FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 133, 27 May 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

NOTES UX SAxruDAVs jiK.; MATCH. (l-'rom the Wellington Times.) The the local phtyer«> und (inlookers a eapiLil (d)jocldosson in pntlin«»- men on-side. Their praetiee of doinji thi r is not unknown in the Dominion, bnl. it is not earned out as lrei|in nl!y as it siiould he. As soon as

a haek kieked .the hall lie nnule a Ikv line .sprint up the field-not after the hall, bill straight, so as to level with hit-; side at the earlie.-l possible moment. This tactic met with its reward on more than one occasion. Followers of football who saw the game were <juilo convinced that tho \Vairnra|'a-)»us)i team was only a shadow of what it used to be in former years. Probably men of the same calibre are nut available now an then. \\ hatevcr the reason, one of tho onlook <'is Iricd lo fasten the blank' on the selector.-?. Once, when more, than usually displeased. lie yelled out in stentorian loncs of dis»-n*t: "Who picked this lvpresentative team? Tlu'y to pick another and then go home and die!' 5

The Englishmen were in fairly foiin. Captain Hardin say-< >o. their trainej- >o. but Ihe fact, tliaC wlicn lliey came olVthe Held after tin- fir--1 .-pell, some uf them, more particularly the looked as if they hud juM come out uf a shower balii.

The Wairarapa H crummage was a weird Ihing to behold. When the Englishmen <;ot to work and e-ouinenced to screw jt looked like a couvuUed mass of humanity. The Engliuieaou the ball nearly every time; they knew what to do with it. Their opponents got it seldom; when they did, they didn't know what to do with it. That wa rt all the dillereiice.

li. A. (liblis, the AVolsli international, tliree-ipiarter, proved liiiiwlf lo lie a orilliaul attacking back, licet of foot, lie scored a couple of line iries ill the first spell, but had the misfortune to injure himself about the head in getting one of them. Jlc was dazed for the remainder of the game. Early in the second one of his friends took him some liquid refreshment. iPlay was on the quarter tnuch-liue. and the referee blew his whistle and stopped the contest unlil (iibbs had swallowed the beverage. The crowd didn't niKlersland the position. "On with 'he game," some of thciit bellowed, " fancy slopping tile match while a man has a drink." exclaimed another. On going luck to their quarters il was found that Oiblis had sull'ered .-light concussion nothing serious—but lie immediately went in bed ami was attended 10.

The English backs appeared tricky. The collaring of their opponents was tutile and ineffective, and this helped to >ho\v the visitors up perhaps more than tlicir -actual worth. "They must be as slippery as eels. They know how to wriggle,"' was ihe way one beholder referred to them.

10. .1. .lackeM. the English ilitenialional and full-back. attracted the attention of the onlookers more than anyone e|s,. nil the lield. This is not to he wondered id. He gave a valuable exhibition of how not to lake a ball. Ihu .tint is more to I hi' point, he gave a -pb'iidid object-h*» >n ill l'ect il.ving mi-lakes alter the.v 'ia\'e been made, lie doe-n't appear to lave the slightest conception of how to take a ball. He forgets that he has a chest and hold* his hands high up, a H one would expect a woman to do. It was odds on the hall every time on Saturday. Hut the way he recovered—i l m.i>t be borne in mind that he usually had plenty of time In do so—was amusing.

.1. D;ivy and 11. Laxui, the scrum halve:-, showed that they vVere well up to their work. They each fed freely, perhaps a trifle slowly at times, but de livrred ihe ball well. Davy appeared rcMinrevful and got into the thick of the light at lime-, while at others he put in gooil serviceable foot-work. ile didn't kick hard, but nursed the ball. Apart from their formidable scrumming, the Knglish forward play calls fur iillle comment. I ntrained and untutored as Wairarapa seemed to be. there \ivre not a lew pieces of loose foot-work in uliH-h the local men held their own with something to spare. The line-out work of the visitors is about erjual lo average New Zealand provincial form, and a-s to following up, all I hat can be said is that nome do and -hum' du iiol. One or two of tin-in seem lo be >lightly affected wuli the " 01l-

>ii|e microbe, but that is a detail always subject lo correction by the referee. As tJMpieisl ionalde (indies, generally speaking (hey are like the historic I'nyard--sans pour e( -an- reprochc. In dash. vim. and vigor they are, judged by our own standards ticking a little - they certainly do not what has been aptly termed the "devil" of Ihe Nor!h Maud lorwards. It is under this head that their most noticeable weak ness lies. With regard to general footwork in the lense. they are fairly skilful. but not remarkably so.

The following team will represent Tukapa M-ninr, against Kllham on Thnr-day- Halle, Johnston, Jones, Ward. Ijoveridge . Seamark, Yvatah, Courtney, Mclean, Mynolt, llardgraves. Stolir. Hooker', Honevlield. and -mi other. Team will leave by lilc 740 a.m. train.

The following will represent Tukapa IT. v. Fltham lI.:—J. l!ul!ot. Webster. Stuhr (2), Shields, Brown, }h'f!iven. Olyncs, Coker, Perry, Sinclair. Nliinuey, McNatty, MeAllnni, Jones. Emergen-c-ies: Dines and llall.

Tukapa nr. (V. Elthani TIT.) will he represented by--Fineham, Patterson, ,1. Diillot. li. Jury, M. Julian, Bullot, Woods. Ross, .Taj.o, Sole. Allen. Jisby, 'J'. Sclieiuey. Walsh, Sole. Kmci-irencieS: liartlelt, Smith, Charteris, a nd Huse. Star 1. against. Inglewood 1. on Thursday. will be represented as follows: flow, Smith. KveiMMi. ]\!ayne, llaskill, ftcKoy. Jlrown, Kennedy. Dixon. Slroude. Hopkins, Steele. Setford, Hufhn: emergencies, Muldonn and Atua.