RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17711, 15 May 1929, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

HAMILTON COMPETITIONS. SATURDAY'S SENIOR PLAY. SECOND SERIES OP MATCHES. NOTES AND COMMENTS. An all-round Improvement In the Standard of play was observed at Rugby Park last Saturday when the six senior teams In the Sage Cup competition fulfilled the second series of matches. - At the start of the season most players display over-eagerness to gain possession and this results in a good deal of offside play: The salient feature of the day was the second win achieved by Old Boys A when they vanquished their old rivals City. Indications point to many close and exciting games for supremacy as the season advances. There were plenty of thrills in the Old Boys A —City match on No. 1 ground, which Old Boys won by 13 — 3. Both teams possessed a solid and useful pack, but the game was really won by the backs. Combination told in the end, although It must be admitted City were signularly unlucky in the kicking department.

How the Winners Shaped. Kemp, whose reappearance on the Held this season, caused much surprise, makes a better centre than a full-back. He certainly made some creditable saves / but was inclined to wait for the bounce. . Collins was fairly steady on the wing and his excursions up the sideline failed owing to formidable tackling rather than inadequate play. “Mick” Johnston was a strong link in passing rushes and was always on the ball. His try in the first half provided evidence of his capabilities. Graham, as on the previous Saturday, was the star man of the team. Despite his weight his speed at limes was incredible. Time and again he streaked up the line in possession but sometimes allowed himself to be crowded out when cutting-in might have succeeded. His kicking could be improved. Fitzgerald. .was equal to all emergencies and made few mistakes. He will essay anything worth while and still makes a speciality of dodging and cutting-in. Tuck was reliable again on attack and idefence but got offside at awkward times. , Gilling was a nippy enough half and .worked the blind side with good effect once or twice. It is a question whether he does' not sacrifice accurate •passing for speed in securing from the scrum. Brough did nothing sensational as rover but followed up well. Of the forwards Halstead was the most useful from a scoring standpoint, converting two of the three Some mistakes on his part were compensated for by' all-round good supporting. , , ~ Bonham worked 'strenuously In the tight and extricated the ball from the pack more than once. Dent used his weight to advantage occasionally but did not appear to over-exert himself. Fleming was handy throughout and Burn-Murdoch, although on the light side, proved a toiler. City performers. Skcct, the full-back, kept the rear defences inviolate when in position. Neither Kcmpthornc nor McLean had much to do on the wings as . they were not fed regularly from inside. Allen, the centre, was the steadiest of the backs and never let up. He,, along with the other backs, frequently put over some fine solo work, but unfortunately for City it all happened too far from home. -Going, who played so, well on Saturday week, was singularly unlucky with his kicks. His chief fault was to starve the wings, More than once he accepted a pass and kicked instead of sending the ball on. • Buckingham exhibited a tendency, tf, rush into the pack to no purpose when in possession. Occasionally he would boot too far, Inviting a return kick; nevertheless he shone out well at times. • For a young player Grant, the half, acquitted himself well behind the scrum and handed out fairly regularly, t Johnston, the rover, was not very prominent in this game. The forwards were a splendid set on' defence and held Old Boys’ onslaught In the second half for a long while. Robinson was outstanding, while Courtney and the Christies were to the fore in tight scrummaging and the line-outs. FRANKTON’S FAILURE. LITTLE BRIGHT PLAY. Technical Old Boys had Frankton thinking furiously quite early in the match, which the former team won decisively on Saturday. Very poor Rugby was witnessed up till about half-time, crisp passing rushes being at a premium. Then the Technical hacks handled in cleaner-cut fashion and some tries resulted-. Frankton’s .colours were lowered definitely .when ’the weakness of their inside backs appeared to demoralise the rest of the side. ; Notes on Technical Men. Johnstone was fairly safe as- fullback but he was not troubled much. Attwood and Dalbeth sparkled well on the wings and were fresh till the end. Dalbelh’s try early in the second .spell when he outstripped pursuit after a long run deserves high praise. St. George was not faultless, although reliable enough in passing movements. Gunn has lost none of his old style and eluded the opposing forwards like an artisan. His work Is unobtrusive but thorough. Mitchell was the mainstay of the team and the best man on dhe day/ His kicking defied criticism and his general team-work was a pleasure to match. Bryne, Layne and Gilmer contributed their share among the forwards. The Frankton Side. Barlow Is only a young player but lie was fairly sound as full-back on Saturday. He staved off sweeping attacks on several occasions. Welsh was a useful back but was given no chance on the wing. Smith bore a large burden and did more on his own than the rest of the backs together. His interception and try just before half-time was an example of what determination can achieve. Bayly should also have secured a try for Frankton. Griffiths was on his game as centre, but seempd unable to combine with his neighbours. Of the forwards Priscott showed a certain amount of-enterprise and frequently showed up but he has not reached his best form yet. ‘ ilenrv charleston battled solidly in the vanguard, forking unsparingly in the tight. W. Charleston and Hooper

were good workers and made up for rearguard deficiencies. With a little practice and a better understanding among the backs Frankton could recover some of the ground it has lost at the outset.

MARIST’S VICTORY. DEFEAT OLD BOYS B. The match between Old Eoys Band Marist, although only the second of the season for the players,'was ■exceptionally bright and some clever pieces of play by both sides were witnessed. " The tally T 9—6 in . Marist’s favour, points to a decisive win, but in reality the game was very close. Marist crossed the’ line three times and Old Boys B twice -in - a game fraught witth many exciting incidents. It was a game between the backs. The Old Boys handled well and the ball travelled through the line practically every time the half-back secured but they could not thrust their attacks home owing to their lightness and lack of finish. Marist’s backs, though handling well, did not throw out soon enough or else gave faulty passes and their weights and experience without combination could not get - them across the. line more than three times. Inside Men Do Well. Marist inside backs played a sterling game, especially in the latter stages when they made things merry. Their outside men were speedy and grasped every opportunity although they were mostlv kept on the defensive by the two Old Boys wings who broke away many times. ' There was not much lacking in the defence of either team, the tackling being solid. The forwards resorted to the backs’ methods of tackling and also picked the ball up and passed more than they dribbled, thus making the play fast and open. Round too Quickly. The rovers and break-a-way men of both teams came round on the opposing halves too quickly, and were offside more than a few times. This did not give the halves a chance to shine out. Nevertheless the two men behind the scrums played good games, the better man being the Marist player. Old Boys B give promise of being a more than useful team. All the members distinguished themselves in the junior grade last year and all are keen. The backs are a swift lot, but they lack finish, experience and weight. The Old Boys forwards, though lighter than the opposing team's van, held their own on Saturday and secured about their share of the ball from the scrums.

Marist Open Out.

The latter stages of the game saw the Marist backs open out and throw the ball about freely. ' B. Mills, Fitzgerald and Clarkin rallied again arid again and Old Boys, defending -as stoutly as they did, -could not keep them them out on three, occasions. P. Clarkin converted two of the • tries with wonderful kicks and brought the tally to 19 points to 0 in Marist’s favour. With a few minutes-to go Old Boys B seemed possessed with a new life and Pearson went over twice, the kicks missing by inches. The Winners. N. Delaney, as full-back, let few chances go, and played a good allround game. His line kicking was good but could he improved. C. McCormick and L'. Clarkin showed plenty of dash on the wings and got through a lot of good work. Their defence was very safe, though thely failed to in-pass when the opportunity offered once or twice. P. Clarkin was, as usual, the mainstay in the Marist team. His perfect handling, nimbleness and tackling were a treat to watch and his goal-kicking was wonderful. He kicked two fine goals from the side line. The Marist team owes its wide margin of points to this player as he secured the majority of the nineteen points with his boot.

Bottler and Fitzgerald, the fiveeighths, combined well and got the ball away smartly to the wings. Bowler's solo effort that sent L. Clarkin over to score, was a splendid

piece of work. He dived clean through the pack and raced away with a good turn, of speed. Mills, the half, was very effective. He has the makings of- a first-class half-back. His dodging and dummying were liarrassing to the Old Boys’ forwards, who found him hard to grasp. The forwards held together fairly well, but were not over-worked, as it was purely a game between the backs. Cassidy was useful as ‘rover, though he had a tendency to get round the scrum before the ball was .out. Peacock, Waters, and Reynolds were prominent in the ruck. The Old Boys B. In Patterson, the Old Boys’ B had a useful full-back. He can take a hall from any angle, and has a strong boot. His defence In this game was sound and he was a useful man .when on attack. Norm, and Syd. Innes, the two wingers, who are possessed of pace, were sound on defence. ' N. Innes lost opportunities through hesitancy. He was extremely unlucky with his goalkicking as his two attempts at conversion and one of his attempts at a penalty missed' by Inches only. S: Innes played a sound game being clever at intercepting. He got off his mark- well and was a hard man to stop.

Mills, who was playing centre before he had to retire, Justified his last week’s game in the senior A team. His pace and ability to handle the leather are a great asset and he never missed an opportunity on Saturday. He has a powerful kick and is a safe tackier.

Johnstone and Madill were very useful in a live-eighth line, Madill especially shining out. Head made a good half-back. . lie sent the ball out to his, backs smartly and followed round every.time. , He put in some good work when transferred to centre. • . .

Cottier, ws6 replaced Mills, and went half, plafyefl a safe game and was always in the thick of it.

Pearson, the rover, was just' where he was wanted every time. He helped the backs fully as much as the forwards and handled the ball vei ’> well. He was always on the ball and put in some good work on defence.. He was the only Old Boys player to cross the line. Bowling and McConnell hooked well and Bowling was always on the ball. Morton was useful in the line outs and was good in the ruck. Johnstone was prominent in the pack, put-ting-in some heavy toil.

THE CAMBRIDGE UNION. management MEETING. SATURDAY’S FIXTURES. At- the weekly meeting of the management committee of the Gambiidge Rugby Union Mr T. S. Cray (president) presided. . The Leamington delegates reported that Mr C. H. Hargreaves had offered to act as first aid officer at the Leamington grounds, and that the Learnington Club is donating a first aid kit. Resolved that Mr Hargreaves co-op-erate with Mr Bertclsen, and that the union maintain the kit. Messrs E. Golman (junior) and V. Randall (third grade) were registered members of The Matangi Club; 11. Thompson (third grade) for Kaipaki; also Jock Jess and A. H. Stacey (third grade) for Kaipaki; also N- Wright, Nohe, Wharawhara, J. Matleson (third grade) for Matangi. The Leamington Club applied for the transfer of J. M. Keeley from the late City Club to Leamington.—Referred to United Club for sanction of transfer. The High School Club submitted a list of 50 names for registration as third-graders. As High School are only placing one third-grade team in the field, it was felt that those players not required should he given an opportunity to play elsewhere. —It was decided that High School be requested to put two teams in the field, or register up to 25 players and allow the remainder to play for other clubs if they wished.

The matter of a Leamington resident playing for City Club in Hamilton was brought before the meeting, and the delegates spoke strongly against such player’s action. It was pointed out that this player was resident and working in the union's boundaries.—lt was unanimously decided to write to the Hamilton union protesting against the City Club playing this player, and requesting that they inform the City Club that he is not eligible.

Mr W. Webber brought up the matter of inter-change of referees as proposed by the Waikato Referees’ Association.—The union resolved to heartily support the proposal and give what financial assistance it could. Fixtures For Saturday. The fixtures for next Saturday were drawn as follow- —Seniors: Jiautapu v. Tauwharc Maoris at Tauwharc, at 2 p.m.; Leamington v. United at Square, at 2.30. Juniors: Leamington v. United at Leamington at 2-30; Kaipaki v. Matangi at Square at 1.30; Tauwharc v. Haulapu at Leamington, at 1.30. Third grade: Kaipaki v- High School at Kaipaki, at 2 p.m. United v. Matangi, al Matangi, at 2-30. The matter of re-erecting the grandstand was left in the hands of the subcommittee. Referees’ Reports. Several reports were received from the referees on last Saturday’s matches and were most favourable.—lt was decided to strongly support the referees in putting down rough play anl unnecessary talking on the fields.