FOOTBALL NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 20, 30 July 1920, Page 4

FOOTBALL NOTES.

OOMBINED SATURDAY (9) V. WESTERN DISTRICT (3). (Blue and Black) (Black and White).

The teams were : — Country. — -Backs : T. Brown ; A. Brown, Guthrie, Eade, Grieve, Bell, Weir; forwards : Matheson, H. Brown, Popham, Forde, Foster, Shcrwell, Duggan, Johnston. Town. — Backs: Swale; Prain, Fortune, Gilmour, Stead, St. George, J. Dalgleish ; forwards : Sproat, Camerori, Pryde, Budd, Cockroft, Langbein, Smith and Potter.

The Visitors, who played in neat black and white hoops were met by Town in colours. The country side had done well against South Otago and was confident of success, Town fans opining, however, that the Saturday backs would be too good on attack. From the following report it will appear that the home forwards were not a good lot — too light and much given to poirting. Western kicked off and the return. lost two yards to Tovm. From the line Dalgliesh and St. George in turn fail . ed to stop the Country rush, which went on until Dalgliesh came arcrand and check-i-d. The first scrum sent the ball to Western , but it went out without gain. The game swayed from the line towards east and Fortune thaught the ball was out, the iull missed it, and A. Brown came up for two men to tackie him near the Town line. Followed a free, a line, and a scramble, Swale getting a bad relief pass and the attack going on. Pressure was rernoved and Town kicked over the 25, where Western again secured the ball and fed the wing on tha short side, the movement finishing at Town's second playing flag. Stead received a pass and mad,e through but was checked, his backs being out of line for a pass and too far away from the hali-way to think of anything but kicking. It was a bad movement; for the Westem came through and Town was saved by H. Brown being penalised for a handicap. Then occurred an interval for Western District refreshment of clothing, and, when the ball was thrown out in the visitors' half, Stead failed to find the line, tl.e return being safely sent to Country's -ro by St. George. The line gained two yards for the defenders, they getting the bali. Sproat immediately fed their backs with a kick along the ground, when he could have passed to Stead. A free against Western followed, but they gained on the kick back, sweeping up well for Swale to relieve and to be tackled very late. The line favoured Town, though the line-scrum produced "heads-up" for forwards, who have been trained to pack, Budd, Potter, Langbien, and Smith, not being the offenders. The next line gave ground to the visitors, but Smith came out of the ruck and stopped a kick. Gilmour picked up at top, sending to Grieve who changed direction by punting east, Fortune again missing the line and Swale givinggood relief after beating two men. xx Town pass came from the line feed, but the second five could not take his transfer, and the visitors were penalised, Smith and Cameron charging up well to jsut over middle. The line again went to the fine visiting forwards, but St. George came up to make it a scrum, the ball being dribbled by Town and the Country backs mulling the pick up. Gilmour and St. George confusing' them. The scrum went to Western, but Cockroft secured their kick, which was sent well back to Swale, a continued exchange finding Swale saving in mid-field after Cameron had tried to stem a rush after the high ball. Western forwards were controlling the game, and the Town scrummers were giving good relief after beating two men. aftei a scrum following another of Swale's middle kicks, he passed to his first for the movement to end at Fotune, who played the ball when he was on the ground. The scrum fed Western, who passed, the -ball going out. The line penalised the visitors for smothering the half before the ball had come out, Cockroft sending to A. Brown, a gain resulting to Western. The next scrum was in the visitors' favour aua Fortune was beaten for seven yards of territory. Western secured, cross-kicked, took and passed well, but the check produced an over-kick which Swale forced The 25 kick was returned by Grieve to Cockroft, who rnarked judiciously, the on.

rush of his side allowing Cameron to kick across for Fortune, whose had luck was repaired by Gilmour, Western coming up to the hame line. A free relieved the sorely pressed litle Town forwards, and A. Brown again dashed in with the feed he got, his forwards sweeping the chaff befcre them, but being checked for dragging a man off the ball. Cockroft gained a fu1: 30 yards with his kick. The Town forwards were not packing, so the Western came at it again, a free being nullified by a man in front, the ball coming to Dalgliesh who made the half-way flag. An exchange of heavy-ball kicks was to Town's advantage, but the line was carried easily by Western, and when the ball freed visiting obstructionist was penalised and twelve yards were lost to his side. The line brought a ruse by which wing-three Fortune secured and ground was gained and a dribble by Sproat and Budd, the lattef kicking too liard, forced Westem. The 25 produced a clash and Cockroft's ankle went. The line was in favour of the visitors, and the ball came to St. George -who sent to A. Brown, the home side losing slightly. Stead then secured ani with a cut and a punt made for position, Prain, however, being ruled off, and the ball ending at half-way. Westem carried the line, Prain checking. A free to Westem went to Potter, no gain resulting. Dalgliesh checked a great rush of forwards, and immediately afterwards he and Prain gained more ground. A free ro Western was dropped by Prain at 20 yards from home, and the attacking forwards proved much superior to the Town's, scrambles, lines, and scrums being all in their favour, the ball landing five yard,s from the home line. The visitors moved up two yards more, bufNSt. George cleared, and the movement went to the fuil, T. Brown, checking. Swale slipped when he tried to take his opposing placer's return, but St. George and Fortune cleared The line brought a Town heel, but there was no gain as the forwards did not cover the half at all. However, Fortune bustled the next short-side leak and got up to ten yards from Western 25. The line was carried by the clefenders, and Fortune relieved. Town were penalised for pointing and 20 yards were lost. Another loss followed the line-out, but Stead cleared to I. Brown— to Swale— to 25, tne Westem gaining. Stead had to stop the next line break-away by the backs, and Town was on its own 25. Another line to Western, of course, and Dalgliesh to stop a deadly rush. Cameron, Potter, and Sproat, appeared in a rush, a scrum being set on Western line. The defenders cleared ten yards. Then a line scramble fed Gilmour who cut in well and fed Fortune. _ Town Stead returned the 25 kick, and Cameron failed to get the recipient, so the ball went to half-way, with a loss to Town. A stmggle from the line, which the visitors carried, ended in Sproat aua Prain relieving to half-way; a further Prain dribble gaining five more yaxds. Then the whistle. Remarks during the recess were scathing on pointers, and on forwards not protecting their half. The ground was in a wretched state after the heavy frost, and the ball was heavy. All the Western forwards were working and it was dawning on spectators that some of the Town pack were not. Whistles had been very frequent, the Town gaining in frees but losing in scrums, for the Western hookers, H. Brown and Matheson, were having it nearly all their oWn way. Still there was a feeling of confidence in the attacking quality of the home reargnaxd, and Swale was certainly doing well at full. Tlie Town kick-off was a tiny one, and Westem were checked in attempting to return, the Town backs running into an attack that stopped at Gilmour, Pryde and Prain coming to his relief to send the ball out at half-way. The Town carried the line, but Country came with the forwards, Dalgliesh doing a solitary check, a subsequent free sent the visitors to their own 25. A long line saw Western break away, but St. George checked when they had gained only five yards. Dalgliesh then did a great tackie of Guthrie, when the passing visitors looked to be moving well, other Town tackling being poor indeed. Another long line brought in Gilmour and Prain, with St. George ending at over half-way, and the Town forwards not in the hunt, the Western always packing better. A Town dribble through a slip of Weir's was returned on the over-kick, Grieve lining at nearly half-way. The Town packed and gained five yards, and scrambles and scrums gave them further gain, J. Brown at least relieving. The line produced a magnificent Westem dribble, H. Brown heading, Fortune very successfully checking by take and kick into the last 25 and 10 yards from the corner. A free to Western gave them 20 yards relief, and a long line fed the visitors who kicked to Swale, who made a safe mark. The boot brought an attack by Country, and Fortnue made a sound tackie of A. Brown, Gilmour coming into action to be coliared by a man on the ground, the free going to

Western ! The kick was not returned, but Cameron dribbled, his comrades not supporting, Stead, however, coming up and dribbling too. Two men actually coliared hirn Dalgliesh brought off a transfer from the scrum ; but it failed, and Potter kicked short, Swale receiving the return with a good take and punting right across for defence. The ball came to Town, the pass stopping, the retaliatory rush being pulled up by Stead. A free improved Town's position, and Western showed cleverness in a defence pass, the kick goirg to Gilmour, who returned to half-way. Western carried 10 yards from the line out, and again move to be checked by Dalgliesh and Prain, clearance coming. The Town forwards were palpably light and beaten, and Dalgliesh was doing the bulk of tlA ground work for his backs. Westem forwards seemed never to be done attacking, but Budd and Smith stopped them, to be driven back again by clever footwork right to the corner, where Eade secured and scored with Cameron chasing. Town 3, Western 3. It looked hopeless for Town with their forwards badly beaten. The 25 kick came to Cameron, the return coming with Eade in possession, Cameron missed him, the visitors further improving with a dribble which Dalgliesh had to stop • — the others seemed to expect him to do all the ground work. So said a spectator. Dalgliesh received a leg injury, and it was lucky for Town he hadn't to go off, or the bulk of their back defence would have been away. The game was now at half-way and Cockroft came through well, but Grieve sent his kick back. Cameron sec. ured and rau, his pass being intercepted by A. Brown, and he got well past the half and beat the rest, who didn't seem inclined to dive. Yet Dalgliesh anticipated his movement and got him from behind with a crushing f all, a free going to Town for holding on. The kick put Town on attack, ,the half sending Gilmour, Fortune, St. George, to 5 yards from the visitors' line. The great country scrummers began to clear, when a firstesupport forward was penalised. Stead's kick was back, the gain being to Western, with Gilmour and Sproat taking a hand in relief, the ball going out at half-way. The ine was Town's for 10 yards. The next throw out came by heel and pass ro Stead, who kicked to J. Brown, the forwards curtailing his kick to his own ?.c. Western secured and kicked hard to Swale, made a fine dash a hop-take, drteing the ball across to the opposite 25 Potter came through well from the scrum, but fell. Western did several blocks of doubtful legality, and escaped unpenaiised, a force rewarding them. ^ Swale came into action from the drop'outr, losing no ground, a great ruck succeeding, a free to Tcwn, and a Western force, the ball being allowed to dribble over the line to the delight of the visiting fans, who rebutted any remarks suggesting slimness to their Sio> The kick off was lost to Western, for St. George returned it strongly, well ov«r the 25 line. Pryde passed to Dalgliesh, the forwards checking, and another line coming for Cockroft to feed the oacks, Gilmour receiving from St George snd rurning east. I. Brown came straight from west and caught Gilmour, who, unthrown, lobbed to Prain, who went over. lown 6, Western 3. Cockroft sent the re_ tu"n high, and I. Brown made a fair return, St. - George coming into a dribble wbjch was continued by Gilmour, all Town following to finish the effort, Gilmcui and Prain leading when the ball went out at the south-east corner of the visitors. Western began to clear, but Cockroft returned the ball to the same spot in the corner. The defenders got t-'e ball, and a great punt brought Swale up, his taking at top being exoellent with the greasy -ball, the fast forwards gaining tiro visitors 30 yards by limiting his angle of line kick. The line saw Dalgliesh come through and send to Fortune who made a few yards with the short side effort. Again Town passed to he checked A third attempt was successful, Dalgliesh, Stead, Fortune, Gilmour; then a check, another, Fortune and Gilmour again, the last-named diving over brilliantly Town 9, Western 3. The 25 kick sent the play nearly to half-way, an anticipating movement of Dalgliesh allowing tu take a cross-kick and return well, the player tackling him rather late, being temporarily outed, and the gallant half injured in the hip. However, just then the whistle went with Saturday Representati\es 9, Western District 3..