SHALFOON SHIELD MATCH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 98, 14 July 1944, Page 8

SHALFOON SHIELD MATCH

TE PUKE RETAINS TROPHY Football was again at a high standard on Saturday and whilst Te Puke beat Whakatane by 14 points to 3 there, was really not* that difference in the merits of the two teams. The ball was dry for most of the first half and both sets of backs gave a great display of handling. Later a drizzle set in, and made the ball very heavy and slippery and the Te Puke boys .shaded the visitors in wet. weather football though the visiting forwards later became more aggressively dangerous. Most notable on the field for T9 Puke was Brownlee. who besides putting two remarkable field goals over, in the thick of every back movement, scoring a try and providing Norris; with his opportunity. Shepherd played well, and wherever he. went. Brownlee was with him. All the same the star honours go to the young Whakatane half-back, M. Tiepa, who throughout the match played brilliantly. He was elusive and fast and his passes went out like cannon balls. He scored the only points for Whakatane, taking the ball on the full at top speed and racing round his opponents to score a great try. Both sets of forwards played good Rugby, with Te Puke breakaways perhaps a trifle, slow from the set scrums. In, the loose honours were very even with Treloar and I. Spratt showing to advantage. / Mr E. fylorton was successful with the whistle. Flashlights were the. scoring incidents. In midfiekl Brownlee -gave, a powerful punt Avhich was followed up by Norris,, the winger. He gathered it in, evaded a tackle and bolted to touch down as he was tackled. Later, from 35 yards out Brownlee landed a beautiful snap field goal. From a serum the ball went through

Williams, Shepherd* Brownlee anil Shone to Norris, who made good ground, cut in and handed neatly to Brownlee ay ho raced in. At half" time Te. Puke led by 10 points to nil. During the interval team manager W. Hume and coach Stevenson (an ex-iall Black League man) had a pep-up talk and throughout the second spell the visiting forwards were slightly superior and kept play very largely in Te Puke territory. This gave E. Petch some hard work which lie handled very nicely. The Wha'katane half and centre were doing great work but there were weak links in between. Tiepa scored for Whakatane on his own, and the final points were another field goal by Brownlee. The final reading of the scoreboard was: — Te Puke. 14., Whaloitane 3. i