FOOTBALL.

Taihape Daily Times, 11 August 1919, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY SPORTSMEN. A TRIBUTE FROM YORKSHIRE. LONDON, June 14. Lieutenant E. E. Booth, formerly of the “All Black” 1905 team, and now with the Australian Y.M.C.A. in ‘GreatBritain, has shown me a letter received by one of the Divisional New Zealand fifteen from the hon. secretary of the Yorkshire Rugby Football Union. The writer says: “Let me ! congratulate you on winning the King’s l ‘Cup for you riclily deserve it. Naturally VI should have liked the Mother Counltry to have captured it, but you are lsuch good sportsnfe’n, and have played ‘such magnificent, clean, healthy football why, the loss of it to Old Britain is not half so great as the pleasure and joy it has given to see you win ‘it-—-hmi that ’s a fact. One of the things that pleased people was the spirit in which your team took their defeat against the Australians. 41.. ~ollgll 5? must naturally have been a. tremendously keen -dlisappointméent ‘to the team, I must say I nefer heard a single recriminating word spoken. They took their defeat like the great sportsmen they are: what is more, they all gave. most un-grudgingly, pride of place ’to the Australians ion the day’s play’, and all I can say is that it would have been an absolute edudation to have seen the game and the good fellowship! which existed between the winners and i losers at the dinners'"ai”tel'wards. Your! visit to the. Mother Country, showing the finest Rugby football, as you have I always done, will have given a tremendous fillip to the grand old game, and we all feel——at least we up here do, without a doubt—under an undying obligation to you grand eolonials. It has been a great‘ pleasure‘ and a great I honour to us. to have you up herc.| We shall always retain the warmest melnories of your two Visits, and, if vve have by any chance been the Imeanspof giving you just in little pleasure dur—ing your stay, why, we are delighted, for it is as li‘f‘t”le as we could do intr-eturn for all you have done for dear Old England in the great and terrible game which has just been played and won so well_”