FOOTBALL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4867, 19 August 1925, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

LAST SATURDAY'S 1 GAME. COMMENTS ON THE PLAY. Although the Thames Valley team was expected to make a fair showing against King Country on Saturday, even allowing tor the unknown quality of the visitors, hopes hardly went to the extent of a win by such a margin of points. However, luck largely entered into the game, for on merit,' had the scores been reversed a truer conception of the play would have been gained. The fine exhibition by the King Country team was quite a surprise, and had the Rugby supporters in this district known the calibre of the. visitors the ground would nbt have been able to hold the crowd. Those who were present witnessed football as it has not been played, in the district for years, and the local footballers were clearly shown many common-sense tactics which they could profitably adopt and a standard of play to which they should strive to attain. For instance, King Country controlled the game en every possible occasion by retaing the ball among their own men by passing—quite different to our procedure of every man giving the control of the play to his opponents whenever he handles the ball by kicking. King Country should have scored half a dozen more tries with ordinary luck, which they did not have, and in the last quarter the defence of the home team improved to an unexpected extent.

Jacob, the King Country full-back, played a great game. He had quite a lot to do, and much of it was a sound test for any full-back, but he won but every time and all through the game did not make a mistake. The threequarter line was good, particularly Lee on the wing, Haddon played sterling football at five-eighths, and some of li is movements were touched witli brilliancy. Morpeth, the rover, played very well, and did a lot of work. Of a good set of forwards Siihon was the best. He worked well in the thick play, and in the line-outs was conspicuous in the way he fed his backs.

For Thames Valley Cotter as fullback will need to improve. His kicking, generally, was good, but his tackling was weak, and he showed a tendency to speculate, and also played too close up for safety. Price, on the wing, played well, but -McNeil and McLeay were not up to expectations. The former is ,no centre-threequarter, and had these two players changed positions a great improvement would have been effected. Although McNeil was handicapped by the apart from that his play clearly demonstrated that his real position is on the wing. The Nicol and Stewart, were disappointing. Both Ivere poor at tackling, particularly Nicol, who on occasion made no attempt to stop his man and was hard put to it to get out of the way. Speculating is also a great failing of Nichol’s. Three times during the game he indulged in this exceedingly bad fault, and on each occasion it was only sheer good luck for his side that disaster, did not follow. Mooney played a good individual game, but did nbt feed his backs as he shbuld have done. Pattereon was easily the outstanding forward, always on the ball in the loose and working like a Trojan in the tight. Taylor, Goldsbury, and Mclnhes were the pick of the others, although both Goldsbury and Mclnnes were slow in getting into their stride. Byers could not keep his position in the front row, and always bobbed up in the scrums when the weight was applied; Rolleston put in some good work in the loose, but showed great persistency'in waiting offside. With other referees he may cause a lot bf trouble in this respect unless he mends his ways.

CLUB MATCH ON THE PLAINS. NGATEA’S FIRST DEFEAT. The club fixture Ngatea v. Coast was- plyacd on a flooded ground in the Pipiroa Domain on Saturday, the conditions being adverse to good open football owing to the greasy ball and the play being confined to the forwards. Ngatea took the field with six juniors to complete the team and suffered their first defeat of the season. Play was very ragged, and although occasional finishes of good play Were shown no progress could be made bn account of the players being unable to handle the leather. The Coast forwards were very fast, and quick following up kept Ngatea busy defending. In individual play B. Wallis and Gill shone out for Coast, while Solbmon, Sowerby, and McCollum did well for Ngatea and Wilton answered •all demands behind a weak team. The following took the field: — Ngatea.—Wilton, McCollum, Gillespie, McPherson, Harris, Courtenay, Sowerby, Duncan, Alderson, Solomon, Lipscombe, Cook, Phillips, Cleave, Cook. Coast.—P. Clark, Hale, Taylor, Hooper, Knox, H. Wallis, Laing, Dalgety, Fran, Jones, Wallis,' Dalgety, Gill, Peckham. ,

. Ngatea kicked off and rushed play to Coast’s twenty-five, but the players could not handle the ball and a free kick relieved. Coast quickly rushed play to Ngatea’s sector, where the forwards had a great tussle before Ngatea forced. The game had resolved itself into a mud scramble, and penalties were given against both sides. The forwards were doing most of the work, Wilton at full-back was called upon many times to save from what looked like certain tries. The heavy pack of the Coast still kept up the pressure, and Ngatea forced many times before half-time. After the spell Ngatea had to defend until relieved by a penalty. The ball was taken by Laing, whose dropkick went over the bar. Coast 4', Ngatea 0. With a good forward rush Ngatea attacked, but a free kick relieved for Coast. Wilton fielded the hall, and after running well up he put Coast on the defensive again with

a good punt. Give and take play followed until from a scrum the ball travelled along the Coast backs, but B. Wallis spoilt a good chance by holding on. Play hovered about hallway for a long while, until McCollum, secured -and raced for the line but; failed to hold the greasy ball. Play returned to midfield, and remained there for the rest of the ghmc, no further points being scored.