FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 411, 9 May 1902, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

the coming campaign.

[Notes by “ The Whistle.”] Once again Old Father Time has switched round the revolving seasons, and winter is with us once more, with its robust and vigorous pastimes. The Poverty Bay Rugby Union opens the 1902 season on Saturday afternoon next, when a commencement will be made with the competition for the Senior Banner. For the past few weeks disciples of the rugger game in this district have been busily engaged in burnishing their war harness in preparation for the approaching campaign, and there is every reason to believe that the 1902 season will prove quite as successful as its predecessor, which was the most successful season in avfjy way which the local union has ever experienced. Saturday next will be a day to bo marked with a white stone in the history of Poverty Bay football. On that day the Victoria Domain will be played on for the first time. Fifty years hence, hoaryheaded old gentlemen, as they sit in a palatial grandstand on Victoria Domain, and watch the representatives of Victoria Township and Te Hapara play off the final for possession of the Poverty Bay Rugby Union’s senior banner, will haply say to each other : “ I remember the day the first match was played on this ground.” A grizzled old warrior perchance will reply, as he glances admiringly round on the thousands of assembled spectators : “ I took part in that game, but there was [ no grandstand in those days, and in place of the thousands hero to-day we had only about 500 people present at that match. How-the' world progresses 1 ” The local Rugby Union are to be heartily congratulated on having acquired absolute control of such a ground as Victoria Domain, and footballers and the public generally should be grateful to those gentlemen jvho have worked so hard to secure a lengthy lease of this fine ground, which is close to town, and only wants a little improvement to render it a first-class playing-field. Up to the present time, the local Union only held the ground on which they played on sufferance, and were liable at any time to be dispossessed of the right to occupy it. On Victoria Domain they can proceed with improvements as their funds permit without let or hindrance

Such a large number of last year’s playfers have either left the district or signified their intontiou of retiring from active participation in the good old game, that the officials of the Union had some difficulty in defining the boundaries in order that the district scheme might be retained. They ultimately decided to leave the West End and Huia districts as they were last season, but were compelled to amalgamate the Kaiti and City districts. Consequently, there will oilly be three senior teams competing this season. | The opening match next Saturday will be between West End (last season’s champions) and Huia (the runners up), and a really good contest should result. The Rugby football campaign has opened in downright earnest in Canterbury. Last Saturday week, J. Mahoney, an Albion player, had his leg broken in a senior contest. The Press states that the ambulance chest, which the Canterbury Rugby Union keeps on the Lancaster Park ground, afforded splendid assistance in attending to the injured player. I should like to see the local Uuion follow this example, and consider that all Unions should posse'll a chost of this kind. I commend the idea to the local Referees’ Association, the members of which could combine ambulance work with other duties.

H. C. Wilson, the well-known exHawko’s Bay athlete, who is well known to many Gisbornites, has once more donned the jersey, and potted a goal from his old position as full-back for Christ-

church against Morivale on Saturday week. It is refreshing, when one hears of comparatively young men retiring from the game on the score of old ago, to see a veteran like Wilson as keen as over on thi

le game. As far back as 1887, “ Baby ” Wilson played in Gisborne, as a member of the Canterbury team which toured the North Island in that year. The team came ashore here, and played a practice game on Tucker’s paddock against a team captained by Trotter, and including Arthur Bees, who was then at his best. Wilson scored a try in this gamo, which was won by Canterbury by a small margin. The decision of the Wellington Union to class Hawke’s Bay as a second-class Union has roused the ire of the Napier men, who point out that a Union which has'a credit balance of J 6175, and can make a tour of New Zealand and defeat the redoubtable Otago team on their own ground can hardly be fairly called secondclass. Where does Poverty Bay come in ? The New Zealand Bugby Union is at present considering a proposal to approach tho English Bugby Union with a view to sending a New Zealand team Home in 1903. In order to do this, the New Zealand Union would have to suspend its rules with regard to professionalism, which are the most stringent in the world. It is time New Zealand pitted its strength against England on the Bugby football field. New Zealand is to England in Bugby football what Australia is to the Old Country in cricket, and it would be interesting to see how the issue would eventuate, while it would tend to raise the standard of play greatly in both countries. I hope the team will be sent. On March Bth, Wales won the Bugby International Championship by defeating Iroland at Dublin by 15 points to nil, having previously beaten England and Scotland. Nicholls, who was with the IB

,ev. Molynoaux's team in Australia, captained the Welsh team, and played a magnificent game as wing-threequarter. I hope the public will recognise the efforts of the local Uuion to provide a good sports ground by rolling up in large numbers, and making the opening of Victoria Domain and of the football season a success on Saturday afternoon next. They may confidently rely on witnessing a good match.