OLD DOGS AND HARD ROADS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 123, 15 August 1927, Page 6

OLD DOGS AND HARD ROADS

WHY PONSONBY WON THE truth of the time-honoured phrase, “An old dog for a hard road,” was never better demonstrated in its wider application than by Ponsonby’s defeat of Devonport at Carlaw Park on Saturday. On a basis of possible scoring openngs, Devonport was undoubtedly superior. But in the elements of the unexpected, sheeting home an unpromising attack, and ability to seize every chance that presented itself, the side from the western suburbs demonstrated a clear-cut superiority, in keeping with its recent recovery of last year’s form. beaten in finer points Devonport was beaten in the finer points of the game. Man for man. Devonport was the better side, but in team-work Ponsonby furnished something more than a well-oiled and efficacious system of luck,” to which there has been a tendency to ascribe the Ponies* success. Certainly, Devonport had by no means the best of the luck that was going. In the first ten minutes, despite having to start against the wind, the North Shore side had Ponsonby rattled, and only sheer bad luck prevented it from registering at least one score. First. Webb, the most improved player in the team that went to England, cut the Ponsonby defence to ribbons with a characteristic solo dash from the scrum, and a moment or two later Devonport missed a great chance in the top corner. Then the “biter was bit with a vengeance”; Tim Peckham making a devastating retort to Webb’s unexpected sally by putting the same trick across the Shore inside backs for Brother Ken to make the first score of the game. DIXON —FOOTBALL HEAD

by Dixon, who was going great guns for Shore, brought the points register even. Plunging straight down the centre, the blond seasider flung the Ponsonby defences into chaos, and roused the fans to a roar of applause with a magnificently conceived piece of play, which sent O’Brien and Beattie racing for

the blue-and-black goal-line for the latter to score. Level pegging so far. Then amid delighted howls of “Beau Cavalier wins!” from the bankers, the girthy Gardiner crashed down the far side, gathering momentum at every stride. Perry had no chanc e of stopping the lunging giant, who galloped over with barely a falter in his raking stride. Then it was Devonport’s turn. In a mid-field scramble, Rule broke clear, with Seagar, on the grandstand side, and ground-kicked for the top corner, the former racing across for the simplest try so far scored. So far not a single try had been converted. Gardiner’s “poster” off the first score of the game being the nearest. FINE WORK In the closing stages of the spell, the

Ponsonby attacking machine functioned with devastating celerity and accuracy. From o scrum, the twe Pcckhams swum out in brilliam fashion, Ken racing his marker out of position, and sending on to Moore, tc Ward, to Usher, who finished off a brilliant changedirection move-

ment with another unconverted try in the corner. In the second spell, the boys on the scoreboard platform had nothing to do but enjoy the game. Scoreless as it was. the second session furnished a continual flare of excitement. Grim, hard-slogging football was the order of the day, with superb tackling on both sides. At times sparks flew in the close stuff, but with the exception of a first half “collision” between Webb and Peckham, and one or two secondspell incidents, in one of which Usher roused the ire of the crowd, the game was pleasantly free of questionable tactics. DIXON HURT Midway through the second session. Dixon was heavily charged while off his balance just after he had kicked clear, and fell on his injured leg. Apparently in a bad way, he was helped oIT the gi'ound, but after a minute or I two’s rest, gamely came back and completed the game. Devonport made tremendous efforts to get on terms with its opponents in posing stages. Even Perry, who had been none too safe in the earlier part of the game, seemed to realise the urgency of the case, and he frequently

ran his backs into position. Cleaver, at first five-eighth, showed glimpses of real brilliancy at times, and sorely troubled the defences, but Ponsonby staved off every assault to the final bell. BRILLIANT GREY he hero of a hectic second spell was “Cliilla” Grey, the Ponsonby full-back. From start to finish he was Ponsonby’s sheet-anchor on defence, taking faultlessly and kicking with power and real judgment. lie fully upheld his reputation as the “king of speculators,” getting Ponsonby out of two very critical situations in the closing stages, with a couple of flying kicks which skimmed past the mortified attackers who were surging down on him in close formation. Taking all in all, Devonport shaded Ponsonby in the scrum, St. George doing his work well, but Joe Peckham kept him very busy throughout. Jn the loose, Dixon was the best forward on the ground, and O’Brien a tiger for work in the tight. Ponsonby’s best were Fagan, Ward and Payne. LIKES THE MUD Although still too much of a “Lone Star Ranger,” Tim Peckham’s undoubted brilliance in the mud more than compensated for what amounted at times to a distressing slowness in getting the ball away. Peckham’s worst habit is that he must beat somebody before he lets the ball go, and although he shared the chief honours of Ponsonby’s victory with Grey, by sheer individual brilliance, he was inclined to over-do the solo touch at times. Gardiner and lven Peckham played their best games this year. The latter is the making of a first-class fiveeighth. Delgrosso and Usher got few real chances, but did their work well. Beattie, at centre, was sound as a rock for Devonport, and tackled grandly at times.

Both the liveeighths, Cleaver and Seagar, were good, the former putting in some fine dashes in the second half, which might have met with a better fate had the battleworn Devonport forwards been able to follow on from the ruck up the centre of the paddock. Webb was

better in the first spell than in the second, but was closely watched throughout. L. Scott was also very solid.