FOOTBALL NOTES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 13 June 1913, Page 3

FOOTBALL NOTES.

(By "All Black.") The second round series of match.es undor the auspices of the Wairarapa ■Rugby Union ivili be continued tomorrow ,and in tiie light of the remarkably close sanies fought out by the four teams in the, competition up to the present, some interesting results may be looked for. By coming to an arrangement with the United Club, tk.> Ru ; _by Union has secured the Red Star'v. United mat-eli for Masterton, and this game

nill be played on the ' Old Showgrounds. 'lhese teams have already met, when honours rest'd with the .southern team. Stars will now be out for revenue, and are placing the strongest available combination ini the field. United has greatly improved during the past week or two, and should they bring their best combination to Masterton to-morrow w . tlie champions will require to be on " their best form to keep their position at the head of the championship ladderStars will have Darvill on the three-quarter line, which should be of considerable assistance to them in the back division. it is stated that the southerners are fairly confident of success, at least so their supporters say. In Mnsttirton, ■ however, the local team are firm favourites, and their partisans won't hoar of tbnir defeat.

In any case a great game :s assured and it only requires good weather to bring out a record crowd of spectators. At Carterton the local team and, ■Gladstow will clash again. At their last meeting Gladstone met defeat byi the narrow margin of two points —a converted try to a try. To-mor-row the yellows are . out "to retrieve their laurels, and may be depended to stretch Carterton to their best efforts. Gladstone are severely han- | dieapped by being without a reliable half-back. Jim' Han ley is not available. for to-morrow's came, and h'is place is hard to fill. It is possible that Jack ffnmley may play behind the yellow pack. Carterton will also be minus one or two of their men, .so that matters should he about even. Red Stars are now leading for the championship with eight points, with Unitxl and Carterton next with six, and Gladstone whipping in with four ■points, ft is still possible for all four teams to finish the second round

on level terma This could only hap-,, pen if United bent Stars, and Gladstone defeated Carterton to-morrow, and on the following Saturday for Carterton to heat United and "Gladstone .defeat Stars. This, of course, seems highly improbable, but should •mch turn out to be tlie case, football would be extremely inteiesting for the final round, a thing it has .not been for many seasois. 'Let us

tope for the. sake'of tli > Union's fin-

ances ,and the good of football generally that the unexpected will happen. .W. Callister. the Carterton player, had ft rib broken in last Saturday's match against"' StaTfiv; a«)d will be "unable to play ..to-mprjw, It is exacted that. P. Bond, who recently joined the benedicts, will be in his old place in the Carterton pack to-morrow. Brouwli and Solder, the. United forwards, played a great game israinst Gladstone last week. Th" 1 f-'inor.wan specially pronunsnt, fliw largely responsible /m- his side's win. j Oolder, is a 'great worker and started mapv of the .forward' rushes.. Tait. the Ilmted p]nver,_ is one of th? best backs in the Wairarapa, and in the game, at Gladstone last week inside some fine openings, but be was not as a rule yerv well backed , up. In 'Saunders TV ted . have a fine place kiek, - and,. n ■ aood all-round back. .His .iine-liieking was a feature of..theGladaioni:-United match.

.Cyril Welch is developing into a fine forward, and is. especially good l> the, line-out. He "was responsible for much good work irv the game against Carterton.

D. Thompson <r?is bully missed on th:? Gladstone throo-quarter line last week. . TfldgtiV Mason was not a sue-

cosfi tit centre t'hiw-quarter. - Hodge and Spackmnn, two of Waivarapa'a best .forwards, were not; in their ..usual,, form last Saturday

Neither, for some reason or other. Beem«3&-W<-get going. •/•• - L. /Johnson, H.. Henderson and Boh McLaren wore the pick of the Glaus tone pack and d!d a large amount of good work agautlSt United. C. and £>. Boss, til the Star team, 'tre Haying remarkably well this season, and much of the Star's success :g due to. these two players, who always play the same das'hing game. There was much congratulation when the former scored » the match against Carterton. One well-kiiowfo Masterton "sport," who migjbt h&v© had a lot of bullion at stake ovef the. result, wanted to rush onto tfrs field and embrace Rioss and Ball '{who con•Verted). He didn't count ( on the lin.©' umyt'iHK however-. "The N'6'w .leaguers have not) so 'far shown form against the profe;&&ojiala . x>? Australia, _-except in the first mtitch with -New South Wales... JThte result of their ■latest match -with the Northern Districts would indicate that they:, are not improving. The most remarkable point aboirt the games stents to have been the gate receipts. , i The Busby championships m the Empire 'Oity continue to be interestI mg. At '■present it certainly looks as if Petone and Aathljtic are to 'hght their last year's battle 'for Supremacy over again. . Melrose is-.of. course always liable to do things. • Although 'Star juniors were defeated "by Carterton last Saturday, they gtiil ' have a substantial lead for championship honours, and are quite confident of maintaining same. The Star thirds also seem quite capable of holding their end up.