The Cambria Daily Leader

SWANS LOSE AGAlN. Forwards Too Weak. By "CYGNET." I Mill wall, 2; Swansea Town, 1. Mediocre—extremely mediocre—was the display of football given at the Den on Saturday when Swansea, Town sustained their sixth defeat in the Southern League competition. Sfillwall are not an imprav sive side, and indeed, with the exceptions of Broad and Thomson, not one of their players showed any particular brilliance. The homesters gained the victory not so much because of their superior dash as because of the sad failure of the Swansea forwards to make use of the chances which came their way. Even after Broad had headed in from a centre by Buck in the first half, the Swans were anything but a beaten side, and one felt that a stronger front line would have given Fort and Woodley far more work. But the forwards failed. THE WEAKNESS. I Unless the Swansea Town directors con- trive to secure a good centre forward mis- fortune will continue to follow them. Fur- ther, three or, at the very least, two good inside men are wanted. At present a number of excuses are being made:— Where are the players to be obtained from?" "The directors are dong their best to get men," But tor the autocracy of the English League some of the Ijeeds City men might have been obtained," and so on. Unfortunately excuses do not prevent the Swan6 from losing matches. Birch and Evan Jones were included in the side on Saturday. They did their best; they worked earnestly and hard. But they were not a success, and one recognised that whereas a few years t(go they were masters of football, they are not now good enough to play against the vigorous younger men against whom they are pitted to-day. It is unfair to expect them to do ISO. The writer realises that against this dictum can be quoted the case of the famous Billy Meredith, but one swal- low does not make a summer. The Swan- sea Town directors reply upon the public for their support. If they cannot always please the public they can at any rate avoid going out of their way to displease them. Birch and Weir have both been given extended trials as pivots, and each bar, failed to please. Why not try Ball now? A player with his dash and vim would have won the game on Saturday. HALVES GOOD. i-fie Swansea intermediate iin" vs a strong one; it was responsible for the bulk of the work; it completely bottled up Mayson on the left, and gave the rest of the line very little loophole. Time after time would the Millwall forwards en- deavour to assert themselves, but their movements almost invariably came to grief as a result of the unflagging atten- tions of the Swansea trio. Indeed but fox the resrurcefulness of the irrepressible Broad, the home side would have shown little promise of being able to effect a score in the first half. But it so happens that Broad is a tryer and an opportunist, and whenever there was a chance, even a remote chance, of the leather being sent into the centre anywhere in the vicinity of the Swansea goal he was there. There was nothing brilliant in Broad's display; he was not the artiste that the Swansea centre-half was; his attributes appeared solely to be doggedness of purpose and opportunism. TICH EVANS SCORES. I When McAlpine scored Millwall's second goal ten minutes after the change of ends, one knew that so far as the Swans were concerned another two points bad been lost. The fog which had hovered over London during the whole of the day was now lowering, and with the gathering of the gloom the greater part of the second half was played under con- ditions which the war has taught us to call low visibility. The Swansea halves continued to feed the forwards wherever it was possible, but the only occasions upon which any benefit accrued were when the leather went out to either Tich Evans or Hole. These occasions were not many, for the inside men as a lulo bung on to the ball too long, and allowed themselves to 1)C robbed of possession. Indeed Hole had very few opportunities, whilst Tich Evans on the other fiank was in danger of catch- ing a cold from having too little to do. Towards the close of the game, however, the flanks had a little more attention, and Tich Evans was often dangerous. Eventually, ten minutes before the end, lie beat Grant in great style, and after manoeuvring past Font he came in to- wards the goal-mouth. A few yards out he sent in a shot which Bailey partially cleared, only to allow the ball to get past him in a corner of the net. Had Tich Evans had a few more opportunities, and had the inside forwards played better, Alillwall could have been well beaten in the last ten minutes. PERSONALIA. I Hole and Houston were making their I debut in the Swansea team. Hole did nothing impressive simply because he was so much neglected. Indeed he could have been sitting in the grand stand for the amount of work that came his way in the first half. Neither can one criticise Hous, ton. This player should do well. Tich Evans was easily the star of the front line. The three halves were good, BroWn probably being the cleverest man of the 23 players. Hewitt and Robson, too, did well, but the first named has played better games. Benoon, between the sticks, could not be blamed. He was responsible for some really good eaves in the second half, but for some reason did not quite please the crowd behind the goal-mouth, Much of th i barracking was good- natured, but there were times when Denoon did not like it.

WITH THE JUNIORS. I Port Talbot Steelworkers Beat Glyncorrwg. In the absence of Aberavon at Neath on Saturday one had an opportunity of seeing a Junior League match. Glyn- corrwg, who have the reputation of being one of the strongest teams in the Aberavon Junior League, were the visitors to the Port Talbot Steelworks, and the latter were not too confident of the prospects. But the home team did rho best possible thing. They set out from the start to play an aggressive game and maintained a clean exhibition of Rugby to the end. Their forwards drib- bled well and kept the visitors well hemmed in their own half. In fact the home defence had a fairly easy task of it, but the back divisions fed the forwards well when occasion arose, and tackled with vigour. They were experienced players and gave confidence to the rest. Simmons, tho visitors' back is a youth I of promise. He holds weiI, has a great kick, and moreover can keep a cool head. No saved several times in very awkward positions. The visiting forwards at times gave a display of neat passing, but just when they reached a point at which they could be really dangerous they fell to pieces. Two or three splendid oppor- tunities to score went abegging through want of sustained vigour. The first try for Port Talbot just- on the half-th)?.f>, through Beynon, was very neatly worked, During the second half play kept vigor- ous, and Mollison put Port Talbot three points ahead. Glyncorrwg supporters became jubilant over a drop-kick, but it fell just wide of the posts. The Steel-j workers certainly deserved their six! point victory, though Glyncorrwg played a good game. Final score: Port. Talbot I Steelworks, 2 tries; Glyncorrwg, nil.

GOLF. SWANSEA tfAY CLUB. I I The first meeting in connection with I the autumn competitions of this club was held on the Jersey Marine links on Sat. urday, The morning was taken up with the I open singles m<xlal plav (under han- dicap), and the Card Bowl, open to dub I members (handicap ot 16 and over), for which there were 48 entries. The Card Bowl was won by Mr, H. P. Lloyd with a net score of 85. Besults:— D. A. Sutherland$5 6 79 A. l'atDll 80 0 80 H. Bell 85 6 80 1 Edgar Powell 83 2 81 A. V. Brown 94 12 82 A. S. Stopgood 94 12 82 M. ltces 90 S 8 R. A. Jones 87 4 83 W' C. Jackson S9 6 83 R. S. Samuel 93 9 84 H. P. Lloyd 103 IS 85 T. Ifor Jones 98 12 86 Emlyn Lewis 16 86 Ifor Solomon$6 9 87 M. B. Williams 95 8 87 Lt.-Col.D. B.Williams 94 6 88 Lt.-Col. E. S. Gale 101 12 89 F. Gage 104 14 90 S. Earl 94 2 92 The afternoon play wae devoted to open 5ingle>s bogey play, under handicap and the Briton Ferry Cup, which produced G2 entries. Mr. A. L. Furneaux won both the cup and singles. Sf-oros:— I Rer. Down. A. L. Furneaux 5 1 W. W. Stone 11 3 Lt.-Col. P. W.Williams 5 4 L. D. Dunderdale 12 4 H. P. Llovd 14 4 II. B. Bell 5 5 J. W. Thompson 4 5 Edgar l'owc-ll 2 5 T. Ifor Jones 9 a J. R. Williams 9 6 S. Earle 2 7 Emlyn J.<'wis. 12  7 J. Smith 4' 7

I TWO YEARS' BACKACHE i COMPLETELY CUBED BY BAKER'S I BACKACHE PELLETS. Mr. W. H. Harris of Upper Gornal, near Dudley, Staffs, writes: Having suf- fered agony with backache for a couple of years, 1 tried doctors' medicines, pKsteifc, and many widely advertised remedies, but 110thing seemed to do me any good, and I began to get quite .Jarme.i about, my condition. At. last I decided to 11Y Baker's Backache Pellefs, nd, to my y y and surprise, after taking vwo boxes I was completely cured. Working down the mine daily, I used to suffer terrible pains in the back after I had been stoop- ing for a while, but thanks t.) Baker's Backache Pellets I feel a neW man." Baker's Backache Pellets are a p»s »ive euro 'for Backache, Rheumatism, Lum- bago, Sciatica, Gravel. Dizziness, and all Kidney Troubles. They only cost Is. 8d. j per box from Boots. Taylors, and all ehemists, or post free per return dire-eti from Baker's Medicine Co.. Ltd., 36,1 Whitefriars-stroct, Lender. E.C.4.

 I SWANS' J(J!IO" LEAGUE. I I Y.M.C.A. Scouts. 6; Pa-nt.?gwynr.C. j 1 Paroch?!, 2 Klaõ W?aa)?? mU.

SIX CLEAR GOALS. Ebbw Vale Badly Beaten at Llanelly. LLaneUy, 6; Ebbw VeJie. 0. Playing at home, Llanelly delighted their supporters by defeating Ðbb-w VaJe hy 8i.x goals to nil. It waa & Weigh Xjeatrrw ft&U¡6. and it ib of interest to note thai zh* Scarlete in this competition have ecor«kd up to date 21 goals against 4. while they have won four gajnes and drawn two. Un- fortunately, the Llanelly team suffered con- siderably th roach absenteeism. Pcyntz, Leavey, and Morris were obliged to stand down, while lievi, who took up the oentre- j for?&rd p,?mtjon, wa? stm su?enB? from I an injured 1??. &nd Crisp, whom the direc- I tore bad hoped to play at outside left, w" i aga,-ji unavailable. In view of t-he re- I arrangement of the whole team, the Scar- display was highly creditable. At half-time they were leading by ;).-(). House opened the scoring after nearly twenty minutes' play, and almost before the visitors ha-d had time to pall them- selves together again, Payne, who we* operating at inside left, added a. second goal. For a time, Ebbw Yale ebowed up promisingly, but they were unable to drive home their attack. SOUND DEFENCE. During these stages, the Lla.nelly d-efemee was sound, Blain and James clearing beau- tifully, while Bailiff, when called upon, was equal to the occasion. Lilanelly's third goal was registered just before the interval by Levi after some very pretty passing among the home forwards. Aftor the change of ends, the homesters continued to have the better of the play, and their excellent combination was frequently loudly applauded. Payne wa.s the firet to find the net in thie half, while Levi, who has the distinction of having scored in almost. every match he bQA played so far. having altogether put on 12 goals, eecured the second, and Payne accomplished the hat trick by adding the sixth goal. The Llanelly forwards showed very encouraging form. Morris and Rouee were frequently conspicuous, while Levi. although not in anything like playing con- dition, proved himself a good substitute to Poyntz. Payne has never been seen to better advantage, his tricky play baffling the defence continually. Gough aiid MArt.;n were sound at half. and exercised splendid judgment in their pa-sees, and while Bell's play -it left half was often faulty, he should not be in any way condemned, as this was his first appearance in the team this sea- son. As already stated, Blain and James were g-afe, while Bailiff wae. as usual, quite at home in gcal.

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i -L-vr BOXING AT ABERAVON. Rees Brooks Beats Jack Johns. A well-patronised boxing matinee wa,1 given at the New Theatre, Port Talboc. on Saturday for Jack Brooks, of Abov. avou, a member 04 the woU-knowr. boxing family, who has lost the om of his am in lie war. Tbfc attendance wall tot large, owing to the football attraction at Neath, but many tickets had been said. Rees Brooks fought aa excellent K-rrasii with Jack Johns, a plucky KfefcSa fifktar from Glynoorrwg, who xuad* Brooks ob all the way. ne rtfarM (Ms. tauxtoru) declared Brooka the y an poiNAR. A bout betwaeti WiL4 Broahs and Loat Sexton, at Uaeateg, aadad earlr. leatm-. had to bit cautioud Mvegral ttaaa, Utd in the sixth round tit* referee dleqoaltfUd him. and gave. Brooks the verdict. [ .Itnri.itg the ifttcwo IMIII boy* I&VO 1

AFTER 23 YEARS I Llanelly Defeat Swansea. WINNERS' SPEEDIER] BACKS. (By PENDRAGON.") Prior to Saturday Llanelly had. not won a match at St .Helen's for 23 years. Their achievement was therefore easily the most iniportanterent in Welsh foot- ball. The thousands of supporters who travelled to town bedecked with red ribbon and miniature Mucepans showed by their wonderful enthusiasm what a great hold Rugby has upon Llan- elly and the 20,000 gate was a tonic which compensated in » measure for defeat. It was a keen game, but the play was not marred by any displays of temper, and* at the end of it all most people were ready to admit, that the Scarlets deserved their win. In view of their splendid form this season, it is a pity that the breach between thorn, and Newport has not been healed. The r sk- siders have been described as the best side in Wal s, but Llanelly folks no doubt have opinions of their wn. There can, of course, be no such thing as a Welsh Rugby Championship so long as Newport decline to give Llanelly a game. WHY SWANSEA FAILED. I have said already that the Scarlets were full value for their victory. Their forwairds did the most heeling, and their backs were speedier and surer with their hands. Swansea had a fright soon after the start, for Frank Evans, after breaking inwards from the touch-! line, dropped for goal and missed by so small a margin that for the moment it looked as though he had done the trick. Towards the end of the game both Frank Evaiis and A. Jenkins were within an aoe of scoring. Again, Bryn Wil- liams beat the defence, but as he was crossing the line he knocked down the corner flag. Swansea had their chances, but with the forwards heeling so irregu- larly the backs did not see as much of the ball as did their opponents. Our ( three-quarters were too slow. Their ten- dency to hesitate was in striking con- trast to the dash and speed shown by the Llanelly four. I would have liked to have seen T. R. Thomas get the ball oftener. He is a wing of promise and should be persevered with. I THE OUTSTANDING PLAYER. There was one Swansea player who stood head and shoulders above any of his colleagues. I refer to Ben Beynon. He showed a good noes? for an opening-, kicked finely, and tackled like a demon. There can be no doubt that he eat-ed ns from a heavier defeat by his fearlessness on defence, his clean gathering of the kail, and his accurate kicking to touch. Joe Eees was another sound defender. Griffiths did better than against Cardiff, but there is ctill plenty of room for im- provement. The better of the centres was Bowen, who, when one- lie can time that burst of his, will be one of the most dan- gerous three-quarters in the country. There was more cohesion 1\ ith the Llan- elly three-quarters, among whom Albert Jenkins was the shining l'ght. THE FORWARDS. I The Swansea forward- "-ere the same as I those who played against Cardiff, with the exception that Tom Williams came in for Dan Jones. The re-inclusion of Williams was deserved, for he was re- sponsible for one of the best individual efforts of the afternoon, but speaking generally, the forwards did not satisfy. Some of them, notably Captain Palmer and Tom Morgan, did good woi k in the open, but their kicking was faulty. In- cidentally it is of interest that Llanelly brought a forward out to stiffen the defence after they had gained their lenel. This sort of thing is scarcely in keeping Tith the instruction given to Welsh clubs to play the open game. It savours too much of a desire to ^mother com- bination and encourage football of the tick and rush order. LLANELLY POINT OF VIEW. I My Llanclly correspondent writes:— 44 Put it down thick and heavy, Wi I laby,' shouted a number of Llanelly- ites as they passed the Press-box after 'the match, and their jubilant mood Mas Reflected in their beaming countenances. tor 23 long years they had been wait-  for a  i on  ?g for a consummation which they de- voutly yearned for, viz., a victory over Swansea, and it came to pass on Satur- day, the eleventh anniversary of LJan- ;ny's great victory over the Wallabies. will be memorab'e if only for the re- grettable scenes .,licli followed a play- ful incident before the game started. It is gratifyiug to note that even though 4orne supporters of the respective teams t their mental balance before the com- mencement of the game, the players, a!- thougli as keen as mustard, (lidtot in- llge in any unworthy tactics, tfie play Qll1Q' foue/it out in a sportsmanlike "Uner. -11 SPa III NG TACTiCS?" l'om a spectacular standpoint there as much dilforonoe between this and that ployed by Llanelly at t^tester on the previous Saturday as is between the proverbial chalk anQ, chse. For this the All Whites  largely to blame owing to their    up against ?P?Iing tactics. They v ere up against ? ?Ter eonibmation, Lbnelly's rear ??sion in particular putting t?e Swan-  backs in the s hade, if one excludes 1 *°n' vvas quite ubiquitous, and but f < "horn the honiestej s woul d have ? whom the homesteJ S ,oulâ have )en h'o p i Iy beaten. Of excitement 1 h^ro taB plety. and in the first half, V Plenty, and in tbe nrst ha!r, ? ??ours ?re easy, the 8carl('t ,41(1 not "h h k .1 ?? ? ?°? ?ow that mark ed superiority which characterised their play in the second half, when they registered the only try of the match. All the news- papers credited Bryn Williams, Llan- elly's fleet-footed young left-wing ,with the score, and 99 out of every 100 spec- tators did the same, but I have since ascertained that right on the line Wil- laims passed to Albert Jenkins, who! gained Llanelly the victory by sooring a try amidst tumultuous scenes, Llan- elly's big band of supporters—the largest, that has ever accompanied the Scarlets to Swansea-being delirious with joy, renting the air with the strains of Sospan Fach and cheers. I MASTERS OF THE SITUATION. After this Llanelly were masters of the situation, and Frank Evans, Albert Jenkins and Bryn Williams experienced hard lines in not scoring in quick suc- cession. Llanelly deserved to win by more than the three points which divided the teams at the close, and the fact that their record is still intact makes one think they are now in the lap of the gods. Their one aim should henceforth be invincibility. To their credit it must be said it was once more universally ',d- mitted that the best team had won. and incidentally it should bo mentioned that the Llanelly committee deserve to be complimented upon the sagacity they have displayed in selecting the team from week to week. They are an almost entirely new crew manning the ship this season, and with Mr. David Williams at the helm things have thus far gone on swimmingly. Personally I think they exercised discretion in deciding at the eleventh hour to play Bryn Williams « n the left wing instead of Islwyn Evans. Williams, who came in second in the Welsh Powderhall, merited the confi- dence placed in him. CLEVER BACKS. I Albert Jenkins and Bryn Evans at centre were in a class of their own, while Frank Evans also acquitted himself well OIl the right wing. Hugh Jones, Llan- ellvjs custodian, although he has played better games, was more than a match for Joe Rees, while Congden at inside- half was in gcnxl form. All the Llan- elly forwards did remarkably well, Hid- dlostone, Aneurin Thomas, T. J. Bowen, Jack Jones and George Morgan being the pick.

Saturday's Results. I Rîl:.Iby. w1'n. nil, LLuwlJy 3. Glouce.hT. 10; Cardifl, 3. P-la lien tii, 5: Newport, 13. Neath, 4; Aberavon. 3. I Mountain Ash, 3; Penarth, 8. Pontypool, 8; Cross Keys, 3. Bridgend, 3; Alaesteg, o. Bryncethin, 5; Skewen, nil. Neath Abbey, 3; Bryncoch, nil. Llangemiech, 8; Pontardulais, 3. SOUTHERN LEA.GUE.-Di- I. Brighton & Hove 3, Gillingham 0. Crystal Palace. 5. Bristol Rovers J. Millwall Athletic 2, Swansea. Town 1. Northampton Town. 1, Reading 3. Norwich City t, Alerthyr Town 0. Newport County 0, Luton Town 0. Portsmouth. 5, Southampton 1. Queen's Park Rangers 0, Cardiff City 0. Swindon Town 1, Exeter City 1. Southend United 1, Plymouth Argyle 0. Watford 1, Brentford 0. WELSH LEAGUE. Swansea Town 3. Aberaman 1. WELSH RUGBY CHAMPiON-I SHIP. I Tbougli there is no official championship competition in connection with Welsh Rugby, the following table, compiled from the results of games played 00 far this year, will L,,c. of interest as showing how the lead- in? ha'f-dcaen Welsh clubs stand:— Points Per- P. W, L. D. F. A. ccnto ge Ll:111elly 6 6 0 a 80 14—100.0Q Newport 6 5 0 1 138 11- 91.66 Swansea. 8 6 2 0 117 20— 75.00 Pontypool ..8521 t8 56 65.75 -N r-a t h 8 4 2 2 36 36- 62.50 Cardiff 7 3 4 0 o2 72 42.85 HOW THE CLUBS STAND. SOUTHERN LEAGUE. Goals I P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Queen's Park K. 12 7 1 4 15 4 18 Portsmouth 12 7 2 3 23 8 17 lZ 6 167 17 >.ratforil 10 6 1 13 6 15 Millwall 32 5 3 4 21 17 14 ItilINvall l? 4 2 5 15 9 13 Exeter City 11 4 2 6 13 9 13 Southend 12 4 3 5 14 13 13 Norwich 9 5 2 2 8 11 12 Crystal Palace It 3 2 6 16 13 12 Plymouth 11 4 4 3 13 7 11 Cardiff 10 3 2 5 16 10 11 Swindon 11 4 4 3 13 7 11 Brentford. 11 3 3 5 13 13 11 Southampton 11 5 5 1 15 18 11 M.=-)-thyr. 12 2 5 5 14 17 9 Luton 11 3 5 3 12 19 9 Brighton 12 3 6 5 11 56 9 Bristol Rovers 10 2 4 4 13 20 8 GilUngham 12 3 7 2 7 19 8 Swansea. 10 3 6 1 9 13 7 Northampton 51 1 7 3 14 28 5 Newport 15 si 9 3 7 26 5

FOOTBALL SCENES. I Referee Attacked by the I Crow:L I Football was marred by some unlovely incidents during the week-end. In more I than one case the decision of a referee was disputed hy the players, while at I Wolverhampton the spectators at- tempted to introduce mob Jaw. Through- out the game the referee, S. A. Lowe, had been subjected to a great deal of abuse, aud ten minutes before "time" the crowd broke on to the field and vio- lently attacked him. His coat was torn from his back and lie received all injury to tho head. Further play was impos- sible. The Wolverhampton officials and olayers went to his assistance, but it was some time before he succeeded in reaching the safety of the dressing-room. Eventually the police had to be called upon to disperse an angry crowd.

NARROW WIN. Kick Saves Neath From Defeat. I (BY 11 ROVER.") 1 To snatch victory out of the fires of de- feat is an achievement that has a magical reaction upon players and cpeetatore in the football arena, and tliose loyal and exuberant earprporters of the Neath team can be pardoned for the demonstration of real joy which took place immediately the whktle sounded ti" in Saturday's game. The hero was Eddie Watkins, a lad that I have persistently advocated for the inside half position, but whose claims have been passed over by the selection committee on the grounds that he was too small. He came into the team on Saturday as a reserve; he played a con- sistently brilliant game throughout, and turned defeat into victory. And it was with unrestrained feelings that the spec- tators rushed into the field at the call of time, seized the little midget, and carried him—some even kissed him-off the grounds in triumph. More anon. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. I Fixtures with A lrayon in the past have always produced the keenest rivalry, and history repeate d itself on Saturday. The visitors brought a strong and over-confi- dent following, and the attendance was easily the largest this season. With sur- prising dash the Neath pack settled down to work, and one wondered whether the pace could be maintained. But it was. The first fifteen minutes' play was in favour of Neath, and they should have led to the tune of a penalty goal. Aberavon was penalised in quite a favourable posi- tion, but Powell's luck was out. Aber- avon obtained the le-ad with a tray that almost' baffles description. Neath were attacking, and a mis-fielded punt, reversed position. E. B. Eees gathered, and among a bunch of Aberavonites the ball was handled so dexterously, yet withal un- orthodox, that the opoosition was non- plussed, and Ring slipped through on the left wing. It was then we knew how manv Aberavon supporters were oh the ground. ABERAVON'S LEAD, I Had Neath flattered to deceive? Not. a bit of it. If it were possible they spiced the subsequent play with even greater daeh and koene&s, but Joslin, the visit- ing custodian, well supported by E. B. H-ees, resisted the repeated attacks. Hnlf- time, and Aberavon lending by three points, did not styfle the hope that Neath would reverse positions in the second moiety. There was a quiet confidence, based upon the territorial ad vantage Neath held, that the All Blacks would do the trick. Fluctuation of play was re- sponsible for many exciting incidents; once the Neath forwards rushed over the line in a hunch, and players and the spectators on the fringe of the goal line—jumped into the air. But the excitement was pre- mature: the referee ordered a scrum on the line! The onslaught was persistent, and then in a scramble near the goal mouth the ball was shot out into the hands of Eddie Watkins. who, in the twinkling of an eye, dropped a magnifi- cent goal amid thunderous applause—the big drum helped to swell the noise—and excitement, which gave Neath the lead by one point. Froru that moment Aberavon fell to pieces; the sting was extracted from the attack, but a stubborn defence was raised instead. Five minutes later, W. Millett raced down the touch line, and punted across to Lieut. Hill, who fielded smartly, and hurled himself across the line. He was held up, and from a series of scrums W. Leopold dropped a goal, but the ball was touched in its flight. Once in the con- cluding stages Con. Evans made a nice breakaway, and Mitchell supplemented the effort with a strong run to the rut, but Lyon Hill was in waiting, and made noi mistake about the tackle. As the moments fled excitement increased, and It was the final whistle that brought relief with Neath victorious by a single point. NEATH VICTORY DESERVED. I Narrow though that victory be. Neath well deserved to win on the run of the play. It was one of the finest games seen on the Gnoll enclosure for many a day, and it will go a long way to renew con- fidence. Eddie Watkins, who, as I have previously stated, was the hero o2 the game, had a severe test. He was opposed by Con Evans, who is considered ro be one of the smartest inside halves in the Principality to-day, and he not only beat him, bu, literally spea king, made rings round him. At the base of the scrum, and in the open, in attack and on detenoe, Eddie Watkins was faultless, and I sincerely trust that the Neath Sslwtion Commit- tee will now realise that they have found on the;r doorstep something that tht>y tried in viin to find far from the border line of r.he ancient borough. Let thr- chop and change system now cease: the halfback problem has been solved, and tlift most fitting partner I can suggest for Eddie is Charlie Heard. AN IMPROVED PACK. I It was indeed refreshing to find such a vast improvement in the home pack: their play was infused by some of the old- time dash and grit. Why P.C. Jenkin Hopkins is constantly on the reserve I c-t I am at a low to understand. In my opin,ion he is one of the most brainy for- wards Noath possess; but on Saturday every forward rose to tie occasion, and played with complete understanding. The quartette was quito at home, and Lieut. Hill, both on defence and attack, returned to his old form. The wings had few op- portunities, but both W. Millett and Bryn Davies did some smart solo work. Lion Hill. a t back, was as safe as a tank. .orra'"on'. resurrection after a longer period of inactivity than any other first. tila&i team in Wales find tlwun strong and I healthy. In every department there was skill and ability, and it only needs the polish to make them one of the most for- midable sides in the Principality. JosMn-* at back, played a perfect game. He kept his line intact after many fierce bombard- ments, tackling strongly, and invariably found touch with judicious kicks. E. B. Rees was the star of the quartet, white Bang and Mitchell on the wings were dangerous opportunists. AS TRICKY AS EVER. Con Evans was as tricky as ever, but Eddie Watkins, his vis-a-vis, trumped him every time. W. J. Hopkins, at out- side half, made some clever openings, and was master of t.he situation when oppor- tunities came his way. The Aberavon front line were a bustling lot, but there were three outstanding players—Ponsford, Jones, and W. Hopkins. Compared with Neath, the vanguard was evenly balanced, but the All Blacks played them to a standstill in the last ten minutes of the game. In Mr. E. Roberts, Llanelly, we had a. referee who understood hie busi- ness. He controlled the game in masterly fashion, and although strict to a degree, his decisions gave mutual satisfaction. Excitement had such a kn edge &t times that it began to cut, but the element of roughness was soon nipped in the bud by the referee. To sum up, Neath was the best of two good teams.

LOUGHOR LOSE. Keen Forward Struggle at Ammanford. Football interest is on the increase in Ammanford, consequent upon the grow- ing displays wir.eh are being given by the young Ammanford players, and on Saturday, when Loughor were the 1!lcare wns a r.c-1 to witness, the game. Ammanford, who p!ayed inn eh the bet- ter football, secured their one-try lead early on, and the further M. been sc-oros wen-r abegging, for the want of a little bit of rasource rsnd pcl-'eh to finish off a splendid movement. Anofher factor also was the defensive powers cf Ned John, the LoughoT back, who was as safe as houses, always. Once, when an Ammanford forward got the ball a few yards out, John pulled him back from behind. The Amman'ord forwards played a rattling good game, and it is only meet and proper that the honour of gathering the only try of the afternoon should have fallen to their stalwart leader, Frank Davies, who knows, the art of play, and does not spare himseLf, whether in or out. Each of his seven colleagues also put his best into the work. Their speed, follow- up, and good use of feet and hands was the feature of play. The backs were trets all over, but,* as is only to be expected of players wtio are young and comparatively inexperienced, there was not always the smoothness about their movements that we would w:h, and inc'siveness was kicking. The halves, Albert Griffi-the (captain) and Danny Thomas, were, however, in good form, and time and agadn sent the threes going under favourable cov dilions, but the openings were not de. veloped as they should. Griffiths, at fult back, played a good game. Loughor played a robust game, depending, mainly, on forward rusbe-s, and the touch-finding of their backs, whose attempts at pa^*» ing were poor.