FOOTBALL NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 19, 23 July 1920, Page 6

FOOTBALL NOTES.

SATURDAY'S GAMES. iiANKS AND LAW (9) v. UNION (3). (Blue and Black) (Red and Black). The teams were : — Banks and Law — Backs : Christophers; Prain Gilmour, Lopdell, St. George, Stead; Dykes; forwards : Todd, Broughton, Wiicox, Pryde, Knox, Kirkland, Irving and Delargey. U nion — Backs : Middlemiss, Kelly, Robmts, Eunson ; Bindley, Ashley; Kelly; forwards: Mills, Murray, Cockroft, Galhraith, Smith, Deegan, Leete, and Stewart. The ground was not too slippery fcr back play as Banks and Law proved. TJnion kicked off, and a back waited for the bounce, the Reds coming into attack from the scruin after the mull, and passing to be checked at second five through tho men not giving themselves enough ground to work in. The drive continued, but a free relieved Blues when they were right on their own line. Talk was audible irom the teams — an unsportsmanlike and demoralising practice. Prain relieved to more than 25, the Reds recei ving a penalty iiom Broughton who was very dasliv. Cockroft kickcd high from Gilmour to send across the field, merely altering the line 1 arid not the distance. St. George missed a poor pass and Union came to the 25 , where they pressed Blues until a whistle relieved, no change of distance coming to them from the kick. However, a heel re. lieved them slightly and the up-to-this football-less game went on. Union heeled for a pass to break down, but their first five always went his full distance and delivered the ball when his second was a stride away from his marker ; so how could poor two do anything but take his dump ? And the Banks and Law love possessions such as he. Stcad found a hole in the field and booted to it, the Reds' back. waiting for the bounce. Still, as the oncoming forwards did not- spread, Union lost no ground. Lines were Union's, but Blues managed to do a couple of scrum scrcws and gain by them. Union forwards controlled the next set-scrum, heelcd, the backs instituting transfers which failed at the old spot, the centre not being able to take the bad pass. Union made some territory, got a penalty and forced Law. Stead's drop was returned to 30 yards, when from the parailels Union forwards proved too strong, a whistle checking them. There was too much whistle— some oue must have been pointing and lo&ing his siae good attack and hard-won ground. Gilmour sent the ball to half of half-way. Lluc forwards kept the movement going ten yards rewarding them. Scrums and scramhles with much whistling followed, a freo going to Blues, Union at last clearing to over 25. There was not much footall up to this. A scrum saw Banks and Law hi eak into a dribble, Union checking an over-kick to thirty yards, and Cockroft sent a free to half-way. The line put Biues going for twelve yards back ; but Union second five booted the hard one back past, half-way. A Union lash went to Gilmour who fell on his knees and propelled tho ball forwards, the Union bustle\s getting it down to the corner, their heeling proving good and their passing futjle, Lopdell clearing smartly to halfway with Gilmour up to the falling ball. Ur.fortunately he fell though he helped in the gaining of another twenty yards. Banks and Law as well as Serviee got relief with kicks, Union and Athletic do solid for ward work for most of their territory. Few packs can stand such grnelling for two long spells. Cockroft headed a great rush, but lost his men, Christophers. relieving at the 2-5. Union passed from the line scrum but mucks drove them back, Middlemass checking, and Union bettering further with a mark to half-way fiag. Another Red wave swept over Blues, Stewart and Cockroft being prominent. A checking whistle sent Delargey through t'hr Red ranks ; there was another whistle, and Blues cleared further, Stead received, but Eunson very smartly took and kicked out at about 15 yards from Banks and Law north-west corner where a free came to Union from the line break. Union 3. The kick from middle and two small movements bronght Blues to the Union 25, Dykes bettering. Blnes attacked for the first time, Lopdell being handed one from scrum, the effort merely lining al-

most at once. Dykes again fed Lopdell, but a free resulted for an off-side take, •T'o' Gilmour and Prain did good combined defence, Cockroft marking. St. George nullified the big forward's effort Prain L -Og up. A scramble came and Eunson made some ground ; and Cockroft and Eunson were in another gaining movement immediat-ety afterwards, the ball getting to Blues' full. . Then Union kicked to seven yards from the Law corner, the ball being heeled by the defenders and kicked to Eunson who potted as resultlessly as his backs had passed. A successful appeal gave the Reds a free, and then a free charge came for a bad shot at goal, Blues at once clearing to half-way. An exchange of kicks, Christophers to Eunson to Gilmour followed in sickening slowness, Union gaining slightly. Blues received a free sending the ball out about half-way for the whistle to call half-time. Union 3 — a penalty, Banks and Law nil. The sky brightened up in the interval and things looked more cheerful when the second spell opened. At once Stead gained 5 yards on the kick-off, and a Blue passing rush, which stopped when St, George met Eunson, the Reds managed to got to their own 25. Another Blue pass stopped at St. George, a gain of 5 yards having been effected with a well-judged transfer, Gilmour coming in again after feeding Lopdell, the double-handler being pushed out at the corner. Then there was an accident. On resumption Reds at onc^ cleared to the 25, where the line heel caused Dykes to feed Stead who ran out to Gilmour, cutting out the Union centre, Gilmour feinting beautifully and cutting in when five yards from the posts, Dykes failing miserably with the kick. Union 3, Law 3. Eunson took the 25 kick which Stead anticipated, marking safely ; but Cockroft recei ved and sent back to half of half-way, a scrum following, with the P.eds dashing and with a marvellous mark by Stewart. Cockroft kicked to Gilmour who returned with a great kick to five yards from ihe coveted Union line. Reds moved out of trouble and gained further ground on the next line, but still were in thei- own 25. Another line and they wero five yards from half-way when a whistle stopped them, the scrum feeding Union half, the ball being transferred across the field for a gain of five yards. Dykes then made ten yards for his side and some vigorous poor football was seen from the three-alls. Christophers took a high one ami sent to half-way line, when a Red rush gave Lopdell a speculation out. Reds were offside next, but Prain didn't gain, Red forwards dashing into attack, Galbraith showing ; but Cockroft missed a pass and the Reds were five yards from Blues' line. Scramhles and many nulls followed in a long period of Union attack and a whistle went probably for rotten play, and Stead relieved to about the 25. TI e blind side was used by Kelly, but a knock on and a miss by Stewart brought a free, and Stead sent to Eunson, Broughton coming through. gallantly for a thirty yards' gain. St. George got a cateh but mulled, only about six yards coming off his late kick. The line heel allowed Dykes to set his men going — St. George to Stead, — who ct.it out the second five of Union and sent Gilmour away with room, but the last named was slow and a scrum came, Blues again possessing, Dykes kicking to 25. Lopdell was fed from the line scrum, but he miskicked, losing ground to over the middle of the 25. However, Gilmour came through, Lopdell continuing and Eunson checking with a boot to Gilmour who centred well, a force following. Cockroft made a great dribble, but Gilmour turned defence into attack and Union had to kick a free from behind their own line, 20 yards of relief coming. Union continued the move, but St. George stopped the rush and sent them back to the 25 fla-g, where Dykes fed Stead, a knockon letting Union through to five yards over their 25. On they went with two grand forward rushes to well over half-way; but the . line scrum fed Dykes — Stead — St(, George— Lopdell— St. George for something to go wrong and a free to be sent | to Stead the ubiquitous, Kelly retuming to over half-way. The scrum feed saw Stead send to Eunson. and Blues were 5 yards in Reds' last 25. Middlesmiss responded well to a defence call and Lopdell returned with Stead right on the dropping ball, but an appeal was fruitful and Reds got a free, Dykes giving a defence pass to Gilmour; but neither he nor Stead managed to clear, LTnion forwards gaining a stretch of seven yards. Another free to Union merely shifted play across to the opposite side, not a yard being gained or lost, The line brought a gain to Blues, but the Blues' forwards seemed fitter now with the Union scrummers tired through working hard for backs with. no scoring powers, and they ran back to ten yards from Union's line. Reds cleared a pace or two with their strong liners. The scrum heel Dykes sent to Stead, who this time ran to the centre and transferred to Gilmour, who sent a lob to Lopdell, who got over after jnmpiug over full Middlemiss's outstretched hands. Banks and Law

~~ 6, Union 3. The 25 came to St. George w-io returned to near the missed-goal kickoff line. Blues got on a fine dribble, but were unlucky in giving Middlemiss a couple of yards of space, and he cleared. The ball was sent out lon , for Union lash to relieve to nearly half-way. Union kicked to nimble St. George who darted in, beat Middlemiss but fell short, Middlemiss picking up and sending to the line, where swift Lopdell secured and scored. Banks and Law 9, Union 3. Then ihe whistle was heard for the last time. Banks and Law 9 (3 tries) — Union 3 (penalty). Tf Union had any way of scoring with their backs, they would be a great team. BLUFF (14) v. PUBLIC SERV1CE (5). g.iaroon and gold) (Black) j The teams were : Bluff — Backs, Perci1 v'al, Long, Phillipson, Murphy, Latimer, Galbraith, Finnerty; forwards, Winter, McQuarrie, Budd, Trembath, Wroblensky, Tall, Gilroy, Potter. Public Serviee : Backs, O'Connell, Morgan, Fortune, McKenzie, J. Dalgleish, Sligo, L, Dalgleish; forwards, Cameron, Sproat, Anderson, McDermott, Galt, Langbein, Sellars, Stobo. Bluff won the toss and played with the ' wind. From the kick-off Serviee backs brought play into Bluff 25, but were foiled uy Latimer's tacklmg. Bluff forwards then asserted themselves bringing into the opposing 25, where daspite a free kick agamst them the forwards pressed hard, and McQuarrie scored. The kick failed. Bluff kept pressing and only once did Serviee look dangerous, when their forwards broke away, only to he stopped by Latimer. Bluff backs then put in a good rush, but Murphy spoilt- by a hard kick ; Serviee forcing down. Serviee now asserted themselves and were close uporT Bluff line when Botter and Gilroy broke away, closely followed by the rest of the Bluff forwards, right down the field, thus giving Tall the chance to score well out. Ludd failed to goal. Play ra-ixged up and down the field, Serviee continually relieving by free kicks and line kicks. Then Phillipson for Bluff, after a passing rush, potted at goal but failed. From the kickoff a break away by Cameron brought play to half-way. The Serviee backs attempted a pass, but Latimer intercepted j. Dalgliesh's pass and after a brilliant run scored between the posts. Phillipson oonverted. Half-time then sounded, Bluff 11, Serviee nil. In the beginning of the second spell, play was in Serviee 25 until from a scrummage Serviee forwards broke away. After tn\s a series of line kicks ensued ; Long (Bluff) caught one of these, broke away and looked like scoring, but was grassed by Fortune. Potter then broke away but in turr. was stopped by a good tackle by 0 Connell. Serviee were then relieved by a free kick. Bluff pressed hard, and after good scrum work, Tall scored. The k.ck failed. Bluff continued to press hard, but Serviee backs brought play into Bluff 25 where Serviee all but potted a penalty goal. For the rest of the spell play raged up and down the field; but ffu the most part Bluff were defending. From a tight scrummage, close on time, Sproat secured and scored well out. Mckenzie goaled. From then on Serviee attacked but without result. The game end. el, Bluff 14, Serviee 5. The game was very interestTTig to watch. Bluff had improved a great deal from last Saturday . Both forward packs were in condition, but Bluff 's weiglit told against Serviee. Serviee were a litfl.e slow in fcrming on the line-outs, with the result Ihat the Bluff forwards secured the ball a i j broke away. The pick of the forwards were Potter, Gilroy, and Stobo. The} were continually on the ball and di l not miss a tackle, The backs did no1 show the same science as the fonvards. Latimer and Finnerty put up a good game fo- Bluff. Latimer's tackling is worthy of note. J. Dalgliesh and Fortune shi wed up well for Serviee, Taking all together tho game was a good one to watch, no funk, no collaring high, and the members of both teams worked in unity.