FOOTBALL

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1932, Page 2

FOOTBALL

IRELAND HEATS WALES. CAEDf&K, .March 12. The pot hoi loci over properly here to-day, when Ireland bumped of! Males to the tune of four tr.es to a chopped goal and two triesThe Welshmen who were robbed ol the triple i romi wuon they h.id it practically on their Cymric brows,, lent the field a. sadly disappointed team. They had only themselves to blame, however, for with one or two exceptions they played badly. But what a game; what thrills and what excitement when three times m , .... ...... i.. 0 H..U t_ n.. ngeo hands. Then, as a culminating leal lire, Bassett look a place-kick and failed from and easy position to put Wales on terms and give his country the championship for certain. I cannot quite recall, ,111 a long experience, a. game in whicii even lip. hardened nerves were so frayed. I igure to your.-cli tliai great cruv.U, suajing anu surging 10 L.ie impuite oi t..c pmy. toe scores ie. cl at nail time, and then, seven minutes lain, aooiiur ir,\ for Ireland by Bus.,. Ireland clung tenaciously to their load, only to see it wrested Irom them by a glories left-looted dropped goal bv Laipli, and Males seemed at last to have got the measure ol iheir opNo, Ireland came again; Bassett blundered in trying to field to when Eugene Davy attempted to drop a goai. Like a Hash Liglitfoot pounced on it and scored, There were further thrilts when Murray shot at goal and Ireland had a hare two points lead. A few minutes later Ireland were in trouble, with R'.dgway having to clear from tali iiul 11 is own line. Ihe hall did not reach touch, but it bounted o\ci Morley's head, and Maido was there to grasp 't inside his. own “twentyfive.” A wav he went, sweeping past Bassett, who was left standing -still, to get a great and gallant try. Ireland were now leading by five points, and M’ales fought back with an attack on the left. Back came the the ball to the centre, where Ralph got it and corkscrewed his way through for a try. Bassett had only to convert, would he do it ? Hearts aimist stood still, and then thc.se ol the Welshmen nearly broke when a footling sent the ball wide, and Ireland had won.

The Irish forwards were great in their tremendous stamina and fixity of purpose. They well and truly beat a .sluggish Welsh pack, who never touched international form. They beat them for heeling and in the loose, while Murray, Davy, and especially Hunt, were giants. Hunt’s work in defence could not have been bettered. The Irish backs as n combination were not top-class; individually they were superb. Wlint of Wales P Surely the most team of the season. The great man <if the side wa.s Ralph, who played well , enough almost to have won the match on his own. The others were sadly off colour. Claude Davey did a lot of flue work, but lacked judgment at the critical point, and neither Boon nor Morley were “qu te the goods,” Poor Bassett played his very worst game, being unsound under the pressure all through, I should mention that Ross scored for Ireland in the first half, and Davey for M 7 ales .