The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1910. A DRAWN GAME.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 August 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 1910. A DRAWN GAME.

Ifoxorns were ea.sy in tlio Rugby football inatci!) played at Levin, yesterday, between the representatives of If County and Haivke's ty Province. We are in no sense '• : a s>ii •• .o .'l.Uicrir.g our mon when v.'fl t!.:u tl.cy ought to hare v. on t ie m.iivli i,y a u-i; point margin; on i.'.io r ,;!ii :'a!•;/, the assertion seems to ns something of a reflection iikiii -fir iviclliiyuce. Man for nnn, the Hocwhcniia fifteen were I'-cll-knit an:! a-tive a combination as one could wish to see, but i'.cre wa.s a lack of sound judgment ab-iut their endeavours that ruined t u eii M iMing chances. .had. they husbanded their resources in the f-i-s spell, and expended their res'?i ,*t

f;;rc! s in |":c :;oco:!'.i set-to, the re-nit v. oul 1 ha l . 0 very :!ifferer:t '';«m t'lat of "six points all" that actualh 1 esullo.l. The fact that the Hr;rowheni'a representatives pcrsistentl} liiiotc ! passed the ball into :-idfi?ld the first half, when play, nig against a fairly strong .>ro.?zi

"lit! with the sun ilicir eyes, :<:r ! tinlv c:;f;;uv1 ft r the spectators an intccsting an:l highly exciting g >nt or Rugby football. Hut it was :toi sound strategy. Tiie time lias gone by for the winning of games b,\ inoi'j tit:.s!i..g and running arouau the football field; it is the team that uses its collective head that wins most matches.

Surely there are a few old player.', who are well enough known to 'he bulk of the active footballers to be listened to when poaching is needed. If Horowlienua representatives would develop a system of attid; that varied a little from hie "straight across field" passing flint, was the unvarying method adopted yesterday, they would improve theii calibre appreciably. If, having done that, tliev would instil into their forwards the paramount necessity of being always "on the ball' iihey would still further enhance the team's effectiveness. There was one glaring instance — in yesterday match-of the ball being kicked.fa, in advance of the local'.forwards (b;, one of their own backs) without an fftort being made by the fonvatds to get up on it. They were ah "having a blow" ; and hoping fche. ball would find touch. But it bounced in field! The moral efleet of persistently following up on Uie part of forwards is disconcerting to opposing backs—a factor in the game that should not be lost sight ' of. Some of the foregoing precepts are simple enough, to be regarded • as mere rule-of-tlmmb methods, but inasmuch as they are not acted! upon as thej' should be they are mentioned here. If unbiased judges of the game will reflect upoti the excellent

material and splendid stamina of the average footballer in these parts, they will see plainly that some sccw must be loose in the football methods pursued. Plainly indicated, it is this: "Individualism." There is too much self-reliance about oiu players.