BRIGHT LEAGUE GAME

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1935, Page 3

BRIGHT LEAGUE GAME

INGLEWOOD SUPERIOR WESTERN SUBURBS DEFEATED. HUNT GIVES FINE EXHIBITION. In perhaps the brightest League game seen’at New Plymouth this season Inglewood defeated a weakened Western Suburbs team on Saturday by 25 points to 8. If not remarked for brilliance, play was none the less bright and entertaining for long stretches, and players threw the ball about in fine style. The defeat of the home'side was almost entirely due to a weakness of the inside backs, 1 who when they proved, fast enough to beat the opposition almost invariably spoiled the movement by wild passing and other faulty handling. The Western pack stood up to a heavier and more experienced opposition excellently and- for long periods won the majority of the scrums. Nine of Inglewood’s points -were scored in quick succession at the opening of the game before the Western ' defence had settled down. Nevertheless Inglewood was the distinctly superior combination on the day, Hunt, Hail and the Arnold brothers shining in many polished moves behind the scrum.- , The teams were:— Inglewood: Hunt, Surrey, Hall, Thomason, R. Arnold, L. Ward, C. Buckley, Paterson, Larmer, Zimmerman, Yeates, Buckley.,., Western ~ Suburbs:Parkes, Simpson, Hickland, Leatherby, Lewis, Keogh, Pratt, Skipper, McLeod, Robinson, Fraser, Lewis, Putaka. The opening stages of the game gave little indication of forthcoming brightness, and. there was a series of shallow movements mainly in Western’s territory. Then ’the ball came out suddenly from , the loose and was snapped up by Hall, who passed out to Surrey. Surrey, beating a. rather surprised defence, scored in the corner. The angle was too sharp for Arnold. On Western’s linex a punt rebounded from an Inglewood back, and Keogh gained possession but passed wildly, and Surrey again snapped up the bgll to score in the opposite comer, equally far but. Again the kick for conversion failed.

Inglewood was now putting ginger into the attack and there were some lively open movements, though the passing was far from perfection. The visitors’ backs were always dangerous, and Parkes had plenty of work to clear short punts when a massed .opposition brought a , run to an end, Hall took a rebounding ball neatly and punted, with the team behind him. Western forced./ Then Inglewood scored a third try. from a scrum in the centre, ■ the' winger Thomason getting away. Again the kick failed. Hall was paying- a really sound game and had the' . forwards going Eke passing machines, beating the man and handing on in fine style. -The ball came out to Arnold, who passed in to Hall a few yards from the line. Hall was over like a flash. The kick failed.

Western-fought hard and made a far better showing than in the, earlier stages of the game, but Inglewood was too precise in movement and sure in handling. McLeod, playing a sound and sometimes sparkling game among the forwards, started the home team’s first scoring effort. Picking neatly out of the back of a broken scrum, he passed. The ball came in sharply again, but McLeod passed to W. Lewis, who crossed close to the posts. Lewis converted. Inglewood was working the blind to considerable advantage and had the opposing inside men guessing. ■ Infringements, however, were frequent. Hunt, picking up from behind a ragged field when a clearing kick infield from the corner /had been made, goaled with a magnificent kids. Western’s reply was sudden. Fraser broke away and made ground, and from the loose McLeod, still playing a solid game, scooped up and was over. Inglewood came back strongly and Western forced, but from a free kick thet ball came out of the loose and Hall cut out neatly to cross again. Again the kick for conversion failed. Thereafter the tide of the Inglewood attack was too strong, though the Western men played solid football and occasionally made deep thrusts. Inglewood scored twice more,, both fine tries i. by Hall. The. first came from a dangerous but successful run for the comer when the three-quarters had penetrated the defence, but the last was the result of a brilliant effort by Hunt, who throughout the game, had played magnificent football.. Hunt took a pass, beat his man, and passed in to Hall at the very moment when the opposition least expected it. Hall crossed, beating two men. R. Arnold converted the try and the score stood at 25—8 a minute before the whistle went. v • Auckland. Mount Albert 23 beat Ponsonby 13. Newton 27 beat Marist 5. Richmond 12 beat City 6. Christchurch'. Addington 18 beat Hornby 2. New Brighton 5 beat Waimairi 3. Linwood 17 beat Ruru 7.