LEAGUE GAME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12085, 14 August 1917, Page 3

LEAGUE GAME.

The League season of competition matches in the Senior grade lias been further prolonged by the Federal teams defeat of Hornby last Saturday. Sydenham and Hornby have now to play oft for the Thackcr shield, and tho game has been set down for conclusion on Sydenham Park on Saturday week. The following table shows,, tho positions ot the various teams: —

*Limvood have defaulted to both Sydenham and 'Hornby. A spectator who evidently was a cIuTJ partisan was heard to remark a't the conclusion of' the Federal-Hornby match last Saturday—"Well in any other sport but football, an investigation would be demanded for the inconsistency shown by Federal in their last two matches.'' The writer murmured "amen" within only his own hearing but consoled himself with the realisation that in some other sports, whore- a. better tally of such things is .supposed to bo kept, " inconsistency " is a common occurrence. I do not, for one moment, suggest, that there- was any wilfulness in Federal's sudden reversal of form, as compared with that shown on the previous Saturday against Sydenham. Possibly a football team, like- a racehorse, has its good and its bad days; .indeed, students of '"form" in either branch of speculation are apt to bo misled. In tho mud at Sydenham Park, tho Saturday before, Sydenham romped ail over Federal. At St Albans Park last Saturday Federal, playing as though thev were first-graders, gave Hornby a sound beating, alter monopolising ithe play for three-quarters ot tho game. On the latter occasion the ground was dry, while Federal had the services of both Charles and James Kruse. After tho first ten minutes Federal gained, and kept throughout, absolute domination of the game. Ihe opening stages saw Hornby in full flight for their opponents' line, several assaults of both individual and combined natures fast failing. The Hornby backs, in their over-eagerness bega.ll to over-run their comrades in the passing rushes .anci. Referee Brunsdcn, who has a particularly keen vision for. forward passing, began to penalise tho offenders. Three or four mistakes such as this took a lot out of tho Hornby dash. -lust 3 V L ', ,r S tune Porter, the dashing federal haltback, made a discovery. The ball could be made to rebound from the scrum without challenge of unfairness from tho referee. Please don't let mo bo misunderstood. There is no suggestion that Porter's throwing of the ball into tho scrum was unfair, ft was peculiar, but it could not have been unfair, or tho referee, who was m the besfb position to judge, would have ruled it so. Porter's throw into tho scrum was consistently followed by a. re-bound action which obviated heeling or hy itho front-row men and sent to lout near the corner oi tho scrum ten times out of ten. His backs were thus triven a feast of the ball, and after everv so nm Porter, the «r» uses and Mitchell were to be seen in full-saU with the leather m possession. The iesult of the match can be directlj attributed to Federal's ability to control tho play after each scrum, *or quite half an hour in the rirst spell Hornby vs chief business was the stopping oi passing rushes which originated from tho scrum. They had no chance of starting an offensive from this source. "When the ball was gathered in tho open and the nippy Hornby backs got moving the play was inclined to move across the held owing to a weakness in the rearguard division. Put such chances of attack happened along only at infrequent intervals. Hornby were constantly on the defensive. Their tackling watf nothing short of brilliant when one comes to consider the speed and trickincss which Mitchell, Porter and C. Kruse ean muster. Tho forwards on both sides were evenly matched throughout, but taking all things in the Hornby backs were a better lot, although they don't include a Mitchell, or a Kruse. The second ppell was rather tame. When half-time came Federal were looking. the moro tired, and it was considered that their lighter opponents would run them off their £eet in tho second spell. Strange to say. the events of the last forty minutes went right in Federal's favour, providing that they were really as tired after the first spoil as they looked. The Hornby half-back and an enterprising comrade, tired possibly of never seeing the ball come out their ssido of the scrum, began to saunter round to the other side before they were legally due there. They offended frequently, and for quite a long time after the opening of the spell there was a bombardment of free-kicks directed at the Hornby goal by Mitchell. One in about fifteen succeeded in getting between the posts. At last Hornby got the ball from the scrum and a pretty passing rush swept up tho field. The final pass to the wing which would have sent .that gentleman sailing for the lino and victory was intercepted by Cunningham (Federal), who dashed away and registered a somewhat sensational and altogether unexpected try. This practically endrd the game, which resulted in Federal's winning by seven points to two. All Junior and Third Grade matches are to be played next Saturday. On the following Saturday, the occasion of the .Senior final, the only Junior match' to be played is that between Sydenham A and B, which will precede the big game. Tho matter of holding a seven-a-side tournament has been referred to tho various clubs for report. A decision will be made by the Committee of Management on Saturday woelc. There will be no meeting of the Committee of Management nest Saturday.

L'lay-ed. i & 0 £ Lost. n g 'o Ph5 « m q.£ '5 ° t£ & =5 Shield Points. Hornby . Sydenham [Federal . Linwood . . 1*2 . .12 . 1'2 . 12* 9 9 n 1 3 3 7 n 134 170 118 58 83 95 159 M3 IS .18 10 2