FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 71, 2 July 1910, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

(By "Spectator"). With three more matches yet to play, the .position of the senior cup competition in the northern division is now very interesting. Star's draw with Tukapa on Thursday has had the effect of reducing Tukapa's one-point lead, and Tukapa, Stratford and Clifton are all now bracketed equal. Tukapa have not been beaten yet, but have three draws to their credit, viz., against Stratford, Clifton and Star. However, they have yet to meet both iStratford and Clifton in the second round. Both of these j teams has one loss, as well as the draw. Clifton and Stratford have yet to meet Star, who are proving a hard nut to crack. Of course, there is always the possibility of Eltham or Inglewood coming to light, and upsetting calculations, 'but the greatest interest will he centred in the meeting of Tukapa and Stratford at the latter place next Thursday. It was expected that Mynott and Stohr would have been back from 'Australia in time to assist the wearers of the blue and white jersey, but the prolongation of the tour has prevented that, and they will only arrive here at the same time as Tukapa will on its return from Stratford. They will, however, both be available for the match against Clifton. In the first junior competition Eltham, with an unbeaten record, is leading Clifton by four points. In the second juniors, matters are more open. The same three teams are bracketed equal, .while Eltiiam is only two points 'behind.

In the southern division senior, competition, Waimate and Okaiawa arc leading with five wins and a draw each. In the first juniors Hawera has a twopoint' les-d over Okaiawa, and in the thirds Patea has a two-point lead. The .position of the teams is as follows: — (NORTHERN DIVISION.

t While . the Star-Tukapa match on * Thursday, was not a high-grade exhibition of football, it was lively and exl citing, good' iplay being shown at times. , Though strenuously contested, tile game 3 was a very clean one, and the caution . that was administered to one player was s hardly deserved. ! For the Star team Brown played a rfine game at half, and all round wa3 i! the best back on the ground, his work , being invariably clean, neat and correct. ! Hill, the centre, gets through a tremen- [ dous amount of work, most of it with [distinct credit. His fielding and kicking particularly are good, but there is j little doubt that the team would ha strengthened were he to change place ' with Grant. The latter seems to be wasted on the wing, play rarely coming his way when his side is on the attack. W. Whitaker is, still playing a very sound game, and'seems,to improve with Brown. L. Whitaker gave not a bad ex- | hibition for his first attempt in senior : football. Clow as usual was Safe. The forwards are a well-trained lot, Dixon particularly being very prominent in , i loose .work. j For Tukapa, Clarke gave a sound ex- ' hibition at fullback. In the three-quar-i ter line C. Webster showed up promin--1 ently, running and kicking with more confidence than usual. Jones played a ' safe game, and seemed to have fewer opportunities than usual on attack. Behind the scrum Loveridge' was clever, but did not get the protection he should have hud'from his wings, who were beat-' en bv their Star vis-a-vis. Amongst the forwards MeAllum and Ward were alwavs prominent. The Clifton-Inglewood,match at ingle-1 wood was not a particularly brilliant exhibition and was mainly confined to the forwards. Clifton forwards were most I prominent, and the score would probably! have been much heavier but for the d>-| termined way in which Nicholls at haif! and Brown at five-eighths got down ,to rushes. ; Cain and Loveridge were .probably the best of a good pack of Clifton forwards,] while Crowley shone on the wing. .j The greasy nature of the ball mili-i tated against back play. Still, Clifton I would have done much, better had they flung the ball about more, as on the few occasions they indulged in passing tac tics the ball was handled .nicely: Sampson at full-back, has played many , safer games. His kicking was not as strong a feature as usual, whilst his fielding was at times very weak. Jones, the centre three-quarter, was the best on the day's nlay. His defence was very sound. His tackling, however, was very strenuous, and at times he appeared unnecessarily rough in dealing with his opponents. This wants checking or it will land him in trouble. ■Goodwin was handicapped through a sinew in his leg giving early in the game. Tate also appeared off color. Adams, at five-eighths, who comes with a reputation from the Wairarapa, 'did not have ma*iy opportunities /of showing his worth in attack. Still, on two or three occasions, he showed evidence of a knowledge of the game, and should prove a useful man. . ' Inglewood forwards at' times played! well, but lacked combination. Kussell 1

and Olsen followed up'werL but were practically unsupported. Chapman also got in some good work, as did Tokotawa.

All the Inglewood backs tackled well, Nicholls, at half, playing a fine defensive game, getting right down to the 'rushes like a Trojan. He also got the kill out nicely on occasions. Behind a winning pack* he would have a better chance of displaying liis quality. Brown played a solid game in the three-quarter line. Smith}, (at centre, and on the wing, were prominent, their fast following up often nonplussing the Clifton backs. Tarata, on the other wing, was slow, ■but fairlv sure.

Jury, at full, played a safe game. One of his kicks at goal was splendid, and it was hard luck that it went under the bar. Another attempt in a much, •better position was very feeble. The Star Football Club acknowledges with thanks a donation from Mr. James Sjoith. Writing from San Francisco, Mr. Duncan Blair, formerly a Wanganui rep., says of the American University touring team:—"'They have had very few opportunities to get the practical experience of playing against good teams—the best tutor—so it is all the more creditable that they play so well. Witnessing the exhibition game of the All Blacks in 1906, and playing against the Wallabies in 1008', have been their only chances of learning anything, for they have nothing to learn from the British Columbia representatives, except, maybe, in dribbling, for the latter included some old Soccer players,. These tourists are a fast aggregation, strong at tackling, following up, loose and scrum work, and fairly good at kicking, fielding and passing. I am afraid they will not 'be clever enough in the scrums, and immediately behind the pack, though.Elliott is good at five-eighths. They are all weak on left-foot kicking. 'Holman, the fastest and most dashing three-quarter, and Crawford, the heaviest and best forward in California, were unable to make the trip. They may beat Queensland, but will probably Jose to.New South Wales and New Zealand; however, the tour will do incalculable good for Rugby in California and the West, probably throughout America, for the American game in. the East is losing popularity owing to many accidents."

SATURDAY COMPETITION. Owing to the Pirates having forfeited to Warehouses, the Civil Service v. Rovers match, which was to have been played on the racecourse, will be played on the Recreation Ground instead.

The following will represent the Rovers in their match with Civil Service on the Recreation Sports Ground to-day: Webster, Hill, A. Grant, I. Grant, Thompson, Ryder, Loveridge, Forrest, Grey, Mclsaacs, Coker, Turabull, Bollinger, Hohy, Mulloy.

THE 'ASSOCIATION GAME. A meeting of the Taranaki Association Foofhafi (Union - wus held at Eltham on Thursday hist, 30th June. . There were present: l —Messrs. Carncross and Simpson (Elfham), Clark,and Sparrow (Stratford)., Bullock and Elliott (New Plymouth), Hareourt and ,Proffitt (Auroa), Foreman and Melville (Kaponga). Mr. Sid. Clark occupied the chair. It was decided that Taranaki should send their' representative learn to Wellington on the I.6th July to contest the Brown Shield; and that a trial match, North v. South, he played at Stratford on Thursday, 7-th July, to pick the representative team. Mr. Sid, Clark was chosen - selector for the North, and Dr. Mclagan and Mr. Simpleton for the South. . , The draw for the third round - of the Julian Cup resulted:—Northern Division: New' Plymouth v.' Stratford, at Inglewood or New Plymouth; New Plymouth v. Eltham, at New Plymouth. Southern Division: Kaponga v. Hawera, ak"Kaponga; Auroa y. KapQnga, at Kaponga ; Hawera v. Auroa, at Auroa. Dates for the matches will he fixed after the Brown Shield match.

The Cup mateh Auroa v. Hawera, that 'should have been played on 3rd June, was discussed at some' length, and it was finally decided that Hawera forfeit the two points for not playing. It was decided, that the junior mateh Anroa v. Hawera be played at Auroa; also that Eltham play Stratford at Eltham in the second round after the Brown Shield match. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the ohair and the Press.

*3 d « 8 0) . . g pj &. b§|5 u ! ■§ a< £ a a £ 4 O Tukapa . ..7 4 0 3 74 34 11 Stratford .. .. 7 5 1 1 66 29 11 Clifton ■'. ...7511 67 9 11 Star .. . ...7241 75 66 5 Eltham ...7250 46 81 4 Inglewood .. .. 7 0 7 0 24 134 0 •' FIRST JUNIORS Eltham . .. 7 7 0 0 59 20 14 Clifton ...7412 44 30 10 Tukapa . .. 74 3 0 69 39 8 Inglewood ....723 2 62 71 6 Star .. ...7151 26 80 3 Stratford .. .. 7 1) 6 1 SECOND JUNIORS 34 62 1 Tukapa ... 7 5 2 0 48 32 10 Stratford .. .. 7 ' 5 2 0 63 43 10 Clifton . . .. 7 5 2 0 115 22 10 Eltham . .. 7 4 -3 0 33 41 8 Star .. . .. 7 16 0 25 78 <-2, Inglewood ..-.. 7 16 0 18 75 2 SOUTHERN DIVISION. ■ ' SENIORS. Waimate ..".. 6 5 0 1 106 26 11 Okaiawa . .. 6 5 0 1 51 22 11 Kaponga ...63 3«0 40 37 6 Opunake ....6240 3054 4. Patea .. .. .. 6 15 0 15. 43 2 Hawera ...6150 42 102 2 , JUNIORS.Hawera ...6 5 1 0 37 12 10 Okaiawa . .. 5 4 1 0 37 -12 8 Patea .. ....5410 31 15 8 Waimate .. .. 5 3 2 0 26 19 6 Normanby ... 5 1 3 I' 34 28 \ Kaponga ...6150 8 65 2 Opunake ... 5 0 4 1 3 25 0 SECOND JUNIORS. Patea .. ... 4 3 1 0 23 23 6 Waimate ...4220 32 15 4 Okaiawa ...4220 18 34 4 Kaponga . ..4 13 0 26 27 2