FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 124, 3 September 1910, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

(By Spectator.) The Taranaki representatives play Auckland to-day at Auckland for the Ranfurly Shield. A full report of the match will appear in Monday morning's issue. The Taranaki team is not as strong as originally selected, and a victory for the visitors would surprise most of us. We are all willing to ibe surprised that way, of course. The following letter is taken from a recent issue of the Stratford Post:— •'ln your report of the 'Stratford football dinner, I notice that medals given for the Stratford senior hacks were presented to Anderson for his all-round play, and Cameron for the distinction of best back. I must congratulate An- | derson, his medial being well deserved,' and wish him further success in the future. Can the same be said of Cameron? lam afraid not, and,am at a loss, and a good many others, too, to know where the justice comes in, andi on what grounds he received this medal, j Was it for his brilliant defence (displayed principally in the Waimate match and in the combined match at Stratford, saying nothing of his "get out of the way style" for the remainder of the season), or was it for his pluck, his tackling and his unselfishness? In future, m'elials presented > to teams, are to be .given in this manner for the purpose (and I see no other in this case) of keeping up lost reputations,- L am afraid local j Rugby will sutler irreparable harm, andj in slch case, the ', sooner the distribution, of medals is dropped.: l the better. I regret that such : favoritism must ibe' hrought before the .'public eye, but followers of the gam,e like to see fair play.". At the last meeting, of the Wellington Rugby Union Management Committee it was "reported that several players who took part in the }ni*tch against Marl■borough had failed to return their jerseys. On the motion of Mr. W. Perry it was decided to write, to these players, requesting the return of the jerseys b\ Monday next. Failing ithe Ire turn of the jerseys, the committee would consider the question of suspending the players, and the selectors would be advised not to consider the offenders when selecting future representative teams.

If the W.R.U. treats this'little misdemeanour so seriously, what would its members do with some Taranaki footballers? Take those reps., for instance, who on the day before and the day after the Wellington match were so palpably injuring their chances of lasting out a fast game. If the T.R.U. is going to pass over that sort of ching, tfeere will soon be no Taranaki rep. team worth mentioning. One never knows, but it would not be surprising one of these days to find well-trained players rising in a body and declaring their absolute refusal to play in a team which possesses so many passengers passengers not because of their want of knowledge of the game, but because of their unfitness. No so long ago men who professed to be keen on si game, used to "diet" themselves. Abstinence from fatty foods, and abstinence from wine, was voluntary.

In the Okaiawa-Eltham match on Thursday the Gkaiawa team allowed Eltham to play a man who was no longer a resident of the Eltham Club's district, but who had moved into the Okaiawa district since the conclusion of the division fixtures. Nothing more has been heard of the proposal to play a second match between the Stratford and Waimate senior team in aid of the Bayly Memorial Scholarship funds. ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL. The following will represent the New IPlymouth Club in the match against Auroa at Eltham to-day for the final of the Julian Cup:—Vale, Hedley, Bullock, Malcolm, Elliott, Reid, Smart, Archer, Arthur, Eggleston, Goddard, Gwillim. Emergency: Thomas. The Auroa team comprises:—O'Dea, Davis, Bradford, Smith, Watson, Hall, Joyce, Penfold, Anderson, Syme; emergencies, Rudkin and Innes.