LACROSSE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 544, 26 June 1909, Page 12

LACROSSE.

'.-' ■■ t .}i ! ";;;\(Bi ;'|Lbpt Defence.") ,■ ■'..." ■!■ "i: : "The best game this season" was:tba : verdict wnispereii'. ninoug ; tno'.' spectators .'after last.weefrsmatch, ideal wcaHier prevailed, and everybody, was out, to- please trie selectors.-; Some .succeeded in ;convincing: .thcin thut they" ktteW.'tlib. game, from A to &, while otnors extinguished' tueir claims ..to ';rccogmtiou' by play—perhaps .through, being :too confident of their chances.'. ,' ; •',■'.','. '\\ ■■With. only, two .games .to. go before the Auckland ■ battle, players. are• beginning;to realise ■ that. the: time"■, in which ,'thoy can get into the.bcstVof condition is' very'short, and thisj ho doubt, is responsible, for the fastsgames wo aVo. .witnessing. And Saturday afternoon is not the only time devoted to. tho musclo-hardening .process.,'.' Quito an array of crossers are to Up seen each morning at Kelßurue Park,. where Meyer has taken up. the role of tutor, and. a more \capa))l6 and instructive > mbntor one does. not .want to unearth. The Basin • Iteserye also is .responsible for; hard work before breakfast, and,, by July 10, nothing should be,wanting on the score- of condition. ,_'. , ; ~-.'

.As .for the match: itself, it. was certainly .not so oie-sidod as the Bcores suggest, for tho Hods : bagged a number of goals, through tho; agonoy of Shaw, which .would -never have materialised 'had that '.-,player..-: been it was, the line was oelar for the majority, marked by a more experienced opponent. - As : it-was, the: lino,-was, clear for tho majority of .his-shots,, .. -Vi-',,,',. J '■■.;''."■■,''•■■ i'V-.v. One; of the features of the match was the contest . between . the centres'; - Rankin and Webb. ' 'i'hey were, just a matoh : in'itlioni-selves,-and,.on a'.basis of: all-round, play, tho writerwould not place ono- before ;the other in merit.- I.look to to-day's-.game to assist me 'in determining wln'eh I, think will most 'suitably- fill the. bill; as. centre '..of. the Wellington teamj since tho selectors appear determined to ■ plnco ono or othor of these in that positioii. ./Montgomery. wot' an absentee last, week,: and, in my opinion, -ho will bo a .weakispot in the local team. Vnfortunatcly wo cannot, replace hini. . Ho is certainly nimble when! it comes tb circling round half-a-dozen '.inexperienced players, but we arc-all hoping to see an open, fast gamo-'something. to 'plcaso the spectator's eye. < This year ho will- probably run foul of Nolan,'tho crack "checker of Auckland. Should it be so, it will be interesting to see who will triumph,', as, on ono side,, there is science,and'lightness, and, on the other, great determination in checking, with plenty of weight behind it..--,.- ■. i Jloran was well up; to his usual solid play, and stopped somo. good, shots. .From the writer's knowledge: of the,'shooting of the Aucklahdors, there is not'one of them that can "nttlo them in"; like Hudson:" Very marked improvement in form was shown' by the playors montibned in my last notes ns betas "-off colour." Horn's form was all wrong in the previous match, as he played & rattling a'amo in tho last tost, and quite

turned , tho tables on Pam», who wag evidently only out for an airing. On Saturday's play, one fails, to seo how the selector* can overlook the former's chances for a place among the elect. Casey is another who showed wonderful improvement, and revealed a bit of the true form that charaejierised his. game ;in previous .seasons. Buckley played well up to reputation, but Bhould los» his undesirable habit of Bbouting. I havo played tho game in many places, and under different' 6kies, but have neyor yet stumbled across a; cooler-headed and mora, proficient exponent of tho defence game, as it should bo played, than Jantko. - An'ideol checker, ho never allowß his .charge to wander, and, when in possession, is as difficult to stop as any first-grade attacker. Meyer, O'Loary, and' Hudson played with their usual consistency, but the scoring of : Uio latter calls for. special mention. His fine bag of five goals is a good indication of lu'b dangerous scoring: propensities when in tiw neighbourhood,of the net. .'. ..'•''-

.It iB understood that' a trial representative, toam has been; picked, but ite personnel 'has not yet; reached the. writer.::. , During the season ''Left Defence" haa made a very hard: study of the merits and domerits of' players, and the result of. hi» .labours.'..places''.-before'' him tho following twelve 'men, as! most fitted to successfully uphold the opinion, formed last year, that Wellington's best team, was superior,to the best dozen Auckland could produce. ■ And the foremost players are vaoout 'the Bame this year:—Goal, Moran;, point,' Proud: cover-point, JantJio;; third man,: Horn; right defence, Webb; left defenoe^Murray; centre. Buckley;, right attack, Famaj, left: (*• tack, Meyer; homes, Montgomery,: Robinson, and, Hudson. For the next bost.tbroo for places, commend me to Casey, Paulington, and Courtenay.' ;■'• .■';!' -; ; '-'."-.,':.! In next week'si notes I hope-to he able t« give my impressions on tho filial toatri. ■ . The. "at home" 'given by'the Auckland Association: was such a financial buccoss that it has placed, that. body in the very happy position: of 'being able to, defray wio expenses of itfl; representatives that are coming down next month; ■< : : , .This weok:.l.„will rules bearing upon the play. ~ Intervening rules will follow later. ■;"■""..''. . ■.'-; [.:1 - ';'■ -J.V:!' .: ■ The Team I :—Section? 1 1: Twelve pl»yo» shall constitute a full' team., Should it - bo ascertained, at any time during tho progress of the game, that either team was i playing more; men than jihe number arranged: for, such team ©hall.have all goals thrown,' prior to the 1 ascertainment of same, annulled. At the request of-either, captain; play; shall be stopped, and .thoplayors called into line for tho purpose of counting tJiem,:'•- Timekoopora shall make allowance. for the time taken in (Counting,the teams; • Section 2:, AH players Bhall bO'bound for tho season to the; club they first.play with in that season, and shall not play with any' other without the • express consent of the association or of tho captain of tho opposjng team., Seotioh 3: The .players of each' side shall be designated ae follow:—Goalkeeper, ■ who .'■ defends' the. '■ goal; poiat, first man out from goal;,cover-point, in front of point; third man; right' defence, : loft defence, centre, right attack", left; attack, second homo,-first'..home,'.nearest opponents' goal.: Section 4 :'No player shall; wear' spiked . soles, and any player attempting to -eVade thre law shall be.ruled out of the match. Section. 6: No - player: shall be allowed to: take part in a match if ho bo not dressed in. the uniform of :hu club; unless with; the consent of tho opposing captain and ■-, the referee.: Section 6: No change of players shall bo ■ made' after a* match has commenced except by'reason'of an accident or injury,' or upon an agreement made between the captains; 'In the event of any dispute between the captains,as Ito aninjurod'player'e fitnesa to oontinuo the game; the. matter' Bhall at once bV decided by the. referee. : Ether, side may commence, to playwith lees than ite full number, ';'ahd : ; r may! 'complete -<, its ; team iat' any time■ during,the garw.*VSection;7: In ■ the ■ event of accident; or injury;, during a match, the referee :shall at once stop .tie play and; at the resumption of the game, tin ball shall:be - "faced: off", at ? the place. whor« the ball was at the time of'ttcadent. The referee ■ shall: ;have, tho rights to direct the . rom6va!'.:of ;sthe' ■ injurcdVplayer, and, „ in; the ovent"of)injury t shall number.of playerssbnitoachvsidoVin .tochninanner ias he . may\tkirik fit. Timekeepers, shall make allowanoes'. for. any'time lost. \ •■ ■'.'. •••:-. '~;; ' /i:,'..■.:,.' • ! Xl— 1.:., Th« game, shall be started,by the ball being ."faced-off",in the centre of the field,;after thojCaptains have .tossed for the choice of goals. .When.the sides aW- ; rcady;.the referee shall•,call.. "play." iTho .'players,facing ,shall .not be allowed 'to use;left-hand erosso. Section 2: A match shall be decided by. tho greatest number of goals' obtained by 'either during tho time the ■captains have/agreed upon to. play.; A .'goal shall'bo scored by the ball passing. between the. posts from tho ; front. " Section 3: The igamo shall bo divided into four quarters, the first', two-:of ; twehty-fivd..minutes.',each,:'the second two .'of.'twenty;'minutes-each (unless; otherwise arnngodbytho captains), with an interval of■'. ten minutes between second and; •third (quarters, but, at quarter! and threoquartor v timo, tho interval shall only be long onough to,change ends. On tho resumption of play after'such intervals,' the ball shall be "faced off"* in tho oontro of the ground,'aa 'at the. commenbemoht of the match.'. Seotjon 4: Should,tho ball be put through either: goil by ono of the players defending it (by .what-' soever, it 'shall, be > counted goal to the opposite side.V Should it be put through; hy anyone,'not:actuaUy a player, it shall not count.; Section 5: In the .event, of ,a goalpost' being knocked down during .a match, and the' ball put through, which would,' in.; the opinion of the:;Umpirc,' be.a.goal ifthe; post, wero standing,'it, shall count agoal.for the.attacking; Bide,. Wlien a goal : has been allowed,' tho hall, shall bo ('faced off'' in tho centre,as! at tho commencement of the : thatch. 7: Tlio. goalkeeper, while . defending ."tho. goal within tho\ goal .crease, although' not allowed to catch and throw with his; hand;'may" put away with his handß orfcet, or block the ball in any manner with his orosse.or body. Section B:'Ahy player is out; of; play if he drop his' crosse. dicing the game, and must not touch tho ball or, impede'an opponent' in any wav until ho, recbycrs his crosso>!: Should he do bo, the referee may call. '.'foul.''_'.-' ■ 9 ! : In!' the; event of a match being interrupted by' darkness; bad ' weather; ;or : any. circumstance whcreby.tbe captains and referee think it inadvisable ,to; continue playing,; such match, shall be referred to the association. Section 10; Slibuld.'the ball lpdpo in any. place inaccessible to! the erosso, it shall be taken out by tbdhand : and "faced off"! at,the direction of tho roforeof Section 11: Wheii tho ball is being "faced; off,", no bnb shall be allowed; to stand oloscr than fivo yards from, or, interfere with! tho players facing, until the ball is; out of, the crosses.'..,.- .'■.:■ ■'',".;■',:: ' ,