St Michaels University School - Black Red and Blue Yearbook (Victoria, British Columbia Canada)

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tight scrums and in the loose made a forward game of it from the start. The School backs were given few opportunities being badly harassed by fast breaking forwards: in addition, their passing was ill timed and wild. The School opened the scoring however, Thorne crossing at the flag after all the backs had handled. Sproule goaled from a wide angle. just before half time the High School drew level through a try by their right wing which was splendidly goaled. A resolute tackle by Thorne might have prevented this try. After the restart the High School attained a considerable ter' ritorial advantage but ruined their chances by constant infringements of the off side rule. The School also had several chances but although Thorne again scored the backs were never really together and certain tries were lost through faulty or tardy passing. Shortly before the end Everett was quite needlessly caught with the ball on his own line and a High School try was the direct result. There was no further score and a very poor game resulted in an 8f8 draw. Although Sproule, Thorne, Craig and Thomas i, did several good things no member of the team with the possible exception of Gillespie did himself justice. The scrum were soundly beaten by a faster and more active pack. lo., SCHOOL vs. BRENTWOOD COLLEGE The return game against Brentwood College was played at Brentwood and won by three goals and three tries Q24 ptsj, to a penalty goal and a try Q6 ptsj. Brentwood kicked off and immediately rushed the ball into the School twentyffive. Some very spirited forward play then took place but the advantage was definitely Brentwoodls, and after a ten minute period of constant pressure their forwards scored a well deserved try which was not converted. The School then retaliated and lost a good chance when Everett held on too long and was caught with the ball. The School forwards had recovered somewhat however and from a set scrum just outside their own twentyffive they heeled cleanly for the first time and Mercer set the backs in motion. Craig, Sproule and Everett handled in turn and Hicks finished off a grand run tak' ing Everett's pass to cross at the flag and score between the posts. Sproule kicked the extra points. Thus encouraged the School kept up the pressure and were rewarded when Craig beat his man and Sproule ran cleverly through the centre and gave to Thorne, who scored. Sproule failed to convert. Brentwood then. attacked hotly and kept the School very busy in defence, but their only success came just before half time when the School were penalized for off' side and johnson kicked a splendid goal. The School backs had used their few opportunities splendidly but the Brentwood forwards had played extremely well and, on the play, the School were fortunate to be leading by two points at half time.

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SCHOOL vs. SHAWNIGAN LAKE SCHOOL This game, as was expected, was keenly contested and was witnessed by a very large crowd. Shawnigan kicked off and the game opened at a great pace. Following a short period of midffield play the School backs threatf ened dangerously and certain tries were saved on two occasions when Thorne was splendidly collared by the Shawnigan full back. A third movement however was more successful, Thorne taking a pass from Everett and, with a good burst of speed crossed, at the flag. Sproule failed to convert. For the remainder of the half, play was very even. Craig, who was more than usually agressive, tried hard to find a hole in the opposing defence and the only real chance the School lost occured when Everett dropped Sproule's pass when in an excellent scoring position. The Shawnigan left wing played grandly at this stage and gave the School defence many an anxious moment. The School still led 3fO at half time. Shawnigan pressed strongly after the restart and were soon ref warded by a try on the right wing which was not converted. At this juncture the Shawnigan forwards were heeling splendidly from the loose and School defence was severly tested. A splendid finishing dash to a good paying movement gave the Shawnigan left wing a try and his side the lead after abouty twenty minutes play in the second half. The try was unconverted. The game continued at a rare pace, Shawnigan having a slight territorial advantage, until the last eventful ten minutes. The School began to press very strongly and only desperate Shawnigan tackles robbed first Thorne and then Hicks of tries. A little later Craig burst through the loose with the ball at his feet and beat a surprized defence completely, only to knock on a yard from the line directly under the posts. This was a tragedy from the Schools point of view and a bitter disappointment to Craig who had played a grand game throughout. In the last two minutes of play a section of the crowd enroaching on the field caused a doubt as to whether the ball had gone into touch or not. Several School players were of the opinion that it had but a Shawnif gan man thought otherwise, and, kicking the ball ahead once, and then again, scored easily. Both sides played keen and vigorous football throughout. Shaw' nigan tackled splendidly and heeled well both from the set scrums and from the loose. The School team led by Gillespie, Craig, Thorne and Sproule, gave a good display and on the day's play, a draw would have been a very fair result. .LOT SCHOOL vs. VICTORIA HIGH SCHOOL This game was played at home against Victoria High School's first XV. Throughout the first half very mediocre football was played by both teams. The High School with a very definite advantage in the

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After the change over the game took an entirely different turn. The School forwards, playing with zest, more than held their own, and it was soon evident that. unless Brentwood could dominate the set and loose scrums as they had done during the first half, the fast School threefquarters would materially increase the score. The first School success came when Everett sent Thorne in on the left wing for a try which Hicks failed to improve, and a little later Craig slipped through the centre on his own and forced himself over be' tween the posts for Sproule to convert. Hicks was very prominent at this stage, his work at right wing being purposeful and effective, and had Evertt gathered his inside pass on one occasion a grand try would have resulted. A similar run however was more successful, a well judged inside pass from Hicks and some intelligent backing up by Sproule giving the last mentioned a try between the posts which he goaled without difficulty. The final try came when, after some short passing among the forwards, Everett, backing up well, took McKenzie's pass and scored near the posts. He failed to conf vert from an easy angle. Brentwoodimade a fine rush near the end but one of their forwards was held up when over the School line. No further score resulted and the School won Z4f6. The School backs, though somewhat fluttered by the faulty tackling of their opponents, gave a pleasing display. They were thrustful, unselfish, backed up intelligently and their passing was crisp and well timed. The forwards after a slow start gradually im' proved and finished strongly. -Oi SCHOOL vs. UNIVERSITY OF B.C. Ord Teamj The School journeyed to Vancouver for this game which was played under perfect weather conditions at Brocton Point Oval. For some twenty minutes of the first half the University played three short and during this period the School had considerable ad' vantage. Thorne scored twice on the left wing taking the final pass from Everett on both occasions. On the other wing Hicks was full of enterprise running with zest and using the short kick ahead with judgment. Craig did some good things at outside half and scored once, dribbling over after being tackled near the line, but both he and the centres were inclined to hold on too long and in addition, revealed unexpected deficiencies in gathering and handling. The School forwards were held but managed to give the backs ample opportunity to show their paces. These chances were, on the whole, badly used and although Sproule converted Thorne's tries, the School's 13fO lead at the interval was not particularly meritorious. After half time the School almost immediately increased this lead when Hicks made ground on the right wing and Sproule, folf lowing up fast, obtained possession after a kick ahead and scored an unconverted try. Following this the University exerted pressure with their heavy forwards while their backs, by means of exceptionally -15-