Fine Goal Kick Gives Bay Winning Zeal

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 461, 17 September 1928, Page 6

Fine Goal Kick Gives Bay Winning Zeal

AUCKLAND’S DEFEAT FORWARDS BEAT BACKS (Special to THE SUN) NAPIER, Saturday. Yates’s kicking boots won the match for Hawke’s Bay against Auckland, not because of the points they added, but for the moral effect his successes had on the visitors. Just at the stage when it was anybody’s game, the Bay fullback landed a splendid penalty and hoisted a lovely field goal. It took the heart out of the visitors and revived the spirits of the tiring homesters wonderfully, so that they went from one success to another, finally winning by 21 points to 8. The Bay forwards showed more convincing all-round form than the Northerners, and maintained a restraining hold on the activities of the undoubtedly brilliant visiting backs. The Bay heeled from the majority of the scrums, broke even at line-outs and worked harder in the tight, and in the end was in the ascendaqcy in the loose. However, Keene, Fletcher and Strange frequently led the visitors’ fine loose rushes, but at the end the vanguard honours were all with the victors, for whom O’Dowd, Campbell and Heffernan (the last-named a former Auckland junior representative) played well. It was a case of a good forward team again winning from a very good back team. Behind the scrum Auckland had decidedly higher class. Pretty handling bouts, with sparkling in-and-out passing, frequently delighted the crowd and cut the Bay defence badly. Only in making better use' of stray opportunities in the loose were the Bay backs on top. Berridge, who was easily the best back on the ground, several times initiated fine attacks, cutting through the defence excellently, and he had a large share in all the attacking movements. He frequently saved Auckland by handy kicking on defence, and showed a stout-hearted front to the charging Bay forwards. Goodwin earned praise as the best threequarter on the ground, and he took every pass cleanly and ran with great dash, frequently badly beating his vis-a-vis. Jeffreys ran well and participated in some great reverse passing bouts. Cammick or Hook, and Mason, was too slow in getting the ball away.

Bush fielded accurately and kicked well at fullback and, on tho whole, made no errors.

The Bay produced an elusive second five-eighths in Setford, who proved as slippery as an eel. Howe, in the threequarter line, however, was not convincing, and the inside backs lacked combination.

Only great spoiling work by the Bay forwards prevented Auckland winning, for with the scores eight all, the visiting backs were sweeping through the defence in great style. Then the Bay forwards got on top again and dominated the position. From then on the visitors suffered heavily in penalties for infringements.