FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1114, 29 April 1911, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

RUUBY. <Bt AIUSTOBXJLBB.I : Counting up the Wounded. :. With the majority of the players in a > more or less "groen" condition, it was ;■ not surprising that, knock-outs were nu- ;.;.'"• merous last Saturday. The games on Ath- !"'; letic Park'had to be stopped repeatedly ': to attend to casualties, and at least four of the accidents were serious. A.Thomas, > '■• the St. James full-back,.departed with a [■ ", broken hose, and another of the St. James ;'■ backs, L. Smith, sustained a broken arm, • "'■-.' whiist Gilbert, Old BOys.'broko a rib, and / D. Bridge, Wellington, injured his . shoulder. The loss of Thomas and Smith : ' will ,bs severely felt by St. James, arid i .-' Old Boys will find Gilbert's place hard to .■.,.'■.. fill. ,The Wellington loss; is not so seri■'■■'. Urns. It may sound unkind to say so, '■■ but Bridge was more of an ornament on :'■'...■.' the side of the scrum 'than an effective ■ ' unit in the Wellington combination. ,"'. Poole, Athletic, had the muscle of his ■ leg badly cut by an accidental kick duri..- ing the course of the match against Pe- , :, tone. A Little More Judgment, Sir. i , . In the ' absehca of M'Kellar, who is j about to trauster to Duuedin, A. Wilson I captained Wellington, last Saturday. Wil- •" /ion is a good solid forward, and, on the .. line-out, ne has few equals iu Welling- !; . ton, his height giving liini an immense t, ' advantage over ail competitors in. this ;•.': .work, in view of the iact that he is so f '■'•'.. "useful there it is difficult to understand !.'■■■ • why he took upon himself so frequently \., ■'' on Saturday the task of throwing the I ball in. He would have been of infinitely | ' , more use to his side had he taken his {[■ place'in the line-out. I ■.'."'. Appeals to the Parent Body. I '' The Management Committee of the New ',/.- Zealand Union had a good deal of its :..■ lime occupied during the year just closed i> in dealing with appeals, flight were sub- •' . mitted to the Management Committee against decisions of affiliated unions. Five | '.■ • were dismissed, and one was upheld while, I • . ; in two cases, this union had no jurisdicj tion.' Four appeals against the Mauage- ! ■-.. ■ ment Committee's decision were made to [■'■■' the- Appear Council. One was upheld, j .■:.■■ two were dismissed, whilo the fourth has K '...- not.yet been.settled. In-the matter'of ;:".~---Jaws of the game, the .Appeal Committee j was called upon to give rulings in four !■;.'■. > ■• cases. '.'•'• j Praise and Blame. [ A few points which suggest themselves i ■■.'■ after watching the St. Janics J Wellington !'■:.■ game may hot bo amiss. Lambert, the j Wellington wing-three-quarter, is a capable flayer, but ho would bo more effec- ' tive, if,he would keep his position, and ' not waiider. Munro, Saturday's showing,: is one of the best forwards Wellingj ■•. ton' has got, but his "plug in" is not i.. .'sustained; he seems'to need a rest now [,' ■.'' end'then. 1. Bridge, the Wellington i'. . full-back, played an excellent game, and [ ; . got his side out of several tight corners. j . ' Hill, wing-three-quarters, possesses all the I. '.. essentials necessary for the making of I " ' a.dangerous man, being exceptionally fast C ," ..and. a beautiful kick,- but he.is spoiling i himself'by his Vjver-cagerness. Manning, i on' Saturday's form, is the best forward [. in the; St. James pack and, if a couple }' i. of men could .follow the pace he and King j. set, the backs : opposed to the. .St. James ! pack would have a merry time. '.

Oriental Plays with a Mouse,

The curtain rose on one more Rugby season at the Park and other places on Saturday. There were the customary frills. "Barrackers" cheered, and bells were rung and flags'extended to the breeze jbd maimer'of speaking. No ; doubt it would be the proper thing hore and now to extend the glad hand to the old sport, '. and let.it go at that. , But one or two considerations intervene. No man could look with clear eyes at even the best game at the Park on Saturday and feel \ inclined to say "all's well." In a game like that-between Oriental and Old Boys one expects to see the best ■of local Rugby. If it is not to be found : here, goodness only knows where wo shall ■'. find it, but it was a very poo*' best that saw'the light on Saturday. There was no contest between the teams in any real sense of the word. The game was unmarked by skill or strategy, and sometimes it even' lacked vigour. Oriental eeemed at most times to have a comfortable grip on the, proceedings, but it was lohly at I odd times that they, exerted .themselves brilliantly, and inflicted damage, on their bemuddled opponents. The '. game was not -a contest, because Old Boys were never in any real danger _ of scoring. For about half the time during '< which play went on they worked hard in a stubborn sort of way, but, though (they managed to'sweep forward for/a distance now and then, their attack was jnever of the pointed kind that nttains 'success. In defence, the Oriental baclv.l/ound their opponents easy. It follows i'that, at its briskest, the game was con- : stantly degenerating into a scramble. i That tho scramble was heavily streaked ; with acts of individual • brilliance does '/very little to improve it. This sort of thing may be "glorious," or "war," or isornething, but it is not good Eugby. ■'P.roni two star teams pitted on the city's favoured theatre of sport one has a right to expect,good football. Therefore the / game between Oriental and Old Boys was a sad disappointment. Southern—Are Better Things Dawning? After the good showing made by Victoria College in the seven-aside tournament, it was generally expected that their representatives would prove inoro than a match for Southern last Saturday, but the latter team has been greatly improved this season, and was strong enough to gain a decisive victory over the College team, whjch was outclassed completely at the close of the game. Southern Club has always had pretty good material among its members, but tho senior team • has lacked a general in the rearguard, and EO its work has always been more or less ineffective. This defect now appears to "have been remedied by the inclusion of Bradley at centre-threo-quarlor, and, if 'this player retains his best form, it will 'mean a good deal towards preserving the combination of the team. • Valuable service was rendered to Southern by their full-back, Mitchell, who played "a game out of the box." He did not always get the ball'on the full; but i'he was never beaten for it, and he scarcely ever failed to find the line. He made great use of the wind, too, and, by doing so, mostly gained the maximum amount of ground with his lino kicks. All the other backs were doing their best the whole time, and some good passing resulted. "W. Houlihan appeared to have a fondness for cutting in a little too much, but this is perhaps preferable to crowding.his other backs on the lino. There is, however, the happy medium. In Johnson and M'Donald, the team has the making of two good wing-three-quar-ters, and the former. strikes' one as likely to improve a lot. Hooking of Houlihan and Co. Coming to the forwards, tho outstanding feature of their piny was the excellent hooking of E. Houlihan and Osborne, who secured the ball with great regularity, while the scrum was so well packed that" the oval always came out' clean to 11 the half. Houlihan 1 has always had the reputation of being a capable hooker, and the team has found him a good partner in Osborne, who has in past years served in the junior representatives. L. Campbell is not such a useful place-kick as no v.-a« if Saturday's form is his best. He I'.ad several shots at goal, but tho goal posts always had the best of the argument. Small Stamina of College. If one wcro asked to say wherein lie 9 the weakness • of the College team, the best answer would probably bo 'lack of stamina." The team opened vigorously, and looked like holding its own in tho krst spell, but, as the game progressed,

there could be seen more than one palefaced undergraduate among tho fifteen. There are plenty of good, fast men in. the team, but, with some exceptions, they are not a fifteen to hold up when the pace is warm. In the forward division, howover, one or two players were noticeably good all through, and, if the team was defeated, it was not through any fault of players like Curtayne, Quilliam, or Morrison. The Squelching of Melrose, The draw which fell to Poneke, who met Melrose in the opening match, was the best thing which could have happened the Red and Blacks. Poneke is a strong team, but tho easy match gave them a much better chance to put their combination in order than they would have had if they had drawn to play a'gainst one of the tougher fifteens. The match was Poneke's from start to finish. Melrose made Only one sortie, which looked in any way likely to carry them through. Without much exertion, Poneko kept their opponents so easily in hand that the' lattors' hopes of scoring a try were only once buoyed up by the trend of the game. On the occasion referred to, a Melrose rush carried the leather to within a couple of yards of tho goal-line, but the man who mado the final dash was pushed out of touch. There was, too, an occasion on which Poneko had to force, but they were not then in much danger—tho ball had gone over their line as. tho result of a forceful boost. The only incidents in the game were the scores, and the only scores were Poneke's. Short Sermon on Poneke Passing. Poneko did not play first-class football. They played their Rugby in a way which would have brought them defeat ugainst a first-class team—which is, of course, a different thing to saying that they would have been defeated had they met a first-class team that day. The winners tried their backs every time an opportunity presented itself, and every time an opportunity could be created. A considerable portion of the game was occupied by passing rushes by . Poneke, and bad mistakes 1 were made in more than half these essays. Some of tho passing was so.slow that.watchful opponents, playing close up, would have intercepted frequently. Passing which lays itself open to treatment of that kind is a great danger .to the team which practises, it, for, whatever the theory of long passes may be, practical experience has proved that to use them against a good team is merely inviting a surprise reverse. Who can laugh lightly at a chance of scoring possessed by a man who intercepts a pass sent from one to another of a set of attacking backs? If the intercopter is fast, he will probably have only the full-back to beat. When backs are passing, one of their chief considerations must bo to- not let the ball out of their possession. Short, sharp.' rather low passes are the best for that reason, and are the most effective in other ' respects. Thero are times when the long range can be used to advantage, and on those oecasions the versatile player often seizes the opportunity; but, as a system on which to work a combination .of backs, long passing is dangerous. But Poneke's back play was not all weak. The mistakes' written of were made, but, even so, it was evident that the men who made them • were capablo of better work. It was a good sign to see that several of those who blundered (perhaps through want of practice) were resourceful enough to get themselves out of trouble,' and a team with resourceful players contains likely material; their lack of practice can be overcome, but no amount of practice will 'produce natural resouree. The Rod and Black rear division seems to have ample pace, and contains several solid members. The forwards appeared to be a pretty.even lot, and the fact that no from their ranks may have been due to tho fact that.it was not a. conttsl which called for big things. ''■■■,-. What Like are Poneke Backs? The average spectator was chiefly interested in noting lio'.vths Poneko backs shaped. They shaped fairly well, and showed promise of better play later in the season. Tilyard, at half, played a game which was a credit to him, and enhanced his good reputation, The fiveeighths were Kelly and Morris. The writer would not like to sum up. Kelly on Saturday's play, but the impression left by the match at KarOri was that ho would be a better forward than a fiveeighths. Morris didn't seem altogether at home playing five-eighths, and more than once he judged badly in going alone rather than passing out. The "big chief" of the team was/Waki. He was its headpieco and its best individual back. He worked with an energy which was a splendid example, and jhe mado valuable openings with a frequency and an ability which stamped him as an adept in the art. E. Ryan and Elliott played tho wing-three-quarter game capitally. Both seemed in good form, and slightly improved since last season. Petone and Athletic. The opening engagement between Petone and Athletic was unlike any that have been witnessed on the Petone ground for many a year. In tho first half, spectators were treated to clever passing movements, good dribbling, and good line-finding. In fact, the only drawback to a good tussle was lack of fast following up and bad tackling on both sides. Towards the end, however, the game straggled somewhat, and lacked steam, but this was no doubt due to the early stage of. the season. The refereo was not altogether satisfactory to the players. He seemed rather fond, of whistling, and sometimes allowed a mark before tho player had taken a fair catch. Of the town team, "Ranji" Wilson was a good leader to his,forwards, and was closely followed by Bell and Cunningham. M'Donald as a back wasofair. Ho is, however, inclined to be sluggish. Kerr, at half, was too good for his opponent. S- Wilson was patchy, and did not go down to the rushes. Evenson was the "stonewall" of the team. His liuo-kicking was neat and judicious, and ho played a fino game. Petone's backs gave a good display of passing and fielding. Ramsden was undoubtedly the best, and his tactics remind oue of M'Grogor. He was ably assisted by.Jas. Ryan, M'Kenzie, and Daley. The forwards were hefty in their play, and beat their opponents Jn tho loose, although they were beaten for the ball in the scrum badly, and did not seem to hav« the weight of the Bluo and Blacks. Dent,' Wm. Ryan, Price, Aston, and M'Farlane were the pick of a good lot. School Football. The sum of ,£IOO, voted by the New Zealand Union at its last annual meeting for the encouragement of Rugby among boys at the primary schools, was allocated as follows:—Ha wke's Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, and' Southland Unions, £9 each; Wairarapa, South Canterbury, and, South Auckland Unions, ,£8 each; Poverty Bay, Bush Districts, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Marlborough, Nelson, Buller, and West Coast Unions, £.a each. A topic of tho week has been the line of action taken with regard to the Marist Brothers' School. Why, in the name of fairplay, should they be shut out? It is a very ugly decision whichever way one looks at it. . ASSOCIATION. ' [Br Cektre-Half.] Last Saturday's Games. Saturday was not the best of days for the opening of tho "soccer" season in Wellington, for during tho afternoon a strong northorly wind blew, and jiist at the conclusion of some of the matches a heavy downpour of rain put tho finishing touches on things. _ Nevertheless, taken all round, tho various games wero productive of fair football, considering that it was the first of the season, but practically every team showed signs of want Of training. Ugly Report from Miramar. For the first time for some years there was trouble in the boys' camp on Saturday at Miramar. A letter received by tho I''Managementl''Management .Committee- of the W.F.A,

from the captain of the Newtown Congregational fourth division team complained bitterly of the conduct of their opponents. All manner of charges are alleged, swearing at tho referee and several other forms of misbehaviour. Some, of tho committeemen at last meeting spoke very strongly about the occurrence, and it was decided to hold a "courtmartial" at next Wednesday's meeting. The Corinthians. When Corinthians, a new senior team, get really going they will be a good team, but at present they suffer through lack of combination. There is some good material in their ranks, which only needs a little coaching. Saturday's Game at Porirua. Senior football promises to bo very popular at Porirua, and a fair number of spectators watched last Saturday's game between Mental Hospital nnd Hamblers with keen enjoyment. The latter team were desirous oi upholding their fame as first division champions, while Hospital were determined to justify their appearance in the "higher circle." The winners' greater experience turned the scalo in their favour, though, with the least bit of luck, the Whites would have had at least a point towards championship honours. The injury to Phillips somewhat minimised tho effectiveness of Hospital forwards, and thero was justifiable di?.;ent from the referee's decisions against tho homo team, particularly on two vital occasions. Senior division, matches require senior referees to give some measure of satisfaction to both teams.

Cockburn, Hospital's "keeper," gave a fine exhibition of goal-keeping, and Hart must be still wondering how he cut out a forty yards shot from under the bar, while a cat-like spring at Edwards's penalty shot almost stopped the ball at the foot of the post. Wallis and Cross, fullbacks for Ramblers, were very good on defensive work on Saturday, the latter getting in some splendid play. Hart at centre-half also showed to advantage, and was verv solid on the attack. Kirschberg, who made his first appearance for Ramblers, fully sustained his reputation as a clever right half-back, and Jackson on the other sido also did his share. Taken on the whole, the match was a pood.one to watch, save for certain incidents referred to above. Hospital have made a splendid entry into senior football, and in the near future we will no doubt hear more Of them. Swifts and Y.M.C.A. What was probably one of the best games played on Saturday was the meeting of Swifts and Y.M.C.A. at Duppa Street. At the outset the wearers of the "coats -of many colours" looked likely winners, and niade the pace pretty warm. They were practically a new team as compared with that which played last season and, considering that they are all young players, they put up a really good fight. Swifts, on the other hand, took things steadily all through the game and experience told in the long run. Hoban, a new man who was played at outsideright, was a distinct failure in the position, being too much inclined to get up among the forwards. J. Pye-Smith, the right-back of (he ■ team, has always had a safe reliable man in front of him on previous occasions and, in consequence, he did not play up to his usual standard. It is without doubt that the Swifts team missed Kirschborg greatly on Saturday, and it is a pity that they let,him go over to Ramblers, for it will be found a hard matter to fill his place. Whittle, in goal for the Reds, was not a success, and Hollis, keeper for Y.M.C.A., walked rings round him. Green, inside-left for Y.M.C.A. and a new man, was most disappointing and, as one man remarked on the line, ho was a "passenger to his side." Coate played pond football and saved his side repeatedly. Smith, on' "Y.M.'s" side, was'a tower of strength, and made some excellent openings. His run right up the field was a good piece of work indeed. Indifferent Display and—"Passengers." Tho ground .at Kelburne Park for the Thistlo-St. John's match was in good order, and a. fast game was anticipated, but the play was not up to expectations, although"occasionally some goad.things wero done! 1 ' St. John's were not able to get a single shot through, and Thistle's many chances should have meant more than two for a total. The season is young, it is true, but on both sides combination should have been much better than it was. St. John's backs, kicked well enough at times, but time and again their kicks had no fixed destination, consequently what should often have been a present to' a forward became a free-kick to the opposing backs. Shaw was more careful and tried to feed his forwards.

On the Thistlo side the backs used more judgment, but the fault lay in the forward line, where passes were often too long delayed, and consequently intercepted. Ash shone at times, but often ho let chances pass by not tackling his opponent. He seemed to be saving himself on Saturday, although his goal was a brilliant piece of play. Both goalkeepers were good. Each team carried a "passenger" or two. Ono man in particular kicked the ball about half a dozen times on Saturday, and then it was generally nn aimless effort, bringing advantage to the opposing team, if to anybody. Reply to that Candid Letter. A correspondent writes as follow:— "Friend Mackay's comparisons of Now Zealand and English League football have given rise to much discussion, but the conclusion arrived at is that a New Zealand team is not class enough to successfully tackle even a Southern League Club, and it would be useless to send a team Home capable of engaging nothing greater than West' Ham United reserves. It is granted that, with proper training and imperative coaching, a New Zealand team would defeat many ainateur_ teams, but we are not yet in a position to cope with even a second division English League team. What we need is a strong team to come out and give us a standard to gauge our ronl strength by. There would then be time to talk of sending Home a team." Echoes from Clubs. Hospital will miss their centre-half, M'Ninch, who has gone up north. Heard on the line at the RamblersMental Hospital match:—Exasperated player: "I say Mr. Referee, your whistle wants oiling." Irate Referee: "Oil my whistle! What for?" Exasperated player: "It's about time for you to hand it in, and the oil will keep it from rusting." Tableau 1 A certain well-known half-back, who is much given to oratory, opened his campaign on Saturday, though his impromptu speeches were not appreciated at their due worth. Another caso of "Not Understood." On May 16 the Wellington Referees' Association intend holding their annual "smoker" at Mawson's Rooms, Cuba Street. An excellent programme is being arranged and footballers and friends can look forward to a good evening's entertainment. Ritchie, the tricky little right-half for Wanderers last season, has decided to give the game a 'rest for the present season. He will b& greatly missed by members of his club. Matheson and Vessey both received injuries in the Swifts-Y.M.C.A. match, and are not likely to don the red shirt for some time to come. The former has a twisted knee, and the latter a twisted

an ' s ' e ' ' While stirring a vat containing some tons of oil used in tho manufacture of linoleum, the mixture boiled over and scalded to death a night-watchman named Evans, employed at the JToolcy Hill (Ash-ton-under-Lyne) Linoleum Works.- A fire which caused damage to the extent of several hundred pounds also occurred. The late Mr. Henry Blount, of Imbcrhorne' East Grinstead, Sussex, and of Paris, left to the British Museum or tho South Kensington Museum, "as a mark of respect and love for my native country," a ScvTDs vase given him by the French Government in 1871. WOULD SAVE THOUSANDS OF POUNDS? "I have used Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy for the past four years with excellent results," writes Mr. E. S. Allen, of Darnum, West Gippsland, Vic. "If the peoplo of Australasia onlv knew the value of this marvellous medicine they would savo thousands of pounds in doctors' bills yearly, and, incidentally, a few lives, to say nothing of tho pain and Buffering. It is a sure cure for colic, diarrhoea, and pains in the stomach."- 9'