"FLANDERS FOOTBALL"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3149, 30 July 1917, Page 9

"FLANDERS FOOTBALL"

-♦—- — RUGBY "IN THE SOUP" FKATHERSTON CAMP DEFEATS TKENTKAM " tioniß eaid it was Rugby football that tho representatives of the two big military camps played at tho Alhlotio Park on Saturday afternoon. A returned soldier -who wiis present christened it "Planners football," and hinted that tho players would bo lucky if they did not develop trench feci;. The ground was nover in a worse condition. T'hero were places that showed the mirrored surfaco of clear water before tho-ganio started, bint beloro it ended these becam'o sloughs of trouble.- Trentham wore pretty 'light sky-bluo jerseys and Pentherston red and black hoops, but beforo tho game had beou i7i progress ten.minutes-most of (he players had assumed a.u even coat of man-o'-war grey from tho buttons on their boots to the topmost hair—they had completely "lost their- identification hues," and in tho wild melees that marked the gnnio the majority of tho men could only bo distinguished roughly by t'hoir positions and the direction in which they booted the ball. Still tho game was full of. interest, both teams wero full of condition, and the struggle was remarkably oven, though tho lteds, who won, showed slightly bettc>- combination, particnlariy in their back division. They wero, too, Iho heaviest lot, and that served them woll in the scruim slides. To see these teams in action on a firm ground would be woll -worth anyone's money, and it is to be hoped that 6uch a fixture yet may bo arranged. Tho teams were as follow:—

Trentham.—Full-back, P. Bryden ; three-quarters, B. J. Richards, P. .T. Eyan, A. Blakey; five-eighths, J. j?yan,. E. E. Crawshaw; half, K. Adams; forwards, Camoron, S. Cleal, 0. A. Smith, J. Marshall, C. ITDavitt, Jf. Hugo, P. Barry, T. Milliken.

Feathorston.— Pull-back, ll'Callum; , threo-quartera, ilncky, Jfp.dden, Eobinbou; five-eighths, Packer, Connolly; half, Howe; forwards, Crowley, Quinhui, Baird, Couilter, Jlunro, Mltae, Thompson, Bonnor.

Trentham kicked off, playing from west to east, and the kick was returned to tho lino by Packer, who found tho line at the 25 Hag. From the line-out the ball rumbled along in the mud until snapped up by Madden, who punted well up-held, but the. Blues returned with a loose rush to mid-field, where bog conditions quickly developed, and the players found themselves sliding as far as they lan. Robinson managed to punt down the line, but a strong Blue lush worked tho greasy leather buck, to, halfway, where give-and-take play m tho soup began its obliterating work. At last the ball wont ouit to he Blue backs, and Ryan and Richards kicked with judgment, made an opening tor their bright forwards, who carried the ball down to within ten yards of (Jib Ked line, but the F eal herston men were strong mi defence, and relief came through tho timely intervention of Madden and Connolly. Again and again tho .'Hues showed themselves experts in fast dribbling rushes, more than beating ;he opposing forwards, but the Blue hack division, which looked so good on paper, had not (ho combination of the Reds, who soon showed that even under such trying conditions passing rushes wore possible. From a good deal of line play the Reds got going, and the big men came down liko an avalanche to the Blue -Jo's, and once again the active Madden relieved. Good line-kicking on the part of tho Kcd backs' carried the play along the southern line, and from a long throw out from tho boundary there ensued a Homeric strugglo in the mud, the termination of which saw Packer snatch the slippery oval and dash over. The fame player took the kick, buit it carried low. Feathcrston, 3 points. The score put great heart into the Red division, which charged down and looked ugly again, when bryden, the useful Jiluo full-back, got them out of difficulties with a, fine loug piiiiit to tho line. Central scrambles near the boundary ensued, followed by , another Bed attack, which reached within fifteen yards of the Blue line, but M'C'allum, Madden, and. Macky pushed the play out at the quarter Hue. Acijoss file field went the "muddied phalaiu," (nit tho Reds came back again and a burly .Red forward looked liko scoring, and Wight have done .so had he hung on 10 the hall, but he unselfishly passed when tihree yards from the line, and the bull was propelled from hand-to-hand lo die corner, where a toueh-in-gonl was recorded, and the Blues-breathed"freely once more —half-time.

Willi plenty of dash still left, the Blues resumed their loose' dribbling rushes, and pmictnntixl Ivy some li:ao Jii'Jkieking by I'. Byan and liiehurais, they squeezed iiitj the Beds' quarter, mil lull of attack, one of the forwards kicked a bit top hard and Beds forced. Ti-om iho kick-out Blues ag-aii l attached with vim, and once more the Beds from aver the lull had to .seek i-anciiiary behind the line. ' Xow that 'both-sides'were "all blacks." and the rain, commenced to fall again, the teams, cheered by a crowd of belated 1 ban-ackers in khaki, sloshed round in- great style. At times -lie hull was seen to pass right through the men, who could not touch it without losin-g their centre of gravity, whilst tlio gnuvity of tlio onlookers had long- since <Hsappeared.. The Blues pressed hard for five or six minutes, and loosening; v'p a bit; the. backs instituted, a- palling rush that terminated- will.- Bichards beating his man ami ilyjnjr over the line, limt as he touched the whistle wait. 'f'rfo hall had been tluowu -forward. It was hard luck at a critical part of tlio gamo. From the serum a free-kick for Beds resulted, which gave relief, and the burly I'eatheistonians following up iroll. carried the ball into Bluo territory, and attacking savagely on two occasions looked dangerous, liul: Brydon was coot and safo, and Byan. Richards, awl Crawshan' were defence. The game ended with lino play in mid-Hold, no one being sorry., Mr. A. K. Kit to conh-ol!e<l the match. ANOTHER MUD SCRAMBLE. "BEP." jrSTC'H A'f CAKTEBTON. (By TolegrauJi—Special .tiorroHnondoait.) | Mastcrton, July -J5. The ropresonialivf. .Bnjjb.v match .'Wellington v. Wairhrapa.. was played at Carterton yesterday .in tho ' presence, a '(-oiisidev'n.ble lriimlicv of people. Tlio match resolved .itself into a. mud scrambio. In the firsjS spnLl Wairarapa scored a goal, and a try; ami in the second s-pell ■Wellington scored a try, tho game thus ending in favour of Wairarapa by eight points to three. ASSOCIATION. Two Association matches were played in town on Saturday, all I'ho other games being iiostpoue<l owing to tho heavy rain during the-week. Third Class.—Atarist. 13rot'hnrs versus Kui'oi'i: Karon 'defeated Marist Brothers at Association Park by .'(goals- to nil. Fourth Class.—Alarist. Brothers and Thorndon: Alarist Brothers, defeated Thorndon at Association Park hy 2 goals to nil.