ATHLETIC WIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 26, 31 July 1939, Page 15

ATHLETIC WIN

HARD GAME AT PARK

Superiority forward in tho tight, which led to their gaining a plentiful supply of the bull, was a bis factor contributing to Athletic- * defeat of Wellington by li points to S at Ahlctie I'ark before an attendance «( nearly eight thousand. As a spectacle the game .yas disappointing: there were some brignt flushes, nut iliere was a great deal of the play lhat was ' U was a hard and very keenly-contested game with the issue not put beyond doubt, until the closing stages. Ath.ciie had to battle hard to -ct in front, hut at last succeeded in being a point to the good with a penalty goal. Willi only a minute or so left a try was added to their account' through a Wellington defender losing possession of .the ball over his goal-line, and thus the winning margin became more defined. . , Athletic were without the valuable set wees, of Thurston at centre three-quarter. 1" Wellington's case the -personnel -of the backs was rnii.iderablv altered. Not only was Milton st_}l on the- ininred list, but also Thompson, ami' in addition to the tilling: of these gaps. ;h*e"match was chosen as the one to try a. now half-back. The opportunities of the Wellington hacks were -not ueariy as groat, as ..ho. c wliich '-went to the Atiiletic back division, but even no . the Wellington combination was not a happy one. Things went wrong inside too '..ton. .-thQiiyf. strangely enough, 'Wellington's two tries .attic from some snappy work by meir'fcacksV, But those incidents wero among thfc--.Brightest^ in ' a game whlcli did not contain" a,7great::ileai;of sparkle. Ilutlici- was it a stern, cost.st.', ',: .. , i . AthletiLv; rdaj-jnr against the sun and tho t-rant getting a try-, though SeEo^if^F^nock-ori before lie handled the hall and though he. also appeared to knock od. "'At'tne" interval AVelliiigton held the lead, Cochrane having- scored, a. try which Taylor converted. . . Wellington went further ahead early in the second spell, when Cochrane again scored, after Davidson had made n good thrust, and \ eitcli and Shaud also hart handled. It was a smart piece of work. After having failed not long before 'with two penalty shots, Auld, with another, goaled. Then began Athletic s steru uphill battle to get tho leadi Although several times with tho pressure Athletic exerted, linctill and Evans (on the-left wing) went close to scoring tries, Athletic just could not finish off. Eventually Wellington were penalised 111 a handy position ami Auld goaled. The anal points came from a try by Badland, who followed up an attempt by TimliU at a "pot" and fell on the ball when-..Cochrane dropped it. Athletic 12, Wellington 8. ... Mr .T fi. King started .off-.,-as the referee, but when bo was forced, to retire With an injured ligament his place; was taken by -Ur. A. Hooper.