TAKAPAU ON TOP

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 132, 21 June 1937, Page 3

TAKAPAU ON TOP

Our Own Correspondent)

CENTRAL H.B. RUGBY COMPETITION

(From

WAIPUKURAU, This Day. Ideal -weather prevailed in Central Hawke 's Bay on. Saturday aiternoon for the beginning of the seeond round of the Rugby SubUnion's football competition. The day's play saw Takapau, go up to \top position on the senior ladder, with 16 poipts. This team defeated Otane by a comfortable margm, th3 match giving rising to great* inteiest beeanse both teams before play wero sharing top position on the ladder with 14 points each. The match, played at Otane, provided spectatprs with football of a high standard. Takapau 's backs won the day, Otane 's rearguard not possessing the iinish of their opponents. Both sets of forwards worked hard all aftornoon, and there was not much between them. The final score was 24—6 in favour of Takapau. The teams were: — Takapau: Halliday; Grierson, Cowan, B. Thompson; A. Aldrich, E. Aldrich; Heperi; Petersen, L. Thompson, Bell, Beid, Ma aka, C. Thomsen, Johnson Marshall. Otane: Tolley; Smith, Bellis, S. Drinkrow; Pene, Kiach; B. Drinkrow; Beale, Orr, Green, Osborne, Higgs, Stevens, Biirgess, Wright. The two sets of forwards tested each other during the opening stages, when Takapau failed to accept an opportunity :o scord three pgnalty points. Fifleen minutes af(er the start, however, ten points were cregistered when two back movements completely upset Otane 's defence. Cowan, eentre-three-quarter, scored both the tries, which Halliday converted without difficulty. Takapau 's backs were th'e more polished combination, the handling being consistently good. The Aldrich brothers, as the two inside backs, and Cowan, at centre, were the most outtsanding, but Halliday, the full-back, rendered yeoman service with his conversions. A neat back movement between Cowan and the Aldrich brothers enabled Takapau to add five more points before the interval. With a spectacular swerve A. Aldrich went ■ over near the posts, Halliday converting. At the interval Otane were faced with a deficit of 15 points. Otane 's forwards had the advantage of height and made good use of it in the line-outs. B. Drinkrow, half-baek, fcd his rearguard faithfully and well, but a tendency to kick down field prevailed, when passing tactics would have given the two wings, Smith and S. Drinkrow, more opportunities when there was room to spare down the sidelines. » Bustling vanguard tactics by Otane kopt Takapau on the defence, during which timo Burgess scored after Higgs caught the opposing full-back in pos-st-ssion. Bellis failed with the kick. Piva minutes later, however, A. Aldrich, Cowan and L. Thompson figured in a* passing bout which resulted in L. Thompson scoring a try which Halliday could not convert. Takapau 's rearguard returned to the attack, Cowan being prominent in a move which enabled Halliday to kick a penalty goal a few minutes later, placing Takapau on the lead by 21 points to three.. Tight . forward play on the part of Otane forced Takapau to give way again and for 10 minutes piay was- confined to Takapau territory, neither team being able to let the ball out to their backs. When the game opened out, Otane lost Osborne through 'an injury. Hislop 'replaced him. Otane reduced the lead by; three points when Burgess soered following a mis-kick by A. Aldridge who, in trying to find the line to stem off an attack, kicked the ball to the corner of the field, enabling Bur-. gess to fall on it. Beale failed to convert. Just before time, B. Thompson scored a runaway try for the winning team, A. Aldrich 's kick falling short from a difficult angle. The scorers were: Takapau — Cowan (two tries), Halliday (three convertions and a penalty goal), A. Aldrich\ (try), h. Thompson (try), B. Thompson (try). Otane — Burgess (two tries). Mr Colin Scott refereed. . TIKOKINO BEATEN In a fast, forward gaine played at Cential Bark, Waipukurau, Waipukurau Old Boys defeatpd Tikokino oy 12 points to three. Because neither set of backs could handle with efficieni-y, the game was not particularly spectacular. The scorers were: — Old Boys: A. Wilson (two tries), Brain (try), Marton (try). Tikokino: A penalty goal. THE JUNIOB GAMES Waipukurau (9) v. Porangahau (6), at Waipukurau. HS.O.B. (18) v. Otane (3) at Otane. THIKD GRADE Waipukurau Old Boys (22) v. Takapau (3).