SOUTH AUCKLAND WINS

Taranaki Daily News, 16 September 1940, Page 3

SOUTH AUCKLAND WINS

VISIT BY LEAGUE TEAM TARANAKI'S FINAL SPURT With the score already 17 points to 10 in favour of South Auckland a quarter I of an hour before the final whistle in the senior League match between South Auckland and Taranaki at Pukekura Park on Saturday, the visitors were pressing the weary Taranaki defence hard back on its goal line, and it looked as if they would have no difficulty in increasing their lead. Several times the i backs nearly penetrated with their fast \ passing rushes and brought the ball to j within a few feet of the line; once, with j an almost clear field in front of them I and every man in position, as if it were j a practice run, they were stopped by a knock-on. But suddenly, after an interval of hard kicking, Taranaki took a new : lease of life, and Sykes. completing a j movement started by Yeates, with an jenergetic spurt slipped through an openI ing and dived over the line. The try I was not converted and. though Taranaki : attacked strongly during the last ten i minutes. it could not break through and the final score was 17 (five tries, one converted) to 13 (three tries, one converted, and a penalty). The teams were:— South Auckland: Shaw, A. Tumatu, F. Wilkinson, White, Taoko, Deverall, Shaw, Smith, Lowen, M. Wilkinson, Minhinnick, Tawha. C. Stevens. Taranaki: Berg. R. O'Shannessy. Cuff, Cronin, Halsey, Villers. D. Hills, Sykes, Perrott, Paterson, Phillips, Yeates, S. O'Shannessy. The referee was Mr. F. Keogh. The most attractive football in the game Iwas played by the South Auckland back | line. The passing was fast and accurate land severely tried the Taranaki defence, I particularly in the first half. Taranaki ' opened the scoring with a penalty kick j very nearly in the game, but almost at | once the visiting backs carried the ball j up the other end, and after a swift movement Minhinnick scored. Shaw coni verted the try. I Yeates was hooking well in the Taranaki pack, and at first seldom failed to get the ball out, but his backs were not ; working well enough together to complete their movements. Burke had a splendid chance when he broke through at half-way and had only the full-back to beat but, though Villiers was coming ud very fast, Burke was alone and lost | the ball when he tried to kick past. | Deverall was the heaviest scorer for j Auckland, taking his opening from Shaw j to drop over the line for his second try i and scoring his third after a long solo run. Cronin, the taranaki full-back, was a strong link in its defence, and his kicking, equally accurate from the left foot as from the right, was. as usual, a f ea ture of the game. R. O'Shannessy, wing three-quarter, made a brilliant solo run from half-way to score Taranaki's second try, but on the whole was not playing up to form after having been knocked out for a few minutes right at the beginning of the game. The scorers for South Auckland were Minhinnick, Len White and Deverall (3) in that order, and for Taranaki Halsey, R. O'Shannessy and Yeates. South Auckland 17 Taranaki 13 Reserve Grade Game. In the reserve grade match South Auckland defeated Taranaki by 32 points to 2. The Auckland team was too fast for Taranaki and its combination and | precision proved too strong. Taranaki's | only points were from a penalty goal by White. The scorers for South Auckland were Brooks (3), Allan (2), Ralph, Curnow (2), Healey and Burke. The teams were: — South Auckland: Berryman, Tomo, G. Stevens, Burke, Curnow, Brooks, Allan, Ralph, Angus, Jones, Cauldwell, Halock, Healey. Taranaki: Collins, Oliver, Boyd, Howarth, Dempsey, White, Swan, Davis, Stackwater, Topping, Phelan, J. Arden, Soffe. Primary School Game. In a primary school game New Plymouth defeated a hurriedly organised team termed "Rest" by 18 points to 3 in a game that was bright, despite the fact that the second team had not been in training. The Auckland R.V. team was unable to travel.