SHIELD RETAINED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 29 July 1929, Page 6

SHIELD RETAINED

NELSON DEFEATS WEST COAST X BY NINETEEN POINTS TO NINE INTERESTING RUGBY AT TRAFALGAR PARK Nelson withstood West Coast s challenge for the Seddon Shield at Trafalgar Park on Saturday afternoon, the points being 19 to 9 in’ the defender’s favour. The ground was in good order, and tho overhead conditions were such that neither team had an advantage. The Park had been arranged'so as to have a single playing field with a semicircle of made-up seats on the opposite side to tho stand. A crowd of over 3000 assembled to see the match, visitors travelling from all parts of the Seddon Shield area. The amount of gate takings was £279, as compared with £336 for the West Coast match last year. Mr J. A. Wilson, of Wellington, was the referee. The Nelson team had nine,teen penalty kicks awarded against it, ‘‘and West Coast nine. In the first spell Nelson was easily the better team,, the backs showing good form, but in the second half the Coasters rallied and made a big bid to catoh up on -Nelson’s 11 points lead, but they failed to make the most of opportunities. Nelson opened the scoring with a penalty goal, then added a converted try. Two. tries made the defender’s points 14 before West Coast’s first points came in the form of a try. In the second spell Coast gained two penalty goals to Nelson’s converted try. The teams faced each other as follows: NELSON —(blue and blue). Boyce Wells White Snodgrass R. Fowler (capt.) Noble-Adums . F. Fowler v , W. | Snoiv Sutton ILGftnow Murphy Walsh "flverett Taylor Young -0— Bell (capt) Wilson Hagar Frietas Doughty Birss Hughes, Ferguson Davidson Mason Houston ' Greer Fong Pfahlert Nightingale WEST COAST (Red and White) Max was the only defection in the teams, Taylor replacing him in the Nelson pack. DETAILS OF THE PLAY West Coast kicked off and immediately forced play to the corner where Boyce was twice called on to defend for Nelson. The home forwards then attacked only to see Nightingale make a splendid clearance. Ragged forward play took the ball up and down, the field until a West Coast forward was offside. The visitors paid the full penalty, Snodgrass opening Nelson’s scoring account with a perfect goal from well out. Nelson 3—West Coast 0. After nearly twenty minutes’ play the Nelson backs gave a taste of their combination. R. Fowler broke away brilliantly in Nelson’s 25, and out in making an opening for gVdams and White, who made a fast dash, but threw away a try by a weak pass to Wells. Two splendid line kicks by Adams put Nelson on the attack. From a scrum on the 25 -Nelson hooked the ball, F. Fowler transferring it to Adams and 11. Fowler, who cut in brilliantly, and beat four Coasters, before he was grassed in front of tho posts, and White sprang on the ball over the line for a try. It was fa superb dash by Fowler. Fowler converted. Nelson B—West Coast 0. From the kick-off the Coast forwards, with Hagar and Hughes prominent, pressed to Nelson’s 25. Adams picked up the ball in a scrum in front of the posts, ,and Bell missed a glorious chance of picking up three points for Coast writh the resulting kick. Wells and White changed places. Nelson’s score went to 11 points as the result of a classy passing rush, the ball travelling along the backs from F. Fowler, Adams, R. Fowler, Wells to Snodgrass, who streaked home from the 25 yards out line. Snodgrass’s kick was a good one, but it missed the posts. Nelson Coast 0. While West Coast were without points Nelson increased the lead to 14. F. Fowler passed the ball to Adams from the scrum, the latter cutting in, but his pass went astray. However, F. Fowler fielded the ball and sent Wells and Snodgrass away for the line, the winger finishing off a spectacular movement with a try in the corner. Snodgrass failed to convert. Nelson 14—West Coast 0. Up to this stage the Nelson and Coast forwards were evenly matched, their play being very hard, but the movement up and down the field, with the forwards in control, was slow. Tha Nelson backs were distinctly superior. F. Fowler made a lightning dash up the field for 25 yards and sent the ball to Snodgrass who again made a great attempt to cross the line, but Fong pushed him into touch. F. Fowler—White—F. Fowler—White was the order of .the passing in a smart little movement, but off-side play held up their progress. West Coast Nelson territory by a long kick by Fong. From a scrummage near the line, Davidson, West Coast half, gave Nelson a surprise by dashing round the scrum and over the line for a spectacular try. No goal. West Coast 3—Nelson 14. The score was unaltered at half-time. A shocking display of indecision and handling by the Nelson five-eighths allowed Hagar and Frietas to cany a forward movement over three parts the length of the ground. Coast made determined efforts to get across Nelson’s line. First Fong, then Hagar, and a little while after, Pfahlert, made attempts .to cross, but the Nelson defence field. The Coast backs, Davidson, Houston, Mason and Fong, combined in a passing bout which Wells stopped. Nelson forced down for relief. From the kick out the Nelson forwards attacked, but Fowler and Adams bungled things, and the Coast forwards agaip made desperate attempts to break down the defence. Sutton presented three points to Coast by pulling at the scrummage, obviously off side, when the plav was near tho line. Hughes landed the ball safely across the bar. West Coast 6—Nelson 14. West Coast showed more vim, and their hooking improved out of sight However, they could not keep up the pressure, and the Nelson forwards came to light with a great dash. The backs followed the movement in line, F Fowler sending the ball to Adams and R Fowler who went to the full back and sent Wells clashing on to the line for a try. Snodgrass again piloted the ball

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between (lie uprights with a great kick. Nelson. 19-West Coast 6. The play slowed down considerably for about ten minutes. Hughes, Birss and Frietas went away in a passing-rush, and after a short hold up Houston made a good run, but W. Snow, who was taking Hying tackles all the lime, prevent-ed-him teaching his objective. Fallowing a . clearance by . Boyce, whose fall back.play had been bright all day* Snodgrass made a dash, feuding one jvould-be tackier and bumping off another before he was stopped. Coast obtained the ball at will from the scrummages, but their backs could not penetrate. On the 19th occasion that Nelson was penalised Hughes kicked another goal for Coast, making the score West Coast 9—Nelson. 19. Towards the end the Nelson backs rallied, F. Fowler sending the ball to Adams and F. Fowler who short punted, allowing Welsh to bustle his opposition, and Coast forced down. Fong intercepted and led a Coast rush to Nelson territory, where a Coast forward brainlessly threw away practically sure points by kicking far over the line, allowing the home full back to force down. Just before time the Nelson hooking came into its own again, and F. Fowler and Snodgrass • were prominent in attack. , Thus Nelson retained tho Seddon Shield for the eleventh time since winning the trophy from Golden Bay-Motu-eka in 1926. * j COMMENT BY REFEREE Mr J. A. Wilson, of the Wellington Referees’ Association, was an able referee. Asked for an opinion of the game, Mr Wilson said: “A game of lost opportunities for Coast.” lie remarked on Coast’s poor goal kicking and on their very fine hooking in tho second spell. Nelson’s penalty tally came in for some criticism. Mr Wilson explained that’ the majority of infringements occurred in the rucking play through players “hanging on,” when, not in a position to play the ball. One player was penalised seven times for similar offences: .. • • The referee also mentioned the poor five-eighths play, especially by tho West Coasters, _ who went up too slowly to meet their opposing five-eighths.