FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 6, 1 July 1911, Page 7

FOOTBALL

WANGANUI v. TARANAKI. Wanganui will play the return match against Taranaki at Hawera next Thursday. The Taranaki team as published yesterday has been altered. The fifteen will be composed as follows: Full-back: D. Ryan (Waimate). Three-quarters: Cameron (Stratford), Stohr (Tukapa) and Prince (Waimate). Five-eighths: Mynott (Tukapa) and Roberts (Okaiawa)i Half: Brown (Tukapa). Wing-forward: Taylor (Waimate). Forwards: C. Osborne (Stratford), M. Cain (Clifton), ft. Hawkins (Star), Boon (Stratford), J. Kissiek (Kaponga), J. Ambury (Hawera), and Dewar (Star). The team as published is a strong one. The .backs have all been tried and proved in their present positions. Roberts is a man who should improve as the result of his bracketing with Mynott. He is hardly a classy five-eights yet, but can ibe depended upon tq fill the gap well, With Mynott out, as he will probably be next year, he seems tm be sure of a place in next year's reps, every time, unless some new bright light eclipses him. At present, however, there isn't the faintest glimmer. McLcod, of course, is a "cert" as soon as he has sufficiently recovered from the injuries he received in the OkaiawaWaimate match a few weeks ago. To get back to the Taranaki team. Amongst the forwards, Cain is included again. It is questionable whether a man who has been ordered off and punished for tripping an opponent shoulo be straightway picked for a rep. team, but the team must have a hooker, and Cain is the best Taranaki has at present.' "Mick" doesn't over exert himself nowadays, though, and a willing forward who can hook the ball may be certain of catching the selector's eye. Kissiek, one of the new men, is a Kaponga player, who has on more than one occasion been picked out as the best forward jon the- field in recent cup matches in South Taranaki.

Joe Ambury is a forward who could not long be denied his cap,- He's big and strong and fast, and his soccer experience makes him:clever, with his feet.

Dewpr has earned ..his pla,c.c. , He has some brains, and uses them on the football field, which, despite what may be said to the contrary, must be considered a useful feature, even if rare. He has a good knowledge of the finer points of the game. Hawkins, the other Star representative, has well earned his place in the team, being a good all-round forward, a strong arid clean player. The others we know of old.

Tamu; who has only just struck form, is not available, owing to his absence with a Maori team.

Whittington, one of the best forwards we have had for some seasons, nas voluntarily stood down to give some of the younger players a chance. Ward, of Tukapa, is passed over. Perhaps he's too light, but he's a sterling forward, all the same.

THURSDAY'S PLAY. The Star-Tukapa match on Thursday was fast, and fairly open. It was a splendid day for football, but the gusts of wind were of the fish-tail variety, and rarely came twice from the same direction. This made some of the players look foolish when they held out tbeir arms for a ball which seemed to be coming to them, but which at the last moment elected to alight somewhere else.

The Tukapa backs missed Charlie Brown considerably. He and Mynott understand one another now, but McGiven was new to his work. He has in him some of the stuff of which good half-backs arc made.

Honeyfield has perhaps never played a better game at full. The Star fullback, however, was poor. Young Main, from the second grade team would have done the work well. He's a youth possessing some pace, plenty of pluck, a quick Lsharp kick, and considerable skill in gathering in the ball. He's a Thursday player, though,. and not available fui- the Star seniors.

Stohr wasn't looking for tumblers. Hill brought him a beauty early in the g.ime, and after that he was content to kick past the Star three-quarter, whose tackling throughout the game was pretty and effective. Stohr's kicking was about as serviceable as his runs would have been, for the Star men collared well.

George Lovcridge and Webster both played well in the Tukapa tlirec-quartei line. Lovcridge kicks well, but a, couple of his ground-gaining line kicks were obvious flukes. The ball diopped inside tli-! line, travelled infield, and then bounced out. The crowd .ouldn't see "hat happened from the terraces, and "rallied" (lie line umpire but the Tukiipa flag-bearer wasn't cribbing ground that time.

Mynott lias been seen to greater advantage, though most of his work was flean and nippy. No,'one else in the |eam would have scored that try. lie summed up the chances in a second, saw the three-quarters were too well marked, aind dived through himself. Had he f&iled the crowd would have said he v>i<is selfish, but he was playing the game. His generalship was of great value to his learn. The chances are that he \w.nld ta':e !he Star team to-day aim ■ TuUaj.a. McGiven's work has alroady com;- in for comment. i is ps, i, r to single out (he forwards win didu': do their share than to say whi,!i one of the pack was the best. Bnt^; r -;iartoris was not putting in his biJ|Vith his finger-tips on the butWS l°f a couple of men in the serum hHHb'ted for the ball. Nary an ounce (SMrpusli, not he. Jones wasn't too V (R", S "t times, and Davidson doesn't - s flH'> improve much. ■Bli|o Stars, Bain was a failure at fJHH'Ug evidently out of form, and iflHhl nursing an injury. three-quarter line Lawson He sprinted veil at rally got his nun low, and jHHUhid of work. A much imDaly is a man with some HHHHL\ kicking is not his forte, and 89H& as "t as somfi °f '»'s mates. big mistake and lost an r^^HH''d' n try by an error of jud'gin when he had about flHHds bctwsen him and the touch-

line, and plenty of support. A straight run was his only chance. Hill played a very useful game, but, like the rest of the three-quarter line, suffered by Pfankuch's tactics. This player could always be depended on to take the ball, but had no idea of giving the other men a chance. His backs were quite good enough to be given a pass now and again. What work he did was done well, but often it was the wrong kind of work. Lack of judgment, 01 selfishness, which?

Brown played at half-back, and played well, but was, handicapped inasmuch as he never knew where to find' hjs fiveeighths. W. Whitaker did a heap of hard work, and fairly earned his try, playing., well on both attack and defence.

The forwards were, on the whole, .pretty fit. For the greater part of the game they were superior to their opponents, but they were given more work owing to poorer kicking capabilities qf the backs. -.' This told on the men who wore not in the best of nick, and Richards and Ross •tired early., Dewar and Hawkins played themselves info next week's rep. team, and Woods, Okey, and Simmers grafted hard, all through. If these two teams played another match in aid of the same deserving cause the management could depend on another good gate. The junior match in the Recreation Grounds on Thursday-gave little ground for hoping that New Plymouth will have any exceptional team next year, unless tljere are some importations. But Stockman is 'developing into a good place-kick. He ought to practise this real hard.

"Jimmy" Hunter some time ago gaye up football and took unto himself a wife. Footballers decided to honor him, and on Wednesday night visited him ai his home, where Mr. and Mrs. Hunter treated them to an excellent supper. Mr. P. O'Dea, speaking on behalf of the T.R.U., said that as a footballer, Mr. Hunter had ,not only a local reputation, Imt a provincial reputation, and be niight .say. a world-wide reputation. As one of the "All Blacks" he was prominent amongst the best four players, and his famous' corkscrew rune would always be remembered wherever he had. played. Speaking of his long associa-' tion with football, Mr. O'Dea said that even as a boy Mr. Hunter was" the "most notable amongst his fellows, not only for good football, but for his quiet unassuming manner, .which had also distinguished him', later in life and helped to win for him that general esteem in which he was now held. It had always been a pleasure to referee for, any team lie controlled, and more than once other clubs had been urged to emulate ins example. When- he was captain there was an absence of bad behaviour, and lie hoped that the clubs would try and live up to those traditions for which he had been largely responsible. In presenting Mr. and Mrs. Hunter with a silver tea. and coffee service he irjc'tion'ed that nearly 100 had subs""" _ to the presentation and the money came in so freely that the lists had to be closed. Taranaki had never produced a greater player, a cleaner sport, or a whiter man than Mr. Hunter, to whom he would offer the good wishes of his club in par-, ticular, but also those of all Taranaki footballers. Mr. P. Shealian, speaking on behalf of the Referees' Association, said that the clean manly part that Mr. Hunter bad always taken in Piiigby had I>een testified to by many, and he had heard it said that "Jimmy" was the whitest man on the field. The recipient was characteristically brief in a very modest reply. The following team will play for United against Rovers on the Recreation Sports Ground to-day:—Touhy, Tito, Kisby, Gunson. J. Skipper, Cha'rteris, Rendle, Mulloy, Ooss, Bacon, Cronibie, Skipper, Billing, and Grey. ; Emergencies: Carroll, Jacobs, G. Martin.

A meeting of the United Football Club was held in the Town Hall on Thursday night, at which the club's position in the' Saturday competition was considered. It was unanimously decided that tjhe club continue in the fixtures, notwithstanding the present bad state of affairs. The members present displayed considerable enthusiasm, and it was resolved to put as strong a team as possible in the field on Saturday. Mr. J. Grey was elected secretary." The election of a field captain was postponed till Saturday (to-day), when he will be elected by the team.