FOOTBALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17685, 24 July 1919, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

Br Back.

INTBRPEiOyiNCIAL FIXTURES. Angiist 9. —Otago v. Canterbury, at .Dunedin.

August 20.—Otago v. Southland, at Invoroajgiil.

yepteiuixn- 15.—Otago v. Southland, at Dunedin. . September 20.—South Island v. North Inland, at Wellington.

On Saturday, at Corisbrook, the Waitaki Boys' 1 iigli School first and. second fifteens will moot teams of similar grades from the Otago Boys' High School. All other grade matches will be played aa usual. 'Mucii disappointment w jjj[ f G lt in local football circles at the announcement that Uio Wellington team will not visit bunedin this year. The explanation given by tho Wellington Union thai the difficulty ol travel is tho reason for not fulfilling the fixture with Otago is hardly convmcing. The real reason will probably be found in tlie fact that tho Wellington Union has committed itself, with ita two teams, to so mauy interprovincial fixtures in' the North Island that it is now glad of any excuse to cut out tho southern itinerary. Tho Inter-Island match, is set down to take place at Wellington on September 20. Mir H. Harris (Otago) and Mr S. Wilson (Canterbury) will select the South Island team.

No matches were played on Peace Saturday, and as a result the match on Monday between teams selected from Otago and returned, soldiers was the more eagerly anticipated. Some 6000 people were present at Carisbrook. and the returned soldiers' building fund will benefit by about £250.

As might have been expected, both sides lacked combination—especially in the ba/jk divisions. The Otago five-eighths were very weak in this respect. Had they shown any ability at all in getting the ball out to Mackereth, at centre three-quarter, after receiving it from Matheson, behind tha, scrum, the soldiers' team would certainly not have won by 17 points to 8. Davidson and Elder, the two wing three-quarters, must have got very tired of waiting- for tlie ball to be thrown out to them. A word of advice to Mackereth for his own good. It is a very dangerous practice to jump in the air when trying to avoid a tackle, and even more dangerous to endeavour to pass when literally "in the air." The five-eighths on the soldiers' side ako failed to get the ball away to their backs, though Jeffs, on one occasion, made a line opening, and gave R. Knox a try. Everybody watolling the gums was anxious to see Holmes, the big three-quarter, get an opportunity to show his speed, but ho did not receive one decent pass during the game. lam afraid that several of tho backs who took part in Monday's match have had their last opportunity, so far as this season is. concerned, at any rate, of being favourably viewed by the selectors as fit for representative honours. Mowat, who played full back for -the soldiers' side, is a _ sturdily built player, and, I should imagine, well over l-3st in Weight. He fielded the ball well, and found the line in good style, to save hia forwards —a most valuable essential. He was not called on to* do any straight-out tackling, but his fellow players in the Dunedin Club tell me that he is a sound collarer, and certainly he should get plenty of practice in this department of the game, considering tha of the Dunedin Club. Ono feature in his play, however, may prove fatal. He struck, on© as being rather slow, and opposed to a fast passing team of baclrs ho might not be able to get across to his man quickly enough. The opposing full back, Bond, once more demonstrated that in close work ho lacks judgment and gets " rattled." Give him, "however, plenty of roqm and time and he can always be reckoned on to play a really sound game. .. The trouble is that full backs do not generally get time or room when a fast, dashing set of forwards are coming down on them. The Otago selectors, it would seem, are going to have a difficulty this year in picking a full back. The forwards on both sides played themselves to a standstill. Nearly all the work fell on them, and the ball was rushed from end to end of the field in a manner at times rather bewildering. Duncan was one of the hardest working men on the ground, and Harty, Dennison, "Watt, Wilson, and Irvine were also in the thick of tho heavy stuff. Bain and Fairmaid (despite their lack of weight) played a hard game. Campbell, the Alhambra forward, is a big, powerful man, , and if he can overcome his habit of getting offside he should develop into a really first-class player. In the second half the soldier forwards held tho upper hand both in the scrums and /the loose work.

Tho Otago _ selectors—Messrs Stuart. Brown, and King—wore keen spectators of the game, which could bo taken as more or less in the nature of a trial match. Speaking of the selectors, I cannot say I am in favour of the three man system. , I should prefer to see oil© selector only. It appears to me—l may be cfuite wrong—' •that with three selectors there may be an unwitting inclination to look with most favour on the men playing in tha particular clubs with which the selectors are connected. It may be said that the same argument would apply with ono selector only. Ido not thmk eo. One selector has to tai>i3 tlie whole responsibility when he selects a team. With three (selectors the responsibility is divided—it cannot be known for instance who was the selector who voiced the claims of a play°r with sufficient insistence to get him inbluded in a representative team. I consider mv objection 19 already proved if the reason for ono player's inclusion in the Otago team on Monday were publicly known. Then a|pun with three selectors there is an inclination to allow one man, say, to watch certain matencs and another other matches and so on, and the element of compromise comes m. One selector has to see all til© players m action, as it were For my port, I consider that the whole of the members ot any one club, should be selected to represent a province if tho selectors aro satisfied that each individual player is better than any other player in a corresponding position in any of the other cluba. iiie question of "club" representation must perionoe, be stonily put on on© side when it comes to picking a truly representative team. .

'litanies liavo prevailed over Auckland yet once again, the margin in favour of the former on this occasion being 6 points (tries by it. Smith and Poland) to nil This reminds me (says "Touchline" in the Free Lance) that a Thames enthusiast one time not so very many years ago, remarked somel wiiat in this strain:—Thames beat Auckand, Auckland beat Wellington, Wellington beat New Zealand, New Zealand beat England, Ireland, and Scotland, and Wales beat New Zealand. Therefore, Thames and Wales would have to meet to decide the championship of th© world. Where is Thames, docs someone ask? If io u lived in Auckland at any time you would never want to ask where Quartzojsolis is. It is the place where gold was found in abundance, and where fortunes have been made in the past—'both underground and by speculating in mining shares. In describing an exciting match between CoLlingwood and Fitzroy (Victorian code) won by Fitzroy 10-11 to 9-14-, a writer in Sydney Referee has this to say inter alia: — "As the scores widened play roughened Tho men showed temper. A swaying clump threatened to develop into a melee. The excitement of the crowd ran hig-h. A man dropped doad. Save for a silent few who saw his passing, the incident was unnoticed. Tho tragedy boro pathetic testimony to the overmastering hold of th© gam© " SCHOOLS' COMPETITION. Fotfbury and Arthur Street, th© leading sohools, will meet at the Caledonian Ground 011 Saturday at 1.40 p.m. to decide tho premiership foe tho season. A very close and interesting game should result, as there is little difference between tho two teams which have improved considerably since they last mot, when Farbury waa successful by a very iuwtow margin.

The boys have been praotising dib'gently and those who enjoy watching a dose contest (schoolboys, who generally show commendable earnestness in their play, would do well to be present on Saturday! Indications point to a large attendance which will undoubtedly oncourogo tho boys! Word has been received from Invercargili agreeing to the suggestion that, in the Southland-Otago Schools' representative match, to bo played in Dunedin on August 30, there bo no ago limit, but that a weight limit of 9st on tho day of the match be observed.

SERVICE MATCHES OF THE FUTURE. Touching on the Service matches for next season, th© Athietio News early i n May said: "It ia intended t v jit Rugby football will continue to play an important part in th© Services in future years. Tho arrangements liavo not all been completed, but it is intendad that tho control of the games will run pretty much on th© lines of tho Rugby Fooihall Union's County Championship. Th<» responsiblo officers of the' various oommnnds will bo asked to see to the orgaiiisaiion of committees and the arr\ngem©nt of games between different units sldA divisions. Cfumxpianahip rrm

tween tho various Commands will be decided, and as the groat attractions will tako plaoo between tho Navy, tho Ariny, and the Air Force, Theso engagonients will tend to keep matters interesting, and tlio Inter-Command and IntorBeivioe matches will likowise be useful to the national Rugby Unions in their search for players for the International championship games. DAVID GALLAIIER'S GRAVE. J "f fc . before one of their great matches at lwiekenliam, a cheering letter from Mr R. F. Oakes was read by Gunner Naugluton, the secretary of the New Zcalanders, to tho team, complimenting them on their line play and sportsmanship (says tho Athletic News), and in a reply to the Yorkshiro honorary seiorotary tho keen approciation of hia communication was expressed. One passage in Gunner Naughton's letter was most interesting. It had reference to the part played so effectively, but, oh! so modestly, by the Diggers in Franco against the detested Hun, and tho writer prooeeded to relate how, on the last day Gunnfcr NaugEton was in the firing line, he waa looking for a suitable resting-place for a New Zealand sergeant who had been killed in action. During his search he observed a small _ cross marking a grave, and to his surprise saw that the rude monument showed where lay the mortal remains of tho captain of the All Blacks, Sergeant David Gallaher. It was a curious incident which Naugh ion will never forget. As he said, tho death of that great leader was subsequently avenged ono hundredfold, but the brave-heaxted wing-forward sleeps in France. Tlie Australians have also acknowledged tho hospitalitv tihey received in Yorkshire. Neither they nor the New Zealanders will forget it.