THE MOASCAR CUP.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 August 1921, Page 3

THE MOASCAR CUP.

TO-DAY’S MATCH.

A good deal of interest is being manifested in to-day’s match between the Wanganui Technical Schoo), and the New Plymouth Boys’ High School for the Moascar cup. The local boys are in good nidi. The Wanganui boys have a reputation for good play, and the fact that they can successfully face Wanganui collegiate school shows they are adversaries of no i&ean order. The New Piyunouth High School team is as follows:

THE WANGANUI TEAM, ITS PROSPECTS DISCUSSED.' / '(By Wire-Special to News.) Wanganui, Last Night. The Wanganui Technical- College football team left to-day for New Plynjouth for the purpose of trying conclusions with the local High School team for the Moascar Cup. About three years ago these schools mot, and Wanganui were ingloriously defeated, but since then the college has travelled far along the road of Rugby. The team which left to-day is fairly strong, though it has been weakened considerably by the loss of E. Walpole (captain), who broke his thumb in the early stages of a match last week with the Collegiate School. Weld), tho fastest wing threequarter, is also not available, but on the other hand Whai Pine, who has been out for several weeks owing to an injury, has rejoined his team. Whichever way the verdict goes, the Wanganui boys can be depended upon to make a. good game of it. The team is: —•

Full-back: Marsden. Three-quarters: V. Reid, What Pine, Heise Five-eighths: Gilberd, Burnett. Half: E. F»eid. Forwards: Barry, Dixon, Dyke, Pine, Win. Grou.be, Rathbone, Winter. Wing-forward; Ward. 1 ■„

THE CANTERBURY MATCH, Very unfavorable weather conditions prevailed on Wednesday for the meeting of tho Taranaki and Canterbury representatives at Hawera. Heavy rain fell all through the morning, and though this cleared about 12 o’clock and kept off until just ufV'r the conclusion of tho njatch, a strong and cold wind blew throughout the afternoon and made matters unpleasant for players and spectators, alike. It therefore shows the great interest taken In the match that there was an attendance of over 2 500 spectators, and that despite the fact that no special travelling facilities in the shape of trains had been provided—the south train not. even being delayed for half an hour, which would have enabled people from as far south as Wanganui to have utilised the train. That the gathering was fairly representative of Taranaki was shown by the long string of cars marshalled outside, over 220 being counted. The interest was due to a great extent to the revival that has taken place in football ainco the conclusion of the war, and also because thia match was specially interesting, as it was the meeting of the only team that had beaten the Springboks and tho only team that had not been beaten by theun. Moreover, it was the ninth occasion on which the men from the butter and cheese province had met those from the wool and mutton province, and the latter had not so far been able to defeat Taranaki, getting very close on one occasion, when they drew. On Wednesday Canterbury notched their first victory, and a decisive one it was.

The teams were very different from those that met the Springboks in each ease. Canterbury only had eight of that great combination. Of the backs the wing threequarters, Ford and Wilson, played the previous Saturday, whilst of the forwards mere were N. Carnegie (rover), E. Cummings, W. Cummings, Ellis, Munro and Henderson. Taranaki also only had eight of its Springbok fifteen, and as a coincidence, the only backs to play in both matches were Hickey and Sykes, the wing three-quarters, whilst Cain, Campbell, Spratt, Masters, Kivell and Fogarty were the forwards. West, Roberts and Kingston were uh..jle to play through injuries. . Taranaki played a very disappointing game, and on the day Canterbury were easily the better team. The local team won tho toss. and played with the wind for the first spell [ and did not make sufficient use of that advantage. Indeed, it is questionable if it would not have been belter if they had played against the wind the first half) and then they would have known what they were up against in the second half. As it was the team played with bad judgment, and in this I respect the loss of R. Roberts was felt, for both backs and forwards kicked too hard or too high, and the ball time and again sailed 'to the dead ball line. Taranaki tried to make the game open, but tho visiting pack, who l appeared to have the advantage of the weight, I were securing the oa.ll in the scrum, and Berg, who was playing his first game as rep- ! resentative half, did not get many opportu- : nitles to throw the ball about. When the I ball did come to him he got. rid of It clean ; ly, and undoubtedly shows great promise as an attacking half, though he did not appear to relish the forward rushes. Lynskey did not. seem at home with the ball, often falling to accept a pass. Robertson and Hooker, at five-eighths and centre three-quarter, did a lot of work, the former doing a tremendous amount of stopping, whilst-ihe latter was also sound on defence and made a lot of nice openings. The wings, however, were apt to get- out cf place. Hickey, who on the whole played a fine game, missed a good chance through being too far away. His defence was again good. Sykes, who hurt his shoulder early in the game, should have retired, as ■ afterwards he. appeared very chary in coming up to his man, though ho brought Wilson down on several occasions. Lusk, at full-back, was not a success in that position, i hough it must be remembered that he was playing out of position. Moreover, in such a wind, it was difficult to gauge the flight of the ball with any degree of accuracy. ;The forwards did not infuse anything like the ginger into their play that they showed against the Springboks, though in the second spell, when it was too lute, they put In some great bursts, hut the Canterbury men, aided by the wind, drove them back witr.- tong ime kicks. ; Of the Taranaki forwards none played better than Fogarty, who was the. best forward on the ground, being prominent in every rush and frequently breaking away on his own. Cain, Campbell, Masters. Spratt and Kivell also did their share, tho first-named still showing surprising dash. Birchall did not play up to the form he showed at the beginning of the season. Malone, on the wing, also played well, doing a lot of stopping. He could with advantage play to his backs more instead of continually kicking.

Practically right through Taranaki’s collaring lacked the deadliness that characterised the team against the Springboks. It was hard believe that the pack of forwards were' practically the same on Wednesday. Most, of fie collaring was too high, and was of a very

fouble nature. The team fully lived up to its reputation for in and out ploy, only that

the Wanganui match the previous Thursday it was tho teaita’s turn to play right up to highest..

NEWS AND NOTES. The match against Canterbury on Saturday was Taranaki’s first loss this season. So far Taranaki’s record this year is two wins, two draws and a. loss, whilst iho» province has scored 35 points and tad 38 points scored against it. The South Africans meet Southland this afternoon. The southerners, who hold the Ranfurly Shield at present, are expected to fully extend the visitors.

Kingston, the New Zealand full-back, sustained injuries that may prevent him going to Dunedin to take his place in the team for the first test match. Hp was unable to get away yesterday, but if fit will leate for the south on Monday.

Ross, the Clifton half, sustained injuries that will prevent him assisting his club today. The New Plymouth High School team leave on August IS for Nelson, where they will arrive on the Saturday morning. They play the Nelson College team on the Monday, and then return home.

Play this year in some cases appears to be unnecessarily rough. This is not due to any intentional or deliberate roughness, but .* mainly due to the fact that clubs are playing in most cases iv hard, rather than a scientific game. There is, in some instances, a .tendency to play the man rather than the ball, but this is due mainly to ignorance. The game between Okaiawa and Hawera was said to be particularly rough by some of the spectators, but if so the players concerned must have taken care to elude the referee’s eye, as Mr. Neilson can be relied upon to at once check any rough play. The Tukapa-Clifton match, at Waitara, was also a hard fought contest, and at times bordered very close to roughness. Last week’s matches did not alter the positions of the leading teams. Clifton and Hawera are still equal at the top of the list. Waiimate and Patea are still running strongly for the honor of going into the B grade. Of the teams in tie latter competition, Inglewood Is now assured of being top of the list, and will therefore enter the ranks of the A grade next year. The Inglewood team reserves to be congratulated on the plucky fight, it has put up for many years past against adverse circumstances.

The gross receipts for the Springboks' match at Christchurch last week were £15(55.

ASSOCIATION GAME. All members of the New Plymouth Soccer Club are requested to be at the show grounds to-day (Saturday), at 2 p.m., when A and B teams will play. LEAGUE GAME IN NEW ZEALAND DOOMED. A RIGHT JAB. A right jab to the solar plexus of the New Zealand Rugby League is landed by Claude Corbett, a well-known League Rugby critic in Sydney. He writes" There have not been nearly as many complaints concerning the [ selection of the Australasian Rugby League If.am to visit England as might reasonably have been expected. The only real objection lias come from New Zealand, where certain members of the council look upon the inclusion of one player from the Dominion as an insult. Personally, I do not think tho selectors would have been going too far had they not put one New Zealander in the team. The standard of ’ play shown by the visitors was the worst we have ever seen from them. In fact, it’ was so bad that unless some reorganisation is done New Zealand League football can never hope to approach anything like the height that it should in comparison to the Union game. Further than that, New Zealand teams as revenue-producers will be negligible In this country, unless the standard of play improves. Even now it will be many years before the local league could invite a New Zealand team to this country with the certainty ttat the public regard the matches seriously. Queensland is pretty nearly in the same category, but on this season’s displays they aro far better foot nailers all round than the New Zealanders.”

Full-back: Age. st. lb. K, Taylor ........ 0.6 0 3 3 Three-quarters: T. Foden ...... 17 S 11 4 H. W. Brown ... 16 10 11 1 IaH. Abbott ....... 18 0 » 7 Five-eights: J. Shaw 15 6 8 6 W. Alexander 15 5 8 6 Half-back: J. Brodie ... 16 I 9 13 Wing-forward: A. 1. Patterson .... 15 2- 3 3 Forwards: M. Barak 17 6 10 16 R. Christie 17 0 10 12 «f. W. Palmer 17 2 11 4 B. Hooper ........ 16 1 13 13 B. de B. Nokcs '18 3 11 13 (J. E. Drader 16 S 11 3 R. Brewster 15 8 10 16