KING’S WIN BY ONE TRY

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 81, 27 June 1927, Page 10

KING’S WIN BY ONE TRY

GRAMMAR BEATEN EVEN BUT DULL GAME By the sole try that was scored in the match, King’s College beat its historic rival Grammar School on the King’s grounds, Otahuhu, on Saturday. It Avas the first of the yearly matches between the schools, and in its early stages failed to show that inspiration expected of secondary schools matches in general and from Grammar-King’s games in particular. The ground was lined deep Avith fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, teachers and other interested spectators to the number of some 5,000 folk who showed their usual exuberant partisan enthusiasm. The game began slowly. The two packs of forwards were very evenly matched and kept the ball tight to the almost complete denial of the backs and. the complete absence of the spectacular running and passing play. Impromptu scrimmages for the most part collapsed over the leather and some structural weakness in the process of screAving produced the same results in the set scrums from which the ball Avas very seldom delivered in a businesslike style to the halves, if it came out at all. In this vein the game continued. The backs of both sides had little association with the ball, and made little use of it when they did have it. But in this department King’s did show a quicker attack which, as the game Avore on into the third spell, improved and showed a quality akin to brilliance. or at least sufficient verve to shade the Grammar School backs. Toward the end of the third spell the ascendancy of the King’s backs Avas very clearly established, yet with seven minutes to go no points had been scored by either side, though Grammar was almost continuously hemmed in. Then from a forward scramble the King’s half picked up and handed on to Milliken. The King’s Avinger and captain, who, eluding several tackles streaked down the sideline and threw himself across. That was naturally frantic, for time, and the run of play clearly promised a victory barring some supernatural intervention. And that did not occur. The Reds returned to the attack time and again.

Though it was undoubtedly King’s game when the back play began. Grammar deserves credit for the way its defence held out. For King’s the deerfooted Milliken on the wing was very prominent, and he was well fed in the later stages of the game. Bowman at centre was always dangerous, and so was Newcombe on the wing. Brown at full-back was safe and heady. Of the Grammar backs mention must be made of Garlick on one wing, for he showed up in some good dashes. Overton and the Gilletts were useful in the forwards. MOUNT ALBERT v. ST. STEPHEN’S Mount Albert defeated St. Stephen’s by 9 to 3 at the Outer Domain this morning. Bush goaled for Mount Albert from a penalty in the first half. In the second spell, Campbell and Allen scored for Mount Albert, while a fine passing movement by Wingahau and Panapa ended in the former scoring for St. Stephen’s.