FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2277, 22 April 1886, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

(Notes by " Touchline.")

The football season of 'BO will open with flourish in.the Wairarapa during the Easter holidays. The district will be invaded by both town and country teams, who are anxious to try conclusions with tho Wairarapa kickiata, anrl.Hia result of thftjo- luareiios' will in a great degree measure the ohances of the sea-•-'ssn'ii'"siiccess. As "nothing succeeds like success," the initial match of a season requires mors than the ordinary amount of attention from the selectors of teams, Their duties, especially in tho case of new players, take more the form of guess work than from the form shewn at prac, tice, 'where very often a youngster will shineout ljke a meteor on one occasion, and sink for the remainder of the season to a star of a very inferior degree according to football lights, The players of a previous season should, in all sonso and reason, be found ocoupying the positions of honor (especially if they have kept up tho practices) at the commencement of a season. This should'more especially refer to a first fifteen match, and on no account should untried men bo placed m the team, to the detriment of players who havo through assiduous practice worked themselves up for the position. It is a very dangerous experiment to try now men's calibre in a matoh in whioh the reputation of the Club is at stake, andthe match committeo would have far more confidence in their choice after having seen thorn shape at a' few practices, or in a second fifteen mateh. ' In the team selected to do battlo for Masterton against Wellington on Saturday next, the infusion of new blood leads one to suppose that the zeal of the Committee on this occasion, has carried them beyond th,o bounds "of discrefcipr,. |n the first Place we have the most impprtunt post in the field allotted to one of the youngest members of the team, viz,, T. Bannister as full back, and this being his first match against a first-class team, coupled with (the fact'that another lad Heron as half-back receives his ''baptism of football" in this match, the succoss of the contest will greatly depend upon tho ball being kopt in front of the quarterbacks, among whom is to be noticed Oliff, a man with a reputation sufficiently good to warrant him being placed in the team, without any of the Committee having an idea of his play from a personal observation, .Why < tho. Committeo should have adopted this innovation in football, as. to pltce the -jrholo ot the untried men(?) behind the scrimmiujo will perhips puzzle .older footbtll pl»ye»s than me, but no doubt in the rapid m.nrch of eyents. pld. ideas m.qsfc giy» place to now, Still, it niuafc bo admitted that the game of to day h more of t lack game than formerly, consequently the placo to put your "tried men" is where the play iB most likely to be. igaipit footballers of the Wellington stamp, it is necerory for Masterton to put their best toun in the field, To tttempt to put their nitiatcs so far behind the scrimmage with such old Btagera opposed to them, is not doing justice to the young»tora or the club. As the te»m i| notr published I should not advocite changing it,'but It certainly requires strengthening in tho back, and perhaps this could bs effected by bringing the youngsters among the forward*, and reconstructing it again. Without criticising the rest of the team, it is to be hoped that the d»appointed ones will don the red, bltck ind yellow, and give their comrade* every encouragement in the btttle on Saturdty, remembering that the rejected of to-day are the'elected of. to-morrow, and, jkt the are mtny and proriiising during the season, As tljerq is an old saying that you should not find fault unless you can remedy things, I will in con. elusion give you the remedy for the fault finding I have indulged in, by selooting a team from among those we know that could give as good an account of themselves as any that have donned tho red, black and yellow, viz,, back, Polling; half-backs, W. Perry and E. M. D. Whatman; quarters, O'Connor, Holmwood, Ngatuere j Forwards, Ranginui, J. and 0. Bannister, Welch, Whatman. Jamieson, Chennells, Hounslow,. Inglis.

The following is the Wellington team which will play against the Mnaterton.

fifteen on Saturday afternoon, on tho Park Oval: backs, Barr, Fairbrother, Hirachberg, Pearee, Richardson, • Stock; Forwards,-Barnefct, Gibbs, Gore, Gray, Mitchell, Reader, Reeves, Stagpoole, Varnham, Emergencies, H, Gore, and Bucholy, , ''{ ''.'■'