Out Door Sports

Observer, Volume XXI, Issue 1180, 10 August 1901, Page 16

Out Door Sports

By Hauuieu,

FIXTUKKK. AUCUST 10TTT. Skniouk. — City v. Grafton ; I'onsonby v. Suburbs, Parnell v. North Shore. THE Cup matches arc now near a close, an<l next Saturday will sec the last match for the 1001 season played. Last Saturday, we were treated with better weather than the previous three or four Saturdays, and a fairly large crowd of spectators were present. (irafton Irad a good "game"' with Suburbs, and the former were victorious by 6 points to nil. < *ity had an easy " go "' with Newton, and won by 17 points to nil, while North Shore had a very easy win against l\arnell. ••• ••• ••• The Grafton-Suburbs match was the centre of attraction, and the allblacks, playing with the wind in their favour in the first spell, had a bit the best of the game. But in the second spell the black and whites got to work, and running up G points, put the win beyond doubt, and thus secured for them the coveted honour of senior champions for 11)01, although they have still one match to play. Suburbs made a good light of it, but the best team won. ••• ••• ■•• The Newton-City go was a very onesided affair, and the red and black put up 17 points in the first spell. This seemed quite enough for the Newtonites, as they threw up the sponge ami came to look at the (Jrafton-Suburbs match. ••• ••• ••• I'arnell took a very weak team to the Shore and had to pick up several substitutes to make the full complement. The Shore had easily the best of it, and ran up a big score of 2N points to their opponents' nil. <!ray was very useful behind the Suburbs pack, lie was very smart in his kicking. Taylor always made good openings when he got the ball, but Hay rather interfered with his play. • The Newton forwards kept hard at it on Saturday, but were beaten from the start. AN ilson (2) and Long were the pick. Asher's play shows improvement, and he seems to be coming back to the form he was showing at the commencement of the season. Marshall, the (irafton full, made no mistakse, and the way he got his kick in in the second spell was a smart piece of work. Absolum was easily the best of the Suburbs three-quarters. His work was of a good all-round character. McPike has not struck form yet. Hay again proved what a hard man he is to stop. He made some smart runs, but attempted to beat too many men, and could have got rid of the ball sooner. For a hard - working pack the Suburbs vanguard are hard to beat, but they lack the line points of the game. They did not have any idea of hooking the ball. J. Sutherland, on the wing, caused- a lot of troublo to the Graf ton players.

The last N.Z. team that was picked in '97" took seven and a-half hours to determine. The Cityi forwards swept the Held with their rushes on Saturday, and Tyler, -Scott and Nicholson were always to the fore. J. Brady played his best game of the season on the wing. He put in more footwork than usual, but he is not above a bit of " pointing." Smith was easily the pick of the City backs and got in some great attacking play. Thomas and Magee always made the best of their chances. McKonzie, in the centre, was hardly at bis best, failing to take the ball clean. But the gruelling he put up with took a lot of the dash out of l ii 111. The Newton backs turned it up very badly on Saturday, and not one of them was worthy the name of a senior. Their deterioration since Roberts departed has been very marked. The clean way the Grafton forwards hooked tlie bail on Saturday was a revelation, and gave Kiernan heaps of chances which he never failed to take advantage of. His following-up always gives him a hand in the open play.

Sutherland is still keeping up his brilliant form as full. His kicking with and against the wind was very effective, but he seemed to me to err in passing the ball when tackled by Hay. Had he held on to the ball, he would have prevented Grafton's lirst score. As I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, Mr Fred Murray would have to be in Wellington to help to pick the N.Z. team the day our first trial match was on. Mr Murray has found it impossible for him to lie in Wellington, and has resigned his position, Mr Alf Bayly being appointed in his place. The New South Wales team leave Sydney next Saturday, and the folioware the selected ones: — Full-back, Maund ; three-quarters, MacMahon, Whiehain, White, Hughes, Barton and Lindsay ; halves, Finlay, Harris, and W. Shorthand ; forwards, C. Shortland, Harrison, Beaumont, Costello. Burden, Judd, Avern, Lamb, Seelutze, Ferrier and Wright. The "Wellington Lance scribe, " Toncliline," does not like the New Zealand Selection Committee. First , he took exception to Messrs F. Mur-' 'ray and Hutchison, and now he declares against Mr A. Bayley. He says - . — "There must be a lot of humour on the Management Committee of tlie New Zealand Rugby Union, though one would hardly think so by looking at the countenances of the gentlemen who compose that body. Fred Murray notified them, at their last meeting, that he could not attend in Wellington to assist in selecting the New Zealand team, and they appointed Alf. Rayley in his place. This decision should cause a shock through the football world of the colony greater than the appointment of Mr Hutchison did. I read the other day that Mr Bayley had resumed playing, and, if it had not been for that notification, his name would- probably still be amongst those of the other forgotten lights. Names ran through one's head of many ' have beens..' who would have been more palatable than Mr Bayley, but suffice it to say the latest appointment of the Management Conimitteo is not a good on,e."

Frankhani, the Shore winger, was in great heart on Saturday, and his dive for his try was immense. '[ > The junior reps, had a go-as-you-please sort of a go on Saturday, and they will want all the practice they can get to knock them into shape. Gerard was at the top of the Shore backs, and hiss Wellington play has improved him. He put in some very" heady work, :; Thejp^hejr.bfccjks. w.ere only fair. Dempsey and Cowan were very smart in getting on to the Grafton backs. The Latter in a very speedy man, ami I would like to have seen him have some of the shots at goals. Campbell ami Thompson, the Grafton wing-three-quarters, were rather neglected. The former had several chances, but failed to take a ball. His try was the outcome of a very smart run. Parnell picked up several Shore juniors to make a full team, and they seemed to show better form than the Parnellites, with the exception of Handcock, who had to play a " lone hand" game. •Jacobs' form this season will have to be reckoned with when the N.Z. team is picked. I see a Taranakite, writing to a Soutnern paper, says that Loo Allen is bound "to be picked, as his form is said to be better than ever. 1 noticed one prominent Newton player who could have accepted the referee's decisions on Saturday with much better grace, and the latter's rulings are said to be the cause of. the Newtonites turning up at the end of the first spell. Unt this is a very poor excuse. The Grafton forwards did not scrimmage as good as usual, and are worthy of better form. Their screwing was well worked, but they lost possession of the ball. To name the best forward I need go no further than Nevill, who was a host in himself. E. McConnick, a promoted junior, was equally as good as his older clubmates. Canterbury's defeat over Wellington last Saturday came as a great surprise to the followers of the Rugby game up this way. We heard great accounts of the Wellington team, and they were confident of winning the three matches to be played. Canterbury's strongest factors are evidently their forwards, who seemed to be superior in the mud to the Wellingtonians. Next Saturday the City and Grafton teams will again try conclusions. It will be remembered that when these teams met in the first round Grafton won by 4 points to nil. Should the latter play in the same form, I fail to see how City are going to break through their defence. Anyhow, the game should be a first-class one, and I expect to see another bumper crowd present. I have had many enquiries as to what chance R. McGregor has of getting in the N.Z. reps. In all the rep. matches here last year he had no superior as a back, and as he is in good form again this year, I fail to see why he should not be amongst the selected ones. The Southern writers seem greatly put out at so many Aucklanders being spoken of as chosen for the "boss" team, but why shouldn't we have a majority when we have been "top-dog" for the- last four years ? Grafton's win over Suburbs placed them as the champion senior team for 1901. They still have another match to play, but the result cannot alter the positions. The following are the positions of the teams : — Points. P. \V. L. I). For Agst. Orafton -11 11 0 0 103 3 City - - 10 8 1 1 182 14 Newton -10 4 4 2 46 40 Suburbs - 10 4 • 5 1 20 04 N. Shore - 11 4 7 0 67 75 Ponsonby -10 3 6 0 '.29 100 Parnell -10 o 10 0 8 150

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