British Tour Ends

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1049, 13 August 1930, Page 15

British Tour Ends

BIG SCORE AT BLENHEIM Local Men Run Off Their Feet WILD RUSH FOR SOUVENIRS Special to THE SUN BLENHEIM, Tuesday. BEFORE the British team’s match against the combined Marlborough, Nelson and Golden Bay Unions, it received from “Eddie,” its devout well-wisher, a telegram reading: ‘‘Forget the yesterdays; look forward to brighter tomorrows.” Perhaps with this in mind, it went forth to put up the highest score of the tour, its pace being too much for the slow-footed local men who, m the second half, were run off their feet. Britain won by 41 points to 3.

The match was played in almost a picnic atmosphere on the pretty, willow-fringed Lansdowne Park ground, the name of which struck a familiar chord with the Irish representatives, whose traditional headquarters in Dublin are at Lansdowne Road. Before what was probably the smallest crowd of the tour, the British were played from the main gates to the front of the stand by the local pipe band. There was also a brass band present, the local union in this respect showing more enterprise than the New Zealand Union, whose canned music at the final Test match ivas hardly worthy of the occasion. Nelson-Marlborough, captain by E. Snow, the All Black forward, was a solid-looking side, nicely turned out in an attractive maroon kit. The forwards lived up to their appearance by offering the visitors stern opposition at all points of scrummage work, and by giving the backs an ample supply of the ball, of which they made depressingly little use. The tourists treated the crowd to a fine display of fast football, and inflicted the biggest defeat of the tour on their opponents. For ESritain tries were scored by Wilkinson, Black, Jones-Davies (2), Bowcott, Beamish and Knowles. Black and Parker each converted two, while Bonner converted one. Parker also kicked two penalty goals and Jones-Davies a goal from the field. The combined team’s one score whs a try by Alexander. It was interesting that Jones-Davies should have potted a goal in the final match, as the opening score of the tour at Wanganui was a potted goal by Ivor-Jones, and no other has been

scored by the British team in the interim. Parker’s final penalty was also of interest, not only as the last score of the tour, but also because Parker, with a penalty goal for Swansea, was the first man to score against the 1924 All Blacks. After today’s game there was an interesting scene when the British players scrambled for souvenir balls, nfter which both teams joining hands formed a ring in the centre of the field, while the crowd rose and sang “Auld Lang Syne.” As this marked the conclusion of the team’s New Zealand programme it was an interesting and in some respects rather touching scene, as the British team does not leave New Zealand without considerable regret. One man said today that he wished they were on their way to Wanganui to start the tour all over again. Remarkable enthusiasm was shown in Blenheim, and a huge crowd waited for the British team at its hotel. Time was short, as the team had to entrain almost immediately for Picton to catch the Tamahine for Wellington. Nevertheless, there was time for over-en-thusiastic admirers to attempt souveniring on an unusual scale. One player lost his scarf, and two others lost jerseys, while a fourth only just managed to retain his tie. As the players entered the station they were showered with confetti. Blenheim had certainly ‘‘done them proud.”