FOOTBALL.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 August 1923, Page 1

FOOTBALL.

coast v. canterbury. AN EASY WIN FOR COAST. GREYMOI TIT, August P. . llioic were well over a thousand I l ; <?ople Present at Victoria Park yester!da v afternoon tor the inter-provincial maieh between the Canterbury B and GYm Coast reps., the game being p | ay _ | “d under ideal conditions, reports the Argil--. ’ ! lie gate was worth over L.IOO. Iho Coasters proved too good I for their opponents, especially in the first spell, when the visiting hacks ""ere nowise in evidence. The Coast team opened their scoring account i early, the home team ran up 11 points be I ore* the visitors scored at all. and at half time the Coast led by 1-1 to 3. a fair criterion of the first spell, when the visitors relied almost wholly on ! their pack for attack. ..ie Coast backs ui) till changing over, showed up far better than those of Canterbury, but when the latter began in the second •spell to open up their game, they made matters fairly even. Evidently they had expected the Coast to tire somewhat. and so the forwards did about the middle of the second spell, hut they were coming again towards tile end. Neither side* had any advantage over the other in scrums or line-outs, but in the loose the home pack showed ’netter on the whole. There was no comparison between the displays of the Canterbury backs and those' of tlie Const- in the first half, but there was Very little ditferenee between them in the second. However, the combination of the winners, though not without a blemish, was better than that of their opponents, and. they won as much by science as by force. Canterbury seldom looked dangerous, and Coast never looked like losing.

In the first spell for Coast, Steel kicked a penalty goal. Nelson scored and Steel converted, Alouati scored and Steel kicked another penalty goal. 1 ban Sheehan made a tine run "and scored for Canterbury, making the seoio: Coast LI. Canterburv ,‘5.

In the second half, Hager was penalised for oll'-side and Anderson kicked a good goal. 1 hen Deere scored, a try, making the score: Coast 17; Canterbury (i.

Of the players Goodnll played without a. mistake at full-hack, and used his pace in following up with better results than his visa-vis Brown, who. hrvvver, handled very safely, and invariably got in his kick, though not always with proper effect. Steel played a well-judged game for Coast, combining with precision in any movements where he had an opportunity, while ho kicked splendidly. At the same time good tackling by Robinson and other ot the visitors kept him from running far on many occasions, while ho on his part checked many visiting attacks. Nelson played a heady, enterprising game, being always there, on the attack and especially on the two occasions where he and Deere scored. Afoynihan showed he is a clangorous man on attack, hut his handling yesterday was defective at times. Warnes was best- in assisting towards combination, and handled accurately, while AlcKay’s game was satisfactory all round, hut especially his speed in taking any opening. Palmer’s judgment at half was excellent, and he made the most of his opportunities. Alouatt, while he lasted, hulked largely m the picture being always dangerous, and lie. was later obviously missed. Hagai' was perhaps the best forward on the day, especially in the second half, while Bannister, TV right and Jamieson were the most notioablc among the rest of a. solid pack. The second spell showed Robinson as

t!;e best visiting three-quarter, but Horgan was a very safe mail at centre, and D reen did a lot of work in the first half. Elvey’s play was excellent all through, while Sheehan was cue of the

test Canterbury men on the aggressive. All the backs tackled well, and the wing-forward, Leahy, is a fine stamp of a forward, and he was always on the ball, being quite one of the two or Give Icy forwards on the field. O the vi-ii.ug jo k. Fitzgerald, Anderson md Kiriiev were about the most prominent, but Lodge placed well lit the loose.

AIARLBOROf(i H G RIFVANCI-

BI.E'XHEIAf. Aug. 8.

f would like to take an opportunity

O’" referring to the scurvy manner in whicn we are ire,".ted by our protagonists in the Seddon Shield competition,” M-id the President of the Alarlhorough Rugby Union (Dr Noble-Adam-D at a meeting, as preliminary to a hitter title k on other Rugby Unions for their b. k (if sporjisiuaiiship and fair play in e collection with the Seddon Shield eomP tition. lie inmplhined that, though MarlFu'ou /'i. wlvn visiting Boiler in PRO and P);’0. in search of the Shield. 1-hiyed Nelson h >ili times, and the West ( east once, and On 1 don Bay once, none < : these unions bad resounded by sendi ’g C•’ mi - on from Nelson to play Marl--1 >rough. Dr Noble-Adams declared Fat it seemed to him that Ala ri-p-tough was being left out in the cold. Li tie six or seven years he had been e 1 the union, he had gradually conic to the belief that the Seddon Shield was not in the best interests of football. It F>d brought in tire petty spirit and professional spirit in the importing of good p'avers from other parts of New /cal.-ind. On one occasion Boiler had got five men from Wanganui for their rep. team. That was not the spirit of amateur Rugby, but it was the spirit which the Shield engendered.

The President of the union went on to refer to the selection of the South Island team. Two selectors, hailing from Boiler and Nelson, had selected seven players representative of the Seddon Shield unions, hut none uf them wore from Marlborough. It was all right to sit down and take that sort of tiling in the mime of sportsmanship, “but the time has conic for us to asset ourselves. The fact' that we had lost the Shield didn’t liman that our football had gone to the dogs!" Other members of the union endorsed tie- President's strictures, the opinion lr lug freely expressed that Marlborough hail more to gain by looking to the North island for football than by continuing to play the other Seddon Shield unions. One member suggested withdrawing, definitely from the Shield competition. Ti e members were not prepared to go this length, slating the union could not bind the future unions. Air YY. Dickinson inquired if there was any antagonism between the other unions ami Alarlhormigh. The President : Yes ! TYe’vc been too successful 1 The meeting unanimously carried the following resolution : “That the other members of the Seddon Shield Competition he written to, and these facts pointed out. and that they lie asked d they think it fair, and, further, that the .two selectors whom the President has referred to, be asked if they can give any vea-oii wliv .Marlborough football was considered so poor that the province was not entitled to one representative out of the seven selected for the South Island team.”