FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1919, Page 8

FOOTBALL.

SOME REMINISCENCES. By "Hal Berte." With football once again going strong in Taranaki it should not be long before it leaches its whilom high standard. There must be something in the Taranaki atmosphere that makes good footballers. Recently 1 had the pleasure of seeing the Star-Wellington Tramway and Tukapa-Stratford matches, and although the games naturally were not up to pre-war standard they were interesting and ,gave promise of improvement. These noteß are not of present day football, but rather the result of some reflections indulged in whilst gazing at the abov* games. Usually with veterans they are loath to admit that the present sport—be it the racecourse, boxing arena or football field—is an improvement on the past. Not so the writer, who admits that better and faster football now prevails than, say, 20 years ago. In those days a 10-11 stone man was not looked upon as a likely senior forward. He lacked the weight necessary for the bullocking work in the close work and scrum, so he rarely rose to senior rank. To-day Tukapa has several forwards who would find it hard to scale 11 stone, and the club ft well in th" championship, an indication that weight nowadays is not looked upon as the most essential qualification.

Heavy grounds are now a thing of the past, the playing fields being well turfed and drained, but this was not the case 20 years back. Winters then appeared to be more severe and I have distinct recollections of seeing an Eltham back, C. Robinson, playing barefooted in a game payed in the snow. In the Hawera district the rivalry has always keen between two clubs, Hawera and Risals. . The latter had tie four Coffey Bros; in the ranks—Martin, .Percy Alf> ami Tom, all good footballers. Norman A'Court was another player of note, whilst the horseman, Keith, also assisted the club. The writer has recollections of Charlie Major (an cx-M.P.), and Bill, and Jack Adamson, three big men, playing for the amber and black. Always a solid team, Hawera has had some splendid players. "Jack" Adamsou has "crossed the bar" a good many years, and "Tom" Coffey was one of the unfortunates' who travelled west in the late war. In the late 00's the club had a fine team—Jesse Riddell (killed at the fron,t), Jas, Grcig (who has a son playing now), Fred Livingstone (who kept going for many years after a man usually retires), Wal'lie Nicholas and Alex Hunter, all in the Taranaki reprcsentatives, those years. The last mentioned never appeared to do justice to himself in representative games, but -who nevertheless was ,the gamest man one could find to fill the last-lino of defence. Bernie McCarthy, another club player, was an ideal centre three-quarter, a beautiful kick and always cool- Hunter and McCarthy are still in Hawera, one a successful farmer and the other a well known solicitor. The best place-kicker I remember was Percy Pra.tt. Many a junior game was won by reason of the ability he possessed in converting tries and 'landing penalty goals.

Hawera had some promising junior players and "Jimmy" Hunter at this time was one, whilst another, Essen, had the honor of starting the season as a Hawera junior and finding himself a Taranaki representative before the end of the year. There were many others of note wliose names are forgotten for the moment. Ronnie McLean, a tall three-quarter, who seemed to run into your arms—and out—but who gave the game up too earl}'. ' Hughes, another back, was a Hawera favorite. Afterwards Hawera had the services of the one and only "Jimmy" Hunter, the All-Black star, whose name is probably more familiar than any other in football history in the Dominion. Jack Coleman was another boy who was initiated into representative games through the Hawera Club and Whittington is another player who has successfully upheld the traditions of the club. To Hawera also goes the honor of having the man who was solo selector for many years of the Taranaki team, Mr. Georg'c Syme, the man who sorted out Arthur ("Skinny") Humphries as a coming Dominion player when the Star player was only commencing his career. Mr* Syme's judgment was borne out, as Humphries proved one of the greatest and most resourceful of representative halves. | There were a few lean years with the rllawora Club, but in fair 'weather or foul'%. players always played the game. ..Wainmte Club has a place in Taranaki football annals that can only be described as enviable. It has been the nursery of some of the finest footballers not' only Taranaki but New Zealand has ever seen. There never has been a year when Waimate could not produce a credjtable team in which there were always some top-notchers. In the senior competition it has always managed to be at the top or near the top, and in the plays-off with the northern champions hasi won more games than it has lost.

There were some veritable football giants, in the old days—the Goods! (described as the "Taranaki Grey;hounds"), all of them—"Ally," Hugh and Harry—powerful, lithe, active players that nothing could get past. Ideal footballers these men were and it is little wonder they made the Taranaki team one to be respected and talked about throughout the length and breadth of. New Zealand. ' " < Then there were the Lambies and:.the' Forsyth's, the Baylys and the Hughe's th«i'<Jlenns and the Bourkes and the YoungS. Jim Lambie was a really great playervin.his day. The Baylys, too, were magnificent footballers. "Alf" Bayly—hitaor to his memory!—was the soul of j chivalry - and played a prettv as well las -a-jtheady game. It is questjqnable: iP'even Wallace, the-.great All-Black; ever equalled his all-round standard of play."But he was never the same player'after the fatality at Dunedin. Both George and Fred were players of note. Daii Hughes was perhaps the best lme-oV man Taranaki has had. Those big hands of his were always in evidence when the ball was around, and the smart way he got it out to the backs was a treat to witness. In the nick, too. he was always prominent.. Of the Glenns, "Bill"" was the most prominent. Fourteen years ago he played for his team at the New Plymouth Rec. against, I think, Stars. He gave a wonderful exhibition of forward work and on his form that day particularly he owed his inclusion in "the All-Black touring team.

Bourkes and Burkes are names that were associated with the Waimate Club for years, and good solid faithful toilers they always proved. The Youngs and Christies were also players of note. But to do this club and its galajty ?I Zealand representative pkvyers