FOOTBALL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4835, 27 May 1925, Page 1

FOOTBALL.

THE PLAINS MATCHES. FINALS OF FIRST ROUND. Fine weather prevailed for the final matches in the first round of the club competition on the Plains, and real good matches were .witnessed. The rain during the week had made the grounds in gmd order. A lair win<t was biowing along the fields. Following is the position of th?

V/aitakaruru 5 0 14 •' Ngatea has scored 37 points, as against 17 ; West 20 points, as against 8 • Coast 23, as against 15 ; Turua 14, as against 28 ; KerepQehi 9, as against 20 ; Waitakaruru 12, as against 27. JUNIORS.

Ngatea scoied 24 points as against 3 ; West 31, against 19 ; Waitakaruru 12, against 19 ; Kerep'&ehi 9, against 20 ; Turua 6, against 21. NGATEA V. UNITED COAST. Coast. —Clark, Hale, Baigent, Whelan, Hooper, Knox, Rogers, Wallis, Dalgety, Ivan Corbett Dalgety, Gill Wallis, Jones. Ngatea. —"Wilton, McCollum, Gilles pic, Cotter, Harris, Molloy, Birkenhead, Phillips, Baker, Alderson, Lipscornbe, Spencer, Leonard, Cook, Cleave. "The finest game witnessed this season,” was the general comment on the Ngatea-United Coast match, played at Ngatea. Probably the better team won, though undoubtedly it had the run of luck. Within ten minutes of the call of time C. Molloy scored a lucky try, and a few momnets later Ngatea was penalised for a fault in a scrum under its oppoents goal Walli's’ kick sent the ball just outside the post. A feature of the ganrn was the generalship of the Coast captain, who, knowing that the strength of his team and the weakness of his opponents were in the forwards, made and kept the game a forward don?. In this play the home team was overrun. and though, when the backs were able to get going and tries were secured, and the visitors were compelled to force down many times, Wallis was able to work the play back to nis own I iking. His .team has no outstanding features, but the men are all good grafters and should give a good account of themselves in tlie] future. Mr J. Kidd was referee. TURUA V. KEREPEEHL Kerepeehi.—W. Murphy, M. Murphy. W. Pratt, R. Steedman G. Masters, J Connor. W. Kidd, S. Hira, L. Hira, W. Jones, N. Nipa, Nathan, T. Renata, T. •Onqroa, L. Killgbur. Turua. —N. Charteris, J. Martin, H. Elvin, i. ClAworthy, L. McCoid, W. Hooper, A. Charteris, D. Hill, JThrupp, G. McCow.att, G.. Elvin, R. Hutchinson, H. Robibnson, W. Clark, D. Cosin, E. Booth. At Turua the senior game was a friendiy, hard-fought struggle between evenly matched teams. A iearrangement and stabilisation of players would probably be of advantage as conducive to greater combination. The pace, in the first quarter was slack, but it improved as the game progressed and became very fast. Play v/as mostly restricted to the forwards, and in the second hal: the Kerepeebi backs were rearranged to strengthen the pack.

Kerepeehi kicked off into the wine, and after play in midfield Charters secured from % scrum and sent play to the visiters’ quarter, a passing rush by the Turua backs reaching the corner, followed by a force, Steedman broke away after the drop-out, but pl&y came back to midfield.. iiive-ntiuaJ • ly Turua gained ground ,Bnd Kerenechi forced. Play was ui neutral teriitory until Connor malde a dash, b'.ibt was stopped by Charteris. Claik

i ed and reached Kerepeehi’s territory. and by line-play Turua worked up to near the corner. A penalty kick relieved the pressure, and Kerep'eehi carried play to .the other end of the field. After midfield play H. Elvir. failed with a penalty' kick and Kerepeeni forced. From the drop-out Kere peehi dashed down, the field, the bad Going out in touch. The second spell opened with play in neutral ground, with Turua gradually gaining the advantage until a penalty sent them on the defence. .'Io score, resulted from a. penalty kick by Keiepeehi. From the drop-out Turua retched Kerepeehi’s twenty-five, but ti e visitors again broke] away and another penalty kick was unsuccessful

After half-time Turua, with the help of the wind, kept Kerepeehi de fending, and several times wont neat to scoring. Kerepeehi broke througii on many occasions, but could not maintain the advantage. Charteris, the Turua full-back, showed up wed. In the final round Turua gradually worked up the field, and put in a sus stined attack. Kerepeehi cleared and reversed positions, a long hard struggle ensuing in Turua’s twenty-five. Play was in neutral territory at the call of time. Of the home team the Charteris (Continued on Page. 4.)

brothers and W. Clark wej'c outstanding, :,iid of tlic visitors Killgoui, J. Connor, and Steedman were the pica. Mr M. Leonard was referee. The junior game was played on an adjoining Held, and proved an even, interesting tussle. The. only iseoie was a try hy P. Reti. There were 'several unsuccessful attempts at goal. i>.if A. Cleave was referee. WEST V. WAITAKARURU. These matches wore played at Pateteiw.i and owing to the difficulty cl travo'ling to that place did not stait till very late. In the senior maten good football was witnessed. Wes! had the better forwards, and undsr the leadership of Nolan made the. game a forward one, The WaitakaruiTi backs got in some good work, paiticularly Whelan, Shaw, and McPherson. Whelan made sonic brilliant runs. Nolan, the West half-bac.t: ami captain, was the outstanding player, and Costello at full-back was conspicuous. A good place-kicker in either team would have made a crickte rcore Mr D. G. McMillan was referee. The junior teams were V/cst.—T. Tuhoi, ft. Tuhoi, D. Tuhoi, J. Garry, W. Hubbard, Jeans, M Dare, R. Penny. J. Tamati, Matthews H. Henry, F. Woodbridge, 0. Hannifin, Hooper, Sedlich. Wailakaruru.—-J. Rhind, W. McCo’uni, L. Coxhead, Treathern, McPherson, Lihowcli. H. Cale, Rhind, Nui, Craig. Benz, Hogg, Hayward, Scott. Death. This match was played on a distant field, and was a good, clean exhibition, West had the heavier learn. The forwards were good, but the Waitakaruru backs bandied the ball badly, always waiting for the bounce. MePheirsjn scored a try for Waitakaruru, and West registered two tries, a penalty goal and a drop-kick. Both teams were unlucky in not scoring mot:. 1 points. Mr E. Bertelsen was referee. NOTES. The games on Saturday .next will he the reverse of those at the begiiining of the first round, i.e., Turua v. West, at Turva ; Waitakaruru v. Ngatea, at, Waitakaruru; and Coast v, Kerepeehi, at Coast. The question of the provision of oranges for the travelling team was liecusscd by one, of the clubs last week' This club had been in the habit of supplying oranges for visiting teams, but the courtesy had not been returned when that team visited other centres. The club decided to carry on as in the past and take ('ranges .when travelling. Football on the Plains- -vill suffer a loss very shortly by the departure from the district of Mr G. Porteous, president and selector of the Turua club and a prominent member of the Rugby Union. New Brighton footballers are keen to have a match with Plains teamu, and it is probable that one of the c 1 ill's will send a team down bn the (lav of an away representative match. The Ngatca club has a return match to play.

teams :— i'eam SENIORS. D L Pts P w Nputea 5 4 1 0 9 Wnst 5 3 1 1 7 Coast 5 2 1 2 V Turua 5 2 1 2 Keiepeehi 5 0 3 2 3

1’eam P AX' D L Pts. Ngatea 4 u 1 0 b West 4 3 1 1 5 Waitakaruru 4 £ 0 2 l Keiepeehi 4 1 1 1 3 Turua 4 1 0 3