FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1921, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

REPRESENTATIVE FIXTURES. RESULTS TO DATE. Taranaki v. Wanganui, won 6 io 3. MATCHES ARRANGED. July 6 v. South Auckland, at Hawera. •July 14 v. Wanganui, at Stratford. July 23 v. South Africa, at New Plymouth. August 3 y. Canterbury, at Hawera. •August 10 or 17 v. Manawatu, at Pul merston North; . . •August 13 or 20 v. Wellington, at Well Ington. August 27 v. Otago, at New Plymouth. •September 3 v. Auckland, at Auckland. September 24 v. Auckland, at New Ply mouth. •These dates are not definite, being sub ject to alteration. INTERCOLLEGIATE MATCH. July 9—Wanganui College v. New Plymout High School, at Hawera. REFEREES FOR TO-DAY. A GRADE. Wa'xnate v. Hawera,. at Manilla, A. 1 Guy. i Clifton v. Stratford, at Waitara, G. Hopkin Opunake v. Kaponga, at Kaponga, A. Nel son. Okaiawa v. TUkapa, ‘at New Plymouth, V Roch. B GRADE. Old Boys v. Inglewood, at New Plymout: 1.30, F Hooker. Okato v. Eltham, at Rahotu, P. Holmes. TEAMS FOR TO-DAY. STRATFORD CLUE. I The following will represent the Stratfo I first juniors against Toko, at 3 p.m.: Grar McSweeney, Papps, Wilson, G. Duddlng, M Donald, Sleep, Hinton, Malt, B. Collins,' I Berg, J. Haldane, Payne, A. Davey, R. Grub A lorry will leave the Post Office at 2 p.i sharp. The following will represent Stratford se I iors in their match against Clifton, at Wa !tara, to-day:—Collins, Pennlall, Rev. McKe I zie, Wilson, W. Gray, Laun plough, Berg, Ki ell. Masters, McCullough, Taylor, Carlso Coulton, Hampson, C. Gray. Emergencie: Coleman and Fryday. Tlfcre hare been forty-seven football co tests between the Te Aute and Wangan Colleges Each school has won 23 games, a: one was drawn. The coincidence is ma< more remarkable by the fact that they ha each scored 213 points. POSITION OF THE TEAMS. A GRADE.

NORTH v. SOUTH ISLAND. THE NORTH ISLAND TEAM. TARANAKI PLAYERS INCLUDED. By Telegraph.—Press AAsn.—Copyright. Wellington, Last Night The following Rugby team has been selected to represent the North Island against tne South Island in the coming match: — Full-back—Kingston (Taranaki). Three-quarters—Grierson (Auckland), Algar (Wellington), Aitken (Wellington). Five-eighths—C. Baddeley (Auckland), Svenson (Wanganui). Half—E. Roberts (Wellington). Wing-forward—Lucas (Auckland). Forwards—Carrol (Manawatu), Hughes (Wellington). Kissick (Taranaki), Moffatt (Wellington), West (Taranaki), McLean (Bay of Plenty), Bellis (Wanganui). Emergencies—Backs, H. E. Nicholls (Wel--1 lington). Forwards: Masters (Taranaki), J. Donald (Wairarapa).

TO-DAY”S MATCHES.

The New Plymouth public are again fortunate in having a double bill in the shape of a B senior and an A senior match at the Recreation Grounds. Both games should be of considerable interest. At 1.30 p.m. Inglewood will meet Old Boys, and a good game may be expected, In the (first round the former team lowered Old Boys’ colors, being the only team to do so in that round. The country team’s backs have been quickly improved by ti e inclusion of Coutts, the ex-Taranaki rep, who is playing very wel, and the forwards are all keen and young. At 3 o’clock Tukapa and Qkaiawa will meet, and a good open game should be witnessed. Tukapa possess some good, speedy backs, whilst in their match against Clifton Okaiawa showed that their backs can handle the ball. It is the first time the doughty southerners have visited New Plymouth, and their part in the competition so far shows them to ■ be above the average. Tukapa, however, can I be relied on to keep the best of their opponlents moving. At Waitara Clifton and Stratford will meet. The match between the two leading teams , will attract great interest. Clifton will be (represented by their strongest team, and, as it is said their backs are to be given a chance to show their attacking .ability, some good play should be seen. Stratford also possess a fine attacking rearguard, and if they can repeat tteir lasj gaturday’s form against Manala they will be hard to withstand. Stratford have played with hard luck this sea-

son, having lost good players like Cowie and Hampson through removal early in the season, and this week Maindonald, a good forward, Is put out of action through an injury while practising. Hawera should have no trouble in beating Waimate, who are weak this year, though the Plainsmen can be relied on to put up a great fight on their own ground. Kaponga should account for Opunake. The coastal team have had a bad run. In their opening match aginst Clifton they promised

real well, but the loss of Walshe, Duffy, Bayliss, and others through accident on the field has weakened them. At Ratotu Okato will meet Eltham. , The latter won by a narrow margin on their last clash, but some of the heavy forwards have since struck form, and the result might easily be reversed. NEED FOR BRIGHTENING PLAY. Enthusiasts from ail parks of Taranaki journeyed to Okaiawa On Saturday to witness the match between Clifton and Okaiawa in expectation of seeing a contest that would be something above the ordinary, as both teams possessed some of Taranaki's finest exponents of the game, both In attack and /iefence. However they were kenly disappointed, for there was very little spectacular football to be seen, the game consisting of a series of forward nistes, punctuated by kicks into touch by the Clifton backs and occasional attempts at passing rushes by the Okaiawa backs, who, to give thorn their due, did try to make the game open, but they were handicapped by not securing the ball out of the scrum. But Clifton have no such excuse. They received the ball from the scrum, but made no use of it In attack, being content, once they had a three point lead, to find the line. Clifton possess good scoring backs, their ways (Hickey and Goodwin) being as dangerous a pair as will be found in Taranaki, but they were very rarely given a chance. It was thought that with the advent of players from Auckland, where -he authorities pride themselves—and rightly, too —on the brightness of their play, that the Clifton backs would have shown improved i tactics in attack, but Ross, who was a noted exponent of the open game up north, showed j I that he can be equally good at keeping it J. tight, for on Saturday he Was one of the l greatest offenders, kicking to touch on every | opportunity. If Clifton continue to plaj 1 such games they will soon lose drawing power. Unquestionably something will have to be done to open up the game if Taranaki is to i Eave a chance of winning against outside I provinces, for under present conditions their • backs do not get any chance of cultivating . their attacking powers. In the play last Saturday the teams were i eveiy.v matched. Okaiawa lost the game by ■ the number of infringements one or two of their forwards gave, and also by the weaxness ot their wing three-quarters. Their in side men played well, but the last link In ths chain proved unequal to bear its share of the burden. Dick Roberts proved to be as versatile as ever, and carried a large jhare of the burden. His brother at five-eighths also shows great promise. Atkins was solid as usual. Peevis, at full back, was not so convincing as Luxion, the previous week, and only served to show up Kingston, his vis a vis, in bold relief. The Clifton man gave a finished exhibition. Of the forwards none shone up better than Campbell, who sustained a slight injury during 1 tte match. Young, Taylor and Colman also injured his foot early in the game. There appeared to be too great a tendency to play the man instead of playing the ball. Several players have been warned already for this practice.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN MATCIj. After a number of alterations of the date it is now fairly definite that the South Afriran team will be seen in New Plymouth on Saturday, July 23, just fivo days after their arrival in the Dominion Taranaki Is their second New Zealand fixture, Wairarapa and Bush Districts at Masterton being the first. In all seventeen (matches will be played during the two months the team is in New Zealand, including three tests, one each at Dunedin, Auckland and Wellington. It Is safe to say that every enthusiast in the length and breadth of Taranaki wll be in New Plymouth to welcome the “Springboks” next month, and, given fine weather,' there will be a record gathering here. Already arrangements are in hand to ensure suitable train arrangements, whilst catering for the large crowd expected Is also a question that wll require consideration. It is a still debateable point as to whether the original “AU Blacks”.’ or the "Springboks” were the better combination, and the eyes of all football followers throughout the world will be centred on New Zealand during the next two months. It is necessarj - therefore that no stone should be left unturned to ensure that, the best and fittest team is turned out to represent New Zealand In the tests, and Taranaki also owes it as a duty to those giants of the game who placed the dairying province on the high pinnacle it held in New Zealand football; to see that the province is represented by its best fifteen, and also that each Individual of the fifteen is tuned up to concert pitch and also that the fifteen Is given an opportunity of obtaining that much needed and important factor, combination. Taranaki has the (material, and it is imperative that the best use should bo made of it. GENERAL. The New Plymouth High School has decided to enter a team for the Moascar Cup. Taranaki has a fairly lengthy representative programme this year. It is also probable that the Union will again send on tour a B team as was done prior to the war. Clubs are not adhering strictly to the rule re being attired in proper uniform. On Saturday Okaiawa presented a somewhat motlej’ appearance, the red and black jerseys of the majority being relieved by one or two red, white and blue (suspiciously like the makeshift rep jerseys of last year, a maroon and one other colored jersey). AMERICAN FOOTBALLERS. The Californian Rugby Union has written the Australian Union suggesting a visit of a Rugby teaun in 1922 which would include Kirksey, and Charlie Paddouk, the world champion sprinters, Templeton (hurdler, hammer and javelin thrower), Norton (440 yards turdler) and Mailer (high jump citampions). If the above mentioned athletes are as good on the football field as they are on the running track, methinks it would be some team. A visit of Charlie Padvlll alone during the Australasian championship's meeting should be a fine paying proposition. What with the proposed visit of a French team, a Californian combination and the probable visit of a British fifteen, Rugby football in New Zealand during the next few years will be unuct in the limelight.

• *6 2 £ 3 > Q £ g c Clifton 7 6 1 — 45 28 13 Hawera - 4 2 1 69 23 10 Stratford 7 4 2 1 58 36 10 Ok.-.iawa 7 4 12 38 21 9 Kaponga 7 3 13 47 29 Waimate 7 2 2 3 39 59 G Tukapa 7 1 2 4 32 44 4 I'atea 8 1 1 5 7 42 86 3 Opunake • 1—6 30 79 Star B GRADE. 4 2 1 38 20 10 Inglewood 6 3 2 1 22 13 8 Old Boys 6 3 11 56 33 El t ham 7 2 14 20 a Okato 6 1—5 18 48 2 (Northern JUNIOR. Division results t June 14.) Clifton 7 SECOND GRADE. Lost. Drawn. 6 1 0 85 33 12 Lepperton 6 5 10 59 *14 10 Star 6 .3 3 0 22 36 6 Tukapa 7 2 5 0 35 GO Old Boys 8 0 6 0 12 70 0 H. School A 5 THIRD GRADE. 5 0 0 142 10 Okato 4 3 10 30 30 6 Star 6 2 3 1 108 o H. School B 3 2 3 0 51 41 4 Taka pa ill G 14 3 Inglewood 5 0 5 0 16 6G 0 Star 6 FOURTH GRADE 6 0 0 92 12 12 JI. School C 5 5 0 0 129 19 10 Clifton 7 3 3 1 49 7 Old Boys 7 3 4 0 79 34 6 Lepi»erton ] 2 4 1 30 60 a T. College 5 2 3 0 21 64 4 H. School D * 2 3 0 52 49 4 Tukapa 6 0 6 0 0 197 0