FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 300, 13 May 1911, Page 7

FOOTBALL

NOTES. (By "Old Stager.") The senior fixtures for next Thursday are as follows: Inglewood v. Clifton, at Inglewood; Eltham v. Stratford, at Eltham. Over-fat forwards lost a bit of weight on Thursday. It was cricketers' weather. Jack Stohr showed the Elthamites a clean pair of heels on two occasions. He's swift as ever. The same Jack can kick a little, but his long line-finders weren't as successful as usual in the Eltham match. All the same, those long boosts were heartbreaking to the visiting forwards, who came tumbling along to collar Stohr o! to get the ball before him, only to find that they might have saved their breaths, the leather going hurtling over their heads just when they were about "winded." The Tukapa forwards weren't half quick enough in forming the line-outs. Of little use for the wing-forward to bustle forward and get the ball if he has to sort o' stand at attention for half a minute or more till his forwards come along.

Charlie Brown played a capital game. He's getting clever at worming his way through a pack, and his clnbmates will have to get into the habit of profiting by it. One man against fifteen is not fair odds. _ There's nothing like practice. By the time Jack Stohr has become proficient in catching the passes sent out from his five-eighths he'll have qualified as a tip-top butterfly net, and be able to catch anything. The Tukapa serum doesn't seem too clever. Eltham forwards beat them nearly every time for the ball on Thursday.

Webster is one of the most improved backs in this division. He plays with his head some. The forwards will come in for their share of commendation or otherwise later on. The Eltham players ought to see to it that the language on the field is sweet, tuned to suit ladies' ears. There's no need to call on the maker of the universe when a ball goes somewhere other than it is intended to, nor is there any need to jamb an adjective in front of the word ball when asking a player foi it. Potier is a smart three-quarter, but he got few chances on Thursday. His place-kicking was wretched. Mr. Thorns, the Eltham senior selector, was on the touch-line on Thursday. He didn't seem greatly impressed by the work >of the full-back. Young Len Brown is a fair Trojan at half-back. The Eltham team is lucky in having a lad of his calibre. Narbey i 3 a very useful forward. He has weight and pace, and he's willing. Charlie Robinson, who has come up from school football through the Eltham club grades, plays a good game for the seniors. His brother Harry was "one of the best" in Eltham in his day. I Sullivan, at five-eighths, will shape well with a bit more practice, but he lacks support in the rear division. The Clifton-Stratford match on Thursday was very disappointing, the play being hardly up.tyr.ltyjrd,grade standard. This was ford's part; as several of their team were drawn from' 'third grade, rank>. , . . i Free kicks for breaches of rules wen j very numerous, Clifton being the worst] offenders. The Clifton forwards arc a good willing lot, but they do not use their heads sufficiently. A good coach would work wonders.

There was something wrong in the pack, as the ball when hooked by the yellow and greens hung iu the back row. "Let it come, you idiots," yelled Colman, at one stage of the game to his vanguard. It may have expressed his feelings, but did not show much consideration to those of his team. Dn Blois and Cain were prominent at times, but were palpably out of condition. Thomas played consistently throughout the game, Crowley on the wing played a good game for Clifton, hut his showing was marred by off-side tactics. fioodwin was the best of the backs, and put in some good work, running and collaring well. There is still a tendency to play at times "to the gallery." Colman was solid on defence, but did not open up the game sufficiently. ' Don Cameron played a very poor same, not up to club standard. He will have to improve if he hopes to reach the reps, this season, except on reputation. His brother at full-back played a goou game. He fumbled at the start, due probably to nervousness, as from second junior to senior in one afternoon is a big jump. Afterwards, however, he did all that was asked in a finished manner. Melville and Boon were most prominent in the forwards. Smith was right "off."

Stratford will materially enhance their elmnecs when Marehant, James, H. Cleaver, and Stewart are included. Cleaver is the ex-Okaiawa wing-forward, and Stewart is a five-eighths, and an cxManawatu rep. Clifton expect to have Bernsten back in their ranks, whilst Martin, the Maori rep., is also likely to don the* green and gold jersey. Another Rugby Union has been granted affiliation to the New Zealand Rugby Union, viz., the Bay of Plenty Union. Players in this district were formerly under the control of the Auckland Union. We have to thank club secretaries for complimentary season tickets received during the week from Clifton, Tukapa, Eltham and Okato clubs. The selectors of the New Zealand team should welcome the scheme set in yesterday morning's telegraphed report of the New Zealand Rugbv Union. The Dominion, in describing the Oriental-Poncke match last week, says that Roberts, the hero of a hundred hard-fought battles and a man who has always hid a charmed existence (or an abnormally tough build) when the boots were Hying their wildest, met his Waterloo when he went down to a rush near his own goal-line. When the mixup was sorted out it was found that Roberts was hois he combat, and on examination it was found that he had sustained a severely-damaged jaw. The "All Black" had to lenve the field about 20 minutes before the end of the game. The interprovincial fixtures approved by the N.Z.R.U. may or may not be correct. Tt is quite on the cards that Taranaki may miss Canterbury out of their tour in return for "favors received." The Tukapa Football Club desire to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of donations froti the following supporters: W. J. Williams £1 Is, W. F. Shields ss, J. McLeod ss, ft. Cock ss, "Tukapa" 10s, fi. Saunders ss, J. Kearslev ss, P. J. Flanagan ss, D. Teed ss, S. Teed ss. The seeretarv of the Star Football Club .'!(-l,-ur"rledecs w'Hi Hunks donation* fp-pi Mc«r=. V. T) o cl<rill. J. Slide. .1. Hawkins and Co.. M"l'lweii I'vos.. Arthur Pearce. Charl"s Haskell. .Tuck Brae, also Mr. Bruce Joll, who made a pre-ont of a football to the first juniors. There are few places in the Dominion where footba'l is so enthusiastically pursued as at Petone. One of the most stringent unwritten laws in Petone Club football is that if a player is anxious to

keep hie place—no matter in what grade —he lias to (int. in two nights a week at\ the gymnasium, and what is the result? Ever since Pctone has heen competing in the championship, they have heen a team to he reckoned with. Even th.e schoolhoy has his eveniii'i at. the jrvmnasiiiin. When the man in charge of the game gives a blast on his whistle and awards a free kick to one or other of the opposing teams, spectators and many 01 the players are often at a loss to understand why. "Agnopak," who was appointed by the southern committee of the Taranaki Referees' Association to act as scribe, has the following remarks which should be read and studied by young players, and also by those who are always so ready to advise the referee from the line. The first clause in free kick penalties reads: 'When a player intentionally handles the ball or falls down in a scrummage, or picks the ball out of a scrummage.' The ball cannot be picked up till it has passed out from between the legs of the back row of the scrummage. If a player goes down on one knee in the scrummage he is regarded as having fallen down in the scrummage, if the referee is convinced that it was done intentionally. It sometimes happens that when a scrum breaks up a player falls upon the ground, and seeing the ball near at hand kicks it while in a prostrate condition. This is illegal, and a free kick to the opposing side must be awarded. A player is on the ground when not wholly supported by his feet. It sometimes happens that when a halfhack is hard pressed by the opposing wing forward he kicks the ball back into the scrum. It is not always realised that such an action at once puts his forwards in front of the half-back off-side, and therefore renders them liable to a free kick being given a'gaint them. A free kick is awarded when a player who is held by an opponent does not immediately pass or drop the ball. The object of this rule is to do away with a good deal of the tendency to rough play. Players should realise that an immediate parting with the ball when collared does away, with anything in the shape of "scragging," quickens the game, and avoids the certainty of a free kick to the other side when perhaps the team is in a dangerous position for scoring penalty goals,

'Being on the ground does not immediately get up.' If such a situation were allowed it would open the way to all sorts of abuses and pointing, and so the penalty is a free kick. When a player is lying on the ground he is completely out of play, and cannot interfere with another player, who may have the hall, such as tackling him by the ankle when he is running past. 'A free kick when a player prevents an opponent getting up and putting down the trail.' The reason of this is obvwns.i A free kick is given when a player fir on the ground with the ball and does not part with or roll away from the ball. A player in such a position is in danger of meeting with an accident. In a forward rush very often the only way of stopping it is by falling on the ball. ThU is legitimate, but the player must UUtnediately get up or roll away from the ball. Many backs do not do this, trusting to the generosity of the foe not to hurt them. This is most unfair, and in every case the referee must blow his whistle and order a free kick against the Offender.

No player overtaking another must shove'the overtaken player frem behind. Such an action is penalised, by a free kick. To hqld aplayef .jww.luVljot got nave a free kick given againstihjflji Tripping up is punished by the same penalty, with the addition of a caution, and ordering off the -field for a second offence. Free kicks are also given for the following offences:—When a player wilfully puts the ball unfairly into the scrum; charging and obstructing an opponent not holding the ball when he himself it not in possession of the ball; shouting "on side" when his men are not on side; when wing forwards get in front of the' ball when it is in the scrum; when al player willfully breaks any law for which penalty is a "scrum" or wilfully wastes time; and when a player lifts his foot in the scrum before the ball hag been put in. In conclusion, it is well for all players to remember that all free kicks, whether punts, drop kicks, or place kicks, must lie in the direction of opponents' goal line, and not across the field to the wing forward. When the ball is not kicked] parallel with the touch line the referee must order a scrum.

TO-DAY'S MATCHES, The Saturday football matches commence to-day, when Rovers play United at New Plymouth and Star journey to Oka to to play the country team. As the Tariki team did not materialise, the fixtures had to be re-urranged, and three rounds will be played. Okato, who had the bye, received quite a shock on Wednesday when news enme that they must prepare for the fray on Saturday. The committee, however, rose to the occasion, and has selected a team which, it is expected, will put up a good fight. The following will represent the Star seniors today in their match at Okato:| Pfnnkuch, Hill, Daly, Stannering, Ward,| Bain, McAllum, Dewar, Okey, Woods, Johnson. Simmers, Hawkins, PilcherJ Evans. Seldon. I