FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 191, 3 August 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

iIAUiUS IX AU.SXKAUA. {

iicceived August 2, S.o,i p.in. Sydney,. Align, t ]. Lite Maori—Au-straliii match was postponed owing to rain.

AIA'iiLAXJ), 27; SOL 111 (,'AXTEUBLKY, U.

By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, .Saturday ,\i..|it The .South Canterbury v." Auckland inter-provincial iootball match »as played here to-day in delightful weather, before an attendance of about -100(1 people. _ There was very little interest taken in the inaidh, the result, luiir. apparently a foregone conclusion," Auckland had 110 diiliculty in wimiin" by 27 points to nil. Auckland, nhivin" against a gentle breeze and the 'miii in the hi->t spell, mad-' a very poor showing, and were guilty of poor liandliii". 'Hie magnificent forward pack did not Wake up until the second half. The first spell Was dull and void of interest, and ended in Auckland's favour bv .1 points to nil, .Mors-,' -coring a try, which 1!. Jlagee converted. 111 the second half Auckland opened the game up, the forwards letting the ball out, and play had not long commenced when Wilson scored as the result of a line , passing rush. Gillett tailed to convert. Seeling next Secured 011 the line out and dived over, K. -Nlagee converting. Johnson next scored a try, which Francis failed to convert, and then a few minutes after Seeling put the linishing touch on a splendid piece of back play, in which m-al'ly every Auckland back was prominent. .Uagee's kick at goal was without result. About ten minutes later Seeling again scored a try, from Which Johnson raised the major points. A few minutes before play ceased, Alaguire (Grafton) scored Auckland's last try, Kenwick's kick at goal being a failure. Auckland's line pack overran the South Canterbury forwards, and) tile local backs also proved too good for the Southerners. Tile handling of the ball in the first spell was very oad, due in a certain measure to the brilliant sun. Thi' Auckland l'ugby Union are entertaining tile vWmrs at a dinner tonight, and to-morrow will take them for an excursion to Lake Takapuna.

WELLINGTON v. WAIRARAPA. Wellington, Last Night. Tile representative Rugby football match betwven Wellington and Wairarapa was played on Atlhlctic l'ark, yesterday in excellent weatlicr, and in the presence of about 2500 spectators. Tile country team was defeated by 30 points to nil. Tile game was too onesided to be interesting, and many of the onlookers left the Park some time before the match was over. The visitors were simply outclassed in all departments, and never had a chancy from the kick-off. McLeod, Roberts. J. Ryan, Evenson, Me(!ee and Hardham shared the scoring 'honours.

THE AUSTRALIAN GAME. NEW ZEALAND TEAM FOl! MELBOURNE. Auckland, Last Night. The southern members of the New Zealand Australian League' football team arrived here from the south via the East Coast by the s.s. Moana today. The team leave for Melbourne via Sydney to-morrow afternoon, to take part in the jubilee celebrations of tbe Australian football game, to lie held at that city during this month.

• PRIMARY SCHOOL MATCHES. On Saturday the West End team beat Stratford A by U points to nil. West End won the toss and played with the wind in their favour. From the kick-oil' play was taken in Stratford 2.) but was soon followed by a scrum at half-way. West End obtained po»of the ball, which passed from Tickner to Jury to McGivcn to Alalia, who streaked down the line and drew first- blood. Mann's kick at goal failed. After the kick from twenty-live, play was centred at Jialf-wav. Soon attvrwards West End backs got possession of the ball, and from some good passing Mana again crossed the line, this time converting. When the ball was kicked fir it was brought back again to Stratford's twenty-live, where several scrums took place. One ot the Stratford backs was penalised for lying on the ball, and Mana, who look the kick, landed a fine goal. After iialltnne Stratford pressed West End, and for some "minutes had them defending their goal line. But Me ball was kicked into touch and a to rev resulted. West' End gradually worked their way up the field, when, just before call of time. McCracken snapped up the ball and Succeeded in crossing the line. The kick at goal failed. The Stratford forward; played o good frame but the backs were weak. E»r Stratford, liarclay. Ronnie, and Till were the l-'-l of the forwards, and Russ and Wake the best backs. Mails), Crone. Jury. Howell, Marnier and Tickner were the nick of the home team.

Central bout inglewood by 12 points ' to 3, the latter playing willi only twelve men. AI'TELt Tlil-j JJAXTLE. It's oitsy to 1 ji■ \v; c atrer tin: event, Utt il is to be hop*ju thai, the lesson of Thursday will nut be lost upon the Tukapa Club. To their discredit it mint lie said that the Tukapa forwards, or the greater part of tlicm, simply courted defeat. Had they listened to the advice of their skipper, and heeded it, tliey would not have had to submit to such a "donkey lieking" as they received on Thursday. They were hopelessly out of condition. They could hardly V 1 otherwise when it is remembered that at the ordinary practices only two .«• three forwards would, as a rule, put iu an appearance, though the backs weie generally fully represented. Their ab

sence from practice injured not themselves only. It meant poor practice for the back division, upon which they seemed wholly to depend for success. Had the Tukapa forwards been fit, and thus able to stand up a little better to the Wuimate forwards, the back division would not have lieen so easily eripplid. But it's no use crying over spilt milk. The mischiefs done. Probably it won't be forgotten. The funny part, of the business is that in Manaia the opinion was general that the Tnkapas, being a town tear.,, with gymnasium and training-room* available, would strip in the pink of condition. One man assured a knot of hearers that the players in town would "cop out*' if they didn't train hard enough t<> please tile supporters of their Hub. "Tiie .-supporters keep 'em up \.o itj' he said. But lie evidently credits the supporters with a good deal of in- [ lluewv that they do not possess. i On the other side of the picture is the Waimate team. The forwards, though heavy enough for anything, came on tr. the field well wound up. A Waimalc barracker boasted that every man in the team, with one exception, had been training "on lii* own.'' And they looked it, coming oli' the ii<dd almost as freshlooking as when they went on. It is doubtful if there is another halfback about who could have played Frewin's game behind that worsted pack. He was jNelt*. "Kvury time J went down to a rush,*' lie afterwards. "1 got eighteen kick-,." An ' "UileyV still movements ttml scivwe. l shoulder afterwards proved the trnili his words,

Then Mynott. It was magnilieent i,i see the old war-horse playing the wlude team by himself at times. Jimmy Hunter was on the line, and no doubl he envied "Simon"'' his agility and confidence, though possibly he didn't envy him his job. And Mvimtt didn't make Tukapa's too geueral mistake of collaring high. He got his man. Stohr played a plucky game. Some people say Stohr isn't able to take Ids grueJ 'm a rough game. Tliev should Lave seen him going for the big fellows on Thursday.

Honker, whilst, doing his bc->t, an I -printing well, waited—and waiting was N.tal. He ought t« get oil' I lie mark 'jt.icker and get for the goal line without a thought for the -ipectators. They -ft> his b.'-ilaiK'V and liK n>i-i.:"kcs as w=-! i ;>»-lii- brilliancy a< times, jlf did n- I -iralt hard enough, either. ••Siijver'' played full of }>lu- k. and I'N l.ielJing mid line-kicking were of a Ini'ii -tandard.

'Seamark, who'is said lo have played his last game of football, was the liost trained forward iu the team, the result of early rising, early to lied, and hard graft. Though living at Oniata, Seamark was nlioiu the tirst Tukapa man to laud in Devon-street on Thursday moiniag to tiavi'l to Alanaia. If a player, unable to check himself (as some of them appear to he when an opponent is several yards away and ; u a handy position for a blimp), were to eliarge into the spectators, maim a woman or kill a child, who'd be responsible'; "Would the player have to stand the racket, or would the club or the Union pay': —or would the injured spectator take it as his just dessert, for crowding on to the lield of phiy'! Xlie-v' reflections are the result of Thursday s game. The crowd stood along the touchlines when play was close in. They crowded out yards into the lield as soon as such a move was reasonably safe. Someone should have seen to the feneingoif of the playing area. 'J'lic; refere? very sen.dbly declined lo interfere on Thursday, for there was 110 fence or barrier behind which he could have asked the spectators to retire. It wuul.l be a good move 011 the part of the Tar.inaki liugby Union lo enforce the fencing I of grounds.

REPRESENTATIVE MATCH FIXTURES. August o.—South Canterbury v. Tar.inaki, at New Plymouth. August B.—Marlborough v. Auckland, at Auckland. South Canterbury v. Wangaimi, at Wanganui. August 12.—South Canterbury v. Wellington, at Wellington. August 13.—South Canterbury v. As!iburton, at Ashburton. August 13.—Southland v. Canterbury, at C'hristclmreh. - Wellington v. Auckland, at Auckland. August 10—Southland v. Wanganui, at Wangaimi. August 20.—Wellington v. Taranaki, at Xew Plymouth. August 22.—Auckland v. Thames, a! Thames. Southland v. Manawatu, at Palnierston. Wellington v. Wanganui, at Wanganui. Horowhenua v. Wellington B, at Wellington. August 20— Southland v. Wellington, at Wellington. August 20.—Auckland v. Taranaki. Canterbury v. Wellington, at Wellington. September 12. Wellington v. Wairarapa, at Wellington.