SOCCER PROSPECTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 127, 19 August 1927, Page 11

SOCCER PROSPECTS

Chatham Cup-Tie SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP AN attractive programme has been arranged at Blandford Park to-morrow afternoon when Ponsonby meets Waro Wanderers in the Auckland semi-final for the Chatham Cup, while the senior championship will be continued with a match between the unbeaten Thistle and a greatlystrengthened Navy team.

Waro Wanderers being the surviving club in the North Auckland knockout contests, the Northlanders will arrive here to-night and meet Ponsonby to-morrow. The survivors will then play Roto waro (Waikato) and decide the club to represent the Auckland Province against the winning club in the Wellington area. Ponsonby is expected to field the same eleven that outed Thistle for local honours, and the “Ponies" have been in hard training. They are confident of being the banner-bearers for the Auckland district and hopeful of fetching the national club championship back here; but there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the trip.

The blue and blacks are just the type of bustlers to carry off a knockout contest, and if they can reproduce the form they showed at their last outing they should pass into the next round. The defence is very solid. Watts being in great form in goal.

while Pickett and Williams are a safe pair of backs. Wright is the star of the half line, while Innes and Adshead are two flying wing men. with Tomilty, Bell and Mooney both nippy and useful in the inside positions.

Not much is known locally of the form of the Waro Wanderers, but last Saturday they were beaten at Hikurangi by a weak Y.M.C.A. team from Whangarei, by the odd goal in five. Still the miners have been preparing for the trip South and may spring a surprise on their lighter opponents.

With a view to cutting down travelling expenses, the Hikurangi men aie returning home to-morrow, and the cup-tie will be staged first at 2 p.m., followed, if circumstances permit, by

the postponed championship game between Thistle and Navy. With the Dunedin and Diomede in port, the Service club has rounded up a vt y strong side, consisting of Stearns (.Diomede). Hall (Philomel >. Lawrence (Philomel). Gilmore (Philomel), Reid (Dunedin), Hewitt (Diomede). Hill (Diomede). Black (Philomel), Meynell (Diomede), Rivers (Diomede), and Scott (Dunedin). The naval men gave Thistle a rare tussle when they last met. and are keen on inflicting the first championship defeat on the Scots. Kay is i doubtful starter for the black and white brigade, and the goal-notching capacity of the forwards suffers in hiabsence, but Thistle has a very solid defence and the Service van will find it difficult to penetrate. Miles is still suffering from the injury he received in the Canadian game and will be a loss to the matelots. Other games of interest will be the junior knock-out contests for the Dacre Memorial Cup.