FOOTBALL NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8462, 12 June 1907, Page 3

FOOTBALL NOTES.

(By All-Black.) "A lucky win." — This seemed to be the general verdict on Masterton's victory over the Red Stars on Saturday last. The game was a particularly interesting one, being fast and open. Taken on the whole the Stars had ttightly the beat of it. The win of the Maaterton team was due principally to the fact that they knew how to avail themselves of opportunities. Maaterton had practically about four opportunities to score, and they crossed the Star line on three occasions. Had the Blacks had as many opportunities to score as the Stars had they would have put up a very .respectable score. The Stars played with a glaring sun in their faces during nearly all the first spell. For the first twenty minutes of the game they attacked the Masterton line. Mainly through the good work of Logan, Kinzett and O'Leary, Masterton worked the ball down 4he field, and getting their opportunities scored three tries in about 15 minutes. The Stars rallied after this and had slightly the best of the play during the rest of the spell. For the first ten minutes of the second spell play was of an uninteresting nature. Masterton got dangerously close to their opponents' line, but the Star forwards then livened up, and swept all before them They beat the opposing pack in all departments of the game, and for the last half-hour Masterton were continually on the defence. The Stars only scored one try —that obtained by Wrigley after a capital run—though they had endless opportunities to register points. It was in the back division that Masterton excelled. They possessed better attacking powers than the Stars. Their passing was clean and neat and they cleverly turned to advantage any mistakes the Stars made. They passed the ball abo ut without any hesitation, whereas the Stars on the other hand were generally smothered before they got going. Thenar forwards were more than a match for the Masterton pack, and this was particularly noticeable in the second spell when they ran them to a "stand still." Though Masterton obtained the ball from most of the scrums in the first spell, the reverse was *.he case iu the second spell, when Todd went up into the front row with Clarke. On a number of occasions when Masterton got the ball the Stars would break up quickly and smother the backs before they could get going.

Masterton possessed four backs (O'Leary, Logan, . Kinzett and Minett) who played splendid games, both in attack and defence. Duggan, though he lacked attacking powers, was excellent on the defence, and the manner in which he tackled Wrigley on one occasion was loudly cheered. On the other hand the Stars had only two backs that could be relied on, viz., Wrigley and Adams. Logan, as usual, played a dashing game, and did some very clever work. O'Leary did capital work all through the game. The try he scored was, a pretty piece of work, and next to Wrigley's was the best try of the day. In Kinzett Masterton have a particularly good five-eighth. He is fairly fast, tricky, takes a ball in fine style and knows how to make openings.

Minett showed himself to be a dangerous scoring man. He was sure in taking a ball, and kicking, and did the work that came his way in good style. Duggan's defensive work was excellent all through. He does not possess attacking powers to any extent, but there are very few better defensive players in the team. Baird, the full-back, was fairly safe, and should prove himself a capable man in the position when he strikes form. \

No back oh the field put in such good work as Wrigley. He is playing in his best form this season, and in attacking and defending on Saturday he had no equal. The try he scored was one of the finest pieces of work seen on the Showgrounds for some time. . < ><

Adams played a tricky game at half all through, and was strong both in attack and defence. The 'manner in which he fed his forwards', was a of his play. The play of the rest of the Star backs calls for nothing special except that at times they should have done better than they did. Of the Masterton forwards A. Ross and C. Ross stood out as the pick. Their following up was capital. Gray ahone up well on the loose, and Riley, on the other wing, also put in good work. No player in the pack did harder work than Mackellar. He does more good work than he is generally given credit for. Mackellar is very seldom seen leading a forward rush but it is very often his good play that initiates a rush. As an honest, consistent worker Mackellar has no superior in the team.

Chapman and Barry also put in good work. Todd was certainly the best forward on the ground, his play all through being clean and clever. He and Collett headed nearly every Star forward rush. Todd's footwork was really good, and the amount of dash he put into his play at times was astonishing.

Collett was the next best forward in the Star pack, and he played a splendid game. The rest of the forwards all played a good hard game, and were on ' the ball [all the time. Scorrar and Clarke were perhaps the most prominent.