A FOOTBALL GROWL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 83, 12 August 1913, Page 6

A FOOTBALL GROWL.

—O THE NEGLECT OF STRATFORD. BIG MATCHES WANTED. Of lute there has been a good deal of feeding in Stratford as regards the action of the Rugby Union in not having representative matches played in Stratford j and the wise ones usually finished their recital of grievances by giving the information that unless the Rugby Union mended its ways Stratford would transfer its support bolus bolus to the League game. This grievance was publicly voiced last night by Mr D. J. Malone, who was a member of the Rugby Union for some time, and who is well known as a football enthusiast.

Speaking last night at the send-off function to Mr R. W. Boon, Mr Malone, proposing the toast of the Taranaki Rugby Union, said that the Union had done much good in the past and, no doubt, was still doing food work; but he felt called upon to speak on a matter which had become a public grievance—the matter of representative matches in Stratford; The people of central Taranaki certainly had a grievance in the matter. Five representative matches had been fixed to be played in Taranaki this year. Two of these had already been played in Hawera, and apparently the Rugby Union had decided that the other three should be played in New Plymouth, totally ignoring the claims of Stratford. Mr Malone pointed out that Stratford had been the headquarters of the Union for years, and had one of the best, if not the very best, ground in Taranaki—it was a good revenue-producing ground with good stands and appointments. Nobody objected to Hawera having matches, and it would be unwise to raise the question of town against town. The southern people were entitled to see matches without travelling to the pther end cf the province; but at the same time the Stratford and New Plymouth people were similarly entitled. As things stood, with the matches being all played at the ends of the province, one could not see the matches without making an expenditure of about 6s, to say nothing of the loss of time. The worst feature of the matter was that the most important match of the season had been put down for a Saturday in New Plymouth. This was the match against New South /Wales. Naturally everybody interested in football was anxious to see the play of visitors from overseas and to compare it with that of the local men. Apparerttly tho football-loving public were to be debarred from seeing the match, It might he argued that the Taranaki Rugby Union had not had the fixing of the match. Certainly the match ' had been fixed by the New Zealand Rugby Union, but he (Mr Malone) had hot seen any protest by the local Union; and he felt sure that if the New Zealand Union had been told that the clay was unsuitable the date could have been altered. In con'dltofion, Mr Malone stated that Stratford had always been a stronghold of Rugby football and in the district there were some of the best supporters of the sport in the province, who nvere surely entitled to. some consideration.