ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1521, 17 August 1912, Page 12

ASSOCIATION.

[By "Centre-Half."] ONE OR TWO BURNING TOPICS. Senior Championship Closed. It has boon decided to close tho first division championship, and Hospital havo been declared winners. They havo played 13 matches and have won them all, scoring 51 goals for, and having six goab registered against them. This club has gained 2G points, tho nest in order being Y.M.C.A., who aro eight points behind. Following is a tablo showing full particulars as to how tho various teams in tho First Division stood at tho end of 1912 championships:— i . .go «f i c 3 o to cj d . el'tf .— S £ £ fi Sao%& Club. Hospital 13 13 0 0 Si' G 2G £;M£A 13 8-2 3 21 1G 18 Thistle 12 6 1 5 22 15 13 Diamonds ... 10 G 1 3 18 19 13 St. John's 11 4 2 6 23 21 10 Swifts 12 4 2 B 17 23 10 Corinthians ... 12 4 1 7 21 2G 9 Wanderers .... 12 3 2 7 11 35 8 Ramblers 11 1 5 5 9 20 7 Rovers 12 1 2 9 12 21 4

Congratulations for Hospital. Hospital club deserve to bo heartily congratulated on winning the Wellington Football Association's First Division Championship for season 1912. They havo won and won handsomely at that. At the outset "Centre-Half" tipped the boys from Porirua to top the ladder, but it was not thought that they would be able to go through tho championship with a "clean bill."

On reference to the championship table it will be found that this young club has scored no fewer than 51 goals so far this season. This speaks well for their attacking abilities. It will also -be seen that they have only six goals registered against them, and , .concerning "defenco these figures speak for themselves. But all the praise must not be given, to the team collectively, because, in Cockburn, Hospital have one of the best goalkeepers whom the writer has seen in New Zcalaml this season. Cockburn is a young player and has many more games in front of him. If he goes on as he has begun there will be no'man between the posts to touch him in New Zealand in a year or two.

It was only last season that Hospital caino up from junior ranks.' At tiro close of 1911 championship they wero second to Swifts, with 26 points— i points behind the winners. Seeing that they have now swept the boards in the First Division championship, will they win the Charity Cup and thus secure the double?

W.F.A.'s Finances in Committee, It will be remembered that last week members'of the Management Committee asked the treasurer (Mr. W. Duncan) to bring down a financial statement, to bo presented at last Wednesday's meeting. True to Ms word the "Minister for Finance" tabled the desired documents and as soon as they were in the chairman's hands tho secretary was heard to remark: "I think we had better discuss this in committee." . ' "Oh, I don't know," said the genial treasurer. "Why should wo?" There was then an inaudible Temark from tho chair, in. reply to which Mr. Duncan remarked: "Oh, I don't care." ■ Tho chairman (Mr. M'Koowcn) then announced that the finnncial statement would be discussed in committee, and press representatives present immediately put down their pencils. It is not the writer's intention to discuss the financial statement, but something should be said in reference to the chairman deciding that such an important paper should bo .discussed in committee. Those members who constitute the Management Committee have a duty to perform to club committees, and club committees are responsible to players. It is tho players who find 80 per cent of the cash with which the Management Committee are entrusted and this same committee have the power of spending it. When a financial statement is produced by tho treasurer is it right that this should be considered in committee and thus afford the men who supplv the cash no opportunity, of seeing for themselves how their money is being spent? ihero would be a hue nnd cry throughout tho country if the Honso of Representatives adopted this attitude in regard to the Budget. Tho contention is tliat the chairman had no right to put the meeting in committee on this question, ami mem. bors had no right to sit there and allow him to do it without raising a voice in protest. ' It might be said, without breaking faith, that there was notliin<* very ..startling "on the sheet," and thero are indications that thcro will bo a balance at the end of the season. Should Hospital Come to Town? The question has frequently been heard in town: Why don* the Hospital men come into town,.and give tho public an exhibition of their form on a city football held? Here is a team which has defeated team after team in the senior chainpionship list, and is now about .to walk on with the championship in its possession w-ithout even the exciting anticipation ot a semi-final or final tussle to thrill tho public, yet has never been seen in town. All its victories have been won cm its home ground at Porirua. Teams have gono out to kill the dragon, so to speak, and come back mangled and discomhted. Is 'there any real reason why tho' champion team of tho 1912 "soccer" season should not como to town, and do battle against a worthy opponent before tho admiring gazo of the multitude? This question was raised at tho last meeting of the W.F.A. Committee of Management on Wednesday, and certain members thereof are very insistent that tho Hospital team should be brought to town now and again. Unfortunately, there is a vorv serious difficulty in tho way, or-the Hospital-men, who aro the best of sports, would have favoured Wellington with a visit long before this. So far as can be gathered, and there is no reason for doubting this, tho Hospital team is recruited from tho Mental Hospital staff, and is liable to bo suddenly called upon for dutv in the middle of a makli-their playing hold is close handy. As a matter of fact, the team as a wholo could never get leavo to quit the vicinity of tho institution for any period of time, and so far as can lie seen, that ends it. All (ho fame, one entirely agrees with tho suggestion that a match between the Poriruansand ono of the best of tho city teams would he a strong draw in Wellington, but what is to be dono in tho face of tho restrictions which are of necessity, and, as a matter of public interest, placed upon the liberty of those members of the staff of tho Hospital who are also members of tho team ?

Charity Cup Fixtures, One hears with some surprise tho admission that the Charity Cup fixtures are "arranged 1 ' by a special committee of the W.F.A., instead of being balloted for. Can this bo? Why, then, is this thus? The Charity Cup competition is what is described as a "sudden death" contestno second, deal for the defeated team. That is to say, a team which suffers defeat immediately drops out of the competition, tho winning team being that which has had a straight run of victories. It is thus easy to sco that the arrangement of the fixtures is of Fxmie significance to the competitors. It is of so much significance indeed, that no straigTit-out draft of fixtures by a committee would ever satisfy any one particular team—it could always bo contended by a defeated team, which might be a little weak, that had it not been pitted against the strongest team in tho competition, nnd so been ignoininiously cast out of the competition at its very lirst encounter, it might havo lasted well through the round. Alternately, the ballot disposes of such any possible dissatisfaction on the score of the fixtures, and loaves no ground for any suspicion, however lightly made, that the fixtures havo been "arranged" in moresenses than one.

Two ship's firemen, who rod.; from London to Crev:«, a distance of \!>S miles on the buffers of the Scotch express, on bein" charged at Crewe with travelling without tickets, were stated to he in a state oi collapse at tho journey's end. The magistrates discharged them, remarking Hint they seemed to have got enough punishment.