FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 502, 8 May 1909, Page 13

FOOTBALL.

NEW ZEALAND RUCBY UNION. MEETING OF COMMITTEE. : The meeting of tho Management Committee of the N.Z.R.U. on Thursday evening was attended by Mr. Dixon (in the chair), and Messrs. Isaacs, Kelly, Laughton, and Wallburton. Upon tho application of tho Now Zealand Referees'. Association it was decided to ask tho Appeal Committee for its decision on tho following point:—"A'playor with tho ball in his possession runs ' baok across his. own in-goal line with the intention of regaining tho field of play, but before doing so is forced by his opponents to make the ball dead. What should be the decision?" ■ It wa3 also decided on the suggestion of the New Zealand Referees' Association to ask the variqus unions when they require tho. •Appointmont ;Board to appoint a .'referee to allow "a week's notice, An application for affiliation from'the proposed South Auckland Union; which will embrace the Goldiields' Union and the Waikato Union,- , remitted to tho annual meeting. It was resolved to reply .to the Tarahatl Union that the expenses of Messrs, Humphries and Cargill (who were appointed a subcommittee re the insurance scheme)' to tho annual meeting, , should be defrayed by the N.Z.R.U. • v '. The secretary reported that acoording to tho annual returns to hand, Canterbury l had 88 teams,, Otago 80, Wellington 77, ' and Wanganm 45. With regard to the question of the basis of jpaympnt of.; delegates' expense?, . upon which the committee had been' asked to mako a recommendation, it- was agreed that tho existing practice, viz., to deal with each account,on its merits, was satisfactory. Spipo reference Avas to the matter of the distribution :.of' the 1 surplus . accruing. ap a .result of the tour of the British team, hut it was decided to defer final consideration' of the question 1 until a special meeting, to be held next week. NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION. ANNUAL REPORT. ' . The annual report. to be presented to tho annual meeting of tho New Zealand football Association' ok.May. 31 states that Hhfs Association gamo has made great progress, in both tho large and tho small districts during, the past-year. Wellington, has now 61 teams, Otago about 50, and Auckland 30. There ia-j also a steady increase in the smaller, pentres, In Otago and Wellington, the expansion is | oonsidcred particularly gratifying as the increase "in the number- of teams is mainly in the boys' department of the game, and it is. here ■ that, the association claims to be getting'* firm bold on future senior player?, Otago has somo 24 school teams and Wellington has 33 teams : of boys under 17 years of ago. During the season the Southland and Hawke's Bay Associations were affiliated to tho council. Associations'aro being formed in the Wanganui arid. Marlborough districts, and will be affiliated shortly;,: The Brown Shield was played for;in Dunedin during Decomber, arid resulted in a win for Wellington after. soino, excellent games, the local mon' defeating Otago in the final by 4' goals to g.; • Referring .to grounds, the report says most of tho diflicultios in different parts of the Dominion are being overcome, and as a resujt. a marked improvement is boing shown in the standard : of play. Application was again made for, Affiliation with tno Foqtball Association, London, and-in this connection Mr. A. E.: Gibbea was appointed represontativo in London/ and is.taking a keen interest'in the; welfare, of "soccer" in Now Zealand. During .tho' latter part of. 1908. negotiations were ■opened with the South African Football As- j sociation-to send a team to tour Now-Zea-land. Tho cost of such a tour is very heavy, but. tliQ council consider that if tho affiliated associations .will.-come to-a resolution to.assist tho Now'Zoaldhd football Association .by raising the necessary guarantoes there is no j such a tour should not be success-1 fully earned, out, Qo'nefits will Tesult.'.to tho,-. gaine, as a whole': in ; New Zealand. As is usual, teams from tho strongest centres wont .i on tour at Easter to the smaller outlying, districts, thereby increasing. interest in the game in these places. Advantago was taken of tho' vonne of tho Brown Shiold in Dunedin to hold a conference of delegates on subjects l of interest to tho gamo in Now Zealand. Tho following matters'..were on the, agenda paper, and useful, .discussions..took place; —Future:form of competition for Brown Shield; formation of/a New Zealand Refer.ecs' Association; question of amateur status; visiting teams .'from England, South Africa; and West Australia; encouragement of ■ inter-provlnoia] and - inter-is-land niatches for boys.. Suggested rules for com petition for the Brown Shield as a challenge \ shield , aro now in-tho hands of the various centres, and will come up for confirmation at tho annual meeting, _ Rules for the formation] of a Referees' Association are also toi bo submitted, . ■■''.!■.'. ■ The amateur quostion was also the subject of a special council meeting, It was finally .decided .that . tho rules at present provide .that; payment ho allowed representative pla.vcrs for loss'of time-if sufficient funds are, available, and _tliat any club or' association' under tho jurisdiction of; tho New Zealand 'Football Association is privileged .to engage tho services of a coach, and that coach- bo allowed to play for the club or association, but, that tho council do. not approve of, tho number of coaches boing limited. Tho thanks of the council aro duo to Mr. J. J. Iloborts for,'journeying to Otago and acting; as.chair-, man of the conferonco, also to Mr. D. Anderson, secretary of tho Otago Football Association, for acting as. secretary :'of the'conference, and to the Otago Football Association for managing tho Brown tournament. - Tho (transfer of Mr. Geo. Brodie was also a distinct loss to the council. Thanks are also extended to Mr. F.;E. .Baume, M.P-.,*Dr. Walker, and Mr. J. G. W. Aitken for donations, to tho Y.M.C.A. for the . use of a room, and > to ;Messrs, Roberts and.Courtnay for. services as' chairmen. . : ' TO-DAY'S RUGBY GAMES. ; Two Saturdays of tho senior championship games h«vo passed, and in each caso tlioro. was. a surprise. -." Athletic unexpectedly beat Oriental,, and-certainly no ono thought it ! possiblo that last year's, champions would lose to Potono by over twenty points. Tho chief gamos.ito-day J are. between .'teams ' fairly evenly matched. At Peteno -tho local team try conclusions aith Poneko, and at'the Athletic. Park Oriental play St: James, and in neither case is,it easy to pick tho dinners. Oriental .ought, to beat St, James, but .this, .latter teaih have a , reputation for, playing ,groat gam? s .-when opposed to-strong teams. Who docs not remember their drawn gamo against Potono in 1907f Tho Potono gamo will doubtless attract a considerable crowd from town if the weather is fine. Poneko will take out a strong it is rumoured.that Mitchinson will not be able to play owing to an' injury, in which case tho fifteen wiir bo somewhat'weakened. Thore aro two trains to Peto'no, one at 2,10 and one at 2.20, . : The following teams will represent Southern to-day. :~-Soniors v. -Victoria College—Harris (2), Campbell (4), Mpriarty, Houlihan,'Naylor, Richards, Hawker, -Mortcnsen,, Elton, Burns, Galloway, and Flanagan. Juiiiqrs v. Athletic.—Black, Fraser, M'Govern, Green, M'Guiro, ! Edmonds, . London, (8), ':Marsdori, Davis,. Dunn, Cowan, Mitchoil,' Daley, Popo, and CondlifTo. Fourth v. Folhill.-Mitcfiell, Russell 1 (3), Wetherall, Gray, Parker (2), Taylor, Twomey, Rowe, Cappor, Morrison, Popo, Miles, arid Powell/;' ■ Star. Boating Club, having intimated their inability to play Potono on Newtown Park to-day, this fourth-clnss match will go to tho latter toam by default. , •ASSOCIATION., Tlie following will represent Newtown Congregational v. Y.M.C.A. B at No. 10 Miramar (Junior • Second Division) to-day;— Mnplos,-W. Haycraft, Evans, Bold, Piano, Little, Johnson, Probert, F. Haycraft, Aitken, and Arthur. AUSTRALASIAN GAME. A match between H.M.S. Challenger linjd Wellington Representatives will bo, played to-day at the Basin Rcsorve. I Tho Wellington Representatives ; are;— Gordon, Sommens, jtl'Cuskoy, Payne, Goble, Patrick, Booth,

Bowo, Bond, Bums, Nevillo, Spotawood, M'Grathj. liaurencq, and Monour; cmorgcneies, Baxter, Matthewson.. Tho Challenger's teani will bo selected from tho following:— Stafford, Anderson, Lett, Wilkinson (captain),:" M'BrMo,'.-Nelson, Jenson, Crifp, Goinely, M'Adams, Swyor, CofJy, , Waller, BrooV.a, Wayland.Falilo, Rnnkifi, 13, Martin, O'Connor, Kleeberger. Teams, are requested to ba on tho ground at 2.3Q sharp.