FOOTBALL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 888, 6 September 1910, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

At Feilding, on Saturday, the return rep. match, Manawatu v. Wanganui was played. The ground was in a very bad state and the game was nothing more than a mnd scramble. The result was h win for Manawatu, by nine points to six. The Wellington reps annihilated Southland at Wellington on Saturday, the score at no-side being sixty points to nil. The following team has been chosen to represent combined Horowhenua - Manawatu against Wellington next Saturday :—■ Hughes, Briscoe, N. Wiuiata, Cook, Rawiri, M. Wiuiata, Ramsden, M. Carroll, Mullins, Wilson, Monro, McNae, W. Wiuiata, C. Smith, George. Emer., O’Connor, Close. On Saturday, a team of local thirds visited Palmerston and played a match with the Old Boys third-class team. The game was a very poor one, being most uninteresting, and resulted in a draw, the score being six all. A return match at Foxton is talked of. TARANAKI V. AUCKLAND. [By E. G. S.] Auckland, Saturday, Yet another fruitless attempt was made this afternoon to wrest the much coveted Ranfurly Shield trophy from Auckland —this time by Taranaki, who suffered defeat by 16 to 9, though the points are no indication of the nature of the game, Although feeling was not so high as over the Wellington match, yet about 10,000 spectators viewed the struggle, whilst there were many marked signs of enthusiasm.

Auckland’s victory in the main, may be put down to the credit of Joe O’Leary, who simply never made a mistake at full-back, and his perfect line-kicking must have had telling effect. Time and again the Taranaki forwards would charge down only to have their efforts annulled by this heartbreaking guardian of the goal posts, who seemed invincible. Auckland forwards played with much more combination than the visiting vanguard, though the locals did not shine over the top of the visitors as they did over the Wellington pack. At times the Taranaki forwards, Tamu, Whittington, Meehan and Taylor would threaten to remove the Shield, but over-eagerness on their part spoilt chances. On the other hand, the Auckland pack played the leather more expertly, and Tyler, Hayward and Hall practically bandied the leather in passing bouts in a manner which would have been creditable to first-class backs. Taranaki backs tried to feed the great Cameron, but that player was always cramped on the line before he got possession, though once he put in a great dash for the line, but had to go out just at the flag. Throughout, the contest was certainly interesting, though the Shield never looked seriously in danger of being removed to the home of the buttermakers. The last of the Ranturly Shield matches will eventuate on Saturday next, when Canterbury come along with a solid reputation. Amongst them is expected “Bert” Shadbolt, the erstwhile Foxton boy, who is now the reputed crack forward of the southern combination. Although victory is being widely predicted for the visiting backs, readers can take it from the writer that the Auckland pack are Good—spelt with a capital “G” — and it is the proverbial “pound to a gooseberry” that they will spoil any chance the Canterbury backs Have of winning. Canterbury want a particularly brilliant pack of forwards to aid their backs to victory, and the question is “Have they got them ?’ ’ The writer contends Auckland pack met the next best set of forwards to themselves in the Dominion this afternoon. However, next week's contest will be eagerly looked forward to.

REMINISCENCES. Says the Dominion : —“Dike old friends, reminiscences are nearly always pleasing to encounter. Mr T. S. Ronaldson has grown grey in the ranks of the Wellington Football Club, but his memory is fresh with the doings of the players of the past. ‘T think it a great pity,” he said at the smoke concert last week, ‘‘that all these penal rules had to be introduced. If boys were brought up and taught to play the game for the game’s sake, there would be very much better football.” ‘‘There were no gymnasiums in my days,” Mr Ronaldson continued, ‘‘and for training we used to go out about three nights a week after dinner, and follow the leather to Island Bay, and then come back round the rocks home. And I think that is better training than the indoor work. I am not a believer in gymnasium training, and never will be. “In the old days when I was in the Raugitikei, if we wanted to play Wanganui, both teams had to go half-way, and we used to meet atTurakina. We would get horses, and start off in the morning with, say, thirteen men, hoping to pick ( up the others on the way. When we got to Turakina we would have to buy a spade, and some five-by-twos, and we would mark out the ground and put up the goal-posts. “On one occasion in the Wairarapa I had to cut away portion of one of my boots during a game, and proceed with half a boot on one foot. The Maori players saw me performing the operation on

the footwear, and asked if that was a good way to play football. ‘Kapai,’ I told them. The next Saturday three - fourths of the Maoris turned out with half a boot.”