Soccer Premiership

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1015, 4 July 1930, Page 9

Soccer Premiership

AUCKLAND’S FINE RECORD Battles of the Past TOMORROW at Blandford Park Auckland meets Wellington for the twenty-first time in organised contest for the Soccer supremacy of the Dominion. In the past twenty games Auckland shows out to advantage with fourteen wins and two drawn matches against Wellington’s four victories. Most of the games have been liard-fought with close finishes, and tomorrow’s match is expected to provide one of the closest struggles yet witnessed.

There were some friendly Soccer matches with Wellington in the late ’SO’s, but honours games may be said to have started with the presentation of the Brown Shield in 1892, after an interprovincial tourney between Auckland. Wellington, Ruahine, and Otago, which was won by Wellington. The possession of the shield was decided by challenge, and Auckland promptly caught a boat from Onehunga in 1893, and defeated Wellington for it by the narrowest of margins—the odd goal in three. Wellington came up in 1895 on a fruitless quest, as it failed to score, and Auckland retained the trophy by a 2 —o victory, and held it the following year, again by the odd-goal-in-three margin. Wellington waited for two years before returning, to go down again by 3 —l, and in 1900 Auckland celebrated the new century with the severest drubbing it has- yet inflicted on its ancient rival Albert Dacre leading Auckland to victory by six goals to one. WELLINGTON’S REVENGE Wellington waited three years, recovering from that jar, sorted out a new side of lively bustling youngsters, and came back to clean up Auckland and the shield by five goals to one. There was a terrific flutter in the Soccer dovecot here, with the selectors distinctly peeved at unpleasant reflections on their selective ability. It was four years before Auckland recovered from the shock, and sent a very different eleven south to fetch the trophy back with a 3—l win, only to see it packed up again two years later by Wellington, after a hard game at Potter’s Paddock, which Wellington won by two goals to one. Next year (1910) Auckland returned to Wellington on a winning quest to recapture the honours with a 2—o victory. But the triumph was shortlived, as Canterbury arrived here the following Saturday on a successful pilgrimage, to take the trophy by the odd goal in five. ELEVEN YEARS’ GAP For eleven years, 1910-1921, the Soccer premiership remained in the South, there being- no play during the Great

was repulsed 4 —2. Next year, however, the raid Was successful by two goals to nil, and Auckland resisted all challenges until that Black Saturday five years ago, when Wellington came up with the best tean\ it has ever fielded, and cleaned up one of Auckland’s worst by six goals to one. That was the last time the muchtreasured Brown Shield symbolised the Soccer championship of New Zealand, as the parent body of Soccer, the Football Association in London, presented the Dominion with one of the finest pieces of the silversmith’s craft ever sent here, and the New Zealand Council made it the senior provincial trophy, while the faithful Brown Shield was given for competition by the minor provinces, and is still held by South Auckland. F.A. TROPHY GAMES The new trophy was first played for by home-and-home games in alternate seasons, and in 1926 for the opening series the Auckland F.A. replaced the three selectors, with Mr. Phil Xeesharn as sole selector. He made some revolutionary changes in the personnel of Auckland’s representatives, and they flew through the season, defeating Wellington down* there, 4 —o; Canterbury, in Auckland, 4—L; crushed Otago in the third game by nine goals to two. Wellington came up next year, and went back defeated by 3 —l, and in 1928 the trophy reverted to challenge conditions again, Auckland generously foregoing its claim and returning the trophy to Wellington for the first game between Wellington and Canterbury. Wellington won, but Auckland went after it hot-footed, and after a brilliant display brought home the bacon again with a 3—l victory. Wellington could not get in quick enough for a return scrap, and Auckland had a closo call with a thrilling and hardfought draw at Blandford Park. Last year’s games are still fresh in the public mind, two gallant attempts by the popular Wellingtonians being repulsed by the same 4—2 verdict in each game. The twenty-first clash tomorrow will bo fought out with the same keen, clean rivalry, and a hard, thrilling contest is assured. PERSEUS.