FOUR SMITHS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 224, 20 September 1940, Page 5

FOUR SMITHS.

FOOTBALL BROTHERS. CANTERBURY CHALLENGERS. Don't get into an argument with your neighbours at the Canterbury—Auckland football natch at Blandford Park tomorrow afternoon when the.y call three other men by the name of Smith and you know full well that it is Smith playing centre-forward. You will be right.. You will all be right. .. . There are four Smiths—brothers, too.

Last year when Canterbury came on an unsuccessful quest of the English trophy—symbolic of interprovincial supremacy, which has remained here for the three years since Auckland took it from Otago—there were three Smiths. They are unlike the ten little nigger boys, they increase—four of them arrived thie morning.

What's more, there are some more at home, and one of them can look back on a very useful service to Canterbury Soccer. It is easy to see then thai Soccer ie in the blood of this Smith family. They take to it at the primary schools and don't get diverted into other codes—or if they do it's only temporary. For years there has not been a Soccer team at St. Alban'e without a Smith. They have gone from there into the Technical team and thence to the Canterbury representatives. You may get them a bit mixed up to-morrow, even though they have definite places on the field, which helps in their identification, for the Smiths anmuch alike in build, and they don't run to fat. But it'e alertness, dexterity and speed that counts in Soccer, and not many big men have these attributes. The Smiths are small, but good. First of the quartet to make the 'Canterbury representative side vw^or-i

don, the centre-forward, who was selected in 1931. Bob, to-morrow's insideright, followed in 1934, and in 1938 Jack, outside left, won hie cap. And eo it was that laet year's team contained three Smiths. Despite the family efforts, Auckland were just too good for Canterbury—2 goals to 1.

Apparently the Smiths had a family conference recently, for they have brought younger Rodger with them thisl time as outside left. He is playing liis first eeaeon of senior football. Only onej man in the visiting front line is therefore not a Smith. But don't imagine j they leave him out in the cold. Anything j

the Smiths have up their sleeve to support their argument that it is about time, after three years, that the trophy made a move, they let J. McLennan, outside right, in on.