SATURDAY'S FIELD SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1528, 26 August 1912, Page 6

SATURDAY'S FIELD SPORTS.

LEAGUE'S SPLENDID DEBUT.

FAST GAME AND BIG " GATE" AT NEWTOWN

RASIFUBLY SHIELD.

FULL NOTES ON THE GAME AT AUCKLAND.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS. New South Wales (League) 45 Wellington 13 Auckland (Rugby) 12 Wellington 0 Marlborough 10 Wellington B. 3 West Coast 17 Canterbury 14 Manawatu 15 Wairarapa 3 Wanganui 35 Nelson 6

Sound football thrashings were administered to all tho Wellington representative teams on Saturday. Auckland, Horowhenua, and Marlljorough were all victorious over tho Rugby Union teams, while the New South Wales League representatives made a successful start on their New Zealand tour by defeating a Wellington team at Newtown Park by 45 points to 13. The Now South Wales League match was, of course, tho chief attraction locally. ' Everyone was anxious to see the elite of tho players, who have raised the new game to such a high standard in Sydney. The one regrettable featuro was the inability of tho great "Dally" Messenger to make tho trip. Football enthusiasts, however, were led to believe that the visitors were capable of much brilliancy without Messenger, and, as the day was a glorious one, the Park was lined with a big crowd, variously estimated at from 7000 to 10,000 persons. The number was'probably about 8000. The takings amounted to ,£lB9, so that probably more than half thoio present exercised their right to go in free, Newtown Park being a public Teserve. Tho League authorities are, however, more than satisfied with- the amount taken. With tho dazzling piny of the visitors, no one could have been disappointed. They proved' themselves a glittersoine, hard-trained combination, and gave a fast, scientific display, completely smothering and burying poor Wellington. The home van showed fairly good form, but the backs were not in the same class as those from across the water, and it was only during the pleasure of the New South Wales team that the Wellington men kept the scores balanced. At half-time it was (as they sav in the vernacular) "an even break." - After that the New South Wales' scoring men broke loose altogether, and the Wellington defence dissolved, and vanished like morning mist in the sun. As the crowd eventually commenced to encroach upon the playing area, the game closed ten minules before the due time. But for this the visitors' score would have been a h»?e total, indeed. Unfortunately, (he Wellington team was weakened early in tho game through tho retirement of Bradlev, whose place was taken by G, Ba=kiville. Conk and Kelly wore the only banks in the team who showed the form that was needed to cone with the Dervish-like Blue onfall, but the forwards all worked hard, if fat times) Aimlessly. The New South Wales forwards wero not individually superior to our men except in sn far as they wero better conditioned nod better versed in the bewilderinclv-fast League game. But the New South Wales backs—one can scarcelv compare Hallett with Geo. Spencer—wero in a different class altogether. Wellington's rearguard wero human—veTv human—while the Blue light division were Olympians by comparison. The onlv weakness noticeable in the second spell was that Norman and "Viv" Farnsworth hucrged the ball rather much. Deane made brilliant openings for his wing-three-quarters—Frawley and Broomham™ who aro wonderful scorers, though with different, method?, of setting through their men. Apparently, the side has no worldfamous place-kick of the Messenger type. Considering that no charge is allowed' , in the League game, the place-kicking on ' both sides was not at all good. THE PLAY. ! FAIRLY EVEN IN FIRST SPELL. J Wellington won the toss, and decided to ] defend the western goal, with the sun at 1 their backs Earlv in the game free-kicks ] wero gained by either side, without "oals being secured. Some fine line-kicking by Hallett was followed by passing anion'" tho light-blue backs, but Frawley was pushed into touch. From the resulting scrum. Wellington hooked the hall, but £ Ilarber's pass wont astray, and. O. Snlli- 1 vail broke awav and passed to Frawiev ( who scored at the corner. Cummins kick- ? ed a canital goal. New South Wales !i: t Wellington, nil. Presently Wellington } looked dangerous as the result of passing ' among Bnckl.ind, Gilmonr. Bradley, and c , Kelly, but Hallett got his side out of flip difficulty, and nlay hovered up and ' down field until Ash ton crossed the line r for Wellington, but he was brought back ' on account of a forward pass. A little ? later a Blue passing rush Was ended bv Kelly intercepting. He raced down-field ?' and passed to Cook, who was safely l! tackled by -Hallett. Presentlv Kelly e secured in the loose, and t.he ball travelled j 1 to Trvine, and then to B. King, who cen- ,J trod. J. Spencer gathered the ball off v the ground, and scored at the posts. Irvine s converting. New South Wales, 5; Wei- s ' lineton, 5. a The visitors then pressed down to the local line, and Cook lost possesion of the ?. ball in the area. Kelly and G. !] Snencer dived for if. simultaneously n-ith ' Norman, but the ]ast-nam»d secured a v try. Cummins failed with the kick. New South Wales, 8: Wellington, 5. 1' At this stage the Light Blues wero having all_ the best of it. and after a series ' of pacing rushes Deane scored at the cor- A ner. Cummins ajrain missing the 1,-ick at a .' coal. New South Wales, 11; Welling- '■ ton, 5. ' et As yet. th» visitors did not apnear to have settled down to their work, and play "e-sriml up and down tho fjpld sc until Baskiville secured near, half-way, ' a and transferred to Trvine. The latter 111 passed to Cook, who passed to R. Kim? te and then ran in-field, accepted the. bMI Plain, and scorod near the nosts. G. Snencer's kick was a failure. New South Wales. 11: Wellington, 8. P( ] Wellinston's next try came from a far- th warr' r'sh. H>« ball being fathered nn ed by B. King. He pa«-ed to C. King and Ai l-nek it went (o B. King, anrl nnce'asain O' to C. Kine, who scowl at th° posts." jr. va v'-m's Vck v.-n« (no lo"'. \nii- South ]. ; j Wales, 11: Wellington. 11. This was Iho \V score at half-time, when Wellington were rlo attacking; The si:"ptator= 'howed their In, appreciation of Hie stylo of play by hearlv hand-clapping. ' (j, ba SECOND SPELL-THE DELUGE. ™ Deane mulled Wellington's kick-off in on the second spell, and Norman picked up in the ball while off-side. Bucklond kicked f fl i a fine penalty goal, making the scorw At: read—Wellington, 13; New South Wales, an 11. This temporary reverse started the in visitors out on- a scoring expedition, W claiming punitive damages, so to speak. '" l Broomham set them on tho attack by a Wi centre kick, and Williams sc-cuved and passed out to. Haddocks, to Farnsworth, to Broomham, who fended his way down o*l tho line and scored at the comer." Cumwins failed to convert. New South Wales, l'n U: Wellington, 13. seq The visitors kept up the attack, n'l'. ~n another fcoro carne as the result of Not man passing to Deane. and the latter cuttifui in and "a&Ming to wko g;t-i

f over at the corner again. Frawley's kick was-unsuccessful. New South .Wales, 17; ollington, 13. Broom ham immediately made another great dash, but was tac'l;led near the goal. Haddocks, however, j stored within a minute. Frawley added the major points. New South Wales, L' 2; Wellington, 13. < For a brief period Wellington seemed to bo stemming the attack, but while they were busy watching tho elusive Broomham, Halbway broke clean away at midfield and scored behind the posts, Fraw- 1 ley again converting. New South Wales, 27; Wellington, 13. The local men now watched all the visiting backs. They forgot - the forwards, however, and M'Cue, Sullivan, and Haddocks started a passing rush. The lastnamed, after a long run, returned the ball to M'Cue, and the big forward touched down behind the posts. Frawley gonled. New South Wales, 32; Wellington, 13. The next score came through passing from the scrum. The ball travelled from ITallowny to Normon, to Farnsuorth, and then to Deane, who beat several men, and after ' a long run passed to Brooinliam, who ran round behind the posts. Frawley's tick was asain a success. New South Wales, 37; Wellington. 13. The local backs took a hand in thu play after this, but passing among Barber, Baskivillo, Bucklaml, and Kelly end■ml in tho last-named losing the ball. M'Cue snapped it up and passed to Deane. Tho letter made on opening for Frawlev who pcored behind the nests and misled and easy shot at goal. New South Wales, ■Ml: Wellington, 13. Tho climax was reached when Farnsworth started off from his own line and passed to M'Cue. The latter transferred to Cummins, and the big Balmain forward ran from half-way to score behind the posts. Frawley goaled. The crowd had had enough by this, a.nd as they commenced to encroach on the playing field the whistle blew to terminate tho uneven strugglo, with tho scores readingNew So.ith Wales 4,i ■ Wellington 13. Mr. A. M'Carthy was referee. MATCH AT WANGANUI, (By Tel«rraph.—Presi Asuoclatlen.l Wanganui, August 2,5. A League match was played hero 011 , Satnrday between Wanganui and South J Taranahi, and resulted in a win for the ' homo team by 27 points to 13. Moir, tho Taranaki half, sustained a broken upper jaw. He was motored back to Eltham 011 Saturday night.