FOOTBALL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 464, 22 July 1909, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

Saturday’s senior fixture is Rongotea v, Albion, and will be played at Rongotea. The Albion team will leave by coach at 12.30 p.m. The balance-sheet of the Kangaroos (the Australian professional team that toured Great Britain last year) has not been published, but that “ends did not exactly meet” is apparent from the fact that in the Northern Union balance-sheet appears an item ot 15s 3d loan to the Australian League. What the, loss would have been had the Australians not occupied a private house at Southport may be estimated when we state that the saving by residence in Southport as against the ordinary hotel was at the rate of per week. Had the ordinary course been followed the Kangaroos’ financial failure would: certainly have equalled that of the Wallabies. At one period of the. tour the Northern Union had a good profit from the representative games, blit the extra games arranged with the object of improving matters for the colonials, more than took up the balance, and thie cost to the Union was' against takings of ,£1443-—a loss of /81. j The Rugby game, continues to advance in popularity in the United States. AH the “ interscholastic ” schools of Los Angeles have decided to abandon the American game in the coming : season for the sport which the All Blacks introduced into California. 1

Writing of the Waimate-Strat-ford match at Manaia on Thursday last, the Waimate Witness states: —■“ Judging by the enormous amount of bullion staked by both sides—(it is a fact that until the ball was set going there was a never-ending supply of cash to support both teams)—7s per cent, of the populace must have had some pecuniary interests on the result, which, without exaggeration, was , taken even more seriously than a monthly milk cheque. Talk of hard times is certainly idiotic so far as Taranaki is concerned, for there is no denying, the fact that there was money to burn on the Waimate Plains yesterday. Cash was staked in sums ranging from hundreds down to the modest box of chocolates, and the visiting supporters must count themselves fortunate not leaving their savings in Manaia.”

The team to represent Albions against Rongotea on Saturday, will be picked from the following ;

—Tawia, Cook (2), Nepia, Walker, Withers, Dunn (2), West, Broad, Whibley, Hannah, Cummerfield, Witton, Martin, Withers, Huikiki, Tipene, Reeve.