FOOTBALL.

NZ Truth, Issue 140, 22 February 1908, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

(By "Pakeha.")

sSorne of our local toeball administrators are already astir, organising for . the coming.season. The ; very thought of toeball with phe oppressive heat nowadays is, soiiiethinj; calculated tq- ; .-make one trot';' out strong cuss words:: . . .-.. '^ „ .-. England defeated France' at Paris on New' Year's Day,: on ; a ground from wliich thp.snow had to be cleared. Some of the reports state that Garnet V. Portus, the Sydney University five-eighth, was the best halfback on .the field j^spmc say ho was the '. best ; of the English backs. The .prospect -of the Athletic Park grounds, falling;, into the hands of the speculative -builder^ only serves to baring., put In hold relief -.;. the „ asinine |poiicy; ; of th,nt pi^-beadod section of 'iblie Wellington Rugby- Union which heaped -;cori"tprn>pt upon the proposals forriiulnted by Jack'Gront sonic few years back for the acquisition by the

Rugby Union of a controlling interest m that much-needed breathing space of the city. Had Grant's scheme been put into execution, the Rugby Union would now have been m possession of a ground, the receipts from which-have been sufficient— or nearly so— by this time' to meet the purchase money, ' but the narrow-minded push which couldn't distinguish . daylight from dark, let the opportunity slide, and the consequence is that when it is almost too late we have the "Evening Ghost" yelping like mad to Mayor Hislop and his Councillors to come to the rescue and secure it from the avaricious grasp ■ of the land dabbler. Anyhow, it is a standing disgrace to the Rugby Union that this property should not have belonged to it years ago. A, little less pomp and more business energy and. gumption is what is required of Wellington Rugby committeemen. ; When, that state of affairs comes to pass, the Union may rejoice m the freehold possession of a property which will meet important requirements for three or four decades at least.

Commenting on the impetus given to Northern Union football m" England through tli'e visit, of the All Blacks, an English writer says :— "The visit of the New Zealand team and the spread of professional Rugby football into South Wales have been the means of this season bringing the Northern Union and its doings into greater prominence, outside the sphere of ii active "influence, ■■than ever .before, aiiu even the London Press have, deigned to acknowledge the . existence of professionalism m the handling code and to appreciate m some degree its vitality. Whether or not it is a case of the typical Londoner's contempt for ■ anything of provincial origin I do not attempt to explain, but certain it is that the London Press rarely touches upon any ■' phase of sport peculiar to the North without exposing ignorance of the} subject; The latest example of this\class of criticism- is .furnished m. an .article on. the 'Northern Union which appeared m the "Times" a couple' of 1 ago, and which has been handed to mp with a request for a refutation;, of the many erroneous statements and distorted facts contained therein.' "It will be remembered that it as the "Thunderer" which gravely informed its readers, just prior to the arrival of the "Phantoms," . that, although some sort of a team was on its way from New Zealand it certainly did not .'include any players of repute, and that the shadowy team was probably less than thirteen' m number. The ridiculous character of jfchis statement appears to have been now realised, and m the latest article, it is admitted that the New Zealand ' four is a much more serious. Affair than was generally anticipatedV' It is interesting to observe that religion is being introduced into the. game of football. Press reports from America inf oVm^uS ' that Quarterback Jones, of the Yale • team, recently renewed his" strength before a great game by indulging m a period of fervent prayer, and a Western college prayed for victory ort the morning of its most important annual contest. In an address to technical students at Halifax, Mr C. P. Trevelyan, M.P:, said : "I still play football at the mature age of 37, .and I play every year harder games ;: than football. I intend to keep m. good training all my life, and die at the age of 80. The death I should ask for is the death from heart failure, climbing one of our English mountains." Here is ia 1 - record which will probably stand for all time m the football world. "Willy" Meredith, England's finest outside right, was an international at 18, and has played for Wales 2 (J times. He has scored over 200 goals m first football, has never been ill, and has never been injured. IVleredith is now 31 years of age, and 'is playing better than ever he did. It was at an important junior football match. A big. burly fVllow crossed over to the referee, previous to kicking off, and 'said : "Took here, Gaspipe ; I'm captain of the Spankems, and if we win you're oh a fiver." "Well," said the referee, "and if you lose, what then ?"■ "Then," said the burly one, /'you'll be on a stireteher !" ' ,