SOCCER SIDELIGHTS PASSING NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 181, 21 October 1927, Page 11

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS PASSING NOTES

An Appeal Upheid.—As a result of thvj protest against Lucas playing for Thistle on Saturday last, the decision in the Knock-out has been reversed by the Auckland Football Association management, and the game awarded to Tramways. The decision is a very unfortunate one for the Thistle Club, and a slice of luck for the beaten team, but in the face of the rules and bylaws, with which every club should be f miliar, it was impossible for the authorities to arrive at any other award. The trouble is that often the governing bodies are uncertain themselves and in the Thistle-Tramways case there seems to have been a lot of unnecessary misunderstanding. » On one side Thistle was assured that Luca, was eligible, and on another that a grave risk was being run in playing him. In the confusion the Scots took the chance, and lost the game after winning it Thistle’s 111 Luck.—Much sympathy ha been expressed towards the champions in losing a great chance of coupling the Falcon Cup with the premiership. and it is hoped that no ill-feeling will result from the incident. At the same time there seems no reason why Thistle did not apply for a transfer of Lucas at the Tuesday meeting, and so put everything in order. Then he could have played without fear of any protest. The premier Rugby trophy was lost this season on somewhat similar grounds. and when teams tnke these risks in a critical game they must be satisfied when the rules are applied impartially. The suggestion that a raw deal has been handed out to Thistle on account of a clash with the authorities earlier in the season »s scarcely justified by an impartial view of the facts surrounding the status of Lucas.

The Oriental Invasion.—The first appearance of a local Chinese team in action, marks another milestone in the progress of the round ball code, and the Indian residents here are endeav-

ouring to organise a team to compete with their fellow Asiatics. The Maoris made a start at Soccer with the advent of St. Stephen’s this season, and the Catholic schools swelled the roll call with a large number of new disciples of the code, so that it may not be long before the game in Auckland assumes quite an international aspect. The Auckland Chinese team recently journeyed to Wellington and cleaned up the Celestials there, and it will be interesting to note how it shapes against Carlton to-morrow.