FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 136, 30 May 1908, Page 6

FOOTBALL.

XOIKS. Hie Uifluii l'u-t junioi'-i dek'iiK'.l MraU.«rd lir-i junior-} al Waiiiiia on i lliurMi;»y 1»y .> |itinU 11r\) to nil. « i litv Stiir-inj:. 'wtnnl liLiuli was oim' 01 l • tli' n>«"i tin, huL. p'nmi j till' JJ'-ilil (if WW of lOVt'l'S of jrtmd , : iootw. il. a |».iinru! i.mr. Tlunv wa> | any anwunt of ;>od Hl'oii. hut il wa> } individual and ntu-u niNdim-tnl cllmi. i Tliv liann* wa- a hard inic. (Mi. <l| (1,,. sj tr jd.iyi'r> r.vkimt'd :U j the lini-h thai tin- ionval.U v.i-iv tin- "llt-c-t moi>" lie had jdaved . Kvi-«>n. ill,- Siar lata**! a<i[iii>i-1 tit'll. i- a jila\<T. Hi> jilaeo at | | li<> catche.-; the bail well, j

Ik a -mart kii'krr. and generally limits a 111 ;ih or two before lidding hinwlf of the leather. Hi* pu-si's, houvwr. look difficult to take. He is also rc-li* able in deten-ive tactics. W. Hill, a former member of t hi* Star Club. and a rattlinji good thivet|uaru*r. will probably lv- in the club ? rank" far the second round. Tom Smith jdaynl a good game oil I Thursday. and did raMier le--s talk than usual. Tom wai kittling -o hard thai he had littU- breath to -par,- for apical and direction. Willi a lit tie more pa<*e he should have ~'-T<'d a couple more trfcs. but his motive apparatus wa- not equal to the demaiul. He h.is evidently Wen reading the I'ivs* comment on tin hnglish team's play, and adopted lli-iv tactic? on Thursday in chasing straight up the field—not fallowing the ball—to pur his men on side alter kicking ahead of them. This in a g ,,0| l scheme, but it is apt to be overlooked by the referee. > J., it any wonder that football is becoming rough when the players are ev t horted from the line to adopt foul tactic-: It is a fair thing that any spee- • tator .so offending sh'Uild be treated about twice as harshly as the p!a\vi who act- on the advice. There was out 1 - of this ela.s* 011 the racecourse gvoiue n on Thursday. t'pon one occasion player fell upon the lull, and the irre - si-tfble magnet divv.- iu« 1 > i.ieu do.u upon him. " Kn-k him oil it,' yelk'i this manly man: "kick him oil' it! I'pon being remou-t rated with, he >ai< that were he playing he would kick tin t man off the bail tu teach him nol t< » fall down. Kicking that <*la>s of bar mi"l»t do smile L'oOd. It is wort]

noting that the netn who advocated this ( dastardly work was not- prepared to , take the chances of the administration j of hi n own prescription. preferring to watch the game from the line. , t Maine, at half, is improving every week. As predicted at tin' opening of tlie a few hard games have shown him the futility of playing the man. for the ball is the principal item. He i> rather inclined to play oil-side, and should be lucre e;irefill in thi- regard. With any luck lie should be the Star'„ ball fur a tew years yet. The few remaining players of the Inglewofld Club ale evidently made (if the right -tuir. I)e~pile the hnpeb-ss-

I in— of tlii-ir chance hi' uniiiiij.' nnyi where near tlw top in the I'uion coinj petition. a full M-it.-n travelled on I Thursday for the Star lixture. A well--1 known supporter I'-! tin- club states that not <ini' match will be allowed to go liv default. even it the team ilm-n t I notch a single win. If tin' player- have I (;iit thi' .-ami" "rrini determination. -ml i( tliev can infuse -nine nf that -pil'it into the young phivers of Inglcwood, anil keep it wariii. tin* maroon should in' cain< >1 to victories next season. Tin' Inglcwood team i- a c.ilicctioii. lot a combination. of good ;i\i-i";il'i- lin-ii —some above tin' average. There are in tint ili-trid. -onie oh! rep-.. anil it tli.'V would ju-t take the players ill hand ihere seems no na-iiii wliy tin' |.l .K.I . should not have it- nami' in.cribed on tile Taranaki I!.lCup. t leave. who pi a veil at tu'.i for a -]«■'.! on Thur-il'.y. ami afterwards al threc<piarti'r. i- a promising youth. His <!<'- fence i- good. In- take,. the 101 l :i s iK'iltly anil coolly a~ fan !><• wished. anil kick- iviili good judgment. I)e l.aunay i- a L'Oi'.l thi''<' i|Uait though In l wa = not a' hi- bc-t on Thursday. and rarely got hi- kick in. Cmti-. jiliiyinsi winger anil three-nnailor. was one of tin- beM men on the ground. anil. l>v following the should -non cam a place in 1 i any -cnior combination. llf has weight. ~|H'cil. good kicking ]Kiwcrs. anil any jinotiiit of »r:t. 'llh' half anil (ive- - fifths. lioth lads. -how good promise. 1-.IJI. arc apt to toilet tli.it they arc the pivot nun for tin- hack machinery. ! the foiwari!.. arc -<■ uie sla-h----i in« p!a\ci>. ready to an till they ilrop. "! lint. lacking knowledge. anil .-upp'irlcd i In- a di-intcgrated lia; -. division.. their "jcirnrt- il''l not alwny- gel ihenMhcie. . j' Ihe i.pinion or the majority o! Hull's. ,1 day's -pcctator- n.i« that tie- I nuic voml i-i'iiior-. if properly coached ami kef if together, woiihl have a -nb-tanlia! balance of point- in it- favour. I'm old-time Star -upportcis wore a -orrv look on T)iur-ila»\ "Who'd have thought that the star- of our ilav would have*"fallen to thi*'!" asked one. when there wa- all utiu-uallv ragged -el-amble. How are the mighty fallen. Kverv dill) ha- it- "rot." hut it is the club's own fault if rot" is unduly protracted. The tonic that too Blacks have wanted is the infusion of young lilooil. Thursday'- team containoil a number of juniors, anil they certainly did fair work. Clow, at full hack, i* well worthy of jiromotiim. Dillkulty is experienced sometimes in ' fretting the juniors to "go up one." For instance, if the senior team is weak - and out of the running. whilst the first juniors stand a good chance in their own grade championship, it iis urged t!ia» if is unfair to spoil the latter's combination in the middle of the season l>y drawing upon tlie team to fill , the senior ranks. This is logic, in a way. But the junior cup is not the "lie all a nil end all" of football, and we have never heard 01 a first junior ' lieing chrv.cn to represent the colony again-t England. The Taranaki club which achieve- anv degree of notoriety tlir.nii_-hr.u! New Zealand i- the winner oi' the T.11.r. competition. but one never hear- much about the club which produce- tlie he-t pmior-. Selection committees have the power !o -.live the dillicuHv. and ea-ilv. If they \\ant a iimior player for the senior rank-. pi< 1; him for the t-eniors anil (ill hi- place in the juniors. Should he decline to play win iv picked, ihcn let him if i. I-Jniam ami Star clubs are fa:-cil with this difficulty just now. VOLITION - OF THE TKAMS. Foliowin_' i- the position of the variou- teams in tiie ditleri'iit conipctiiion-; N< H'.TtU'r.N DIVISIOX. StXIOBS. £

U "3 d « 'o b 3 S \ a .3 s. =H t? >3 Q fS (5 'j Tnkapa 5 5 0 (1 59 2 ■> 10 Stratford . . 5 3 1 1 52 111 7 Eltliam . -3 3 2 o <50 21 ii Clifton r> 2 :t (i •31 30 I Star , . r, l :t i 20 71 3 In^lcwojd 5 " 5 0 12 N't 0 SKI oM.> GUIDE. Star 1 3 i (i 29 11 (i Tuimjii i 3 1 o 32 1.3 0 i?!iham 4 2 2 C Hi 11 1 Stratford 1 1 3 1) ii 22 •X Clifton .113 0 ;i 4'J TltlBD Gliil'E Kit hem . i 1 0 1) 7!) II 8 Star .12 11 13 •3:'. Str.i:I .112 1 2D TtiVaju . . 1 II 2 2 i; 2;' Clifton . I H 2 2 7 Id Sul/TllHIIN DIMS <>X. Si:xioi;s. Waimate . . 1 3 it 1 37 I; 7 Hawcra . 1 3 II (1 31 21 i; I'atea .12 1 1 IS 13 5 . . 1 II 3 1 7 21, 1 Okaiaiva 1 n 3 1 11 33 1 la,- Ml,., ,iu,i r'ah-.i lixtiiiv. .'!■] iv.i l.n.'ilMl 1,' tli" 1 11i"i!. i- ii rlU'l d. I