FOOTBALL.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 134, 27 May 1926, Page 10

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. ARAPUNI 17, TOKOROA 3. Owing to the inclement weather only one match was possible in the Putaruru district last Saturday, and that was the junior game between the above teams. As both sides had won the week previously by 30 odd points keen interest was taken in the game. The sides lined out as follow: — Arapuni.—Pull-back, Rapson ; three<juarters, Jamieson, McDonald, Whare; five-eighths, Galvan, McKemon ; halfback, Cuthbert ; rover, Pettit ; i forwards, Gould, Baker, Lawrence, Rapin, Samson, Redfem, Kilpatrick. j Tokoroa. Pull-back, M. Voice ; three - quarters, Townsend, Spain, Conn ; five-eighths, D. Voice, Kerr ; half-back, Partington ; rover, Smith ; forwards, McDonnell, Milne, Brosnan, Davie, Yendell, Rogers, Henderson. Referee, Mr. Thorpe.-;-• Tokoroa had first use-of the hill and .McKernon made an opening for Whare to crosskick and put the home team on the offensive, where Pettit just failed to seojre.: let Tokoroa in by flykicking and from a free kick M. Voice failed. Another rush by Tokoroa took the hall the length of the field, where Kerr secured the touch, Voice failing with the kick. Offside by Smith saw Rapin fail at jgoal, and at quarter-time the visitors led by three points, ) McDonald shone out for Arapuni and midfield play followed. M. Voice again failed at goal, and Rapson, fail- ! ing to go down, nearly let Tokoroa in. I Arapuni then started a loose dribble ' and Galvan,- gathered the ball and j forced his way over. -Rapin failed with the kick. Half-tifne, Arapuni 3, Tokoroa 3. Midfield play followed the resumption, and Arapuni, still persisting in their endeavours to play a passing game, assisted the visitors materially. | M. Voice being "penalised, Rapin! notched three points and gave the home team the lead. , . ... i Arapuni now changed their style of j play somewhat and relied more :on j footwork, With better results. Galvan gathered a .weak clearance by Voice, ' and, drawing the defence, he crosskicked for McDonald to score a good try. Rapin again failed with the kick. The black and whites now appeared to lose heart, while the home team rallied in great style. j In .the last quarter Samson added a j further try and Rapin converted with a great kick. Galvan shone out with individual dashes, and from another rush McKernon got away with Townsend out of place and dribbled over to j score. Pinal score : Arapuni, 1 penalty goal, 1 goal, 3 tries—l 7 points. Tokoroa, 1 try—3 points. NOTES. The score flatters Arapuni somewhat, because it was only late in the second half that they established themselves as the better team. Had Tokoroa possessed a leader the score might have been altogether different. The return meeting between these teams should produce a great game, and on Saturday’s form the result is by no means a foregone conclusion. With the exception of Cuthbert, there is no gainsaying the fact that he Arapuni backs don’t like going down to a rush, and had tile black and whites been well led and persisted in their forward rushes the game would have been a very close one. Of the full-backs, Voice, though kicking weakly at times, was the best all round. He is fearless, while Rapson shirked the tight work at times. Neither was up to representative form. McDonald was the best of the threequarters, in which division Tokoroa have speed but no combination. McKernon and Galvan at five-eighths were much superior to Voice and Kerr, though at times the latter did some outstanding work. Cuthbert was the best of the halves but he was slower in getting the ball away than last year. The Tokoroa pack excelled in loose rushes till near the end, while the home set were the best in the scrums. Neither cf the rovers was outstanding, while the' loose work of both packs was ragged l . Mr. Thorpe as referee gave a good exhibition and the players have only themselves to blame for the numerous stoppages.

1 AUCKLAND v. WAIKATO. I A match has been arranged bej tween the Auckland and Waikato representatives to be played in Hamilton on June 3. In view of the fixture being so early in the season the proposed East and West Waikato game will not be played before then. The last mentioned match will be played on July 17. i FINLAY CUP. At a meeting of the Waikato Rugby Union’s management committee on Saturday night the rota for the Finlay Cup matches was drawn up as follows: June 2(l—Waipa sub-union. July 10—Morrinsville sub-union. ‘ August 7—Matamata sub-union, i August 28—Putaruru sub-union, i The holders are Cambridge. | In the event of Cambridge being de- ' feated the winners will take over the engagements on the dates mentioned. MATAMATA RESULTS. Seniors. Matamata 6, Walton 0. Patetere 4, Wairere 0. - - Ju n j orsHinuera. 6, Wairere 0. Matamafa 3, Waharoa 0. i' Thirds. “ High School 3, Waharoa 0. Matamata 14, Walton 0. SATURDAY’S MATCHES. MORRINSVILLE RESULTS. (Seniors. " Kereone 9, Tatuanui 5. J Terriers 11, United 3. j Juniors. ; Terriers 8, United- 3. Kereone. 14, Waitoa 0. I . v- " " The quick thought. RESULT OF TUITION. Thus the Matamata Record:— “That’s what we get; we teach a | boy to play football and then he plays - against us. “ However, it’s' all for the good-of the game.” This was a re- . i lhark:;. made to the writer of this ar- • tide, by af-man' Who knows football and .teaches it, as he was leaving a I ground in this district on a recent Saturday. It is not so much this remark alone which gave rise to a little thought, but coupled with observation, even of the first match of the season, it leads to a comparison of the tutored j and the untutored player, i Three players who have been taking ' the eye are Storey, Wright, Vosper. j These three are fit to be used in con- , I nection with the remark with which ! the subject opened, although the re--1 mark was made in connection with a ! junior. They are men who have had i a good knowledge of the game inbued I in them by others who have gone past i the playing stage, but who still love the game of Rugby. The three players mentioned are college boys, and ■ I the fact sticks out when they are in : - action. This is not because they are . more energetic or bigger than their ■ ! fellows, but because directly they ; | handle the ball it is apparent they look : j for a purpose. The brain comes into i | action with the hands and feet. They l j have been taught to think and think 1 1 quickly, and then apply themselves to 1 the particular position of play. , j It is not every boy’s chance to go to t | college, and many in country districts ? j P' a y under very severe handicaps, c j I here are undoubtedly boys who have - j played under the Matamata union who, - I ur-c.er similar circumstances to others, i | would have become great footballers. But, putting it bluntly, they have ! | n(!Ter got out of the ruck. They may t j have been as brainy, as fully deveiop--1 od physically and as full of '' pep,” as _ | as the other man, but they just lackjl ed that quickness of thought which ’ i would make them brilliant. All this brings us down to the meL ti.od of playing root ball in the country. Granted the conditions are , against the country lad, is the most j le.ng done to educate him even up to the fine points of the g-ame? A few . years age an ex-Otago representative . ti ok up his domicile in Matamata. His j game i p years before, had been spent in watching Uni varsity-Alhambra, etc, s His interest was si’ll alive when he ' or,me to Matamata, and he to A u,i ■ the coaching of juniors. Theoretical ' and practical work was taught -in a ’ very confined space, it is true—and tile result is that to-day some of these tumors are showing signs of becoming 1 brilliant men. ’ How many country senior clubs to- ; day are tutored, how many of the players see a .football from the Satur-

day to the following Saturday, and how many are lectured during the week ? Is it not a fact rather that the country senior players are “ perfection ” in their own minds ? Are they not “ it ” when they get into the seniors ? And, we cannot blame the boy. His outlook is limited and “ big ” football seems a goal useless to strive for. It is never pointed out to him that Jimmy Wright, for instance, varies his attack three times in a match, and that by so doing gives his side a better winning chance; or that there is even a reverse pass or a “ dummy.” He does knew, however, that it is useless to pass to a team mate if he is as well marked as .the man in possession. Why does he do it, then ? The question is answered by the simple fact that his football brain has not been fully developed. He has not had: the tuition and practice. If the deductions drawn are taken to heart it. should mean that the various cluos make an effort to assemble their teams under an “ old hand ” during the week. If only ha’f a team turned out and learned something it would be something* attained towards improving country football. Last season the Matamata High School boys played pretty football. They were being tutored. But they are not under the teachers’ eye after they leave school. That is the time the players need securing*—the time to build cn the ground-work. Until .the intermediate player is taken hold of we will have to depend on good', healthy, hardworking country forwards, and, with a few exceptions, mediocre backs and a few visitors.