RUGBY MATCHES IN RAIN

Taranaki Daily News, 7 May 1934, Page 4

RUGBY MATCHES IN RAIN

OPUNAKE’S SURPRISE VICTORY

TUKAPA WINS IN A CLOSE GAME

EMPIRE ROUTED BY STRATFORD

ALTHOUGH played in the worst possible weather, senior Rugby games on Saturday were nevertheless close and interesting. The chief surprise of the day was Opunake’s defeat of Star. Playing with several juniors, Empire Old Boys suffered the biggest loss of the day, the Stratford backs giving the lie to the team’s forward reputation. Waimate, last year’s champions, had difficulty in beating an improving Clifton side, and Hawera in the last three minutes of the game against Tukapa made repeated attempts to win, and at one stage the crowd roared wildly as a man appeared tp score. Old Boys’ backs played fine-weather football in the first, half to score against Kaponga, and Eltham and Inglewood fought a, draw, a conversion hitting the post and bouncing outside. Results are:—' Opunake 17, Star 10. Stratford. 43, Empire 0.8. 3. Tukapa 3, Hawera 0. Eltham 3, Inglewood 3. Waimate 6, Clifton 0. Okaiawa 6, United 0.8. 0. ' N.P. 0.8. 20, Kaponga 7. ' . • .

OLD BOYS WINS AGAIN KAPONGA EASILY DEFEATED. BACKS AND FORWARDS PLAY WELL Under the worst possible weather conditions Old Boys defeated Kaponga at Pukekura Park by 20 points (six tries, one converted) to 7. (a try and a potted goal). Heavy' rain in the early part of the match made the ground a quagmire, but in spite pf that the Old Boys backs made some splendid dashes, particularly in the first half. In the second the struggle was confined almost entirely to the forwards, and here again Old Boys dominated play, the pack playing a slashing game. Kaponga forwards were little behind, but the backs were unable to work • together. S. Fookes, playing his second game of the season, turned out at centre and .played an excellent attacking game. ( - - The teams were:— Old Boys: Thomson, Ford, S. .Fookes, Medley, K. Fopkes, B. Mace;' Olson; Blakeney, Purser, Evans, J. Mace, Birch, Maclean, Biggar, Luxton. Kaponga: Weljby; Noonan, Wetten, Patterson; Hall, S. Williams; Walker; Thoumine; Benton, D. Murphy, West, Gardiner, Gargan, K. Williams, P. Murphy. Within three minutes Old Boys scored, Mace cutting through to send the backs away. S. Fookes drew Webby, and Ford easily scored. Thomson missed with the kick. With a heavy ball—rain was falling steadily—Patterson had a shot from 40 yards out, but the ball did not rise. Old Boys gained more than half the length of the field in a great passing rush, Mace again cutting in well, but Medley was pulled down short of the line. From a scramble Mac Lean scored, Thomson’s kick being a grubber. Kaponga, largely through handling errors by Old Boys’ backs, took play to the line, and from a scrum Walker neptly slipped through for a try in the corner. Patterson’s kick was just outside. By individual effort, S. Fookes gained 60 yards and though the attack was driven back, he was instrumental in Medley scoring the next try,, the wing diving from 10 yards out and gliding over the line. Thomson could not convert. Kaponga attacked hotly till the end of the spell but could not score. Old Boys scored as quickly at the opening of the second as in the first spell, a rush to the line resulting in Blakeney scoring. Ford missed with the kick. Noonan, who was hurt early, retired, J. Free replacing him at first five-eighth and Hall going to the wing. Kaponga made an attack and looked likely to score, but stem defence kept it out and for a long period the Old Boys forwards dominated play, Biggar was first to the ball when it waS kicked over the line but the ball was kicked from under him as he fell. Ford was hurt and left the field, Nash replacing him. Luxton headed a dribbling rush which gained 50 yards, and then from a scrum on the line Blakeney bullocked his way over to score. Mace could not break the succession of missed kicks. Old Boys kept on the attack, but Kaponga forwards, led by Gargan, worked back in short rushes. . From a series of scrums in front of the posts Patterson was given the ball and potted a neat goal. From the kickoff Old Boys scored, K. Fookes gaining a good stretch before passing to his brother, who raced over with a man hanging on. Mace converted. P. Murphy was hurt in tackling Fookes and was carried off with a leg injury. The game ended with Kaponga attacking. Old Boys 20 Kapona 7 Mr. L. Hoffmann refereed.

OKAIAWA IN FORM AGAIN UNITED OLD BOYS DEFEATED. ROBINSON AND ORMOND SHINE. Consistently, good football that, rose at times to brilliance was played by Okaiawa on; Saturday, when it beat United Old Boys by 6 to nil at Okaiawa. The home team scored two splendid tries through passing rushes by the backs and was unlucky not to win by a greater margin. Tui Robinson and Ormond were a brilliant pair, Robinson, shining in tricky running and in. handling the greasy ball, and; Ormond in seconding Robinson’s runs and in line-kicking. The Okaiawa forwards all played a great game and were infinitely: better than in the previous week. Clarke, as usual, was prominent in the line-outs and .in following- up the. ball, while Preston, MacCallum and Rosewarne were also excellent. The Stratford team rarely looked dangerous until the closing stages, when it pushed Okaiawa hard for a while. The backs were unable to handle the ball as Okaiawa was doing. Amongst the forwards, all of whorii battled gamely, Heath was outstanding and was indeed one of the best men on the field. The teams were:—

Okaiawa: T. Guy, Blair, Ngaia, Murdoch, Ormond, Robinson, Edwards, Crawford, Preston, Tippetts, Clarke, Mcßeth, MacCallum, Awahou, Rosewarne. Old Boys: Barlow, Browne, F. Adlam, J. Lash, Cook, Henry, A. Lash, Walker, Goodwin, Shepherd, Tubby, A. Adlam, Heath, Hunwick, Graham. Okaiawa opened brilliantly, with a try in the first five minutes. From a scrum in the visitor’s territory Edwards secured and passed cleanly to Robinson. Robinson ran for some distance and then very wisely centre-kicked. Old Boys might have averted trouble if someone had iSllen on the ball, but no-one did and Ngaia picked up and scored. Clarke’s kick missed. The forwards took charge of the game. Old Boys scurried deep into Okaiawa territory, but long kicks relieved and the Okaiawa pack, with Clarke and MacCallum doing good work, dominated the. game for?some time. Ormond gained ground • with a free kick but an Okaiawa infringement let Old Boys clear to half-way. The Okaiawa backs put in a brilliant run, each one handling in turn until Blair was forced out by J. Lash. A fine line kick by Ormond put Okaiawa in the visitor’s danger area. A speculator, kick relieved and the Old Boys pack battled downfield and Okaiawa had to force. A great kick by Clark reversed the territorial position but Old Boys, now playing vastly improved football, again pressed into the home area. Blair was not quite fast enough to score when the Okaiawa backs made another bright attack. Clarke just missed with a difficult penalty kick. Okaiawa narrowly missfed- scaring several times until just on half time, when a back attack gave Blair an easy try. Clarke failed to convert.

On the resumption of play Okaiawa maintained the pressure, the forwards keeping play for the most part in Old Boys’ twenty-five. Crawford missed with a penalty kick, and after another battle in the visitor’s territory he again narrowly missed a penalty goal. Old Boys, with Heath in the van, recovered some of the lost ground. A visitor failed in an attempt at the goal with a free kick. Rosewame, Clarke and Preston broke away but Rosewame ran off-side and was penalised. Mid-field play followed until Old Boys battled up to Okaiawa’s goal-line. A. Adlam missed with a penalty kick and ‘the game finished with Okaiawa defending. Okaiawa ® Old Boys 0 Mr. A. Spratt was the referee.