FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 1 July 1907, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

new south Wales Queensland. Received 29th, 8.35 p.m. Brisbane. .Tune 20. The New South Wales Rugby representatives defeated Queensland by 18 points to 3.

SOUTHERN DISTRICT. Per Press Association. Patea, June 29. Okaiawa seniors beat Patea seniors by 3 points to nil. Sullivan scored for Okaiawa. The game was a verv hard one, confined principally to the forwards. Okaiawa juniors forfeited to Patea juniors. Patea thirds beat Kaponga thirds by 3 to nil. (By Drop-kick.) Although in many quarters it has been denied that a professional team will leave New Zealand in the effort of onee again 'Shaking things up in Rugby play in the Homeland," it appears almost certain that a team id make the voyage, ard amongst the number of players mentioned I notice ih.it Haq. graves, the Taranaki represent >.tive fuj. liack, has b til mentioned, liierc iquestion that ''Shaver'' is , A<\_£iiv||.. Iw»t men for that position plXyhv in the colony at present, and there arc many who hold the opinion that I, is a better man than G. Spencer, win ailthe position in the New Zeiland Irani that will shortly visit Australia. Whether there is any ;lie liatcnwnt will become known in a few'days, as it daily becomes a harder t£ik to ke>p these items from the public". Ifardgreaves will be a useful man in any team, as he ins-demonstrated his season his ability to plav a iard ami h -,idy game in the threc-quafier line, whilst his ability in the place-kicking ait makes him a valuable aret to any team.

The introduction of the {Htham tcaa into the Northern division /ns improve* natters, as it has done aray with *U< leeessity of byes, which arc deeidcdlj insatisfaotory, but whether it has in proved play a moot point. Certain!; lie n#»w club has given all the tift'-em ?ngagej hard games, and in some ease >n!y lost their matches through indili'er •nt phice-kieking, aud the club member; ire satisfied they have done very well U anyrate play in the northern em las improved them, as the Mack am vhites Jo occasionally get their back: noting. Jnglcwood and Eltham 4ft he unlucky clubs in the competition The former have only one or two mllj rood phyers, the remainder being cmh I slight remove above juniors; wliiKl Utham have lost the services of s«veal prominent players through injuries lifion opened the season well by deeating Staw aud drawing with Hlthim. >ut they now seem to have gone Inch II their plav, and look like being hir.id•d bv Stars and Eltham for third place n championship honors. Stars luwc lone well, perhaps better than thcpliy leserves, as they "got home'' against iUhaui after having the worst of tin pame. At anyrate the play of the ducks does not appear to be up to ~»oc tandard of previous years. The team [ have a weakness for i* the Tuknpti ifteen, because they do try and plav .he game as ttugby was intended; 1 he) ise the backs, and are interesting U .vatcJi. With' the Stratford or Ellhaii] forward* the blue and white back> ivotild do some heavy scoring, ibut «'n r ortunately their forwards are not 'solid" enough to last a puni*hin<j sinie. thereby preventing the back> naking full scope of their abilities Stratford are leading, and deserve th. tuition, thanks miiiily to the sterling [dace-kicking of fctohr. He is the wi« ■ol of the team, and, besides doing h>;ih ■apital goal-kicking, plays a good gauit in the three quarter line. The red ani blacks possess some good indivilna [iliiy.-r-, but whil-t their back; i}H»fdy and tricky. they do not rAWi heavy tackling, <\> tfn*ir gaan Kith Kltlum. as afier th" laths'- for wards had brought Cameron and st »'n lown a few times all the ••etaim" evaporated from players and the «fiug diippoared from the attaek. 11, look-.Hu Iw-t of goo.| for Stratford in th. dumpionship, a> tlfey should have nr liMienlty in winning th- r«'iiiaitiin.c matches. In the Southern division, ■hampion-. of;aiaw.t. mole n bad -fa v *t mt after defeating II;iw«-ra the 1 '• \ii! iiave "bneke.l up" and hnv. done huh!, better, but they are out of the hum |V : ■h" championship. Opunake have al-r alien badly. They uvve weak at th-. .iHiie-nt eiie •!»< 'I II, -e;wn. and t!: recent ili-v'pulitie ition of iiKmlw «.\ [)]■ I'nion Ji.t> mad" h n hard *>tvug^l. e..ntinue the engagement-. Knpong;ii.ive in»t done anything a- well :: s 1 leit >uplf»rters wnnl.i wi-h. having failed t»: iiotch a win: but they ha\e some fail ulnvers that -houM put the club in •< htv fair j"M»-i'ion next -eason. Waimate are always well up in the eon ests. and their match against llaw.-M -houl.l be a hard tussle. At anyrate he llawera Iwk* will not find the tiiw io smoke ciffiireites during the progress i.f the match. Should W innate win the championship mean-, a .-ertainly tV>i who have n clear b*ad from f! i wern. The yellows (llawera i reeeiwi a shocE when Okaiiwa def: ated the:* and rlaim they lost through Colnvu and Hunter being cntiaged in the Xo»il v. South 1-land inateh. Excuses an ei-ilv made, but th *y dro]>ped twe jfr.ints in the championship, and it look? a-' if thf.v will be unable to make uj the leeway. I'ate.i hove striven fo: many ye;irs ?o tibtaiil the SouOierj champion-hip. and tbe v in i.s long over due. and there would be "general satis faetion if the bpres -.hould be eham for lt«C. V seasf»n is now \v?-){ eriv«»r»fed. nn( will han having sc< i

Moir; throe-quarters, Cameron, Hardgreaves, and Hooker; five-eighths, Mvnott; half, Potticv; wings, McCraeken and Eothcry; forwards, Johnson, Ryan, Loveridge, Masters, Young, Osborne and McDonald.