WAIRARAPA FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 888, 6 August 1910, Page 12

WAIRARAPA FOOTBALL.

THIRTY-FIYE YEARS OP IT. (By Oi'F-side Mac.) The other day the Wellington Rugby Union decided that its B representative team was of a calibre quite sufficient to give Wairarapa all Wairarapa wanted. The suggestion that Wairarapa should recognise itself as tho homo of a secondrate representative team has been indignantly repudiated by the country union, and apparently for tho time being all inter-union matches are "off." It is not intended here to say definitely whether tho Wellington Rugby Union was right or wrong in its • decision, but, apparently, there must hnve been decadence in Wairarapa football for some seasons, otherwise the bigger union would not have adopted such u status-and-soul-shattering resolution. Once upon a time and Wairarapa might have stood against any team and with credit to itself; now few poor enough lo iln tlnmi revorenuh The reason? Other sports; 'race-meeting attractions; too few inter-club contests with the metropolitan centre; not enough training;. not enough knowledge; not enough application; and a difficulty to obtain forwards big and active enough to stand tlio wear and tear of firot-class football. No doubt Wairarapa will again some timo tako its place as one of tho leading football centres in New Zealand; but before it does so, it will have to improve its class of play all round. In the Beginning. Although no obituary notice is intendod, a brief notico on Wairarapa football is of interest, and may serve to show how the valley men made a name in the beginning. Rugby football was first introduced into tno Wairarapa by Mr. T. S. Ronaldson ("Barney" Ronaldson 'he was called), at present in the Public Trust Office, Wellington. Mr. Ronaldson was an Irish player who just missed his cap through leaving Ireland In 1874. Ho in troduccd the game into Rangitikei in 1875, and later came to. Wairarapa, bringing with him two footballs, and some red, blue, and black jerseys from his old Irish club. He resided in Greytown, and for years tho Greytown Club played in red, .blue, and black colours. At first the Wairarapa settlers looked somewhat askance at the footballs. Few had over seen them before, and when on occasions the pioneers saw "Barney" Ronaldson, chasing "bags of wind" all by himself, round the paddock near tho old Rising Sun Hotel, they decided amongst themselves that he. must surely be an escapee from some mental . hospital. "Barney" Ronaldson, however, was. an enthusiast, and by the time the Bidwills and the Tullys left Wellington College he had successfully introduced the game into the district. Clubs were formed, and to the best of his rocollrcUni/ Mi. ltnnaldson thinks that the first game of any consequence was played in 1878, in Carterton, on "Old Knickerstaff's Pnddock," when Masterton and Carterton combined'played a similar team from Feathorston. Some Old-time Players. Amongst some of the players on thai day are said to havo been Lister Kaye, P. F. and Seymour Tancred, Snodprass (now of Napier), Girdlestone, Wyllie, Cuff, ,T Maguiro, J. Desmond, J. M'Musters ("Twinkler"),. D. Cameron, L. Nix, F. and Of. Tully, C. Bidwill, Coburn Hood,' W. Hirchberg, .Bannister, Welch, Hart Udy, and ■W. Udy. If all these: were not playing in the first match, says Mr. Ronalr'.ion,, they were playing • about the same timo. The game was ■ fast and furious. Men like P. F. Tancred, Coburn Hood, D. Cameron, J. Desmond, and H. Udy played for "keeps" all tho time. It was after one of the encounters that Seymour Tancred canni tip to Ronaldsuu and said: "Look here, I wish that you would impress upon your red-headed murdering blacksmith (Hart Udv) tho fact that I am not an anvil." And Prideaiu: Tancred said: "Turn him over to mo, Seymour, turn him over to mo." . (Hart CTdy afterwards represented New Zealand in _ Australia in the 1884 team.) The Kame ended satisfactorily.

Troubles of a Selector. AlthoughYmnch enthusiasm was shown by the residents, matches at first wero arranged only with difficulty. When the Greytown team had a game. in view"Barney'' Eonald6on had' to call upon the outback intending combatants on horseback. He was captain, selector, and management committee all in one. He would take a run down to Tablelands to the Tullys (fifteen miles), calling at Piliautea (the Bidwills) en route; then down to Tuhitarata to see J. M'Master (another fifteen miles), and then back again to Greytown, the whole distance being sixty miles and the time occupied about two days. In Greytown moonlight practices were strictly enforced, and by degrees a strong combination was brought into ' existence. Later the Perry's came back from Wellington College, and the district was stronger still. Otago's First Defeat. Matches were played against the Wellington clubs in the shape of semi-finals, and in 1879, "Barney" Eonaldson was selected from the Wairarapa to represent Wellington on its southern tour against Canterbury and Otagij. Ho skippered the combination which won both its matches. The defeat of Otago was the first that district had ever experienced, "he match was played' at Chrfstchurch, and the Otago players were so disgusted that they refused to allow Kerr, their full-back (to whose play they ascribed their defeat) to ride hack home v,ith them in the same carriage. The Wellington score, by the way, was obtained by George Bayly, who scored a brilliant try. Mr. Eonaldson classes George Bayly as the most versatile player, and the most deadly tackier of his time. Native Ingenuousness. , In tli# WairaTapa, the Papawai Natives adopted the game with ' great zeal, and their faith in "Barney" Eonaldson as an authority wa6 almost overpowering. On laws of the game he was sole judge. ' There were no printed rules to guide players, and if anything of moment happened the Maoris had recourse to "Barney." On one occasion during a game there was a great altercation at Papawai. The belligerents could not agree, so they stopped the play by mutual consent, mounted their horses, and rode three miles from Papawai to Greytown, where they submitted • the question to "Barney." Receiving i. his decision, they mounted their horses, rode back to Papawai, and recommenced |. their game. On another occasion - Mr. Eonaldson tore the sole of one of his j boots half off,' and in'order not .to "be r unduly inconvenienced, cut off half the | bout. Imitation is no doubt sheerest I 1 form of flattery, but he was much surprised on the following Saturday to find that the Natives on taking the field had divested themselves of half a shoo each. When asked the reason for their strange attire they answered, "Barney do las' Sat'day. . He te. kapai kick pfeller. We do same as Barney." Climbing the Ladder. By 1880 Wairarapa had made such Btridcs in the game that four of its number, namely, Eonaldson, D. ' Cameron, M'Master, and Wyllie, were-select-ed in the Wellington representative team which defeated Auckland, at Auckland, by five points to nil. In the following year Wairarapa were still more prominent in the Wellington representative team. Mr. Eonaldson says that they had eight men. The full Wellington team which was selected to play against New South Wales was as follows back, T. S. Eonaldson (captain) j ■ threequarter backs, G. C. ICeenan, J. A. Thompson, H. T. M'Cardell; half-backs, I{. Hirsohberg, .T. M'Master; forwards, G. F. C. Campbell, H. Udy, H. C. Boborts, J. Peat, I). J. A. Coopor, C. Beard, J. Somerville, B. Harvey, C. B. Morison. New South Wales won, fourteen to two, the Wellington try being scored by TTdy. In the succeeding match with New South Wales there were fewer Wairarapa mon included, and the match was again won by the visitors. Amongst the Wellington team on that day were J. P. Firth (full-back) and R. C. Kirk (half-back). In 1884 Hart Udy, 'as a Wairarapa resident, represented Wellington in tho Now Zealand team in Australia, and played in seven out of the eight . matches, Big Football. By 1886 Wairarapa had formed , a separate union from Wellington, and was one of the four districts chosen to battle against the Now South Wales .team. It was a tight game, played on the old

Masterton ground, Worksop Road, and New South Wales won by sis to five. Following was tho "Wairarapa team-list:— Full-back, Roydhouse; three-quarters, J. Perry, J. Baumber, A. Udv; half-backs, W. Perry (captain), A. L. Webster; forwards, H, 0. Tully, H. Hounslow, C. Beard, J. Bannister, W. Welch, E. Udy, C. Udy, J. Beard, E. M. D. Whatman. For Wairarapa Baumber scored a try, which E. Udy converted. . In the following year Wairarapa beat Wellington at Greytown.' Amongst tho Wellington men on that day were Kilner, Gage, Moorhouse, F. Fairbrother, 11. Taiaroa, and "Mick" Hyland. In those, and for the next ten succeeding years, Wairarapa was particularly strong at the game. . The teachings of "Barney" Ronaulson had borne good fruit, and, with the help of ex-Wellington College students, the district was extremely hard to beat. In 1886 and 1887, such men as "Joe" and W. Perry, A. Udy, J. Baumber, H. Hounslow, C. Beard, E. Udy, Whatman, J. Bannister, and W. Welch were good enough for any representative provincial team in New Zealand. J. Perry and J. Baumber wore unbeaten at that time as attackers, and the forwards were a rough-and-ready lot, all angles. Stoddart's team were fully extended to beat Wairarapa in 1888, and one of the features of the match was tho great try scored by J. Perry, as ho arched his back to prevent his being collared from behind by the Englishman who was just scraping his jersey. Baumber's tackling, exhibition on that day has been referred to in a previous issue. More Glory. In 1889, Wairarapa had mote glorj. They almost beat the Native team, which had just returned from its English lour. Amongst later Wairarapa editions who distinguished themselves on that' day wero J. M'Carty, an extremely dodgy runner and sure tackier; R. Thompson, H. G. D'Arcy, W. . Doy, W. Watson. These, with J. Perry, Baumber, and somb big forwards, made things very sultry, in the first spell,. when they wore leading on points. One of the most brilliant features of a brilliant game was a fiftyyards run by W. Eagle,' right through the whole of the Native backs. "Bill" Warbrick was found wanting on that Jay. D'Arcy, Eagle, and R. Thompson were all sprinters who could get over-a hundred yards each in fraction over ten seconds. In the second spell, the Natives played hard, but It wm only by a narroM margin of two points that they eventually won. They scored ten to eight, and it was, their narrowest margin of victory of the games they won on the return tour. Previously to that match, Wairarapa, principally through the aid of Baumber, had again beaten Wellington at Greytown, and later they Again almost beat, the Empire City team m WeU'nKton. From ,1890 to 1897. Wairarapa had a team , which could almost hold-its own

~-ith any team in' New Zealand. In 1893 its representatives in the New Zealand team were A. D'Arcy, W. Watson, R. Gray,' and W. M'Kenzie. In 1894, with a great back and also a great forward division, and fresh from a double-figured victory against Now South Wales, -Wairarapa was only beaten by Wellington by a subterfuge. In 1895 and 1897 Wellington wero again beaten, Taranaki also in 1897. Thereafter, till 1903,1 the country union raised no great backs, except H. Wriglcy, but the district was still turning out big forwards. In the 1903 New Zealand team, whioh won all its matches in Australia, .scoring 276 points to_ 13 points, X. Armstrong, "Archie" M'Minn, and D. Udy were fqpra Wairarapa. . Another fine forward of the Watson type was A. : Cadwallader, who, I believe, represented the North ■ Island; The Slump. > From 1903 Wairarapa's stai . waned sadly. On one occasion tho team was beaten by Wellington by 60 odd points, and since that defeat tho district nas slumped badly. Its football has for years degenerated to a considerable degree, although last season it gave Wellington a close go at Carterton. .Whether there is anything in the team now will be told 'by the records of the present tour. There-are a few good men in the team, but a lack of knowledge of the elemental points of the game, and incapacity for dash and vim, may exercise a.deterring effect on the methods of the combination.