PONSONBY WIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 225, 23 September 1929, Page 13

PONSONBY WIN.

POOR FiNAL GAME. 'VARSITY FADE AND FAIL. A DRAB DISPLAY. Ponsonby, by defeating University by ]f> points to 3 at Eden Park on Saturday, won the title of Auckland Rugby champions of 102!). It was the old, old story — -Ponsonby*s minute finish. Great tilings were expected of teams that were reputed to have such fine reputation?. Tho spectators asked for bread and were given a stone. It was a disappointing •_'aino. distractingly so. In all this game, there was scarcely enough ripple to disturb a child's boat in a paddling pool on a summer's day. But in the finish there was sparkle —play rose from its depths of despond into eruption, and Ponsonby triumphed, all for the reason that they were quicker to grasp the shadow of an opening to go through.

In the dying stages of the pime Ponsi nl>y played with some of the fire and abandon typical of their team in the earlier part of ,thc season, but there was something more than a suggestion of staleness in the match, and neither team rose to the heights they disclosed earlier on. It was rather scrappy, listless foothall at times, hut the Ponsonby final flash of assertion and supremacy was reminiscent of Ponsonby at their best. and then the 'Varsity hopes faded and died.

Quite often through the game the foot- \ ball was aimless. Backs appeared to play without any design, and forwards did all sorts of grotesoue things. Early in the game the Ponsonby backs failed to get going, partly thronsh their own fault, and partly because of the fast spoiling tactics of the opposition. The 'Yarsitv backs were standine well up, nnd bottling the Ponsonby attack effectively. Lucas was sriven very little room in which to work. Carter keeping a particularlv watchful eve on the elusive Ponsonby skipper. The "Varsity backs did one or two bright things, but could not riuire finish off the moves. The speedy Minns had the crowd on their toes several times, and occasionally added real sparkle to a. drab setting. The same can be said of Hook, who was ever on his toes. Tl'p inside backs of the students. Stotter, McKay and Jenkin, were not very impressive, and neither were McManus, Jamieson or Cammick. although the lastnampfi trio were a little more enterprising than the others. Cammick found, in the first quarter, that a short mint d ; d quite a lot of srood. but he exnloi'ted it too much towards the end. with the result that his three-nuarter litip was often crvinsr out for the ball. Solid work did not anneal to either set of forwards, and shiners had a dav out. 'Anderson and Roloman were perhaps the pick of the lot.