FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 166, 30 November 1912, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

The crisis" !n Rugby life in Devon is likely to give the English Union the unsavoury and unthankful task of examining and sifting evidence, some of w|»ich may be of a very startling character indeed, if only the half of whut one hears is true (says 'lxion" in the Sportsman). To begin with, there was some sort of project for the formation, of Northern Union League for Devon in Cornwall, but it was quite easy to see that financial problems, the question of gates, would, sooner or later, prove an insuperable bar. For dealings with the Northern Union, an offence under the Rujiby Union laws, there have been suspensions at Teignmouth, Torquay and Newton Abbot'. The individuals concerned hiive stoutly protested their innocence and have further declared that the County Union have treated them unjustly. Meantime statements have been made in the press which, to say the least, arc decidedly" incrimiu' ating, and which must lead to a thorough and exhaustive enquiry into ice conduct of club affairs. 1 append a.r extract from an interview in the Western Mercury with Mr. A. H. Scott, the team secretary of the late Plymouth Club:—"What have you to say about the allegation of veiled professionalism?* "What I say is this," answered Mr, Scott. "The officials of every club in Devon know for a faot that it would be impossible to get any fifteen to go away on trips without getting what is known as 'broken time' —that is, recompense for wages lost through men being away from work. An ex-member of a prominent Devon team was chatting with me only this morning, and he was astounded" to think that he could be professionalised for receiving money for time lost. |)ur- . ing my eleven years' official connection with Rugby football I have come across 'lew artisan players of any club who.tyave ' gone away without getting broken time* I "If I ever decide to play football again | it will be under, the soccer code." These were the words of "Dally" Messenger at the Sydney District Soccer Club's meeting last week, at which he was presented with a large framed photograph of the members. "When I was jn England » few seasons back with the New Zealand and Australian Rugby League teams,*' declared the brilliant three-quarter) "I was inundated with offers to play the soccer gamq. Subsequently sums were held out to me by the Newcastle [Jnited, Birmingham, Liverpool and Glasgow Celtic Clubs, but as the League was only in its infancy then I decided to stick to the thirteen-a-side game; I would like to play the dribbling football," said Messenger in conclusion, "and I have been told that I would make a good outside right forward. The British, game is one of the most scientific that I have watched, and the players, must always be in the pink of condition."