Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-26
ATHLETIC CLUB
WINS AT RUGBY
PREP0NDERANCE OF SERUM
MAGE PLAY MARS CONTEST
WINNERS SERUM WORK SHOWS
INENPERIENcE
Mobiles Back Make Great Showing
by Fast Team Play = con-
certed Try Is Only
Tally
BY CHARLES JERNEaAN

i. A. A. c. ); i. A. High school y
To those who have believed that the
English game of Rugby will be fail
ure in California, yesterday afternoons
contest between the team representing
the Los Angeles high school and the
fifteen of the Los Angeles Athletic club
should have been something of rev
elation. Fast work and plenty of it,
enlivened by pretty field runs and well
placed kicks, scored the first victory
of She season for the athletic club.
Could this fifteen have had serum
in the field composed of experienced
players there could have been but one
result-an overwhelming victory for
Pat Higgins huskies. Mobiles players
clearly were superior with the forward
work, but were forced to rely largely
upon Geisler for back plays.
Lack of Practice Shown
With the sound of the referees whis-
tie F'ullback Galley booted the oval Wen
into the schools territory, and for
twenty minutes the ball shifted UP and
down the field. Fast and accurate
kicking by Mobiles men saved them
time after time from what appeared to
be q score when the experienced packs
of the athletic clubs nine rushed the
ball down the field by means of clever
passing OF necessity yesterday game
was crude in many aspects. Too much
scrummage and not enough clean cut
well defined play by the backs was
evident. Men were tackled many times
with the ball where it should have been
thrown to the nearest back, and fire.
uuently the backs of both aGgregauons
led their forwards on firing goose
chase acrosS the field when a kick for
a touch would have gained more yards
than a futile run.
Another point which was aptly illus
frated by yesterdays play was that
Rugby compares as favorably with
nice quiet game Of drop the handker-
chief or draw poker as an afternoon
tea compares with a reception for an
arctic explorer. This was, however, |
perhaps slightly more pronounced |
than was necessary as the high school |
boys were unable to get away entirely |
from the American game. Considering |
that Noble had had but little more |
than a week in which to get his team !
into shape and that the high school has
played American football ever since it |
was a high school, the showing was
highly gratifying from every point of
view. On the other hand the L. A. A.
clubs team is now confident of max
ing a good showing against Berkeley |
when the two teams clash Saturday |
afternoon on the Fiesta grounds. A |
serum must be developed, however, in |
the interim.
New Serum Formation Used
The high schools lineup adhered to
the old method of using seven players |
in the serum, known as the tWo-three-
two lineup. Higgins, on the contrary, |
believing the more recent plan of cam
paign to be superior, placed eight play
ers on the serum, using the three-two-
three formation. Walton was prac-
tically the only man of the entire ath-
letic clubs forward who could boast
any experience. The majority of the
others had never participated before
in d game of Rugby. Frequent fouls |
and penalizations for knock-ons |
marred an otherwise well played game. |
BY a series of brilliant passes and |
neat punts the winners scored three
points in the last few minutes of play .
by kicking the oval we'll across the |
high schools goal line. Galley, with |
beautiful place kick, converted the try, |
placing his fifteen on the sunny side |
Of the to 0 score.
The playing Of Medium, Holmes. Pat |
Higgins, Walton and Tom Higgins of |
the Los Angeles Athletic clubs team |
coupled with the sensational running |
and kicking of Geisler Harrigan, New |
man and Mitchell of the high schools |
aggregation, We're the features of the |
game.
The backs, running swiftly down the |
field, passing the ball with great rapid |
ity and accuracy from one to the other |
furnished a startling contrast to the |
American game with the slow, method |
ical gains the quick signals and the |
confusing scrimmage.