Some Fine Footballers Appear In This Seasons Third Grade Competition

Chronicle (Levin), 8 July 1948, Page 7

Some Fine Footballers Appear In This Seasons Third Grade Competition

IF SOME interest was not xaken in the lower grades, rtigby football would gradually but surely^decline. It is to them that any 'district must look for its seniors of the future, and its strength wTill be measured by the extentto which it has fostered the. game in'wljat is commonly known* as its nursery, ' It is a happy augury for Horowhenua football that this season some exeeptionally fine players are coming forward, particularly in the third' grade competition.

It is in this grade, which is liijiited to lads under 20 years1 of age, that the ever .popular school , oi Kiwi type of Rugby is produee'd, where the game is fast arid open and is seldom marred by the all too prevalent practice of the seniors— playing the ma'n instead of the ball. ■ Old Boys A are leading the third grade competition this season-, naturally enough, because they have first call on ex-eollegians and are fielding practicaily the same team with which they made their debut last year. The outstanding members of it are Doug. Gwynh, at second five-eighths, and Bartosh, one of.the forwards. Gwynn is the complete football "General," and the majority of the scores notched by Old Boys- A have been man-: oeuvred by this- fast, clean player. He is strong on defence also and has a handy boot. " Bartosh hoids the scrum together and is a fine leader, toiiing- hard in both loose and tight Play. On the Old Boys wings, Ross Whelan and Hannan can show a clean pair of heels to practicaily anyone else in the competition. The captain of the team is Sonny Sciascia, brother to Gordon and Geoif., the well-known senior players.- He is at the base "of the scrum and, without showing brilliance, is the steady, and reliable leader who varies ' his play pleasingly . and, when occasion demands, shoots round the blind side for the try. . Rahui, at present in second place, can thank the Horowhenua College for its rearguard. Composed entireiy of Maoris, it is a deiight to see them throw the ball about with abandon. If these backs were ser-v-ed by a stronger set oi* stalwarrs, Rahui would undoubtedly be at the head of the competition. From half-back to full-back they are a|l workers. Third position is held by Athletic! and it is solely by hard woirk and perseverance that they have risen this far. They have only suffered three ' defeats, one by the narrow! margin of only one point and j another by three points, whiie last Saturday Old Boys A beat them by j

eight points. They have played to a draw in no less than three games. Either of the first two decisions could easily have gone their way. Led by a capable, hardworking and popular forward in Cliff Wilson,. Athletic will be' heard more pf. It is due to the boot of the vice -captain. Barry McLennan, that the team ,ha§ "shown* up so well, although Peter Morgan, the hard running and determined second five-eighths, is always a source of danger when he gets the ball. Jacob1, Fletcher and Bignall in .the forwards will make their nanies later in the annals of Horowhenua Rugby. Next come Shannon and they have prpved a very hard team to beat on their own ground. They ihave won three of the ten games played and held their opponents in two others to a draw, , College, a sadly depleted team, occupy fifth position. They are now emerging as a' side to be reckoned with, ably l'fed by that stalwarv Peter McClune. Anyone who saw this fifteen in action against Dannevirke High School will know how much McClune means to hjs side. If he continues with the game and continues as he has done this season, he will go a long way. Another forward 'who deserves mention is Stevens. Raking pendulum style, he has given the College backs their fair share of the ball from the scrums, and it is unfortunate that the present rearguard does not measure up to the excegttingly good back lines they have fielded in recent years. Old Boys B have fielded their 15 men" Saturday after Saturday only to be soundly trounced. It is to their credit that they have stuck to their guns and in turn soundly fceaten Shannon two Saturdays ago. With the representative fixtures ! coming soon, the seiectors will riot have a hard task to find a strong fifteen. Their main difficulty will ; be who to leave out. It is with interest that followers of the game throughout the disrict will .watch these boys — the Horowhenua seniors ,of tomorrow. /