FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1922, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY GAME. __ HAWKE’S BAY TEAM. By Telegraph —Press Association. p Napier. August 28. The following Is the Hawke's Bay team to defend the Ranfurly Shield against Bay of Plenty next Saturday : Full-back, Yates : threequarters. Barclay. J. Blake. Grenside ; fiveeighths. Kirwan, Kingston: half, Kivell: wing, Scott; forwards. Gemmell. Millar. McNab. C. Brownlie, McGregor. Kirkpatrick, Irvine. M. Brownlie, the All Black, is injured, and not available for the match. INTER-COLLESE MATCHES. CHRIST’S BEAT WANGANUI. Wellington, Last Night. In the College Rugby tourney, Christ’s College beat Wanganui by 81 points to 6. Talbot (captain of Christ’s College) scored more than half the points. In the schools’ Association football competition Otago (6) beat Manawatu (0), and Wellington (3) beat Canterbury (1). NEW ZEALANDERS IN N.S.W. A FEW IMPRESSIONS. (By the Cynic in the Sydney Referee.) The New Zealand manager, Mr. S. S. Dean and his party of lusty young players took the loss of The Ashes in Sydney in a very fine spirit. In discussing It they seemed almost glad that New South Wales had done the trick. They are philosophic and realise that the rise of a Light Blue combination fit to tackle them with reasonable prospects. of success is a great thing for their game. It means that New Zealand will not have to depend upon the British and European countries to add a little more spice to their football whenever the South Africans are not able to come their way or to welcome them in the land of Springboks.

The latest New Zealanders are a very fine lot in the forwards. They are young and lusty, and gifted, with Richardson quite out of the box—another Seeling—exceptionally fast and clean In handling the ball with the height and weight of a star scrummager. The backs —well the inside men did not reveal essential nippiness over the gro”nd, nor pass as shamJy as the old ones used to. But this should be very soon developed once again. If it be so. New Zealand football will win back all the glow of the days that made the names of the illustriotis All . Blacks the greatest in the world of Rugby. I did not see a great deal of the team on the field this time. But these are my impressions. Some of the Maori backs were. T thought, more dangerous than one or two in the representative team. The forwards have, to some extent, copied the South African idea of hand to hand passing of the ball. Their own methods. I should say, with alert and brilliant hacks In support are better. The great New Zealand back divisions of the past were ever on the look-out on the open side for the opportunity to break through. That splendid opportunism should be cultivated again. NEW ZEALAND RHODES SCHOLAR. George G. Aitken, the elect New Zealand Rhodes scholar, who has left for England, will carry with him the best wishes from the sporting community of the Dominion. Born at Westport, on the West Coast of the South Island, he showed considerable ability at school, educationally and on the snorts field. Before he was 16 he won a place amongst the hacks in the Buller representative ‘earn.

At the end of 1916 he went to Wellington to pursue his studies at the University College. and. incidentally, to take up school teaching as his vocation. Since 1917 he has represented Wellington in the more important of its Rugby pngagements. Last season h * captained the New Zealand team in two 0" the three Test grimes against the South Africans. This season he has shown, if anything. improved form, and would have been a member of the team for New South Wales if the date fixed for him to sail for England did not fall before the team reached home. Judging him by his form in his lates’ championship match. George Aitken ranks with the host centre three-ouarters Wellington has pro-

duced. not forgetting such great nlayers as W. Roberts. D. R Gage. D McGregor. F. M’tehinson. and W. J. Wallace (says the Wellington correspondent of the Sydney Referee). Aitken has all the qualifications —clever at taking the hall, quick at getting into his stride, ilnkv running, passing at the right time, or withholding it if the handling of the ball to his confrere is not going to benefit the Side Besides, he can kick with either foot, and can bring off a potted goal. These are the qualifications of a classv centre three-quarter and Aitken is young enough to develop still farther. Therefore, his future career, educationally and on the Rugby field, will be keenly watched by his many friends throughout New Zealand.

Mr. Mark Nicholls, the well-known member of the Petone Football Flub, and who has represented Wellington and New Zealand on numerous occasions, is to be married on Wednesday. His future home will he in Auckland. Mr. Nicholls, whose departure from Wellington will be a great blow to local Rugby, will have the best wishes of all footballers and followers of the game for continued success in Auckland, where he will probably play for the Ponsonby Club.—Times.