UNEXPECTED WINS FOR FOUR TEAMS

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 134, 8 June 1931, Page 13

UNEXPECTED WINS FOR FOUR TEAMS

WELLINGTON FIFTEEN BEATEN BY ATHLETIC (Special to the “ Star.”) . WELLINGTON, June 8. Surprises were the order of the dav m Wellington Rugby on Saturday. First of the startling results was the defeat of Wellington at the hands of Athletic, one of the bottom teams. Second was the defeat of the confident Petone team by Poneke in a closescoring match; third was the runaway victory of Old Boys over Marist, who had previously ranked with Wellington as the only team beaten once in the championship. Finally there was the surprise defeat of Johnsonville, leaders of the senior B championship. On their form against Wellington. Petone were the popular picks in their match with Poneke. And so well did Petone combine in the first spell that it was on the cards that the forecast was right. At one stage of the game Petone led by 13 points to 3, but by dint of excellent and well-thought-out forward play, combined with a streak of luck in the last five minutes, Poneke succeeded in defeating their rivals. Jack Shearer, a leader with an old head, mapped out the campaign on dribbling lines, and it was this which brought about the defeat of the team led by Mark Nicholls. Among the best players on the field were Nicholls, Pelham, who toured France with the Maori representative team, and who played a very safe game at full-back for Poneke, Pollock, the scintillating Petone centre threequarter, and Lambourne, Lind, Martin (Petone) and Jessup, Shearer and M’Pherson (Poneke) in the forwards. Feeling Knocked About. No one expected Wellington to go down to the comparatively weak Athletic side. But the game last Wednesday told its tale. Wellington put all their efforts into defeating or attempting to defeat Hutt, and it was a sore team that took the field on Saturday. There was a complete absence of sparkle about the Wellington play, and Athletic were able to look like a fair team. On their efforts so far no one will dispute that the Ilutt match brought about disaster for Wellington on Saturday. As Marist had been beaten only once in six games it was thought that they would make their presence felt against Old Boys, who had won only two games. However, superior speed saw a complete reversal of form, and at no time did Old Boys lock like being defeated. They led at half-time by ten points to nil and doubled the effort in the second spell. Old Boys are a team quito capable of providing upsets in the championship, but apparently not at the expense of Hutt. Oriental and Miramar, two solid forward teams, played a hard drawn game with 14 points each. There was no sparkle in the football, but lovers of forward play had something to delight over. Varsity, as stated in last week’s notes in this column, continued their series of lost games. On Saturday Eastbourne, with a comparatively light scrum and a fair team of backs, took on Varsity at their own passing game and beat them pointless. Hutt Win Again. Hutt continued their winning way by defeating Berhampore by 16 points to 3. So attractive is the football provided by Hutt that crowds now visit the borough instead of patronising the headquarters games at Athletic Park. Hutt now have a four-point lead over Wellington and Poneke, and the competition looks all over except the presentation of the trophy. Next Saturday Poneke will attempt to stop the Riverside team, and later Petone will try. These appear the only teams with faint hopes of stopping Herb Lilburne and his brilliant associates. Soccer. Hospital, Diamonds and Petone maintained their respective positions in the Wellington Football Association’s championship by scoring wins against the teams in the bottom half of the table on Saturday. Petone and Diamonds had no trouble at all, but Hospital, who are bracketed in the

lead with Diamonds, had a tough struggle to beat the much-improved Thistle side. Marist continued their succession of drawn games, this time against Waterside. Marist and Thistle have both drawn three times, rather an unusual percentage in seven games. The representative team to play Auckland for the Football Association Trophy next Saturday is practically the same as that which defeated Canterbury on the King’s Birthday. It is confidently expected that Wellington will lift the trophy on this occasion.