ON THE BALL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12061, 17 July 1917, Page 3

ON THE BALL.

SATURDAY'S FOOTBALL GAMES. NOTES ON (THE PLAY AND PLAYERS. litre resounds the football field uyifh itt discordant train—Quiller Couch.

gamp promised to eclipse tho adjoining Albion-Linwood match in pure RugIn- interest., but it was rather disappointing in this respect. E. E. Crawshaw, on leave from camp, was expected to make a big difference to the Old Boys, and,this was so, but the old Tay-lor-Crawshaw combination was not tho thing of old, for thero was no weight in the scrum to give the hookers a chance, and when the ball came out i« did so tardilv, with the scrum already crumbling. This kept the Old Boys backs too much on the defensive, but in any case, there was not the same old snap in tho passing and, what was more, the Mcrivale tackling was sudden and comprehensive. The consequence of all this was that the game, depended chiefly on the forwards, and although 11 points were scored m the game thev included only two tries, which were not .scored in conventional fashion, but were the result of a race for the ball in each case. It has already been hinted that Old Bovs forwards require a careful searching and culling. The Merivale pack, on the other hand, appeared to go very well, with much more ginger in tho loose. The Mcrivale backs were pleas, ing, and this remark applied to tho half-baclc, Jones, who was very nippy behind the scrum, and broke away with the ball frequently, although marked hv Ivor Cray and Harry Taylor. Possibly he should have passed a Little, oftonor, as he had every inducement to do so with the team behind him. Penberthv and Cade were well on their game, and Read at full-back was very steadv, although lucky once or twice. Old Bovs' up and under attacks failed owing in very steady marking, and, taken all round, Mcrivale played a bit above themselves. Penberthy's lash o-oal was a great effort agaiust tho wind, kicked from near the touchlino. SKCOND GBADE. Chief interest in this grade centred in the match between Old Boys and Linwood A. played at Linwood Park. Linwood. with a good heavy forward team, were expected to make good, but they did not play up to these expectations, and Old Boys were able to maintain their unbeaten record, winning by 14 points! to nil. The ground was™very heavy, and the game war, played in four' spells. Each side in turn made good use of the strong wind which blew down tho field, and both sctfc of backs were puti on their mettle in the matter of fielding. Linwood certainly look a splendid forward team, and they possess some tall and heavy lads, but they did not also their weight in the scrums. Old Boys, with a lighter pack, held their own, but broke up too quickly, and , time after time Linwood came through with the ball at their foot. The lineout work of tho Linwood forwards was most, creditable, and they combined well and worked practically every line-out to their own advantage. It was hard to understand, though, why they persisted in bunching when they wore being beaten instead of spreading out and trying to open up the game. When inside Old Boys quarters it was then thev shirked putting their weights in the'scrums, and several were conspicuous for looking for a chance to get the ball. This chance seldom came, for every time Old Boys with a combined effort broke through and relieved tho pressure. Linwood certainly bad Old Boys more often on their goal line than Old Boys had Linwood in theirs, and if Linwood had possessed a good scoring half or forward their several chances would have borne better results. Linwood'» backs were weak. The half-back was particularly light and inexperienced, and failed sadly in his task; but things were better in the second half, when the half-back went to five-eighths. The backs had few e hances in passing rushes, for the ball seldom camo out to them. When they did get possession they did fairly well, but tho passing was ton slow.

Tho Old Boys forwards played a very fine game. Their play in the loose was particularly good, but there was far too much off-side play. The. wing forward was frequently in the way of his backs, blocking them in their efforts I'o get tho ball. The forwards followed up in fine style, while their tackling was very solid. The backs, on the. whole, did not go as well as usual. They seldom gotl the ball from the scrum, but when they did Blackmoro always set, his backs going, and .several good passing rushes were witnessed, four of these ending in tries being scored. The tackling and line kicking on both .sides were good, and few chances of kicking well down tho line with the wind were lost. The game throughout was fast and up and down, and played in tho good sporting spirit, and had Linwood forwards got into the game moro they certainly would have scored more than once.

For Old Boys Triggs and full-back fielded well, and put in some good line kicks. He gives the impression, however, of being nervous, and it is wisto that ho i.s always backed up. Corbett on the wing made a. fo-\v good runs, and fielded and followed up well; Scott on the other wing lacks knowledge of the game, but when urged on by his side lie did well, and his try was the result of a good run. Carrick at centro played a good safe game, lu's fielding and kicking being right up to form. His tackling was good, and he put in several good runs. Parker at second five-eighths was not up to form. Ho fumbled tho ball badly once or twice when in a critical position, but his cutting in and straight running were creditable. Thompson at five-eights was the best. back. He played a splendid game throughout!, and his defence was solid. He never failed to stop a rush that came hia way, and was always to the front in a loose rush. He handled and passed well, and always followed up on the look-out for openings. Blackmore at half stopped the hefty Linwood rushes in fine style, but lie holds on a little too long. His forwards did not give him too much of the ball, but it was noticeable that inside Linwood's quarter Blackmore had better luck, and always got his' backs away. The forwards should pack in bettor in their scrums, and they broke up too easily. Williamson, Otley and Hunt were the best of tho bunch, who played a splendid game in the loose, Williamson being in tho lead. For Linwood Brown at full-back played a good safe game. He fielded and kicked well', and always found the lino to advantage. M'Cormick on tho wing .showed plenty of dash, but he had few chances. He tackled and fielded well. Gibson on the other wing put in a few dashing runs, and registered some good line kicks, but he bad few chances to be dangerous. Robinson at centre was safe. He fielded well, but, although he showed good pact in his runs, he did not gain much ground through running across too much. Donaldson at five-eighths played a good game, and was always in his place and doing his: share when danger came. Ho handled tho ball well, but hung on

too long. Ho was always well up with the forwards in the loose rushes. Fowlds at half-back was weak, and failed to get tho ball to his hacks. He was plucky, but his fiize and weight told against' linn, The forwards were conspicuous for their lino out work, m which Drabble, Turpin and Morrow fihowed up conspicuously. They also shone in the loose. The Tring forward played a good game in the open, bur, like the Old Boys wing forward, was a good deal off-side.

WELLINGTON NOTES. [From Our Correspondents.] WELLINGTON, July 16. Tlioro was not a very large gathering of the football iraternity at the Athletic Park on Saturday afternoon, but what it lacked in numbers it made up for in enthusiasm. The principal match was between the Old Boys and. Poneke teams, and tho way the supporters of both teams expanded their lungs in urging on their favourites was renunicent of tlio days that "wcro on our main Kugbv ground. As for the match itself it was a keen struggle for 'the, most part, Old Bojs striving to make the play open, anc Poneko endeavouring to keep it close. Only at rare intervals did the play, therefore, become at all interesting, although now and again incidents happened (that were worthy of the enthusiasm that was being shown in the play. The first spell went through without, any scoring on either side, but altoi lemon-time the Old Boys were not long in peneitrating the Poneke defence, and before the end camo the tally was W points in their favour--two tries by Tonks and. a try by Condor, Harris eonverting two of the three with, splendid kicks from near the touchline. One was a remarkablo shot in that the ball hit the inside of ; tho far post, and tell ovei tlio bar. In connection with these kicks at goal I noticed the touch-judges signalling successful kicks by waving their tlio reioreo also indicating ny dropping his arm whoa the ball was on tlio ground for the place- kick. Both theso incidents are in opposition to case-law instructions. Athletics are 0110 of the weakest teams in this year's competition, and they were weaker than ever last week, owing to defections from various causes, the nice meeting at Trentham being alleged to ho one of ithem. And Pntono is probably the strongest, that statement being proven !>y_thc fact that at •the present time they arc the leaders, having so tar credited themselves with a, win in each match in which thry ha\ e taken part. These two old-time rivals met on tho No. 2 ground at the. Athletic Park, and Petone had a picnic as f;u' as scoring points were concerned, winding up tho afternoon, with ()1 points to their credit—moro like a cricket, score than a football one. I hose who wero responsible for tliese> figures wore :—Corner, potted gonl and <two converted trios; Cowie, three tries and a penalty goal; Nicholls, potted goal, try and converted try; Bond, three tries • Coles, ■three converted tries; Bowers, W. Thomas, B. Thomas, Wylio iind Pole try each; D. Thomas, converted try. Although Potonc won by such a huge margin, their display was a way removed from a good one. Ihe game had not. been long in progress before Athletic wero :i well beaten .side, and the farther it went tlio more aggravated became the position from their standpoint. Tho Petone fellows did surprising things at' times, and it was remarkable to find how successful-they were with unorthodox manoeuvres. The win. to my mind, was not much use to them as an effective piece ol "Rugby machinery, and may have done them more harm than good. I do not fool inclined to criticise the efforts of the individual players, nor to traverse matters on which I have commented before, vet there are one or two passing references to promising players which, 1 should liko'to make. We have a 'fine lot 1 of possible representative half-backs in AWllington. E. Nicholls (Petone) and T. Hanson ('Old Boys) I have written about before in reference to their quality. and Pollock (Poneke) deserves a passing word. "Snowy" is a Newtown youngster who has a. good grin of the half-back game. ]u's defensive and attacking work beingalike of n high order, and the promise of his schoolboy days is developing. Sherrock (I'oneke) is another fine footballer in tbe> roakinc, Porter (Old Boys) remarking after last Saturday's game that he was the best five-eighth he had played opposite to this .season. Sherrock is a fine tackier, and a player to whom a forward rush has 110 terrors.

Baker. Desmond and Montgomoy are a trio of Poiteke forwards buMt on generous linos, and are fine .specimensof New Zealand youths. Tf things were back to normal, these three lads would get a place in the Bed and Black Senior team, and, young as they are. rank well up on the old club's roll of fame on the Rugby field. T beard a good story about Desmond which is worth repeating. Last week he was in camp with the Territorials at Balnvrston North, and tho only way he could get to town was to catch r '.a goods train at! five o'clock on the Saturday morning. The necessary Toavo was arranged, and Desmond got to'town only to find all matches postponed through the bad weather then prevailing.

Other lads worth mentioning this week include Condor, a fine lump of a

ir-haired lad playing amongst the Old Boys' forwards; and R. Bowers, who wa.s taken out of the TVtone front row of the scrummage to fill a vacancy in the three-quarter line against Athletic. T have an apology to ma fee to this fad in that previously T have credited another Betouo player with much of the slashing work he has done. There wa« a good muster of French soldiers at the Athletic Park last Saturday lo watch the various games. T regretted that my acquaintance with the French language was limited, as the opportunity was a good one to tell of the glories of the Rugby game. As for the Frenchmen, they were all fine specimens of physical manhood, many of them wearing decorations they had won on the field of battle.

The Old Boys jerseys appear to be made of poor material, or else the loss of a jersey now and again does not matter to tho ex-Collegians. At least three jerseys parted company with their owners last Saturday because of tho vigorous tugs given them by the men on the other side. By the way, one of the forwards would do his team a good turn from the appearance standpoint if he sent his jersey along to a washerwoman. In coloMr it is a long way removed from white just now. The Rugby Union's effort to retain the Athletic Bark is going steadily ahead. The weekly meetings of the enthusiasts are well attended, and from many quarters monetary assistance is coming forward. I was shown a cheque on Saturday which read:—" Pay Retention of .Athletic Park or bearer the sum of five pounds five shillings.—H. E. Card." Harry Card had not been approached for a contribution, therefore his cheque wa.s all tho more pleasing, kit he was always a good spout, and Featherston is not so far away from Wellington after all.«.

Frank M'Parland, of tlie Tramways Hotel, lias credited the fund'with £lO 10s of his money. "When Frank was ' a young fellow on-tho "West Coast,-ho was one of tho keonest of sports, and a real .'igood follow with it all.' It would bo to the advantage of the committed! if Frank M.'Parland was invited to be- j come a member of that body, for he>j is an enthusiast when ho takes a mattor in hand that is to his liking. And Eugby, football i!s one of tho things Frank ; is an enthusiast about. I pass this hint on to the powers that be. ' In the tram one day 1 la6t woels I

got a hit of a surprise. An oM friend said, "How is the. effort to have the! park getting on?" I replied that things were moving along nicely, .and my-friend said. "Tell them to send me along one of those 10s 6d tickets. T don't think I will Ms© it. but I would like to do my Httlo bit." Any other* of a similar mind I wsujkl like to hear from. E. IT. ]>odd. tho old-time Wellington and Ne:v Zealand representative forward, was among the last batch of soldiers to leave, for the front. Twenty years ago Ernie Dodd was one of tho outstanding players in Wellington, and as a front-rank forward had probably no superior in Xcw Zealand. In tho match against New South Wales in 1901. at the Athletic Park, E. H. Dodd and M. E. Wood were the Wellington men in the New Zealand team, and of 'Dodd's display in that game that fine judge, W. Cunningham (the Ancklander), said it was the finest ho had ercr seen in the front rank. And this opinion was verified many times during the remainder of Ernie Dodds's plavinsr da vs. A fine stamp of a man —determined and with the fighting spirit—he should make a good soldier. LEAGUEJAME, The positions of the clubs engaged in the Senior and Junior competitions aro as follow: — I

As Addington is iu aa unassailable position, it has been decided to close this competition and to initiate a series of knock-out games lor the Junior teams. By defeating (Sydenham on Saturday the Hornby Seniors became practically assured of the premiership; though, ot course, it is quite on the cards thattbey might'fall victims to Federal this weekend. Sydenham should have little difliculty in accounting for Linwood in tho game which they Jiavo in hand; thus, in tlu'i event of , Hornby being beaten by Federal and the Sydenhamites being successful against Linwood, a play-off between the two leading teams would be necessary. As matters stand, however, Hornby are in the happy position of requiring only a draw with Federal to .secure tho premiership. Tho game between tho latter teams will ho played on St Albans Park, and is sure to attract another big crowd of spectators. Hornby and Sydenham have met four times this season, each 'team winnine; twice. Though Saturday's game lacked many of the exciting incidents of that played three weeks before, if provided an interesting exhibition of clean, fast football. On the day's form the hotter sidft ; won. Hornby's fielding and tackling worn.decidedly better than that of their opp'onents, while the following up of their forwards went a long way towards gaining victory. Indeed. it was the consistent vigour and dash which the visitors' forwards put into their work that took all the sting out of the Sydenham attack. Every mistake made by a Sydenham back was turned to account- by ' the hustling methods of the opposing vanguardOn./ho other hand, the following up of thu'homo team was spasmodic and somewhat half-hearted, and often, when an advantage was secured, there was not sufficient support forthcoming to press it home. In the..last few minutes of the game the Sydenham forwards livened up, but the revival came too late.

The Sydenham.,backs had a feast of the ball, their forwards securing it from nearly every scrum, but their passing was of a very mediocre ; description, the absenco of straight-running backs being greatly felt. Each passing movement went across the field without any ground being gained until the wing received the b'all. Often so many Sydenham backs were, running aide by side that the ono about to be tackled was forced to throw ths ball otlt the heads of two or three of his companions to gob rid of it. The Sydenham team consists of excellent material, bub it. is lacking in generalship. The backs, particularly, have lapsed into an orthodoxstyle which is entirely devoid of resource or originality.

The ganio was ably controlled by Mr A. R. Brunsdon, who consistently awarded penalties for the taking of forward passes offside. Another illegal practice which lias come into vo,gue is the gaining of ground by falling on tho hall each time it is played. It has become, a. fine art with o;ie or two players to play;tho ball and' then drop on it. This practice is one that should be. discountenanced, as it only tends to slow tip the ganio It is pleasing to note that Mr Brunsden met the situation by giving a free kick against any player who indulged in such tactics. J>r Thacker. M.P., the enthusiastic president of the, l'ocul centre, vras an intcrested spectator at tho HornbySydcnham game on Saturday. Hp, was accompanied by Mr C. Poole, M.P., who is also a keen supporter of tho League game in Auckland. Present also were many well-known people, who once were prominently connected with other codes, but who now regularly attend the, principal matches played under League rules. Each week Iho number 'of devotees to tho thirtcoii-a-side game is increasing, and it. can bo said without any fear of contradiction that the game was never so firmly established as it is at the present time. The ever-growing crowds seen at the big games are, in themselves, evidence of this.

C. Knise. Mitchell and Porter, tho stalwarts of the. Federal Senior team, arc in great form present. Neither Kruse nor Porter has played for two years, the latter having been forced (o seek temporary retirement throMgh an accident. Before joining the. ranks of League placer*, Mitchell and Kruso were two of the best backs in the Morivale. Senior fifteen of 1012.

The fixtures, grounds <ind referees for next Saturday arc n.s follow: Senior—Hornby v. Federal, St Albans Parle (Mr J. Stevens); Sydenham v. Linwood, Sydenham Park CMr H. Garrard). Second Grade—Sydenham v - Addington, Wharenui Recreation Ground (Mr A. Morris); Linwood v. Federal, Linwood Park (Mr A. R. Brunsden). Third Grade —Sydenham B v Linwood B, Linwood Park (Mr T. Maddren); Linwood A v. Addington, St Albans Park (Mr P.. Matson); Sydenham A v. Svdonham C, Sydenham Park (Mr F. Ay ling). The redoubtable Addington thirteen has been considerably weakened by the transfer of Sanders and Smith to the Federal Seniors. This circumstance will leave the issue of the Junior knock-tfat competition very open, as the four teams that will ho engaged therein are as, evenly matched as could be desired. This competition will have nothing to do with the Junior Flnig, which has already been won by Addington without a lost game. The consistent success of Addington is primarily due to the enthusiasm and loyalty which are infused into nil matters concerning the club's welfare by every member.

The Federal Club will hold its annual social on August 1. The Committee of Management decided at its last meeting that, should the general parade of th e military forces of the district be called for a Saturday, all League matches set down for that, day will be postponed, v.

RUGBY GAME

(By QUIDNUNC) Albion's recent victory over Marists 2;ave promise of a good match when they met Linwood on Saturday last. The only persons satisfied wero those who expected little, for they had no reason to be disappointed. It was a dull, drab game, that left tho spectators cold and unresponsive, and even the most charitablo critic would be forced to make unnatural effort 1 if ho desired to write any tiling complimentary of a game that was rudimentary in design and inept in execution. How two teams could succeed in producing an exhibition that seemed to have no purpose other than that of gradually forcing the enthusiasm of onlookers down below zero is hard to understand. Common politeness) must allow the claim that they did their best, but one shudders at the idea that some day they may fall below this high standard, and the result will be an orgy of football depravity.

To set out all their sin.s of omission and of commission would need moro space than is available, but cherishing no vain hopes that anything written will wrirk any improvement, the writer, from a public duty, feels bound to point out! a few of the most conspicuous sins. In the first place neither team seems to place any value on foothall intelligence. Tactics that are fast becoming traditional are blindly followed Saturday after Saturday, not because they are the most suitable but because they have been handed down as cherished legacies from the last generation of players. First among .these is the over-development of the rush-and-tear type of forwards. Their aim is to batter down the opposition by pace and sheer strength. Those llindenburg tactics have almost completely eliminated the art of forward play, for rarely or ever docs) one seo the pack handling the ball in a passing rush. It would be fairly safe to pay that the old Alhambra team, of nearly thirty years ago would causo teams of t'o-day to think furiously when every one of their forwards suddenly became a back and with littlo bewildering passes of a yard or so swept) from one end of the ground to the other. They were hard to stop, hut" the modern dribbling rush, where no player has the slightest control of the ball, usually stops automatically, on account of over-running or hard kicking.

Again, the modern dribbling rush is framed on the theory that a straight line is the shortest distance between nny two points. The idea of eluding the defence by variation in direction, or by foot passing out to others running a little wide, is not dreamed of in modern football philosophy. The favourite formation in this dribbling method of attack is single file, with nil it's inherent weaknesses. One player in defence can always stop one of these rushes if he happens to be in the direct' line of the rush, for lie has only to drop in front of the bar?, with tho Btiro and certain hope that the attackers could not avoid him if they tried. The only risk ho runs is the chanco of having his ribs kicked in. In this match between Linwood and Albion both sets of forwards would he forced to plead guilty to the chargo of blindly exalting force and vigour at the expense of all the virtues that make forward play interesting and effective.

Neither team seemed to liavp any definite plan in its .game. Both lacked cohesion between forwards- and backs, and these in turn lacked cohesion among themselves. Developments in the same were, not so much the result of method as of accident. The blind goddess of chance dictated tho play, and the players willingly agreed, for it relieved them of all mental effort. On one point; both sets of backs wero in perfect harmony. The touch-lino effectively stopped tho play, and with one accord they decided to work overtime in making the game as tedious as possible. Tt ; is only fair to say that, they succeeded admirably. This success is all the more wonderful when one considers ihoir numberless failures in other directions.

As an illustration of how slow some players are to profit by experience, an incident, in tho match under review may bp considered typical. In kicking off after a goal against his side, an Albion player "foozled" his kick and the ball landed fust over the lined-out opposing forwards, and a good deal short of their backs, who had dropped right! back for a. full-length' kick. Beforo tho defending backs could get np the Albion forwards were on to the ball, and a most promising rush was stopped right on their opponents' lines. There was no evidence in tho remainder of the gamio that a single player had seen the advantage of attempting to drop the ball into .an open space. The merits of this plan must be evident even to an ordinary player, and it therefore follows that, the longest kick is not always the most effective. Yet •time after time we see it he kick so delicately judged that it drops right into an opponent's hands without necessitating his moving a yard, when there is a vacant quarter of an aero fairly calling for recognition. Linwood have been fortunate in securing tho Dunedin player, Fortune, for their three-quarter line. He is a fine stamp of a player, athletic-look-ing, active, .strong on his feet, and above all with a keen sense of anticipation. He almost monopolised the scoring of his side and in every ease thoroughly deserved the points be gained. The try lie scored showed him a strong, determined runner who will need a great deal of stopping when he makes up his mind to get there. With a player of his calibre, .the Linwood half will need to pay a little moro attention to those behind him than he did against Albion. Ho has yet to learn that the primary duty of one in his position is to get the ball away to his five-eighth, and not to indulge in promiscuous kicking and attempts to get through himself. Either of these movements is justifiable only as a variation. Harry Watson did some good work, arid directly ho measured up Fortune's capacity lie gave him as much work as lie could, but it was too often openings that just happened along, and his opportunities for feeding the ex-Dun-odimts were rarely trie result of generosity from the scrum-half. Among the forwards Ted and Bill Cummings were in the thick of it from beginning to end, and Varney was conspicuous for solid work in a pack that make vigour their chief stock-in-trade. A 8 an attacking force the Albion ( backs wero a negligible quantity, Sargentina standing out for safe fielding and lusty kicking, especially in tho first spell. Tho forwards wero "up against it" from tho beginning, but they battled away undauntedly in an individual fashion, lacking the " togetherness " of an effeetivo pack. Luke was a host in himself, and Gallivan and Ballantino earned merit marks for consistency of effort. The substantial score made by •Mori-, vale A against Old Boys was due to the fact that the all-white forwards were never *up to "their work. Tho

ASSOCIATION GAME.

(By CENTRE-FORWARD.) As ;i result of Saturday's matches, Linwood Corinthians still keep their nose in front for the championship. Their games have been characterised by very determined play all through the two rounds, and, though their lead has been reduced in the last two games, they have managed to retain their place at the head of the list. Had they been defeated on Saturday, Nomads, Ran-gers-United and Linwood would all have been level in points. 'I he last-named have now only St Albans to beat to win the League championship, unless a third round is decided upon, which is doubtful in view of the English Cup competition. St Albans have greatly strengthened their eleven, bub they will have to play a vastly improved game if they nope to gain any points next Saturday. If they can manage to draw, a play-off with the leaders will he necessary. 'The game at English Park was one of the fastest seen for a very long time. Linwood went off sharp with the whistle in search of goals, and had Rangers penned in practically all the iirst spell. At one stage of the game Rangers conceded four corner kicks in quick succession, and the Greens looked like securing a big lead. Smith scored from a pass from Hill, but the goal was ruled off-side On changing ends, theleaders had the advantage of two goals to their credit, Hill scoring both- His second goal was a splendid effort. From a throw-in at Rangers' twenty-five, Karris passed to Hill, who raced away and beat all hands. Linwood possess a rare goal-wetter in "Cuff." Ho has scored no fewer than nine goals in four matches.

Parlett made a pleasing return to form in his last game. Hits displays up till Saturday were of the quiet and unenterprising order. He is a splendid centre-forward when ho is in the right mood—Saturday was his day on. There is probably not a. better shot in the competition than "Ted," but of late he has been slow to get Lis kick in.

Frank Xewell took the field for the first time this season. He wa-s naturally somewhat "off" at the start, but rapidly got into his stride. Given a match or two, this player will take a lot of holding. Smith was in a quieter mood than usual, probably due to last week's injury.

M'fiaehlan, on the loft. gave liis best display to date. Ho made a number of very effective runs down tho lino, and swung in some good centres, too. Klood. at centre-half, was a very stiff proposition for Harwell and Co. His head was always handy for lofty drives, and his height was of groat assistance to him in this respect. Ho passed consistently and with cool judgment to his forwards. He had bad luck in missing tho net by inches on one occasion. "Skipper" Harris was always mastor of his side of the field. This player has wonderful control over the ball, and on Saturday his clever footwork completely' nonplussed the opposing wing. lOnsor easily kept his men in check until his knee went back on him. This player, on present form, is the equal of anv half-back in the competition. Randall and Mar Fa rhino, gave sparkling displays. "Mac's" one lapse, however, enabled Harwell to draw first blood for the Hangers. KaiulaUshowpd great improvement on previous efforts. His" kicking was particularly clean and well directed. He gained much ground for bis forwards. Bennett, in goal, is such a consistently good plaver that he has only to make one mistake for one to bear tho remark. "Bennett's off colour to-day, so accustomed are players and spectators to seeing him deal effectively with all that comes his way. He had no chance with the first goal,, being covered bv his backs, ami the second goal doubtless should have boon tipped over tho bar—beine a bouncing tor'' from half-way by Boauvais, which Bennett onlv partly stopped and Harwell liv fast following up, equalled ihe scores 'right on time—a lucky effort Harker takes pride of place tor Hanrrors He had some stinging shots to deal with in the first half, and deserves the thanks of his side for only allowing Iwo goals to find the net. His tremendous reach was a great asset His ooal-kicks were always handy to the half-wav line, which gave his- forwards evorv dinner- to make headway. Lush and Bruorton played with a -nod understanding at full-back, and never got in the way of their custodian. , Tate made his reappearance lor tno Blues, and showed good form. His work at half-hack was of more advantage to his side than when he laboured in ihe vanguard. M'Cnirtnev was not at all impressive, lie was slow nt half-back, and reckless in the forwards. He had great chance?, but; failed utter]\\ Vincent, too, was poor In front of the goal. Thousrh he. struck the timber twice, his shooting for the most part had poor direction. Orav and Nelson made many good mid-field, movements, but could not bo relied on once in front of goal. Neither took iii> the shooting part of the business with any determination at all. Barnett was tho most enterprising of the, front line, and-'.claimed both goals. He was a ''grafter'" all the time. He should, however, make more use of his shooting ability from tho field. St Albans " got it back" on Boys' Gordon Hall at Lrnwood Park. In the previous encounter the latter won by •J-,1. but on Saturday the Saints proved victorious by 4-1. ' A*. Boys' Gordon Hall have secured the services of Shurrock and Johnstone, two players of considerable ability, the Saints' victory is all the more meritorious.

Ellis scored two good goals for the winners, v.hile Kirk and "Watson contributed one apiec*. Shaw and Audibert. showed that they are reliable in defence. The Maroons were promptly pulled up by this pair whenever danger threatened. Johnstone scored for Boys' Gordon Hall after a good run through the field.:;

FITlST GRADE. Club. a ® « d 0 r 0 v4 Point s Scored. ■ J5 3 'o j Shield ! Points. Hornby Sydenham Federal Lin wood . 10 . 9 . 10 . !) 8 6 4 1 o 3 fi 8 332 330 104 49 76 70 130 130 3(5 3-2 8 2 JUNIOR FLAG a 5 ■W r*> ei * 54 * 0 o £ 0 O Points Scored. -2 -j .9'3 o to CM <i ttd Jj'o Sydenham Limvood Federal . fi . 6 . 6 . 1 6 r 0 0 4 5 1 156 6f> 5 H 4(5 144 30 12 4 2 0