FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 September 1922, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

OLD-TIME RUGBY. SIXTY-ONE YEARS IN THE GAME. INTERESTING REMINISCENCES. To have been associated with football for 61 years can be treated as a record. It is a performance which is claimed by Mr. J. R. Evans, a vice-president of the Christchurch Football Club, in which he is known as "Pa.” Mr. Evans gave a short address on his past experiences at a recent meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Football Referees’ Association. "I love Rugby football. I am. 72 years of age now, but I am as keen on the game as ever I was. It is a great game.” These words prefaced Mr. Evan’s address. He stated (according to the Sun) that be first played football in 18G1, when at Cheltenham College, England. The game was then played with 20 men on each side, and one of the rules was that a man could run with the ball only if he caught it on the full. There was a great deal of scrummaging. In 1R72 he went to London, where he joined the Flamingoes Club, where Rugby foothall proper was then played. The game was then very much slower than now, and lengthy scrums were frequent. It was a "hacking” game. If one saw an opponent in the scrums, the custom was to hack at his shins, while the opponent invariably hacked back. (Laughter.)

Mr. Evans said that he came to Christchurch in 1875, when he joined the Christchurch Club, which played upon Cranmer Square. Matches were played against Christ's College. There were no other clubs against which to play games. The boys at the college were then very much bigger than now, and some wore beards. Still, they were not quite strong enough for his club, and such (matches would be arranged as North v. South of Hereford street. East v. West of Colombo street, "thin” v. "fat.” etc. Members did not do much, training, and at first the game was not true Rugby. Members could run with the ball only if they caught it on the full. They scored- in goals, and there were mauls. After he had. played in Christchurch for a year the rules were changed to those of Rugby. Mr. Justice Stringer was a player in those days. He was an excellent back, who was very hard to tackle—he vtas as slippery as an eel. There were three or four brothers named Potts who were very prominent.

One of the most remarkable goal-kickers he had ever seen was the late H. W. Moore. Moore was a tall and strong fellow. One of his performances was the kicking of a goal from his own twenty-five. The first outside match was played against Rangiora. Wlien the team visited Rangiora it was found that its opponents did not know the Rugby game. So half of the game was played under Association rules and half under Rugby rules. Rangiora was then beaten in both series.

Tfie Christchurch team later went on tour. The first match was against Auckland, where the game was played in a howling southwester. Moore made one of his powerful kicks at goal, but the ball was blown back over the Christchurch line, and an Auckland man touched it down. This try lost Christchurch th? match. Wellington was beaten easily, but the Wellington players partook of much liquid refreshment when the game was in progress. The team played and defeated Nelson. When it arrived at Lyttelton, a special train was sent froim Christchurch to meet it, and the engine was decorated. A cask of ale was provided at a station, but there were no drinking utensils. In order that the president, the late Hon. W. Rolleston. could participate, the stationmaster’s bell was used as a flagon. Mr. Evans expressed the opinion that the present game Is very far ahead of the old. It is so much faster, but he did not see how it could be altered much mor?. If it were made faster, few players would be able to manage the extra training required. Players generally were bigger men in the old days than now, but present players would "run them off their feet.” One of the old-timers was T. H. Baker, who used to play without boots or shoes. He was a tremendous man in size, and he was a imember of an English four which rowed against America.

A tribute to the standard of present-day refereeing was paid by Mr. Evans. It was not very efficient In the early days. When he had to cease playing, owing to an injury, he refereed in some matches. On one occasion he refereed in a game at Lancaster Park in a heavy gale—that park was not in existence when he was a player. In this match a player took a mark. Mr. Evans said that he was much too puffed at the time to blow his whistle, so play went on. When he recovered his wind, he blew his whistle for the mark, and when he explained what it was for there was a very hot argument. (Laughter.) Upon the motion of the chairman (Mr. I. F. Peake), a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Evans for his interesting address.