FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 May 1921, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

FIXTURES FOR TO-DAY. A GRADE SENIOR. Opunake v. Tukapn, at Opunake. Hawera v. Clifton, at Waitara. Kaponga v. Patea, at Kaponga. Waimate v. Okaiawa, at Manaia. B GRADE SENIOR. Old Boys v. Eltham, at New Plymouth.Star v. Inglewood, at New Plymouth. FIXTURES FOR NEXT WEEK. A GRADE. Stratford v. Waimate, at Stratford. Hawera v. Tukapa, at Hawera. Kaponga v. Okaiawa, at Okaiawa. Patea v. Opunake, at Patea. B GRADE. Eltham v. Inglewood, at Eltham. Okato v. Star, at New Plymouth. REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES ARRANGED. June 3—v. Wanganui, at Wanganui. *June 30—v. Manawatu, at Stratford. July 6—v. South Auckland, at Hawera. *July 28—v. Wanganui, at Stratford. August 3—v. Canterbury, at Hawera. August 6—v. South Africa, at New Plymouth. August 27—v. Otago, at New Plymouth. Sept. 17—v. Wellington, at New Plymouth. ♦Arranged tentatively.

POSITION OF SENIOR TEAMS. "A" GRADE.

TEAMS FOR TO-DAY. TARIKI v. STRATHMORE. Tariki, v, Strathmore, at Tariki, at 2 p.m.:—Fablsh, Hucker, Lawrence (2), Hollis (.2), Meuli (2), Loveridge (3), Jones, Rumball, Barry (2). /

TO-DAY'S. GAMES. LEADING TEAMS AT WAITARA. Principal interest to-day will centre in the meeting of Clifton and Hawera at Waitara. Irrespective of the fact that they are again the leading teams, the public have not forgotten the great matches played between the same teams last year, when, after a draw at each home ground, finality was not reached until a third match was played at New Plymouth This drew a record gate, and incidentally gave the chaimpionshlp to Hawera. So far Clifton Is three points ahead of Hawera, who have had the bye, and sq are really only one point behind. Neither team has been defeated this year, Waimate having drawn with Clifton, whilst both Stratford and Okaiawa have drawn with Hawera. Given fine weather some great football should be witnessed, as each team possesses solid forwards, and backs that know how to handle the ball.

The meeting of Waimate and Okaiawa will prove a big attraction down south, as both teams possess solid forwards and safe backs. Other senior matches are Kaponga and Patea, which should prove a win for the former, and Opunake v. Tukapa, at Opunake. The town team will find the coastal men a hard nut to crack on their own ground. In New Plymouth the Saturday half-holi-day will give the public a chance of viewing the football, and two matches are set down that should prove very interesting. Star will meet Inglewood at 1.30 p.m., and as the latter are a better team than when defeated by Star in the opening match, a good game is anticipated. The saune applies to the Eltham and Old Boys’ match, the former having greatly improved since their first match.

NEWS AND NOTES. LAST SATURDAY’S GAMES. The match between Clifton and Tukapa attracted a good attendance at the ‘Park, New Plymouth. The contest was by no means a brilliant exposition of Rugby, thought there were occasional flashes of good play. The Waitara forwards got the ball almost invariably in the scrums, but the backs made little use of the advantage. The half generally got tie ball away alright, but the five-eighths seldom attempted to beat his upan ap<f cut in, and the same may be said of the three-quarter line, with the, result that the ball would pass from one to the other l without any ground being made. After this Clifton will do mucli better, for they have some splendid material. Tukapa played what may be termed a plucky game, but they tired visibly towards the finish, and they had a lot of luck in not having a bigger score piled up against them. Football Is a strenuous game, and to play it properly a unan must train and become fit. He should alm at finishing the game in as fit a condition as when he started. A well trained team has an enormous advantage over another not so fit. Had Clifton shown a bit more "devil" in attack they would have ran over the New Plymouth boys in the last twenty minutes. Up to that time Tukapa held their own wonderfully well, and it looked anyone's game.

Interest was lent to the Old Boys’-Star match because of the fact that both teams were, with Inglewood, level in the B grade competitions. As Inglewood defeated Okato, and Star anji Old Boys drew, Inglewood now lead by one point from the two New Plymouth teams. Eltham, who had a bye last week, are also well in the running.

The Old Boys-Star match proved a bright exhibition, but the tactics of the opposing teams differed. Old Boys’ hacks showed initiative as well as combination, and some of their back plaj verged on th© brilliant, chiefly owing to good work by Wynyard and Sykes. Star, on the other hand, had some good players among their backs, but these lacked combination, though- they possessed individual talent. Dean was the most prominent of the Star rearguard, and played a dashing game. Bridger, the full-back, was very safe and kicked with judgment. Old Boys’ forwards were on the light side, but were strenghened by the inclusion of McDavitt. Star were slightly heavier in the, forwards, but the vanguards on both sides were fairly evenly matched. Old Boys making up in pace what they lacked in weight. Okaiawa fully justified their demand for inclusion in the A grade, by drawing with Hawera. This team comprises a solid, young forward division, led by G. Johnson, who is playing as well as ever. This, combined with the solid defence of Atkins, Johnson and O. Roberts, kept Hawera thinking. West. Murphy and Hunt were the pick of the Hawera pffck, * whilst Anderson wa| solid at fullback. Cameron and Osborne were apt to pass erratically, but it must be remembered that they ware not given much time. Bob*,

ertson was the pick of tlie three-quarters. Waimate took a weak team to Kaponga and suffered the penalty. The absence of Birchall and Winters from the Waimate pack made a considerable difference, but at the same time one must not detract from the merits of Kaponga’s victory, as the latter team will not be far out of. it at tte finish. Patea were again defeated by a very narrow margin, Stratford just winning on the call of time.. Outstanding features were the play of Masters (the Stratford forward), and Southcombe, at five-eighth for Patea. Mr. E. J. Guthrie, who took a keen interest in football as a member of the Star Club; and also as a member of the management committee of the Taranaki Rugby Union whilst he was a member of the New Plymouth railway staff, has been appointed relieving officer, with headquarters at Wanganui. At present he is acting stationmaster at Aramoho.

The writer has to thank Mr. T. Buchanan, official Press representative of the Auckland Rugby Union, for a copy of the Northern Union’s official programme, which is to be used at matches during the season. It is very well got up, containing photographs of the leading Auckland teams of last year, and of the leading officials and supporters, as well as some interesting photographs of oldtime teams.

The necessity for appointment as line umpires men wto do not show active partisanship in any club participating in the game, has been referred to on previous occasions, but an incident that occurred at one of the matches on Saturday has again emphasised i the need. Towards the close of one of the matches, a player was running for the line to register the winning score. The line umpire became so excited that he ran down the lino waving his flag witi: joy. It would have been, hard luck for his side had the referee seen the flag waving and called /the player back, thinking the ball had gone out of touch.

It is expected that- Mr. D. J. Malone will be in New Plymouth this afternoon to view the B grade matches before finally selecting the team to meet Wanganui on Friday next.

THE MAORI TEAM. Ned Parata, a well-known Rugby enthusiast, is now busy with his arrangements for the tour of another Maori team through Australia. The team is due to arrive in Sydney about the same tiime as the Springboks, and he topes to play the Maoris against the South Africans. The team to leave New Zealand should equal any of its predecessors. Matches will be played in Australia against New South Wales, Metropolitan, a country combination, and, it is hoped, against the South Africans. By the way, the South African team will be late in arriving. The Springboks' departure has been delayed. This will alter their Australasian Itinerary, and unake their visit to New Zealand a week late. The New Zealand Rugy Union arrangements will have to bo revised, and with- the inter-provincial tours, the season will apparently be unusually prolonged. It has been decided to charge 2s admission and 3s to the stand for New Zealand matches.

ENGLAND BEATS FRANCE. CLOSE AND MEMORABLE RUGBY MATCH IN PARIS. “England beat France at Rugby football on the Colombes ground, Paris, on March 28, by two goals (10 points), to two penalty goals (6 points).” Thus reported the London Times special at the match. This was not the decisive success that most people—including Frenchmen—expected, and England had to pass through many anxious moments towards the end of the gaime. But none the less, it enabled the siefe of the season to emerge unbeaten from a memorable series of international games. Like Wales at Cardiff, England scored all their points against the Frenchmen during the first half. They crossed over with the score reading 10-0, but after that it was often a hard struggle to keep their opponents in check. Both sides in turn fought their way over their opponents’ goal line, but in each case the luck of the game was with the defenders. A second penalty goal came to France during the last ten minutes; and one felt, that anything might happen, but Cumberlege and Davies pulled up two of the most furious attacks on the English 4!ne, and Bousquet himself threw the ball wildly away on another equally exciting occasion. The game, in fact, was a great battle, and, most appropriately, it was played In the presence of Marshal Foch, who, in company with numerous high officials, assisted in unveiling a memorial, which had been erected at one corner of tire playing field, in honor of French Rugby football players who had falleft in the war. After the match Marshal Fcch visited the players in their dressingrooms, and he warmly congratulated W. J. A. Davies, the English captain, upon "une be|le bataille et une belle victolre.” A continuation of the recent beautiful weather helped to make the play fast and' open, and, although most of tire 30,0'00 spectators were kept at a respect"ul distance from' the playing field, they saw quite enough to keep thetr feelings worked up to a high pitch of excitement. The late arrival of the English players, however, was the only regrettable feature of the afternoon.

FRENCHMAN ROSE TO OCCASION. For France, of course, the game was anything but a disaster. Refusing to be discouraged by the unpleasant atmosphere created by the Struxiano incident (Struxiano had refused to play for France because he considered that he had been slighted by the French Rugby Union on the occasion of the match against Scotland), the whole French team rose finely to the occasion. They were beaten because of the English players’ greater experience—but, at least, they were the first side this season to hold them. This, again, was chiefly due to the forwards, who at last showed that the ragged displays against Scotland and Wales were lapses too bad to be real. The Frenchmen on this occasion packed quite well, and often they rushed more fiercely and faster than the Englishmen. Several times Moureux and his fellows charged up to the goal line and missed the decisive touch down, either by inches or by fractions of a second. So for that matter did the English forwards; once one saw Conway lifted bodily above a. crowd of players, and so deprived of a try that would have been well deserved, for Davies had just made one of his most brilliant runs, and had sent a perfectly-timed cross-kick right in front of the goal-post. Still, this was qply one of several incidents of the sort, and, on the whole, it was the French forwards who deserved the greater praise for holding eight such clever players. Occasionally Brown, Voyce and Blakiston could be detected developing those erratic, but demoralising, passing movements that had produced’ so many points against other countries; but, rather as one had expected, the French were so fast and alert that more often than not this passing resulted in a French breakaway instead of an English. attack. In the first half Bordes effected one particularly thrilling pick-up that a Poulton-Palmer would have made into a certain try. Bordes, however, kicked ahead into touch when still 10 yards short of his opponent, Cumberlege, and so threw away a great chance of dodging his way over with a try that would have given the other backs an enormous amount of encouragement.

A BATTLE OF WITS. There was an interesting battle of wits between tlie two pairs of half-backs. Kershaw was in one of his most lively moods, but he needed to ' be to cope with Piteau. Davies, for his part, was erratic enough to disturb rather than to encourage his three-quarter backs. Seme of his running and kicking was brilliant, while some merely curdled blood. Bousquet, the French stgnd-off half-back, made a most creditable first appearance in such an important match, but, like Bordes, he must have solemn, disturbing moments, reflecting how once he missed the chance of a lifetime. Bousquet’s lapse occurred during the last thrilling ten minutes of the gaune; and, if he had run on Instead o! throwing the ball away wildly, nothing could have prevented ». try. For the reel, the

French three-quarter backs handled the ball at least as accurately as their opponents, and twice it required the unique enterprise of C. N. Lowe, who raced right across the field just in time to pull up his French equivalent, Lobles. The other English three-quarter backs found tte Frenchmen very fast and difficult to get past. Hammett’s successful place-kick-ing from England’s two tries were his best achievements. Corbett’s defence was Inclined to be uncertain, but he ran and passed well. It was a fine movement that led up to England's first try. Kershaw broke away, Davies next sent out a long pass to Corbett,. and ; Lowe swept over the line at top speed. Try as he could—and he never failed to beat his ■•fimeuiate opponent—Lowe could not score again. Corbett, too, cut through well at times, but he was invariably smothered.

FRANCE GETS TWO PENALTY GOALS. The second English try followed a fine dash hy Conway. Kershaw intercepted ft pass during the ensuing scramble, and gave Blakiston a clear run In. Smallwood, on the left wing, rarely had much room in which to move. Of the two French penalty goals, it is only necessary to say that they were the result of two excellent kicks bj’ Crabos, and a good deal of careless play by the English forwards. Oiffie more, however, J. Clement, at full- > back, was the real kero of the match, and' the crowd did well to honor him by carrying i him shoulder high from the field at the finish. Clefflient’s tackling Is a gallant thing tb see, and one of these tackles in the first half cost him a badly cut head. Most players would have cried "Enough,” but, heavily* bandaged and helmeted, Clement returned to the. field and saved his side repeatedly. Cumberlege, too; x did some excellent things, but, strong and clever as he is, he achieved nothing—not even in running up the field—that Clement did not do as well <fr bevter.

£ £ S ft 8 1 ~ 1 £ © 5? Q hJ ■ £ Clifton K 4 1 — 34 20 Hawera 4 2 2 — 4R 12 G Wai mate 5 2 2 1 31 25 6’ Stratford r. 2 2 1 27 31 <> Okalawa 4 9 1 1 23 12 ;> Kaponga 4 2 1 1 25 Opunake 4 1 — 3 17 42 2 Tukapa 4 13 11 22 Pa tea & — > — 5 20 :»» 0 "B’ GRADE. Inglewood 4 3 — 1 22 13 6 Star 4 2 1 1 24 17 5 Old Boys 4 2 1 1 44 24 5 Eltham 4 2 — 2 17 23 4 Okato 4 — — 4 6 36 0