MERELY BANK GOSSIP.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1734, 26 April 1913, Page 12

MERELY BANK GOSSIP.

CLUB NOTES AND CHANGES. "Usual winter evening arguments burst an Wellington last Saturday Evening, and one knew that football lia<l begun. When the. clocks chimed ten it re still undecided whether Booster. h'*C hard luck in missing some goal or other, or whether Jimmy.Slick should have "whopped, over nt the corner or not." As a ruie < iesc !i rgii mcnts are .i good deal more e.vcuing than^tho actual.football. "iiiukcrs"- aro seldom oiuanimous About

anything—that is' aoally ono of tho joys bf being on tho bank—but on Saturday they were a unit as regards ono thiirr. They unanimously condemned, spurned, kicked, vituperated, and Slanged the now charge of ono shilling to the park. They omitted to state, however, how tho Rugby Union, i 3 going to carry on without it. None of Inst Saturday's play was football: it.was merely "first of season." Some teams aro still guileless and guiltless of an" ounce of training. Poneko is one, of thcso. An extra splash of brightness may bo introduced into club football if Frank Mitcllinsoti can bo induced to help Poneko again this season. Mi'tcliinson lias been away in tho country for somo time, but. ho is again in town, and every effort is being mado to get him to play. As things stand, however, there appears to be some doubt as to whether 'die crack Poneke back will "come back." First of all ho is suffering from a cold at present, and then he has a good deal of condition to get off befrae ho is "fit." At all events, if Mitchins<-n does return to the field there will be a little moro inducement for spectators to play that one shilling charge to tho park than thero is at present. • ; Lunchless referee: One member of the whistle, fraternity went to Athletio Park, lunchless, last Saturday, to keep his enfEigement in an early match which he' ad been billed for. When he got there llejoiind that there was no match. Ho also discovered, to liis chagrin, th'at most peoplo; knew that there wris ; no match. Everyone had been notified but liim! •! Tireless E. Perry, of Oriental, is playing, despite tho unfortunate accident by which'.he lost his left arm last year. He seems 1 to manage well enough, despite the handicap, and ho clapped on wlnu probably the first try of tho season. Suggestion is rifo just now that the Rugby; Union should revert to 6rl. admissionj in the meantime, an dthen clap on tho.big shilling impost iwhen the interest in the championship thickens. iWfiftt is tho pack in the competition ? Some say Victoria College. If so, we ought to have a combination of lxil!:- brain and brawn. Only one other thing has to be cast'in to make up the ideal.,/ That one thing is condition. '. That fashionable complaint appendicitis recently laid W. Marshall, of Melroso, low.; 'He has niw recovered, and was out among the spectators last Saturday.' , t"o\\-„ clubs in tho Wellington district can claim to own such an up-to-date gymnaiiuni as Petone, and every night in tho week ".the place is packed with > old and Young players. They train in great style, these'Petone boys. . , Stated, on very gotSd authority, that several of Petone's Rugby players are showing signs of willingness to turn over to the League. .; "Jack" M'Kenzie, the popular Petono skipper, who has been deer-stalking in the Wairarapa, will arrive home this morning; : : x-\, ■' !: ', Strange'faces, or at oil events faces that looked, strange above the red and , black jersey were to be seen amongst the Poneke stalwarts last Saturday. Included in these were Iveoney, formerly of the Southern Club, -Jnotbson, ivho has forsaken Old Boys, and Fisher, late of Taihape.

. Somewhat serious damage was sustained recently by Bowie, of tho Poneke team, while riding a horse, Bind this wjll keep him off the field for ft time;' Bowie, it is'stated, was riding a youn? horso mid came off, his foot being caught in tho istyrrup, l iron....Tho Tesult,,was that he was dragged. and, incapacitated for tho time being

"Fred" Roberts haa definitely decided to retire,, and so Oriental loses its best player for many a season. He has, however, been appointed club captain.'Jl'Leod is captain of tlio seniors, and will play to-day against Melrose. ;, .

1 Tho Wellington team, which meets St. James at Petone this afternoon, will differ 6lightly from that which was defeated by Athlebc last Saturday. M'Nab, who has returned to Wellington, will take his place in the. forwards, vice Perry, who injured his- ho.iid. in, a bicycle accident. In the three-quarter line;' Cain-; who was playing last Saturday, will'be replaced by M'Gtcgor. ; .

Cliff Kamsden, Petone's nippy fiveeiglitlis, I'is' at present suffering' from a bail knee, but will probably be playing next week.

Oriental forwards may have to be reckoned with this. year. : They are a very sturdy lot. Moffit, lato of St. James, is an acquisition.'.

Gillespie,. Perry, Murphy, Bunkenberg, and Mullaney, all last year's Oriental players, are again in the field, 60 on the whole it looks like a very solid combination.

Oriental backs are not as strong as of yore, but with practice should hold their end up. Car-rad, playing half, is a safe, reliable man. Itinvig, Hale, Dingle (lato of Melroso), and M'Qirr comprise tho rest Of the Tear division.

Robertson, who is playing for tho Athletic- senior team this year at five-eighths, was in tho fourth-class team last year. He ■takes tho place in the of Power,' who-injured his lcnoo lato in ; the 1012 seasoil. Robertson has a young .brother, who '.is a competitor for the senior full-back place.

It is -uncertain whether Gosling, fullback for Athletic, will, play this year. He is away on holiday, but there are rumours that he has had. an appendicitis operation, and, if'so, will not play. M'Yay is holding the full-bi:k position, in the meantime. ; ■ - /

"Con" She3han, one of tho test threequarters Taramakl had,a few. years ago, was a visitor to Wellington this week. Sheehan was a fine all-round athlete, and on the Rugby field he was brilliant as a scorer and a tackier. TaranaW was well off for three : quarters, when its trio wa> C. Sheehan, D. Cameron, and IJ. Dive. An abs-aitee from the Poneke senior ranks at present is Irvine, who is suffering from an injury to his shoulder. It is expected, however, that ho -will be out en t'ho green sward , again befoTS the season has advanced very far

W. Ready, who is badly needed in the Petone scrum,. nil I probably be amongst .his* clubmates on tho field in tho second round. ,

The Demon of Change has laid his hand on Oriental, as on most other clubs. New faces'in the-senior fifteen are Best,, d South Island country representative for 4 ward, and Houlihan, a South Canterbury representative back.