A CLOSE CALL Wairarapa

NZ Truth, Issue 1183, 2 August 1928, Page 14

A CLOSE CALL Wairarapa

(From "N.Z. Truth V'_ Temuka. Rep.).. In ideal football weather, ahd before a record attendance of fans, the Wairarapa touring team de: feated the South Canterbury representatives at. Timaru on Saturday by 14 points to. ll. THE game was full of incident, and was really a battle royal, between two fast and hefty packs. T ■ Little back play was witnessed, but what was produced was of a sparkling nature. • ■ '■' The home team might be said to ,have been unlucky to lose, but had they made more use. pf ■ the''opportu'h.i.ties that came their way there would have been a different story -to -tell. On the other hand, the visitors, very fit and full of vim, took advantage of the smallest opening, and won on the call of time by sheer persistency arid doggedness. . ■ . Halstead opened the scoring by kicking a fine penalty goal from . near the to.uchline, after good work by Trotter, who followed, up a long" punt Very fast and caught Cormack . m possession. . Play had scarcely l'esumed ere Scott and Halstead participated- m a thrust-' 1 ful effort which allowed the former to ground, the leather wide out. v EFFECTIVE WORK Halstead proved equal to the task of ; adding the extra two points, and Sputh Canterbury were eight points up m the first fifteen minutes.. ... The Wairara.pa forwards hoed m to some effect, and, delivering to their rearguard, .Fitzgerald and Stringfellow broke through, the latter scoring and converting. . Souths next try was gained after the, prettiest movement of the day. Scott initiated a passing rush, m which. six men — backs and forwards— handled the ball, and Trotter finished off m determined .fashion by scoring. In the second session, Wairarapa improved, wonderfully, the. team, as a whole working with more cohesion and understanding. This, coupled with the shock tactics of the forwards, enabled the 'rearguard to figure m several attractive passing bouts. . ' r ' Tries by R, Jury and Sharp brought the visitors' total level with the home team's. . : No change took place until, m the last minute, Stringfellow secured hear half-way, 'and, after -.^ a brilliant solo effort, secured the winning try. OWING to the close.; fight between Johnnie Leckie : and Norman Radford a fortnight ago at Dunedin there seems little doubt that a return, contest will be staged. Invercargili will prpbably be the locution for the. return match. ■ •#. ■ .#. ■ • ■ . # . OWING to the illness of Mat. Hatton, his contest with Archie Hughes, under the control of • the Napier Association, has been put back till August 15. Hughes, who is working put with Tommy. Barber and Norman Radfbrd m Tom Harris' camp at Dunedin, has put a deal of weight on since his last flfuv ■■-■■:;"/■ /■•-■■•:; ■■". „■ ..; ...