FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 March 1922, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

TARANAKI RUGBY UNION. ANNUAL REPORT. Tha annual report of the Tara>aki Rugby Union has been issued. It states, inter alia : Your committee has to congratulate clubs and players on a very successful season, particularly on one that was characterised by a genuine revival in public interest, the quality of the play, and the enthusiasm of the players. It is sincerely to be hoped that this revival of interest will be maintained during the coming season; the realisation of this hope would undoubtedly witness the game right back to its pre-war standard. The season was conducted under the new scheme of abolition of divisions for senior football, and it unight well be claimed that the scheme had something to do with the greatly increased public interest. It may be that some modifications of the details, especially respecting finance, are still required, but as the result of the season's experience no doubt weaknesses may be remedied. It is doubtful if any club would now wish to go back to the old conditions. In this connection the committee has to express its appreciation of the My al manner in which the majority of clubs and officials accommodated themselves to the new conditions, supplied the necessary information and made remittances. Sixty-three teams played in the Union competitions, apart from the primary schools grades.

This report would fail in its mission if it did not record the outstanding football event of 1921—the visit of South African Rugby team to New Zealand. Without question no event in the football history of this Dominion did more to revive the game otf Rugby than tte tour of the Springboks. To us the memory of their visdt is the more pleasing in that Taranaki (with Canterbury) were the only provincial beams unbeaten throughout the tour. Credit for the splendid allowing of our players is due particularly to Messrs. A. L. Humphries and C. Brown, who acted as coaches; and to the selector, Mr. D. J. Malone. That their work was appreciaied has been acknowledged by the manager of tl» Springboks, who publicly stated after his return to Kimberley that the best trained team met during the tour was that of Taranaki. To our players this should be an inspiration, and it cannot be too strongly impressed on club committees the value of making strenuous efforts this season to arrange for coaching and systematic training.

During the forthcoming season the Rugby representatives of France will visit Now Zealand, an event that will irot only mark a new epoch in the game of Rsagby, but be great in its significance of the Erowing brotherhood at nations. The field of amateur sport .may in the not distant future prove the greatest ally of diplomacy in securing mutual co-oper-ation and understanding between the nations. The past season easily reached a record for Taranaki in the number of Rugby players participating in tie weekly competitions, and nothing afforded the commattee greater pleasure than the large increase in the number of fourth grade teams, and the splendid competition in the junior and sctnor grades of the primary schools For the excellent organisation and control of the latter.

the committee is indebted to. the school teachers of the province, and their representative on the Union, Mr. Honcire. If sufficient players are offering, particularly in the main towns, it is possible that a fltfth grade competition may be commenced. In all probability a proposal will be made from the football clubs of the Ohura to play as a sub-Union under Taranaiki, instead of as at present tinder the King Country subUnion. As the clubs are situated In the Taranaki Province, the request aliould receive favorable consideration at our hands, and every inducement should oe given, the players of that district to further the development of the amateur game.

The various grade competitions were followed with a good deal of interest, and resulted

as follows: Senior A Competition, Hawera; Senior B. Competition, Inglewood; First Junior, Lepperton; Second .TUnior, New Plymouth Boys’ High School; Third Junior. New Plymouth Boys’ High School; Senior Primary, New Plymouth Boys’ High School; Junior Primary, Normanby.

Nine representative matches were played, resulting as follows :—At Wanganui v. Wanganui, won by 6 to 3; at Hawera v. South Auckland, drawn 15 to 15; at New Plymouth v. Springboks, drawn, no score; at Hawera v. Canterbury, lost 5 to 13 ; at Stratford v. Wanganui, won 9 to 6; at New Plymouth v. Wellington, lost nil to 17 ; at Auckland v. Auckland, lost 9 to 19 ; at New Plymouth v. Otago, lost 6 to 11 ; at New Plymouth v. Auckland, won 21 to 10. Result: Won 3, drawn 2, lost 4. Points: For, 71; against, 94.

Messrs. Kingston, Fogarty and West were chosen to represent the province in the New Zealand teams.

The following pliers represented the province during the season: T. Campbell, P. Hickey, and A. Kivell (8 matches), H. Masters and A. Birchall (7), J. Robertson, D. Sykes, R. Fogarty, C. McAllum, M. Malone, and R. Coutts (5), C. N. Kingston, A. Spratt, G. Hooker, L. Berg, D. Lusk, h. Whittington and R. Fryday (4), M. Lynskey, F. Atkins, M. Cain, A. West, R. Roberts and P. Allen (3), S. Caitneron, J. Thoumine, B. Roberts, S. Hunt, L. Wilkinson, G. Hart and R. Oliver (2), M. Osborne, J. Kisslck, C. Whittington, C. Wynyard, W. Ross. R. Carlson, C. McKay, W. Gray, C. Brown, V. Dunford and W McCullough (1). The conditions of the Bayly Scholarship were altered last year mainly with the object of popularising the competition In the primary schools. While more interest than usual was evinced there is still room for much improvement, and your committee hopes that this season something may be done through the Teachers’ Institute to further popularise this Scholarship. The 1922 Bayly scholar is E. Elgar, of Stratford D.H.S.

The finances of the Union are now in quite a healthy position, and while the obligations ahead are heavy, there is every reason to hope that before long the Union will be in a position to interest itself In securing for clubs a more permanent tenure of grounds. This is the most pressing need of the future.

Since the season closed Mr. A. R. Ryder, representative of the secondary schools on the Management Committee, has removed to Auckland. During his period on the committee Mr. Ryder was one of its most active members, and the close association of school football with tte Union has Deen made the moro easy because of his advice.

The secretary of the Union, Mr. G. E. Jago, has now removed his residence to New Plymouth, but the headquarters of the Union for meetings will remain as hitherto at Stratford.

A good deal of consideration was given at the commencement of the season to extending the organisation of the Referees’ Association, with very satisfactory results. The footballers of the province are very much indebted to the members of the Association, who week after week fulfil the very large number of engagements in ail parts of Taranaki, vevy often travelling long distances. The relations between the two bodies as the result of conferences are now quite happy. The prospects of the new season are very bright; not for years have the annual meetings of clubs given suet; evidence of enthusiasm, nor have the attendances been approached in numbers. In addition to the annual inter-provincial fixtures with North Island Unions, Taranaki will this year tour the South Island as fat as Invercargill. THE FINANCE'S. The receipts appear in the balance-sheet as £3486, the sum of £277 being brought forward from the previous year. Club gate receipts amounted to £1321 and representative gates £1286. On the expenditure side, the expenses in connection with club matches accounted for £935, rep. matches £758, Auckland tour £159, management £284, giants to other unions (South Auckland and Ohura) £lOO, whilst loans of £250 to the New Plymouth Sports Committee and Tukapa Club of £5O were granted. There is in hjind cash to the amount of £l6B. .The assets of the Union amount to £667, and the liabilities nil. The receipts and expenditure for each rep. match are shown as follows:—Against Wangauui, at Wanganui, receipts nil, expenditure £35; against South Auckland at Hawera, receipts £236, expenditure £139; New Plymouth Boys’ High School v. Wanganui Cob lege at Hawera, receipts £ll5, expenditure £56; against Wanganui at Stratford, re1 «|OM aMMAUiwa AMj ag>ln»t Oaa-

terbury at Hawera. receipts £235 ; expenditure £102; against Wellington at New Plycnouth, receipts £305; expenditure £134; against Auckland at Auckland, receipts nil, expenditure £159; against Otago at New Plymouth, receipts £169, expenditure £7O; against AucKland at New Plymouth, receipts £271, expenditure £BB. The amount of the gate of the Springbok match is not given. SEVEN-A-SIDE TOURNAMENT. At a meeting of the New Plymouth Sports Ground Committee last night it was decided to hold a seven-a-side football tournament on Easter Saturday providing the day is a holiday in town, and also to conduct another tournament on June 3. Arrangements were made for completing the whole of the outer area of the ground by sowing and top dressing, by next Saturday, and it is hoped to have the area available for play in ‘week after £&«ter«