LAST-MINUTE WIN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20027, 28 August 1939, Page 8

LAST-MINUTE WIN

CLOSE CALL FOR BAY RUDDY MATCH IN UI’OTIKj THREE-POINT VICTORY (Special to the Herald.) OPOTIKI, this day. A converted try in the last three minutes of the game gave the Poverty Bay senior Rugby representatives a well-merited win over a strong Bay of Plenty fifteen in Opotiki on Saturday after a fast and open game. Poverty Bay were the filter side and lasted out better than their opponents, who faded badly in the final quarter. The visiting pack was strong and early gained dominance over the home pack, never letting up and calling the tune for most of the game.

There was no score up to half-time but, on the resumption of play, Bay of Plenty took the offensive and ran up eight points while Poverty' Bay were badly bustled. This score was made up of two tries, one of which was converted and, at this stage, the Bay of Plenty side was. having a shade the better of things. McAneney’s Good Display

Until the spell, Poverty Bay had been excellently served at centre-three-quarter by McAneney, but after he left the field with an injury the back-line was disorganised until the reserve player, M. Smiler, found his feet and from then on Bay of Plenty's grip on the game vanished. O'Brien Opened Poverty Bay's score with a long-range penalty and shortly afterwards Read brought the side within striking distance with an unconverted try scored after a bright short back movement. Just before the call of time the Bay backline handled well to send Read over in the corner, O'Brien kicking a great goal from the side-line to make the final score Poverty Bay 11, Bay of Plenty 8. Until he left the field with an injury McAneney was the outstanding back for the winners and showed that his form this year had not been affected by his long lay-off through injury. When he went off the side was at a disadvantage for a while, but the Smiler brothers soon struck good combined form and offset the loss of McAneney.

Malone was very safe at full-back and handled and kicked well. A ghod feature of his play was the manner in which he recovered from any of his few. mistakes. Read was fast and elusive in the three-quarter line and fully merited his selection. Both of his tries were sound efforts. Morrison, half-back, and Haisman at five-eighths, soon found combination and were full of thrust. In the pack, Chris Anderson played his usual sound game and was always in the thick of things. Phillips was effective in the loose and in this respect was one of the outstanding players on the field. O'Brien kicked and handled well. Fine Full-Back Game For the Bay of Plenty, the North Island Minor Union, full-back, Rayment, was outstanding and was the best back on the ground. Ilis play was faultless and he frequently won the plaudits of the crowd by his brilliance. In the pack the All Black, Jack Best, played a fine .game and was very fit —perhaps the fittest player on the ground. He is in great form this season and has excellent prospects of getting into the All Blacktrials. Another good forward for the home team by Whitcley.

The scorers for Bay of Plenty were Jones and Donovan, Rayment converting the first try from a difficult angle

The Poverty Bay team returned to Gisborne on Saturday night.