TWO-GOAL MARGIN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20033, 4 September 1939, Page 12

TWO-GOAL MARGIN

SHIELD TO WELLINGTON AN ACCURATE DISPLAY LEONARD’S SHOOTING INTERPROVINCIAL SOCCER Wellington . 5 goals Poverty Bay . 3 Playing sound, constructive soccer, the Wellington representative team won the J. T. Hill Shield at the Childers Road Reserve on Saturday, when they defeated Poverty Bay by 5 goals to 3. This was the first occasion on which the trophy has been played for, and Wellington thus became its first holders. Wellington played an accurate game, all their passing being well directed. There was no loose kicking, each man being up to take his pass. In cccitrast, Poverty Bay had too much wild kicking and almost invariably gave away possession of the ball. For Wellington, Shankie, Leonard, A. Whyte and McLean played good soccer, while for Poverty Bay the full-backs. W. Mulrooney and J. Walts, Burns and Bridge were the best players. The position of the game changed frequently and gave a large crowd a goqd afternoon’s sport. Leonard’s First Goal Poverty Bay’s goal was the first to be threatened, when Leonard sent in a hot shot, but C. Mulrooney, the home custodian, saved brilliantly. Wellington kept the pressure on, but tile home full-backs were saving well. Dunsmorc was getting plenty of chances, but Wellington again took play downfield, where C. Mulrooney saved well twice in the face of Lot rushes. Wellington were not to be denied, however, and Leonard scored a good goal. Wellington .. .. ..1 Poverty Bay .. .. 0

Bay soon equalised when Wellington conceded a corner and Burns dropped the ball handily for Waugh to beat the Wellington keeper with a good goal. Wellington 1 Poverty Bay .. .. ’1

Stung by this momentary reverse, Wellington set up a hot offensive, but a good shot by Leonard went wide when the goal was empty. The visitors were having the best of things at this stage and Leonard was always dangerous in the goal area, but the defence was holding well and Bay .took a turn on the attack. Sutherland brought play downfield for the visitors again. Wellington's passing was well directed and their positional play good, and at this stage the visitors were on top. A. Whyte was feeding his right wing well. Bay rallied well and gave Morris, the visiting ’keeper, two hot shots to save, but he was equal to the task. The sound positional play of the visitors was proving troublesome to the Bay team, and the home players were lucky to clear when Shankie, the visiting captain, went close with a good shot.

Bridge went close to putting the Bay in front with a solo effort, but Wellington were playing a neat backpassing game and were keeping the Bay on the alert. C. Mulrooney, in the Bay goal, was doing good work and saving well in the face of bustling tactics by the visitors. Burns and McGrory, in a combined effort, gave Bridge a scoring chance, but the ball was too high and Wellington, with Sutherland and Shankie in the van, rushed play do waff eld again. Piay at this stage had livened up a lot and was sweeping up and down the field at a good pace. Bay were given a penalty close in when Bridge was fouled, W. Mulrooney sending in a high shot to find the goal and put Poverty Bay one up. Poverty Bay .. .. 2 Wellington .. .. 1 Bridge was badly tripped and a penalty given, but the kick missed, half-time finding the score unchanged. Right from the resumption of play Wellington evened the score when Shankie went right through to drive in a hot one which gave the ’keeper no chance. Wellington ~2 Poverty Bay .. . . 2 Positional Play Bad In comparison with the visitors, the Bay’s positional play was bad. Whyte was playing soundly in the Wellington half line and placing his passes well. Burns gave the Bay a chance when he sent a long pass to Bridge, but the visiting full-backs took the ball from Poverty Bay’s All Black and went back to the attack. At this stage K. Wrigley, the Wellington right half, fractured his right wrist and was taken to hospital. Wellington went into the lead when the Bay goalkeeper was penalised, and McLean kicked a good goal. Wellington .. .. ..3 Poverty Bay .. .. 2 Wellington, although one man short, were in control of the game, their passes being well directed. McGrory sent the ball out to the right wing for Poverty Bay, and Burns centred well lo Bridge, the latter netting for the equalising goal. Wellington ~, .. .. 3 Poverty Bay . . . . . . 3 Wellington went into the lead when, from a well-directed corner, Leonard scored his second goal. Wellington .. .. .. 4 Poverty Bay v .. 3 W. Mulrooney and Watts, the home full-backs, were defending well, but Barbour was weak at half-back. Leonard scored his third goal when Shankie fed him a good short pass in the circle, and Leonard did the rest, beating Mulrooney with a hot shot.

Wellington 5 Poverty Bay .. .. 3 In the closing stages Burns and Bridge combined well in a series of attacks, but Morris was very safe in the Wellington goal. There was no further score. The referee was Mr. C. Cusack. In a curtain-raiser, teams representing England and Scotland drew, one goal each.