Soccer Semi-Finals

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 787, 7 October 1929, Page 8

Soccer Semi-Finals

TRAMS AND REWA WIN

A Shock For Y.M.C.A.

THE Falcon Cup semi-finals provided two lively knockouts on Saturday in which the Soccer was more willing than artistic. The senior B clubs gave the A teams a surprise Manurewa knocking out Young Men by three goals to one and Bon Accord started with a two-goal lead on Trams, but went down at the finish by four goals to two. Trams showing superior staying power. North Shore won the replay for the Dacre Memorial Cup, beating Ponsonby by the solitary goal scored.

The weather was n bit too warm and summery for strenuous Soccer, and there was the unusual phenomenon of dust flying at Blandford Park from a hard surface. Trams fielded a weakened team, with Captain Simpson still absent, and Spong missed from the firing line; the vacancies were filled by Hopkins and Watson. The Bon Accordians were at full strength, and had piled on two goals by- bustling tactics before the transporters’ side settled down to try team-work. SOME LIVELY EXCHANGES The Trammies left their run till very late in the game, as they were one down at half-time, and it was anyone’s game then, and but for a trio of hard drives by Christie the senior champions might easily have bitten the dust. After Bon Accord had shown out the better in the opening exchanges the veteran Corbett manoeuvred for a good opening which gave Nicholson a chance to dash in and score smartly. Trams’ attempts to even matters were repelled by solid defensive work on the part of Reid and Nimmo, and the Scots returned for Corbett to test Batty with a long dropping shot. The goalie punched the ball from under the bar, but it dropped at Dunsmore’s toe and came back at lightning speed from a first-timer, which beat Batty before he recovered.

The Trams tried hard to get its van going, but good spoiling work by Bon Accord’s backs checked any advances and the work of all four men on the wings was weak. Play was very willing, and some of the players did not appreciate hitting the dust. It was not until just before the interval that the

transporters opened their score, when Bell connected with a centre from Strettori and reduced the deficit. On resuming, the Trams abandoned rushing tactics and showed rrore cohesion. Reid and Nimmo were hard pressed when the ball came out to Christie, who tried a long pot. for the drive to glance off Spencer into the net.

CHAMPIONS TAKE THE LEAD With the score all square, the champions set out for the winning points, but found Corbett a constant stumb-ling-block with his spoiling work in the centre, and the wing men lacked pace and centring power. Unable to get his men into a scoring position from close in. Christie tried another long-range on his own, and landed a low shot in the net, which Morris failed to sight. A lot of the sting had gone out of the B team’s attack, but the Tram forwards were almost equally ineffective, and Christie had to come to the rescue again with one of his distant drives. It flaw straight for the target and a feeble return was smartly trapped by Bell, who let fly to crash the ball to the far post and into the net. BON ACCORD DIES HARD The transporters were satisfied with the two-goal lead, but Bon Accord rallied strongly and narrowly missed scoring, only to go down with their colours flying by four goals to two. The champions had Christie at centre-half to thank for surviving the knock-out, as the forwards were weak in front of goal and never troubled Morris ser- j iously*. Spencer lacked support in the : centre, and neither the inside nor wing men were in form. For Bon Accord, Dunsmore was the best forward on the field, but the others lacked finish, while Tremain was upset more than once by the assiduous attentions of Fvffie. Jock Corbett, in his quiet, effective style, was a tower of strength at centrehall, and Reid was consistently sound at back, with good support from Nimmo. Morris was smart in clearing. but failed to negotiate Christie's 1 sledge-hammer drives from a distance, and they proved the winning factor in the game. MANUREWA SHOCKS >T .M. As anticipated, the ManurewaY.M.C.A. bout on the Outer Domain was a fa.r livelier go than the knockout at headquarters, and if the dust was flying at Blandford there was skin and hair flying at times when the suburban side outed the Senior Cup winners by three goals to one. Both teams were at full strength, and the turf was in capital condition for a hard game. Since cleaning up the senior B championship, the Manurewans have carried all before them in the knock-out competitions and have I been handing out the summer sleep to senior A and senior B clubs with reI fr eshing vim and disrespect for repu- [ tations. Y.M.’S painful surprise ~^ e Young Men had enjoyed a great number of ‘ins” until Saturday, and with seven victories on end (including two bloodless ones over Thistle), they felt confident of adding the Falcon VV? c *■? t ’, l . e Senior trophy on the Y.M.C.A. altar. When some smart exchanges had taken place with no serious damage, a penalty came Y.M.’s way for H. Donaldson handling in the . penalty area, Otter almost missed j the spot kick. But Y.M. were one } U P an <i more confident than eve-. But ; that was the end of the Young Men's { tether and the forwards were robbed | nd . smothered before they could score again. The Y.M. defence stood galj lantly up to the ’Rewa shock tactics j for half an hour, the dogged work of j tnapman, Mowat and Otter keeping * them at bay. But the increasing waves finally overwhelmed the defence j when Palmer connected with a welli placed corner kick and netted to even i matters. The lead changed to the , suburban club when Ross found the target with a lucky long pot from an I oblique angle, and Palmer added the third goal just before the change over,

with a snapshot from close in which glanced off a defender; the teams turn ing round with the score three to onin favour of Manurewa. A GOALLESS HALF With the breeze and sun at their bac» s the Young Men set out to make up r.eway, but 'Rewa fought hard to retain its lead and play was mors than willing with plenty of purp;a patches Y.M. was lucky to escape a heavier deficiency when Mowat handled near goal and Hilliard saved the penalty kick from Ross. Play was mostly round the Manurewa goal, but Parka defended his charge in great style, some of his saves being brilliant and drawing loud cheers from the B champions' supporters of both sexes. The Y.M. firing line was again unimpressive in its team work and shooting, and although the forwards maintained a lively barrage right to the final whisfie they failed to pierce the defence again and Manurewa deservedly won a hardfought battle by three goals to two. Ross, Iseea and Palmer were outstanding on the side of the victors, while Mowat and Chapman were conspicuous in their stout defence against the winner’s onslaughts. MANUREWA FOR FINALS Last year Manurewa was successful in cleaning up the junior championship and the Dacre Cup, and this season has earned the right to full senior rank by winning the senior B championship. The suburban side is now in the finals for both the Falcon and Thistle Cups, and has only to retain its recent form to secure one or both of the senior trophies. The final for the Thistle Cup between Manurewa and Thistle is set down for Wednesday night and the Falcon Cup final between Trams and Manurewa will ring down the curtain for IS 29 on Saturday next at Blandford Park. DACRE CUP FINAL The replayed final for the Dacre Memorial Cup. the knock-out competition for the second grade clubs, resulted in a win for North Shore over Ponsonby by the narrow margin of a goal to nil. The game was played as a preliminary to the Trams-Bon Accord match at headquarters and provided a willing go which was more vigorous t>ian artistic. The defence on both sides was too strong for the attack and the score sheet was blank, with extra time threatening - , when Shore broke through with a combined rush, and "Walters managed to bullock his way through the- scrummage and score the winning goal. The Shore juniors have had a most, successful season, having cleaned up both the championship and the knock-outs without a single loss. The team has had difficulties in raising an eleven at times, but its esprit de corps has stood to it well and its success is thoroughly deserted.