FOOTBALL.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 200, 2 June 1893, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

Saturday afternoon was a pleasant one for the game and the ground was in good order so that the Juniors were highly favoured by the clerk of the weather. The attendance was not as large as we expected, there being only about 100 people on the ground. The match, which was played on the Aratapu ground, was the first of the Junior Cup matches and was between KOPURU II and ARATAPU 11. The teams contained several who, though Juniors up to the present, will soon be classed as Seniors. Too much time was lost before making a start and the game did not end till almost dusk. Mr T. Elliott officiated as referee and gave general satisfaction. Kopuru won the toss anl played with the wind and sun behind, Aratapu had also to face the hill. The first spell was a hard fought ono in which the teams were very evenly matched, the play first hanging on the Aiatapu 25 and then on the Kopuru 25. Corkill is yet too young and slender for such a responsible position as centre three-quarter and this Aratapu found to their cost as he gave Kopuru two or three good openings. From one of these A. Johnston got on a good dribbling rush and scored a well deserved try which he followed up by himself placing the ball over the bar; Kopuru 5. This was the only score of the match. F. Walkei played a good safe game and we do not remember ever to have seen him do better. Jamieson was conspicious for Arataj u ; on many occasions his kicking, collaring, and forward rushes were really good. He must learn to keep his hands off a player who is not holding the ball. T. Main was good at centre half and knew how to get rid of the ball. J. O’Neill worked the scrums and line outs well, he put muscle and voice into all the packs, in which department the red and blacks more than held their own. F. Barker showed the best dribbling and repeatedly came through the scrums. He was also good on the line out and should make a good senior. J. Brown at full back was disappointing, at one time he ran in place of kicking and was speedily downed, and at other times he was very weak on his own goal line. Lendrum was worth his place for his tackling and was otherwise useful. A. Johnston was the mainstay of his team, his kicking was good and he made his presence known in many other ways. J. Nolan passed out well and was useful in front of the red and black forwards. ~W. O’Brien did a lot of work but he was well marked. He has a bad way of shunting which it is to be hoped will not lead to anything serious. Charging straight at a tackier instead of trying to avoid him can be called other than ‘ rough ’ play which is prohibited by Rule 3. If this player would fend and pass instead of charging he would be more successful. F. Cox played a fine game for Kopuru ; many times he turned a defence into an attack. "W. Smith and 81. Fowler worked well with their comrades of the back division. Amongst the Kopuru forwards P. Matthews, Leabourne aud Bartley were about the most dangerous in attack. The Kopuru II were stronger than Aratapu II in the backs and had they been equal in the forwards would have scored a bigger win In the latter part of the game Kopuru had the advantage though they were unable to increase their score. A rule which players have yet to learn is that the ball may not bo picked up when it is on the ground after a player has been tackled. Twice on Saturday the ball was picked up immediately after a player had been tackled or thrown, and yet no appeal was made. Tomorrow the Kopuru and Aratapu Seniors meet on the latter’s ground and a first-class exhibition of the game may be looked for. The rivalry between the two Clubs is very keen, aud the win tier of tomorrow’s game cannot be picked with any certainty, although the red and blacks take our fancy as they stand on paper. The Dargaville and Manga.whare Clubs are to meet on the latter’s ground tomorrow afternoon and a win for the former will probably be the result, unless several of the players leave the field as they did at the Kopuru match, and Mangawhare carries the game off in the second spell. TOMORROW’S MATCHES. Dargaville F. C., —Campbells (2), Thompsons (2), Short, Blewden, Lennerd, P. Moses, Boxer, Rhodes, T. Panapa, Puhipi, Gollop, J. Neill, and Ngakuru. Emergencies, Kemps (2), Kerepi Kena, Pennie, and Rekana. Mangawhare F. C.—Stelir (2), Huett, Hope (2), Cook, Green, Meagher, Hi, Dunn, Nield, Harkness, Stansfield, Phelan, Scanlon (2). Aratapu F. C.—Full-back, L. Kitching ; three-quarters, Butland, Hammond, and Morrison: halves, J. Smith, Main, and A. Smith ; forwards, Yeale, Keane, Woollam, Cunningham, Flavell, F. Barker, D. Lee, and Bonella. Emergencies: backs, Jamieson and F. Walker ; forwards, E. Warmington and E. Harrison,

Kopuru F. C., —Fullback, J. Johnston; three-quarters, O’Brien, Elliott, and A. Johnston; halves, W. Smith, Nolan, and Lowrie; forwards, Keegan, C. Molloy, W. Legge, P. Matthews, Poland, Nelson, F. Molloy, and E. Phelan. Emergencies: backs, Holford and J. Davern ; forwards, Tidmarsh and Fowler. Sixpence will be charged for admission to the Cup matches at Mangawhare and at Aratapu tomorrow. Jim Poland has arrived at Aratapu where, it is said, he is going to try his hand at the butchery. He is to don the maroon and white. The New Zealand Rugby Union team will leave Wellington for Sydney by the Hauroto on Wednesday June 21, on which date the team will play 15 reps of Wellington province. The team will return via Auckland, playing in that province before disbanding. The Hauroto arrives at Sydney on the 26th June. It is probable a district match will be arranged in New South Wales, between that date and July 2nd, on which the first match with the colony will be played. The following Auckland players have been recommended as worthy to represent the Colony in Australia, the names being placed in their order of merit : —Three-quarter, F. M. Jervis; halves, W. Elliott, M. Herrold, C. Caradus (centre half); forwards, R. H. McKenzie, C. Speight, H. Stewart, F. Murray, M. McMillan, H. Wright, R. Green. J. Cole. The Auckland Cup matches on Saturday were very interesting—City defeated Subrtrbs by S points to 2 ; Parnell put Ponsonby down 12 points to 4; and Newton defeated Grafton by 17 points to 4. Some forty players have been recommended as fit for the New Zealand representative team, and a trial match is to be played to-morrow afternoon at Wellington after which the team is to be picked. SENIOR OR JUNIOR ? The following letter ha 3 been received from the Secretary of the Auckland Rugby Union : “J. Stallworthy, Esq., Hon. Secretary Wairoa Rugby Union, Aratapu.—Dear Sir: We have received a letter from W. W. Holford of Aratapu asking for an opinion as to whether he is eligible to play as a Junior this season. He states : ‘ Our Union consider that I being a Senior player last year, cannot play as a Junior this year, my Club not thinking me fit to play as a Senior,’ As our custom is that all requests for rulings, Src., shall come through the Union directly interested, I am instructed to inform you what the ruling of the Committee would be, if a similar case occurred in connection with our own Cup matches, viz —lf the circumstances are as stated by Mr Holford and we are correct in assuming that the Junior team for which he wishes to play is the second fifteen of his own Club, the Committee consider him eligible to play as a Junior. Our interpretation of Bye-Law 29 ir that when a Club has chosen it s best rj men as a first team any members remaining are entitled to play in the second team. I have written Mr Holford referring him to you for an answer to his enquiry.— Yours truly, G. H. Dixon. Secretary.” If the Wairoa Rugby Union had at its first meeting this season accepted the suggestion of Mr Stallworthy that the Clubs’ first aud second fifteens should be sent in seperately, almost as distinct Clubs, the present difficulty would not have arisen and Aratapu and Kopuru might hare been playiug third teams. W T AIROA RUGBY UNION. Cot Matches, 1893. June 3rd —Mangawhare-Dargaville at Man - whare. Aratapu-Kopuru at Aratapu. ~ 101b —Aratapu 11-Dargaville II at Dargavtlle. ~ 17 th—Aratap u-Dargaville at Aratapu* Mangawhare-Kopuru at Aratapu. ~ 24th—Kopuru 11-Dargaville II at Dargaville.