FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 48, Issue 14742, 31 August 1922, Page 6

FOOTBALL.

WAIRARAPA v. AUCKLAND. HOME TEAM’S GREAT WIN. The Wairarapa and Auckland teams met for the first occasion in the history of the Unions on the Masterton Park yesterday afternoon. The weather was fine and' the ground in good order. The teams were as follow: — AUCKLAND. Full-back, J. H. Muir; three-quar-ters, G. Pardington, V. Badeley, B. ' Thomas; five-eighths, J. Hirst, K. Ifwerson; half, E. Earlly; forwards, L. Culpan, L. Casey, A. G. Bagnal, A. -I. Marshall, J. Taylor, 11. McDonald, C. Somerville, K. Helander. WAIRARAPA. Full-back, M. Jury; three-quarters, R. Booth, B. Booth, H. Carson; liveeighths, R. Jury, F. Southgate; half, F. Booth; forwards, J. Feast, Q. Donald, Playle, J. Clarke, C. Bacon, W. Knowles, 11. Stunnell, Hutchison. Auckland kicked off. Wairarapa attacked, but a mark by Badeley drove them back. Wairarapa kept up ' the pressure, Clarke, Q. Donald and Hutchison being prominent. Ifwerson broke away, but F. Booth caught him and brought him down. R. Booth saved by a kick which rolled out. Taylor, McDonald and Somerville came away, but Wairarapa smothered them. Play centred, and from a free kick to Wairarapa the latter came away with two passing rushes. Ifwerson, Hirst and Badeley broke away, but M. Jury saved. A passing rush between Earlly, Hirst and Ifwerson looked dangerous, but ' good collaring saved. Wairarapa forwards came away, smothering the Auckland backs. Thomas had the ball knocked out of his hands, and Q. Donald, with a great effort, reached the ball first and scored in a good position. F. Booth converted. Wairarapa 5 Auckland 0 First Wairarapa and then Auckland attacked, but Auckland never got far, the Wairarapa backs tackling in great style. Auckland forwards broke away, and exciting play on the line saw the Wairarapa forwards clear. A fine kick by Southgate relieved after the Auckland bacjcs had made strenuous efforts to break through. Carson came away with a good run, and though several Wairarapa players were together with only the Auckland full-back to pass, a bad pass spoilt an excellent chance to score. Auckland now had a turn at attacking, but the Wairarapa backs drove them back. Play centred, and then Badeley found the line /with a good kick, which bounced out. A passing rush by Auckland backs was spoilt by Hirst failing to handle. Southgate started a passing movement which took play to the Auckland goal line, where a free kick relieved the visitors. A pot by Southgate forced Auckland. Wairarapa- kept up the attack, ' and touch in goal resulted. From a passing rush inaugurated by Randall Booth, Clarke was nearly over, receiving a bad pass. Somerville retired, having injured his collarbone, being replaced by McWilliams. Wairarapa kept up the attack and forced Auckland again —the fourth occasion. Wairarapa kept up the pressure, and Q. Donald was nearly over again, the Auckland full--back kicking over the dead-ball line in time. Auckland forced. Then Feast -came away and passed to Southgate, jjyho made a good run, but the movement tvaß smothered. Auckland had a brief turn at attacking, Earlly failed in a shot, at goal from (l irtai'A- A passing rpsh by Earlly, Hirst, Ifvvefson; Badeley fihd Thomas was stopped 'by good collaring by the Wairarapa backs. Ifwerson failed in a kick at the goal from a penalty, and Wairarapa forced. Wairarapa were attacking again when the half-time bell went. Wairarapa opened the second spell by ( an attack, but Auckland relieved. Give and take play followed. Then, from a mark (which should not have been allowed), McDonald kicked a goal. Wairarapa 5 Auckland 3 Auckland backs came away with a rush, but a knock-on lost a sure tiy. Wairarapa forwards broke away, but did not get far. Badeley set the Auckland backs going again, but Wairarapa smothered the movement after Badeley had made another good run. Auckland were now playing better football, 1 and the backs were throwing the ball about with more accuracy. Auckland started several passing rushes, but Wairarapa stopped them with -good collaring and smothering. From a kick Wairarapa forced. Auckland .started another msh, but Ifwerson kicked and Wairarapa forced. ’ Muir had a pot at goal, and Wairarapa again forced. Auckland were now having the best of play, though Wairarapa were beginning to liven up. Badeley injured his ankle and retired, being replaced by Nicholas. Muir went up to second five-eighth, and Culpan to fullback. Wairarapa broke away, and R. Jury marked. His kick at goal was smothered, but M. Jury set the backs going, and a kick by Southgate forced Auckland. From a pass by F. Booth near the Auckland goal, R. Jury ran through under the posts. F. Booth converted. Wairarapa 10 Auckland o

Auckland broke away, but good collaring by the Wairarapa backs stopped a dangerous movement. Just before the bell sounded time, the- most brilliant try scored in Masterton for a long time eventuated. Feast secured the ball from the side of a scrum and threw it across to F, Bo,oth. The latter made a tricky run and kicked it over the head of two opponents. He got the ball again and then swung it out to Carson, who made a swerving, dodging run from half-way right through the Auckland team, scoring alongside the posts. F. Booth converted and the final score was — Wairarapa 15 Auckland 3 In the first spell Wairarapa had all the best of the game. Their forwards bunched better than Auckland, and in

the loose were much smarter. The Wairarapa backs were sound, being brilliant at times. Auckland’s back play was patchy, except for Badeley. Auckland’s passing was erratic at times, and too slow, often allowing the Wairarapa backs to smother them. In the second half Auckland lii ened up considerably, their forwards playing better in the loose, while the backs threw the ball about very cle\eiH. Auckland obtained the ball nearly every -time in the scrum, but in the first spell they were not able to do much with it, ‘because Wairarapa smothered their efforts before they were properly under way, while at other times faulty handling brought a movement to an end. In the second half Earlly was able to get the ball away better, and Auckland threw the leather about m o-reat style at times, though Wairarapa was always able to stop them by some smart individual effort or sound tackling The score was 5 to 3 in Wairarapa ’s favour when Badeley injured his ankle and retired. Badeley was Wairarapa’s stumbling block in the backs, repeatedly stopping dangerous Wairarapa attacks by his clever play and sure taking of the ball. At this stage Wairarapa were beginning to play much better, and it is doubtful if even Badelev could have successfully staved their fast forward dashes and good ‘attacking. Wairarapa should have scored more in the first spell, over-eagerness losing them more than one good opportunity to score. Undoubtedly on 1 the day’s play, the best team won. Mr E. Freeman was referee.

How the mighty have fallen! The once invincible Auckland, who foimeily spurned to play matches with Unions of the- size of Wairarapa because the latter were not foe men worthy or their steel, soundly thrashed by one. -w these smaller Unions! The ignominy of it! What is the cause of Auckland s fall from power? The Rugby'propagandist and apologist will deny that it is the League gamo that has crippled Ruorby in Auckland, but no- sensible .person -will listen to trash of tins land. There wasn’t a player in the Auckland team comparable to the giants o± the o-amc that were to be seen in the Blue and White ranks 15 to 20 years ago. Auckland forwards battled hard enough vesterday, but how insignificant was tiieir work compared to that oi Charlie Seeding, Bill Cunningham, Francis, Sellars, Hayward, George Tyler, Dave Gallaher, George Nicholson and Maguire. Compare the loose rushes or the Auckland pack yesterday with that of an old Auckland vanguard, which included Tyler, Cunningham, Hayward, Sellars, Maguire, Hall and Wylie, or Seeling, Nicholson, A. J. Long, Gallaher, George Gillett and Mackrell. Go further back still. There wasn’t a forward in the Auckland team yesterday in the. same street as C. Speight, F. Murray, B. McKenzie, A. A. Handcock or A. Wilson. As for the Auckland backs —well, how poor their efforts seemed compared with what we have been used to with a team including W. E. (“Scobie’ ) McKenzie, “Opai” Asher, George Smith, 11. Kiernan, Dick McGregor, Joe O’Leary, “Mona” Thompson or Merry” Wood. What a grand back team Auckland had ten years ago, when it included Joe O’Leary, J. D. Stewart, A. J. McGregor, J. V. Macky, L. Weston (all of whom were New Zealand reps.), K. Ifwerson (who played for Auckland yesterday, but who is.now a past number) and C. Webb. This comparison in no way detracts from Wairarapa’s great win yesterday, because had the luck been with Wairarapa they should have won by another ten points. They were altogether superior in every department except in hooking. . Yesterday’s match, as the movie picture boomer would say, contained a thrill in every line. It Was a game full of spectacular -incidents, and in keeping with the .general fitness of things,lt concluded with the most spectacular try seen in Masterton for many years. WAIRARAPA V. S. CANTERBURY. Following is the team to represent Wairarapa against South Canterbury at Grevtown on Wednesday, Septembei 6th: —Full-back, Fuller (Red Star); three-quarters, B. Booth (Gladstone), Southgate (Red Star), Carson (Red Star); . five-eighths; R. Jury (Greytown), M. Jury (Greytown); half, h. Booth (Gladstone); forwards, Feast (Greytown), Donald (Featherston), Playle (Greytown), Bacon (Masterton), Clarke (Red Star), Knowles (Carterton), Stunnell (Greytown), Hutchison (Carterton). Reserves: Backs, Flaws (Red Star), Morris (Greytown); forwards, Lee (Red Star), Wickens (Red Star). WEST COAST BEAT WELLINGTON. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) GREYMOUTH, Wednesday. West Coast beat Wellington by 15 to C. | WIN POR HOROWHENUA. OTAKI, Wednesday. Horowhenua beat Golden Bay by 24 to 5, after a fair game. OTAGO BEAT TARANAKI. DUNEDIN, Wednesday. Otago defeated Taranaki to-day by 17 t 0 ■' , MOASCAR CUP. PALMERSTON N., Wednesday. ' Auckland Grammar (11) beat Te. Aute (6), and South Canterbury (12) ,beat Mauawatu (3). A crowd of 4000 watched the semifinal game in the North Island competition for the Moascar Clip, between Te Aute College and Auckland Grammar School, f COLLEGE TOURNEY. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The final of the Rugby tourney was played to-day. Christas College oeat Wellington, by 7 to o. WANGANUI BEATEN. BLENHEIM, Wednesday. Marlborough beat Wanganui by 20 to 16. . PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ TOURNEY. The final game of the schools’ tournev at Palmerston North yesterday resuited:—Wairarapa 9 beat Mauawatu D. Rogers, Riddell and Drury scored tries. Wairarapa thus win, tlie banner.