johnstone, Shepherd, Fitzgerald, Marshall, Katz, Woodhead, Shepherd, Palmer, Gorange, Julian, Lawrence. Emergencies: Howlett, Palmer, Austen. A VETERAN REFEREE. The annual re-union of the Taranaki Referees’ Association (northern committee) on Thursday night gave members an opportunity of showing their appreciation of the splendid services rendered by the doyen of the association, Mr. G. Hopkins. “George” has always been a keen enthusiast, giving lot Ills best in the interests of the game, and not only has he taken the lead as a. referee in years past, but he has set a stanrpfrd to which all young referees aspire. Indeed, there are very few Taranaki referees that have not cause to thank him for valuable advice, and the intimation that he intended to take a less active part next year was received with expressions of regret. He will be sadly missed from the weekly meetings, as he had a very capable knowledge '‘of every rule and by-law of the game. In acknowledging the toast of Iris health, ably proposed by Mr. F. Hooker, Mr. Hopkins remarked that he had been connected with the Referees’ Association since its inception twenty years ago. Since their annual gathering last year the membership in the northern division had more than doubled itself, and the new conditions compelled tho formation the central division. On behalf of the whole association, he could claim that they had done their work with credit to themselves. Any shortcomings inseparable from the inauguration of a new scheme, sculd be rectified next year. The inwodue-

tion of new blood had introduced new ideas, and he was progressive enough to recognise that, they should foster anything for their advancement. Ti e referee was the pivot on which the whole game worked, and though a man might not have the ability that might be desired, a lot could be overlooked If tney were men of integrity and honesty- of purpose. Three more referees had made a start, to earn the certificate of merit, having taken representative matches. He urged all to make themselves proficient, and this could not be done at the street corners, hut. by studying the rules and attending their (meetings, at which rules were threshed out. He. touched on the difficulty of obtaining uniform rulings, as no two men thought alike. He would attend some meetings next year, but he felt that after holding the chair for two years, it should go round. He lad been in the chair ai 100 meetings, and had refereed over 106 matches, and bad l»een actively associated with football for twenty-five years, so he thought he could cl«im to have done his share, ,