Football.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 306, 19 September 1929, Page 8

Football.

REPRESENTATIVE MATCH. Wellington 22, Waikato 6. On Wednesday Waikato played the last match of the season, meeting Wellington at Hamilton. The score was indicative of the difference between the teams. The game was a good one to watch, the Wellington team keeping the ball up and throwing it about freely. The teams were:—

Wellington. Fullback, Hazelwood; threequarters, Mackay, Rushbrook, Huxtable; five-eighths, Cuming .(captain), Foley; half, Julian; rover, Wilson; forwards, McDonald, Peck, Diedrich, McPherson, Reid, Jessup, Claridge. Waikato.—Fullback, Skeet; threequarters, Hawke, Kemp, Anderson; five-eighths, St. George, Fitzgerald; half, Buckingham; rover, Bayly; forwards, P. Kelk, Frear, A. Cameron, Simpson, Courtney (captain), J. Dagg, Hooper. In the opening stages Waikato had rather the better of play, but as Wellington settled down and the ball came out from the scrum with ma-chine-like precision the Wellington got going. Attack after attack was launched, and it was the good luck of Waikato or mistakes of the Wellington players at crucial moments which prevented scores. Wellington were attacking incessantly. The first score came simply, Cuming coolly and deliberately potting a pretty goal. Wellington 4, Waikato 0.

Waikato livened up a little and Courtney and Frear were prominent in good work which led to Wellington having to defend. Waikato "backs had a passing movement, but Hawke was well collared. The forwards pressed but the cleverness of Wellington turned defence into attack. A great movement in which Foley, Rushbrook and Mackay were prominent put Wellington in a strong position. A Waikato player kicked for touch, and Heazlewood, accepting near the line, added another four points by potting a lovely goal. Wellington 8, Waikato 0.

The Wellington backs kept Waikato on the defence and passing movements followed each other in rapid succession. Huxtable seized a chance to go down the line to inpass to Foley to McDonald, who crossed the line. Heazlewood failed to convert. Wellington 11, Waika'fco 0. Anderson gave the public a thrill by dribbling from his 25 through the Wellington backs. He kicked across to another Waikato played then followed and picked up, but was tackled on the line. From the ensuing scrum Wellington were penalised and Hawke opened Waikato’s score by kicking a goal. Waikato 3, Wellington 11.

The half-time spell seemed to do Waikato good, for in the second forty Waikato showed far better form than in the earlier period. Waikato forwards pressed the attack from the kick out. Kelk fed Buckingham from the line, who sent on to Fitzgerald to St. George, who cut in cleverly but had his pass blocked. Play swung across in front of the Wellington goal. Buckingham swung out a long pass from the thick to Kemp, who had no trouble in scoring. Hawke failed. Waikato 6, Wellington 11. Wellington were soon bn the attack, but the work of the hacks lacked finish. Ground was gained by scramble on the line Julian cleverly stab kicking, and from a loose pulled down a wild pass and scored. The kick failed. , Wellington 14, Waikato 6. Waikato had a share of the attack and Hawke broke away to he well stopped by Heazlewood. Fitzgerald and St. George made some good openings, but Wellington were too clever in blocking the movements. At this' stage Waikato were having rather the better of the game, and Hawke had several chances to increase the score from penalties. St. George retired injured and Vosper took his place. From a scrum Julian set his backs going and Foley fooling Vosper, who went to intercept, sent on to Rushbrook, who scored. Again the kick was a failure. Wellington 17, Waikato 6. Wellington backs kept the hall moving, but Waikato managed to stave off further scores until Julian went round the blind side of a scrum to badly heat Anderson and Skeet and score a brilliant try. As Gumming sent the ball over the bar the hell went. Wellington 22, Waikato 6.

Notes. That the better team won there is no gainsaying. But for all that the Wellington play was disappointing. With the chances that came the way of Wellington hacks the score should have been much larger. But the Wellington attack was too stereotyped—out to the wing threequarters. Neither of the five-eighths nor the centre were at all penetrative, and in this respect were inferior to Fitzgerald or St. George. The handling was not too sure at times, and there was a lack of finish at the crucial moment. It was rather this than the Waikato defence which kept the score within bounds. It was not a strong Wellington team, for it only included six of the side which threshed Canterbury so decisively on Saturday. It was stated that the first five-eighths is a fullback; if so it accounts for his running across field so much, though his handling was brilliant.

The Wellington pack were lighter than Waikato, but very fast, good on the up-ball game and opportunists. The Waikato forwards had the better of the close work and were dangerous in the dribbling rushes. They had a heavy day’s defensive work to do, having to repeatedly to go to the help of the backs. It was . rather wonderful that they lasted its well as they did. Of the Wellington backs, Julian, at half, was the star. He had the chance to shine and he knew how to use it, not only in feeding his backs but in following the ball. Next to him was Heazlewood at fullback. A beautiful kick, cool and clever, he was a stumbling block to Waikato’s attack. Rushbrook was weak at centre, and Foley was the better of the five-eighths. In the forwards, Peck, a tall raking forward, was the pick, and close behind him came McDonald and McPherson. The Waikato team was not impressive. The forwards did their share,

but got little support from the backs. Kemp was easily the pick of pick of the back division. Buckingham was a poor half. Both Fitzgerald and St. George were weak on defence, and their chances to attack were spoilt by Buckingham’s lob passes, which usually arrived at the same time as a couple of fast Wellington forwards —for the Wellington forwards taught Waikato a lesson in fast breaking. The forwards were hard to guage and some of them played in patches. Simpson and Frear were toiling all the time. Kelk in the second half was the best forward and was passing out well from the line. Courtney was heady and made openings from the thick. A. Cameron has played better games. | The match was the old, old story. |An untrained side against trained i players. ! WAIKATO REP. RESULTS. The following are the results of Waikato representative fixtures for the season:— v. King Country, won, 27—8. v. Auckland, lost, 25—17. ' v. Hawke’s Bay, drew, 11—11. v. Wairoa, lost, B—6. v. East Coast, won, 15—11. v. Poverty Bay, lost, 16—3. v. Bay of Plenty, lost, 21—8. v. Auckland, lost, 30—0. v. Hawke’s Bay, lost, 11—3. v. Thames- Valley, won, 12—11. v. Canterbury, won, 21—17. v. Wellington, lost, 22—6. Of the matches played four were won, seven lost and one drawn. The total points scored for were 129 and against 191.

WAIKATO REPS. A Wide Selection. A football enthusiast has written asking if we can inform him as to the number of players who have been selected for Waikato representative teams this season. The records of this paper give fifty-four names, which, strange to

state, are nearly evenly distributed between backs and forwards. The names are:—

Backs.—S. Thomas, J. Vosper, A. Story, V/. Mitchell, P. Clarkin, J. Litt, J. Tuck, K. Campbell, Everest, Skeet, Hawke, Allen, Dalbeth, Grifj fiths, Delaney, J. Stewart, M. Gra» ham, J. Fitzgerald, M. Anderson, PI Quin, R. Holmes, B. Robson, MilMI Kemp, Buckingham, Gilling, I. Johnstone.

Forwards.—E. Halstead, H. Ensor, W. Fleming, P. Courtney, E. Holmes, D. Bourke, A. Cameron, C. Cameron, C. Robertson, J. Hooper, Bayly, Hill, R. Chapman, L. Kay, D. Simpson, Kelk, W. Bourke, J. Dagg, Frear, J. Leeson, Scott, Waters, C. Christie, Mansel, Tangatu, Edwards. Of the players selected thirty-one were members of Hamilton clubs, eight Morrinsville, five Matamata, five Cambridge, four Waipa and one Taupiri.