FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 566, 22 July 1909, Page 9

FOOTBALL.

WELLINGTON RUGBY UNION. CASE OF PROFESSIONALISM. f Tho Management Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union met last evening 'in the office of the secretary, Mr. W. G. Tnlbot. There were present Messrs. J. Bums (in tho ' ehsur), W. Perry, J. Sweeney, P. Peters, J. O'Sullivan, J. Price, and W. Hardham.

The Melrose and Poneke. Clubs wrote in regard to the statement of accounts of Eastor matches. Now that the union had chiugo of the Athletic Park (the lettei wont on), it was naUril to expect that affiliated clubs outside of Wellington should receive better treatment than in tho days when a limited liability company had control of'the playing aiea. This was not the expeiienco of the clubs. Toi instance, when two matches were played previously on the Athletic Park at Easter, onethird of tho gross takings was given to each of the local clubs whose teams weie playing, and on that basis they should have received £t 12s 6d., instead of £S lls 3d Fmther, the Athletic Park Company had ncvoi debited the clubs or tho Rugby Union with the charge of the gate-men. Members of the clubs would have been willing to undertake gate dutiei had they known,a ehargo would be made against tho club. Tho adveitising (.£2 10s.) was not a fair ehargo against the clubs, and it was done on the unions own initiative It'had not been the practice of the union to eeek to augment its funds from _tho Easter matches. Tho clubs asked for the diffeience £0 12s 6d. and £5 lls. 3d , or, alternatively, #Tl2s. (gate expenses) and S& Ills (advertising. It waa resolved that the clubs be m formed thatrthe union had no jurisdiction in the c matter, as the trustees weie responsible for the financial arrangements connected ivith the park. , The Wellington Football Association wrote that, provided they were holders of the Brown Challenge Shield, they would be playing Auckland on September i or 11, and wished to have the use of the Athletio Park,on either of those dates Consideiation was deferred for a week. The Athletic Club withdrew their third-class team from the remaining championship games > ' Transfers of J. Ryan and P. Quinlan from 6t. Patrick's Old Boys to Oriental, and 1. King and W. Eeid (Oriental) from junior to third grado, wero approved ... A, deputation from the Referees Associatio roferred to the letter which had been written to tho union (and sent on to the association; by Mr. W. Welch, club captain of Kia. Ora Club. Mr. L. Sievers said that Mr Welch had made charges of unfairness against the refereo (Mr. Thomson) in the junior match, i>l OraAthletio, and, although ho had expressed regret, the association considered that it w.aa necessary for an neology to be made to the Tefereo himself. It was agreed to ask Welch to tonder an apology to tho Referees Association. , Intimation was mado that tho Wellington Referees' Association and the 'Manawatu Referees' Association desired to play a game on the day of the Auckland-Wellington mterproTincial match, August 28 Consideration 'nas deferred Application was made by the Upper Hutt Star Club for a refund of train fares (Is. 6d. per man) incurred by the team \in going to Lower Hutt last Saturday to play Epum. It was left to the secretary to arrange. Mr. A W. Mollcr, referee in tho fourthclass match, Old Boys v. Oriental, plajed at East's, No. 4, attended and explained why he had ordered off E Jenkmson (Old Boys) and E. Patterson (Oriental). Both players were buspended for two Saturdays The committee followed up their inquiry into the allegation made rigainst C.'Evder, a Tramway player, of having received payment for his services in the team. : ' Ryder, who attended the meeting, stated that he had obtained a private loan_oF.£2 from another player named Herbert. At, the time of receiving the money, he had been playing for Melrose. Herbert had asked him to play ■tor Tramways,, seeing that he had Wednesday half-holiday. i William Herbert, a Tramway player, eaid that ho had lent Ryder £1, which came out of his own pocket. I S: Taylor brought evidence in support of his allegations. Robert Patience stated, that Ryder, with whom he had been staying, had told'him that he had been paid £2 for plajmg for Tramways. t Robert Taylor and W. Taylor also gave evidence 1 ' " i Oscar Jacobson said that Eydor had,shown him £Z, which he asserted ho "had made out of , the match." ' ' , Ryder admitted that he had played m this match- without having obtained--a transfer ?u After discussion, Mr. O'Sullivan moved"That the evidence is not sufficient to prove that Ryder received the money for playing football for tho Tramways Football Club, but that it~u quite clear that he received the jnonoy from a member of the--Tramways Foot'ball Club team."

The ohairman (Mr. J. Burns),said that he would prefer to see.the Tramways Club exonerated altogether. ■ Mr. W. Hardham considered that a clear cose of professionalism had been proved. He / moved! That Ryder and Herbert beTeported / to ,lhe New Zealand Union under , the rules on professionalism',' for receiving and" paying money for playing football, and that, after inquiry, there is no .evidence to prove that the Tramways Club were'a'party to this act." Mr. P. Peters .seconded this latter motion, which was carried. ' , . ' , ■ 'it • ' ' ASSOCIATION'GAME. THE ST.' JOHN'S-SWHTS APPEAL. A meeting of the Management Committee of the [Wellington Football Association-was held in the Y.M.C.A. Rooms laet evening, Mr. H. . ' N. Holmes presiding. There were also presentMessrs. B. L. Salmon, H. Waters, A. Williams, J. B. Paton, J. M. Oilier, J. Davidson, L. White, and W. Auld. 1 The St. David's Club, Petono, wrote stating that they would be unable to get a team to go ' to.Miramar next Saturday. Jt Mas decided to ' 7*ply ,that the fixture could not be altered. An 'application was received to havo the Rangers A v. Ramblers match played on No. 8 or No. 2, Miramar, instead of No. 9 grouad. Referred to the Grounds Committee. The Ramblers Club asked if it would be ' > possible to allow its boys' teams to play in town occasionally. Referred to the Grounds Committee. A t letter was recoived from the Swifts Club stating tb'at a Blenheim team was anxious to play a match with them at an early date. Tho Swifts Club asked if the match could be played as a curtain-raiser to tho Canterbury-Welling-ton representative match. It wns decided to \ grant tho application, and to play two 35 minutes spells, starting from 1.30 p.m. The -Canterbury Association wrote stating 1 that the Canterbury representative team to contest tho Brown Shield would reach Welling-

ton on July 31. < Mr. D. Jones wrote resigning his position on the Management Committee, owing to his transfer from the district. Mr, H. Godber was elected to fill tho vacancy. ' The Appeal Beard, consisting of Messrs Monckton, Shields, and Hunt, reported that it had made inquiry into the St. John's-Swifts appeal, and from the matter placed before it found the facts as under;—(l) On Saturday, >• June 26, the Swifts Club, being short of a player, included B. L. Salmon, a member of • tho Management Committee, in their team against St. John's; (2) the St. John's team - protested, and the matter was discussed by the Management Committee, .the chairman of ithioh ruled that, by virtue of his having played in the match in question, Salmon's seat ' on tho Management Committee became vacant j i, (3) after the ruling by the chairman, the ManI agement Committee passed tho following resoluv tion.— "That, owing to a misunderstanding I existing'as to the spirit of the rule, Mr. Salmon be re-elected to tho Management Committee, but that such re-election shall in nowise form a precedent." No evidence was called. Tho Appeal Board istatcd that it was unani- , mously of opinion that participation in agarao as a player by any member of tho Management Committee constitutes a. breach of tho rules. The board added that this view was evidently taken by the chairman of tho Management Committee, and seemed to have been confirmed by tho committee itself when, in passing the resolution of re-election, it expressly stated that "such Te-clection shall in nowise be a precedent." The board unanimously recommended that the match be replayed, and that the fee lodged by St. John's be returned. The board considered further that only one interpretation of the rule, as it is now worded, is possible, and also that if, as is etated, any misunderstanding has occurred as to the spirit of the rule, then the lule should be revised, and made so explicit as to render any further misunderstanding impossible. Mr. Auld moved that the report bo referred back to the Appeal Board, with a request that it should call evidence. This was carried. Mr. Salmon handed in a record of representative games played by tho association mnce 1890. The list showed 32 games played, W of which had boon won,. 12 lost, and ono drawn. It was decided'to write to the various club? asking them if, in the event of the association being granted permission by the City Council to form a ground on the Town Belt, they would give assistance in the formation of the ciound.

-It'was resolved that the question of grounds for next season be considered in September. ■ A slight change has been made in the allocation: of grounds for. Junior Third Division 'matches for Saturday.- . '. ' -V ■:,>■■-■> ■; .' .' ; A, Division.-Y,M.C.A; . B.: t; i Brooklyn ..A, ,2 p.m. (Mr. G. P. Williamson). , : B . Divisiori.-Marist B.; v Y.M.C.A. C, •■; 2 Miramar, 2 p.m. (Mr. Thomson);. v Rangers B, 9 .Miramar, 2 p.m....(Mr. .W. Sparrow); -Rangers A: v. Ramblers, 8 Miranwr> 2 p.m, (Mr. Fisher). . : V: :. Owing-to the fact that the continued!, rain put the grounds in a very heavy condition, tho matches in tlie::Rugby Union Wednesday ;Cpmpetitiori (were; postponed .yosterdarafter'nb'oh;.!.>■■;•- '"''}';■ '.-';. : '-' .■■[-'' *" '".■:■'. ■■ ; :' • ?;.'.Yesterday'.mornuig, .at' Miramar, a .match was .'played ' between . teams representing the Public Works and Railway Departments, the : former-winning by ll:pointsto.s.: .Tries for.tne winners: were scored by Crawford; King, and "Jackson; and one try/was"converted by-.JacK-. ■son::.>,l , or\the. losers, M'Ke.llar scored:.; a. try, and-'converted it.- ;■.-.,', ' :p;,. t "\ V ■-' . ■■:■ "In-'consequence of'.'the ..postponement .of. games on Saturday last; all Rugby matches, set:'down; for last : .Saturday_twill be' played en Saturday.-next.v ■ : ,; ■•■,./;.-'■•'.>';■ ■; i, -i. : . ■■■ ', :'\---:-.'. ■ ;;';':;; : MANAWATU, (£O. V, AWARUA .(3). ■~ ,'■ ~•, CorreeDondent.). '-. ;; V: ; V.-' -i =V/-^'■■ : -: : ■""'- : -''^v:*:■-■ ■- ; V "-'■ Palmorston, July 21.. 'The .-representative'.football match;''Awarua v.'.Manaw'atu, was.;played here to-day, result-, ing .in a win for the home. team by, five: points to three.;' The game was very fast and ing,! and the visitors great forward; line kept, the local backs . on" the: defensive in tho first half,, although - no.; score'took place. -.In'the "second spell, Manawatu. had the better of: the -exchanges;"and-showed more knowledge of the game. A forward rush V saw three 'Manawatu - men bntho ball over the line, and M'Minn kicked a beautiful goal. Shortly after, M'Minn again got over,, but the try was as the'corner"flag had: been;; knocked down. Awarua were - : subsequently/awarded , .kick .under the ,goalposts, and a penalty-goal■ resulted. >;' :v; : ,l ; -;■: ■';' .' '■■'* ; ; - : ■■ : ■•;• •'-'\ii~;' ; ,: