FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 212, 1 September 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

HIGH SCHOOL MATCH. The Napier Hoys' Uigli School met the New Plymouth High School boys yesterday on the Recreation Grounds, and won by 11 points to nil. The stoic gives no fair indication of the merits of the team*, the local boys playing against consistent hard luck. The visitors were much the heavier team, averaging lOst 21bs, and were considerably older than their opponents. They opened splendidly, throwing the ball, about aim "getting all over" the locals, until, as' the result of a tine passing run, McCarthy scored. Enting failed with the kick. In the next few minutes the New Plymouth lads were kept hot on the defence, but within fifteen minutas from the start a change came o'er the scene, and Xapier was kept in thek' own end of the field for the greater part of the remainder of the spell, Sinclair having the worst of luck in failing to get over. He had snapped the ball from a long line-out near his own goal, and set out on a gallop. Passing an opponent, he lost the ball, but gathered it in again, and continued up the centre of the field, passing to Clark, receiving the ball again from him, and racing for the line, which, however, was too far away. A few minutes later he was held up near the goal again. Napier' was still defending at half-time. Right upon the recommencement the Black forwards made a rush, beat Sinclair for the ball, and passed Okey as he looked the other way, "Bully" McCarthy scoring again. Enting con-J verted, making the score 8 to nil. The Napier boys were playing in close formation, but their little opponents fought gamely, contesting every inch of the ground. Several times they narrowly missed scoring, the full-back being very safe. Then the Napier boys worked a! point on the line-out, and got under way before the Blues came up, the rush ending in a try for Thomson. A hardfought game ended without further score, Clark preventing two certain Xapier tries by kicking to the dead-ball line. The visitors knew too much for the local boys, and worked off some senior club movements in good style. They were particularly good in linework and in following up. The New pfymouth boys were rather light, and the backs on the whole were not equal to the plucky vanguard, there being a great hesitating tendency. Of the winners, the best were Ross, Thomson, and Dean in the forwards, and McCarthy, Evans and Grant in the backs. Fot New Plymoutli, Ambury played the most "brainy" game, and Kibby, lloby, and Clark were also good. Sinclair was the best of the backs. Mr. T. Petty was referee.

The Napier team leaves to-day for Patea, where they will be engaged tomorrow in a match against a combin'tl team from the Taranaki District High Schools.

NORTHERN UNION GAME. AUCKLAND v. TARANAKI. For some little time past several local footballers have been practising the Northern Union game "on the quiet," and now a side has been organised. Names of probable players are being bandied about, but as jet the promoters decline to make any statement' other than that a match is to .be played it New Plymouth on September 10th against the Auckland team returning from Wellington. A "News" reporter had a eonvcrsation with one of the organisers yesterday, and he stated that an excellent team had been got together, including some of Taranaki's best backs. The idea of the players is that they take undue risk in playing football, and as the amateur authorities have hot taken steps to introduce an adequate insurance scheme they propose to insure themselves by taking out of the game whatever there is in it. And, too, they considered a man entitled to the payment of reasonable compensation for lost time. The list of players will not be available for a few days.

TARANAKI v. OTAGO. The team to represent Tarauaki against Otago at llawera on 9th September will be picked from the following:—Hardgraves, Cameron, Dive, Shea.han, Hunter, Mynott, Thurston, Ruckland, .Sheahan, Whittington, Cane, Pu kere, Tamu, Crowley, Rothery, O'Sullivan, and Smith.

REP. PLAYERS SUSPENDED. Owing to their conduct on tour, Colman and Frewiu have been suspended by the Taranaki Rugby Union. Mr. H. Dempsey, headmaster of the Central School, requests us to contradict the statement made. that, any boy other than a present pupil of the school represented Central in the football match against West End on Saturday. The boy whose bona fides have been questioned attended school as late as last Thursday.