FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 192, 4 August 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

WOT AT A JUIOJJMH'KNJi:'MATCH. .Melbourne, August 3. A football mal eh between lire tirigu- ( tun and Port Alllliouiiiu learns allium- „ atcd in 11 i-iol. Tin' referee was knockid J down and sulVcred a slight concussion of u the brain. ; THIS AiAUlil TEAM. ( LITHJATIOX OVKII CJATE-iIOXHY. .Sydney. August 3. , It transpires that' Saturday's match , was not postponed mi account of ram, , but abandoned owing to a dispute be- ', . twecn tlio -Maori team and the League over money matters. On .Saturday the following notice, signed by I'nkere, the ; seerelnry, anil Aslier, the manager uf the -team, was handed to Hie secretary of the Kugby League:— "Owing to delays which have taken place in obla.niiig money for our team, the members have decided to abandon to-day's mat-h and all other engagements.'' Ashev states that Tlio secretary of the League, having got an order of the Court to slop the money coming to certain members, stopped it from the whole team. The men want the money whi.-h they allege they are entitled to, iui;l they are not going to play for the benefit'of the League. They'might as well abandon the lour. Another trouble is that when the team went to Brisbane eleven men were left at Sydney, but when the team reached Xewcastle'il was found that these, had been sent after. ■ The team declined to pay the charges jf sending these men to Newcastle. .Some other charges are also in dispute. As' instates that the players were paid fully ii]) to the time of the Court's granting an injunction. He adds: '-"ur point is that the money should not be witlih 'ld from the men against whom there is no injunction. That is our legal advice. The League has broken its contract, au.l ■ that is why we will not play." The 1/eague olllcials reply that they : claim they are debarred from paying ; any moneys to the team under the injunction granted in the Jack case. The j match against New South Wales, fixed : for to-day, will not be played. It is proposed to form a new team to • endeavor to arrange matches with Syd- ' ney and New Zealand.

[A cablegram from Sydney dated 23rd July stated:— R. Jack, who conducted the early negotiations in connection with the visit of the .Maori team with Asher, brought an equity suit against Asher and members of file team, claiming a commission on the takings. After .lack had initiated negotiations the matter was taken over by the New South Wales League. Plaintiff claims that he agreed with Asher to take 5 per cent, of the team's gate-money and divide the commission with Asher. Asher, in a letter, alleges that ho offered Jack i'/s per cent, of the team's share of the lirst gate. He never agreed to pay a commission. Defendant was allowed twenty days to enter an appearance to the suit.]

Ruhotii school boys journeyed to Pungircliii on Satuiday and played the local school boys (writes our Rahuiu correspondent). Neither side was I'uliy represented, only mustering eleven nu u. The game resulted in an easy win for Rahotu by 33 points to nil.' R. Kelly scored eight tries (which is a good performance), Norman Kelly one try, ami Kaipo two tries, none of which were converted. For Pungareliu Orr was prominent.

A practice match was phiyi-il nt li,iImlu on Siiliirilii.v between I,'aliotu an I Okato. .Neither' side: was fully represented, mid the wimi', which wi\* ujt remarkable for any brilliant play, insulted in ix win for Kaholu. Mr. ]l. liolliery was an ellicicnt referee. It behoves Okato (writes our correspondent) to get into form if they wish to make a creditable showing against the rodoubiablo Wainuite.

I'll discussing the tour of the British team, "Full-back," in the Otago Dai.y Times, says:—"That the visit of the Englishmen to the colonies will tend '-•> combat the undoubted growth of pr ifessionalism in New Zealand football must also lie regarded as doubtful, an 1 it is ik) use blinking the fact that during the present football season we have heard more of the probability of the introduction of professionalism into colonial football than over lie/ore. Of tours-.', 1 do not wish to suggest for one moment that the visit of the Englishmen lias in the slightest degree any direct bearing on the professional question, but it'cannot be doubled that the visit of the All lihicks to England opened the eyes of certain of the members of thot combination to the great lnouey-niaki'ig possibilities of the liugbv game at Home, and there can Ik' no gainsaying the fact that the recent visit to England of the New Zealand professional team was th<> direct outcome of the New Zealand amateur team's tour of England and Wal-'S. And this opens up the big question of whether visits for the purpose of phrving football should lie encouraged between teams from New Zealand and the J lonic Country. One of the strongest arguments brought forward by the Seers liugby Union against any of their players taking part in the recent vitit of the Englishmen was that it had been proved as a result of the All Blacks' trip Home that professionalism, histoid of being cheeked, laid received an impetus liy each visit. And who, in Che light of present-day developments, is prepared to say that the Scots Rugby I'nioii have taken a wrong view of th'S important -question?"