FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 38, 4 July 1914, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

THE LEAGUE GAME. ENGLISHMEN REFUSE TO PLAY. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright „. , Sydney, July 3. The managers of the English team refuse to play on Saturday. Owing to five of their best players being injured they will be unable to take the field.

THIR]> TEST TO-DAY. Received 3, 11.5 p.m. T . Sydney, July 3. "too been finally decided that the third England-Australia test match will be played to-morrow.

ADVICE FROM HOME.

London, July 2. Enormous interest is being taken in Lancashire and Yorkshire, in the Eng-lish-Australian third test match in Australia. The President of the English Union has sent the team the following cable:—"Confidently anticipate that the best traditions of Northern Union football will be upheld. Expend every atom of energy and skill you possess to ' secure a victory, failing which lose like : sportsmen."

Received 4, 12.55 a.m. Sydney, July 3. It is understood that the test match is being played to-morrow as the outcome of pressure. The secretary of the New South Wales Rugby league cabled to the secretary of the Northern Union in England, explaining the position. The latter replied advising the touring manager to play the match.

THE RUGBY CODE.

FIXTURES FOR NEW ZEALAND

TEAM.

Seeeived 3, 11.5 p.m. Sydney, July 3. The following fixtures lor the New Zealand team are announced:— July 11—Play New South Wales. July 15—Western Districts, at Orange. July 'lß—Australia, at Sydney. July 22—Northern Districts, at Armidale. July 25 and 29—Queensland. August I—Australia, at Brisbane. August s—Olympic Fund match, at Sydney. August B—New South Wales, at Sydney.

August 15—Australia, at Sydney.

REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES IN TARANAKX The programme of representative matches in Taranaki was definitely fixed by the Taranaki Rugby Union Management Committee last night, as follows: July 23—v. Manawatu, at New Plymouth.

August fl—Taranaki A. v. Taranaki B, August 13—Wairarapa, at Stratford. August' 20—Canterbury, at New Plymouth.

August 27—Southland, at New Plymouth.

September 10—Wellington, at Stratford.

September 17—Auckland, at New Plymouth.

The dates for the Auckland matches at Auckland were discussed, and it WM decided to ask Auckland to play Taranaki at Auckland on August 1, and Taranaki B. at Auckland on August 23. Originally the A team was fixed to play at Auckland on August 22, but as Taranaki has to play Canterbury for the Ranfurly Shield on the Thursday previouii, and Southland the Thursday after, it was considered that the visit to Auckland on August 22 would be too big a rush. It was resolved to wire Poverty Bay and offer them a match on September 3 at Taranaki,

Mr. A. L. Humphries was appointed manager of the Taranaki team to visit Auckland on August 1.

TARANAKI RUGBY UNION. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. The Management Committee met at Stratford last night. Gpurdle (Clifton n.) was cautioned for questioning a referee's decision. 3. Utiger (Star II.), ordered off for disputing the referee's decision and using bad language, will be suspended pending an explanation. Andrews (Kaponga II.) and Wn>. Grant (Hawera II.), for abusive language and retaliating on an opponent, will be asked for an explanation, and the Kaponga' Club will be warned concerning the type of "barrackers" accompanying the junior team, some of these having incited the Kaponga team not to take the field.

A. Standard (Inglewood II.) was sub» j pended for a month for striking an op» ponent. Reinstatements applied for before thft conclusion of the first round wer« granted; but others were declined. The committee had no jurisdiction in the matter of reinstating P. Allen (now playing the League game), as asked bt the Star Club. Waimate Club will bo asked to explain what Kaponga termed its "unsportsmanlike" conduct in reinstating a batch of seniors to first juniors in order to defeat the Kaponga team on Julv 13.

Star and Tukapa will be asked to play a coastal team in aid of the Tamu fund, as requested by the Kasper Cup competitors. Clifton will be informed of the conditions under which L. Whitaker, a junior, played in the B team without losing his junior status. The home-and-bbme system of cup play-offs cannot be introduced this year. Should Stratford win in the senior competition of the north end the - play-off will take place at Hawera; if Clifton,at Stratford.