Nelson's Challenge For Seddon Shield Fails

A penalty goal kicked within two minutes of no-side cost Nelson the Seddon Shield at Westport. Earlier in the match each side scored a try, but Nelson retained a slender lead through the conversion of its try until the dying stages when a penalty awarded from in front gave Buller a 6-5 win. Penalty goals in the last few minutes have robbed many teams of victory, very often unjustly. On this occasion, however, Buller justly deserved to win this game, by a penalty goal or by any other means of scoring, for it was superior to Nelson for practically all the game and but for the odd unkindly twist of fate, would have had a much bigger winning margin. Nelson, whose forwards lacked drive, had only one scoring chance and seized it, but even this try, as a photograph will show, was a doubtful one. The backs ran with little purpose and all too often tackled high and ineffectually.

The Buller centre, W. Forsyth, was again the pivot around which the attacks moved. It was he who made the break to send J. McArthur to the corner flag, and he made several other lovely openings during the game.