ATHLETICS. By ActÆon in the "Auckland Star."

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 385, 17 July 1889, Page 6

ATHLETICS. By ActÆon in the "Auckland Star."

I notice that "Threequarler-back" in the Chrisfcchurch " Weekly Press" seems to have his knite rather deep into Joe Warbrick and the natives over the All-England-Native match when several of the latter team walked off the Held in consequence of their disgust at the alleged unfair action of the referee, Mr Rowland Hill. I think it is rather far afield to carry these disputes myself. By-gones had better be by-gones. However, 1 mentioned the matter to Mr McCausland the other day ; and he said he thought the action oi the men, though rather rash, very natural under the circumstances. Now everybody here knows what a fair player McCausland is, and I think his opinion, ought to have some weight. Several of the English papei-s took up the native side of the dispute. Of course, the natives had to apologise humbly, or the rest of their fixtures might have been wiped off the caid. Like many another good man, Mr Hill in his zeal and shortsightedness probably made a mistake and the natives suffered. Then they got angry and made matters worse, as men alwa} s do when they get angry. From Southern advices I learn that there i° plenty of wrangling in the club maoches down South as well as in Auckland. This is not as it should be. The greatest lesson to be learnt in the football field is forbear-" ance and good temper-;., and yet we find many an old player 'disputing and quarrelling like a child. I refer more particularly to the manner in which players treat the umpires and referee. These gentlemen may not in every case act quite rightly, but what is the use of howling and growling ? Play up, boys, and see if we can't win even yet. My experience tells me that the less a player knows - the more he talks. Read up the rules thoroughly and play the same correctly, and you will find you will have little cause for complaint. Stewart, of the New Zealand Native Team, who arrived here last Tuesday, intends stopping in Auckland, and has tlnown in his lot with Graf ton. Joe Otway, in playing for New South Wales against the Maoris, potted a goal. I notice Bob Whiteside sticks to the good old game still over in Melbourne. Bob plays every Saturday, knocks his knee up, and is at it again the following Saturday if needed. Zealandia played Wallaroo on the Agricultural Ground, and the match resulted in a win for the Zealandias by 12 ooints to nilThe tries were 'obtained by Mills (2) and Whiteside (2). For the Zealandias Lewis, Winks, and Whiteside amongst the backs, and Mills, Gieen, and Feck amongst the forwaids, played well ; while for the Wallaroos the Cameron brothers were the most noticeable. The game all through was ot a most friendly nature, and the sole referee, Mr Allen, is to be congratulated for the general satisfaction he gave. Rugby football seems toha\e taken quite a spurt in Melbourne. By a late paper I notice ten matches down for one Saturday. One of the most interesting developments of football in the Auckland province is to be found in the starting ot the large number of country football clubs during the last two years. Formerly there were only Thames, Tauranga, Hamilton, Cambridge, Wairoa (Northern), and Whangarei, which could boast of football teams worthy of the name. Now nearly every little village throughout the province has its team. It may not be a very good one, but it generally maues up by enthusiasm what it lacks in knowledge. Last Saturday two of our junior teams journeyed into the country and su tiered defeat at the hands of the despised " yokels.'* Certainly these teams were not strong, but the fact remains that they were beaten. Believing, as I do, that there is no better or manlier game for young fellows than football, I am delighted to see it take root in the country, wheie it will have the effect of stirring the naturally sluggish country blood, and of giving elasticity to the limbs stiffened by the plod, plod, plod after the plough. In connection with this matter I would suggest to my readers that they bhould consider and discuss* the question of having one or two annual fixtures — Country v. Town Juniors, say. The advantages of such matches are obvious. In conversation with Mr E. McCausland, who has just returned from his English and Australian trip, I learn that the d,ispute among the international men at Home centres chiefly on the que&tion of representation in the International Union. The Englishmen claim to have a greater number of lepresentatives than anj' of the others. To this Ireland, Scotland, and Wales naturally object, arguing that as each team consists of fifteen players each should have the same representation as the others. The result of the dispute is that the Unions of each country are playing under different rule?. The English rules we have adopted out here. The" Irish rules are somewhat different, though rather better in some minor points, according to Mr McCausland. In regard to off-side play a man who- is oH- : side and behind another player of the op- j posite side who has the ball must stop and not run to catch the latter until he has run fhe yards with the ball. Scotland still, plays under the old rules, and Wales has ' nearly the same rules as England. In regard to the A^ictorian game, Mac has come to the same conclusion as most Rugby players — that it is not nearly so good as our i own Rugby game, especially as the latter has been improved of late.