FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 441, 13 June 1902, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

NOTES AND COMMENTS,

[By “The Whistle.”]

What a pleasant surprise the play in last Saturday’s match afforded compared with the games which had preceded it this season ! When it became known to tho spectators

what desperate straits the Huia Club was in, and when almost the entire Huia junior fifteen were called over from No. 2 ground in order that the Club might fulfil its senior engagement, an apathetic look stole over tho countenances of tho spectators, who resigned themslvos to await a one-sided exhibition.

How speedily the country team dispelled this erroneous impression 1 Tho spectators became more and more interested, and the enthusiasm increased as the game progressed, until the cheering reached as high a pitch as we have ever heard before at a local match. It was difficult to account for such a result to the meeting of a crack senior team and what was practically a junior side. It was not that West End were off form. The blacks played hard and well, and had their usual strong set in the field, barring Wepiha, who has gono to Hastings for a few weeks.

The simple explanation of the evenness of the strugglo is that the juniors who were brought over were good men, and the infusion of tho largo number of young and active players into tho team was wbat Huia had required for a long time past. Tho selectors of tho country team rntfSt havo been greatly surprised to find how lacking they were in discrimination. When Huia met West End in-tho opening match of tho season, I remarked that had tho country club been represented by its junior team a much closer contest would have resulted, and last Saturday’s even struggle bore out this assumption. Finding themselves without a toam, the Huia selectors wore compelled to give the most promising juniors a chance in tho senior ranks, and so well did the boys perform that I shall be greatly surprised if many of them are ever seen in tho junior ranks again. The splendid exhibition gvien by tho juniors on Saturday proves what I have frequently pointed out —that not enough attention is given to junior football in this district. The youngsters aro left entirely to themselves. True, the Union appoints a referee for the matches, but if the official does not happen to put in an appearance, the juniors have to look one up for themselves. All the interest centres in the senior games; and the second fifteens aro left to “ paddle their own canoe.” Tho fact that the local juniors have among their ranks players of such sterling promiso as performed last Saturday should undoubtedly cause tho Union officials and the selectors of the senior clubs to turn their eyes more frequently in the direction Of No. 2 ground. Would that we had a few more men of the 3tamp of Mr Arneil, of Auckland, in Gisborne. It was a delightful treat to watch tho solo selector of the Auckland Rugby Union’s representative teams refereeing in some inter-school match. He was so painstaking, and whilo controlling tho game he took caro to seo that tho youngsters played the game as it should be played. Perhaps a serum would be badly packed and break up in disorder. Mr Arneil would promptly blow tho whistle, and ■ remark : “ Let’s have that over again, lads.” The referee would then reform tho pack, straighten a log hero, declino a head there, bring the halvos a little closer up to the serum, and then pop tho ball in.

It is to the juniors we "must look for tho strength of football in future years. At the present time, no encouragoment is given to promote tho game in the local schools, and but little to the players of

the ssoond fifteens. To-morrow, Kaiti-City and West End moet on the Domain, and an interesting game is anticipated. West End will be without the services of L. B. Sherriff, their captain, who will be absent in Auckland. The combined team are confident that they can just about win. The West End team for to-morrow’s senior match will be :—Hepburn; Nolan, Wateno, Waitai ; Brown, Poauan ga ; Miller, Skeet; Williams, Howinui, Gray, Davitt, DeLautour, Taylor, and Bonnett. G. Hepburn again gave a sound display at full-back for West End on Saturdy. His fielding, kicking, and collaring wero alike good. On ono occasion, he left his place, and took Ball low finely as ho was making his way in great style through the blacks. „ , , Waitai, Wateno, and Nolan, the West End three-quarters, though they kicked with effect, did not play at all well together. —j Wateno was a good deal the best. ±io made some good runs, and passed well, and the try by which his side won the match was all his doing. Waitai and Nolan took the ball badly. The former in particular missed a couple of good chances by mulling transfers from Watene. , , . , Poananga did a great deal of work at half, and was of great service to his side. He marked the ball foolishly several times though when ho could have made openings for his backs, and on ono occasion he passed the ball back fully a dozen , yards to Waitai when in his own twentyfive. , ... , West End had a couple of smart wmgforwards in Skeet- and Miller.

Skeet is improving with every game. He has lots of pace, and appears to te able to last. He was here, there, and everywhere on Saturday, and backed Watene up well on the occasion in Which he received the ball from that plaj-er and scored. Of the forwards on the West End side, DeLautour and Sherriff played exceptionally well. The former was particularly good on the line-out, while he also worked well in the pack and was nearly always prominent in the open. Davitt is an honest grafter for West End. He, DeLautour, Sherriff and Wells did all the heavy work on Saturday. Williams, Bennett, and Hewinui were prominent in the open, but they displayed the slightest tendency to hang back when “ the guns began to shoot.” Shaw, at full-back for Huia, got through a heavy afternoon’s work most creditably for so young a player. He took the ball well, and saved his side frequently by his kicking. He had no collaring to do.

Ball and Te Reina played splendidly at three quarter, and were good ; u every department. Thomson, at wing three-quarter, gave promise of developing into a really good player. He reminded us in his style of play very much of Young, the old crack Turangauui threequarter, and we shall be surprised if he does not develop into quile as good a man. H. Gibson played well, at five-eighths, in the first spell, but was in no condition, and was never prominent in the second moiety. Driller, at half, played most creditably. Ho was a trifle too far from tho pack generally, and once or twice when hustled by his stalwart; opponents lost his head, and kicked the ball against the opposing forwards, but got tho ball out cleverly to his backs, and kicked well. Of the forwards, all worked well, and they gave the best forward exhibition we have had so far this season. They went from start to finish, and I was very pleased to seo them passing frequently. What a treat it is to see a team of passing forwards, and wlmt a long time it is since we saw one locally 1

Shorratt played finely all through, and D. Scott, Kere, McCullough, McGruther, Tapu, and Swann were all in grand condition, and lasted from start to finish. It is a matter for regret that so fine a game as that of last Saturday should have been marred by a protest. The Union, at its meeting on Tuesday night, awarded the match to Huia, on tho ground that West End had played Wells, who had not qualified for the district. This decision should have the effect of causing the officers of tho various clubs to make fuller enquiries before playing new men in their senior teams. It must have been disheartening to the We-t E: d players to find that their hard fought victory wus turned into defeat through the negligence of their officers in not

satisfying themselves that Wells was qualified to play for this district. Mr W. S. McCredie, the hon. secretary of this local Union, is in communication with tho Canterbury Union, with the object of inducing the Canterbury representatives to play a match here during their tour of tho North Islaud. The Canterbury representatives aro playing Hawke’s Bay, at Napier, on July 29th, and will proceed north by boat tho same night, so that the match with Poverty Bay, if arranged, will bo played on July 30th. I sincerely hope Mr McCredie will be successful in inducing Canterbury to give the local Union a match. The visitors could rely on a warm welcome and a keen match.