SOCCER

[■V "VANGUARD 1-"!

A WORD OF ADVICE

CHAMPION!

Last -week reference^ was mad« in this column to the question of practice as a necessity if the standard of play was to bo, improved. So great will be the need for a higher standard next year, when the Canadian team will visit New Zealand, that serious steps will have to be taken by the New Zealand Council and the local associations, and the sooner something definite is done the better. This year's All Black team was selected in a hurry, practically on last year's form, and the result generally cannot be said to have been very satisfactory, despite the fact that New Zealand managed to win the Ashes. From inquiries he has made, "Vanguard" has come to the conclusion that the New Zealanders were very fortunate indeed in defeating the Australians oh two occasions. In the first Test Australia seemed the verdict, and one member of the New Zealand team informed the writer that the margin in favour of the Cornstalks should have been at least four goals. Australia had matters all their own" way. In the second Test ths Commonwealth selectors made' the fatal mistake of. changing the team, and, aided by an unusual display of goal-kicking' by Campbell, the New Zealanders secured a y win. The same thing happened in the £hi'rd Test, Campbell agaan giving a. phenomenal display of goal-kickingi The opinion was con-, fldently expressed to the writer than the ■ display given by some members of. the team was far from satisfactory—certainly not up to the standard that was to be expected of players selected to represent New. Zealand. The All Black team was, in fact, like the curate's egg —good in parts. It is certain that many of New Zealand's best exponents of the gair£, especially backs, were left at home, and it is very probable that a second New Zealand team ivhich would have beaten the All Blacks could have been selected. The forwards were a fine lot,"' probably the best' that' could be obtained, but the members of the'back division by no means came up to expectations. In fact, the writer was informed that ther« was more than one "passenger." The selector of the team (Mr. B. L. Salmon) can in no way be blamed, for he had to depend almost entirely on the form shown by players last year. It is essential that there should !|s"an improvement next year. How can that improvement be brought about? The method of selecting the All Blacks by the form of players -in interprov'incial matches is not verj satisfactory, as the top-notchers do not always play in such matches, either, on account of the idiosyncrasies of the selectors or, the fact that they are not available for selection. "Vanguard" is firmly of the opinion that there should be. an annual &orth-South match or a Possibles v. Probables match before the selection of an All Black team is attempted! The whole trouble appears to be that the members of the New Zealand Council do not realise how important the Soccer game is becoming in this country, and that at present tliey have a golden opportunity of getting "on-side 11 with the public. Attendances at Soccer matches have undoubtedly increased in recent years, and they will continue to increase if good sport is provided. Next year the Canndians should prove a big attraction, and if the New Zealand t«am is able to make a good showing against such worthy opponents the result should bo most beneficial to the game. There is only one way to insure a good display, and that is by selecting the best possible team available, and giving the members a chance of playing together before being '<% lied on to meet the visitors. It might be said that it is too early yet to talk about next year's All Black team/but so great is the necessity of putting the very best team in the field that a word of advice, however early it is given, should not- be amiss. POINTS CHAMPIONSHIP. The position of teams in the points championship, which is being run this year in conjunction with the club games, 16 as follows:— Seatoun (114 points) 1, Marist (69) 2, Diamonds (67) 3, Institute 162) 4, John-, sonville (59) 5, Waterside (56) 6, South Wellington (49) 7, TVlarist (N.) (46), 8, Petpne (43) 9, Scottish Wanderers (39) 10, Hutt (36) U, Wadestown. (34) 12, St.. Patrick's 733) 13, Marist (T.) (29) 14, V.M.C.A (28) 15, Hospital (25) 16, Brooklyn (21) 17, Thistle (17), 18, St.Thomas' (16) 19, Swifts (15) 20, Technical (13) 21, Porirua United (12) 22, Welgasco x(ll) and Midland (11) 23, St. Peter's (10) 24, Stop Out (9) 25. , ' THE BROWN: SHIELD; The first interprovincial contest of this season for the coveted Brown Shield, the'emblem of provincial rivalry in New Zealand Association football, was played at the Auckland Domain on Saturday afternoon, when the challengers, Wanganui met decisive defeat at the h-nds of Auckland, the holders, by a margin of °/e a!s tol- The rain of ft'idav ni Sht and Saturday, morning (says the "Star") had rendered the ground soft and slushy, tut the weather having cleared up beautifully m the afternoon made some amends, and a crowd estimated at four thousand spectators watched tho play, which, despite th© one-sided score, was interesting and contested in a keen and friendly manner. The Auckland team r-layed with . combination ' and vim, and generally proved a credit to the selec.*■•..,?4 c' backs worked in unison, and, '"addition to keeping their positions, fed the forwards with judgenieat. Tho latter responded in pretty style, and their passing and dash was a pleasure to witness Dncrc,; Tremain, and Knott were always conspicuous on attack, and tftc front line is certainly one that wilt" give the Wellington team something to

SHIP TABLE.

IMPROVING STANDARD OF PLAY

WHAT IS NEEDED NEXT YEAR

keep back on 18th August. The goal shoocing was also up to high standard. 01 the half-backs, Buchanan was sound, and Corbett at centre was always on deck for useful and subtle productive j ■work. Braithwaite was safe at right j full-back, and better than his partner. Craxton, in goal, occasionally had some hard ones to stop, but he stuck well to his task, and was a credit throughout; The team is a first-class one, both on deience and on attack. The Wanganui team is to b a heartily complimented for its stand in the face of big odds. The pace of Auckland forwards was the greatest factor in their' defeat. Beckett (inside left), who is a resourceful exponent, ■did some .fine, work on attack, but Mb shooting was not accurate. However, the crowd was delighted with his crowning attempt, which resulted in a goal just before the final whistle. Stbddart, the outside left, was outstanding, though Cooper" and M'Dougall, on the opposite wing, did most of the gruelling work. Cooper -rould be hard to stop in a better side. Hfs footwork and tactics are exceptional. Glover, the right-half, was not much in evidence, and Mitchell and M'Gorram were in the limelight. The half-backs, however, were inclined to lose their positions and played too deep, thus weakening their'forwards, and spoiling their full-backs, both of whom are pretty players. • Webster, the left fullback, was particularly prominent in the first half until hurt, and O'Neill made up_ leeway in favour in the ifceond half. Winstanley did some good saves in goal, but tlie vigorous offensive and bullet-like shots of the Auckland forwards were had to ward off, and he was completely non-plussed on half % a ■ dozen occasions. Auckland quickly asserted superiority, and before half-time was five goals in hand.. Wanganui gave periodical trouble in the second half, but' the local ! team had the mastery and notched five more goals. The visitors' persistence in their front line was rewarded just before the final whistle. NOTES. Once more last Saturday the games had to be postponed on account of bad weather, and considerable disappointment was expressed by players and enthusiasts. Never before has the W.P.A. had to postpone matches three Saturdays in succession. In a great number of years there has not been anything quite so disheartening to players. There, are some clubs, however, to whom the post- j ponements have been very welcome,- as, owing to injuries and sickness, they were not in a position to field their bast team. The spell of a month should give those players every, chance to recuperate. The Hospital team is the only one that has had any football during the past month, and they had theirs in one crowded week. Tottenham- Hotspur players were not much in the limelight during the past seasop in England, but the remarkable record of one of their men, James- Dimmock; should not be allowed to pass unnoticed. Away back in November of 1919,- the outside-left of the Tottenham team—Chippenfieid—was injured, and in the emergency the' place was given to Dnnmock. From that day to- this—getting on for four years—this player has only once been absent from a serious match, League or Cup, and on that one occasion he was playing for England against Scotland. Put in another way. this, means that Dimmock has appeared m all save one of over one hundred and sixty matches for the Spurs since he first gained a place in the side, and it will not be forgotten by some, that among the other performances which stand to his credit, is that of having B£°?m *c wlnnin S 2oal in the Cup Final | • A prominent referee at Horn« recently made the statement that the best place from which a referee can view a corner ■ l *m the vicin% of the penalty spot. That is a new and unorthodox opinion. No doubt there will be a considerable weight of opposition, for it lias long been held by the most experienced officials that the best place for the referee when a flag kick is being taken is just inside the playing area beyond the goal post furtherest from the corner flag at which the kick is being *akl n- T£ ere the referee ha« everything in front of him, and can tell whether th! ball swerves over the line and out of play before pitching or being played by a second player, and whether any offence takes place by a defending or attacking player before or during the flight of the makes the statement referred to is neither a new nor an old official on the I*ww»-l»t, bufc he has given the plan a jaY t"aI~lt kh* own, of course— and he likes ,t. Some of the clubs have noticed it, but have had no fault to find witn it.

In order that there may not be the b ghteat suspicon of bias, ifc i s now the custom to appoint neutral linesmen in all important -natches. Their duty is to ass> ? t the referee. Everything to-day is subject to his final decision, and it £ no part of then- business to become a hindrance or nuisance. In one match th» season there was a great deal of unhe^T'nf^ 11^ With the result il^ with " ftt° ga ™ wa? interfered with and the patience of players and spectators sorely tried. Play<fr s fluent Jy complam about the uncalled-fo? "„- and they are particularly annoyed becauao the referee sometimes has to nagatn-o a mesman's appeal. The trouWe is that often enough the official in the miadle is in a better position to see what is going on than his colleague at the side, and time and again we have the spectacle of a linesman rushing about

furiously -waving his flag, while at the same- time the referee is . gesticulating with his hands for the play to continue. The waving- of the flag usually .causes players to eass up in the expectation that thegameis to be stopped, and the results have sometimes been disastrous to a defending side. Linesmen should make as little use as possible of their flags, and they should refrain from signalling unless they are certain. that the referee cannot sea the incident, which, they ™i calls for a halt in the proceedings. while the keenness which inspires the signalling is much to be admired, linesmen must never try to usurp any of tlie powers, of the referee. Curious though it may seem, many good referees make very indifferent linesmen. The best relerees use the whistle as little as possible, and good linesmen should be equally sparing in the use of the flag. It may be that many people regarded the last English cup final, not so much as a struggle between the North and South, or between the First and Second Division,'but between the old and new order of things. Bolton was one of the places where professional football 'was born, and the Bolton Wanderers' Club was one of the original dozen which started the Football League. Indeed, it has been whispered that it was at Bolton that the first Scotsman arrived to be paid for his services on the football held but as payment of players was illegal m those long-ago days of the early eighties, it is ribt wise to inquire too closely mto rumours of that kind, inough m many respects the story of the West Ham Club is very different from that of -BoKon Wanderers, it is nevertheless true.that there is mucli very real history behind the Hammers, and the presence of the club in the Cup I< mal of 1923 was really the culmination of a long and wonderful struggle against odds. •

*£ ?K naC^ l n ,the elShties there was « football club known as the Thames Ironworks, which was organised for the benefit of the employees of the workshop -L he club slowly but surely 'established itself until one bright day it was decided to change the name to West Ham United. There are many wondejful things about the history of this West Ham Club, but, most wonderful of all of course, is the succession of star centreforwards which have been discovered by the club officials. There was George Hilsdon, a, centre-forward; who, in his day was chosen automatically to play for England. Then that well-known amateur, George-Webb, suddenly burst on to the football world at West Ham, played' for" England against Scotland and then passed away. After Webb', i'uddefoot, and now, after Puddefoot Victor Watson. Can anybody tell vi the secret behind this amazing succession? . How is it that while manager, all over England are, almost without exceptron, hunting, for centre-forwardi, West Ham should find such a lot? In a brief Btory of Hammers mention should certainly be made/of Danny Shea, another of the wonders, who came from this East-End of London club, white many stars have also passed through West Ham, though not actually discovered by them in the real sense

_ The statement that, the score in the Brown Shield match between Auckland and Wanganui, 10-1, was a record is not correct, although not far. short of it. The record score for the Brown Shield contests Was made when Wellington played Hawkes Bay, on the Basip Reserve, in September, 1909, and won by 11 goals to 1.- J

■ The W.F.A. has chosen nineteen players from which twelve will be selected to visit Auckland next Saturday, in the attempt to bring the Brown Shield back to Wellington., The preliminary selection is strong in the rear division, but the forwards appear weak, and many will be agreeably surprised if they get many goals. Ballard and Campbell are not available, and will be greatly missed m the front line. The team will probably be as follows:—Ewing (Thistle, goal • Taylor (Thistle) and Gibb (Hos' pital), backs; M'Girr (V.M.C.A ) Kissock (Hospital), and Jones (Waterside), halves; Smith (Institute), Thomas (Marlst), Stocks (South Wellington), Gilbertson (Waterside), and M'Leod (Diamonds) forwards, with E. Phillips (Y.M.CA twelfth man. The Auckland team against Wanganui was as follows :— Craxton, Braithwaite, L: Dacre, Buchanan, Corbett, Neesham, Innes C. Dacre, Tremain, Knott, and Williams. As - the above team performed so well against Wanganui, it is not likely that the Auckland selectors will make anY change, and there is no doubt that the Wellington team will have .to go "all out to wrest the shield away from them. However, it is certain that they will make a better showing than Wanganui.

An interesting position has arisen in the Auckland competitions for the Senior League and the Chatham Cup. Northcote head the league table by one point, and the Chatham Cup by six points, and it would appear that 'they were the winners of the League and Auckland section of the Chatham Cup, but apparently such is not the case. Rule 26 of the Auckland Football Association states:— Any team ■■ defaulting two matches in succession, or three at intervals, shall "c deemed to have withdrawn from the contest. In the event of a team being withdrawn from the contest all points scored" by or against the said team shall be deducted." Brotherhood have defaulted twice in succession and Northcote have scored four points against them which must be deducted. Ponsdnby also lose four points scored against the team "deemed to be withdrawn," but North Shore were once beaten by Brotherhood, so that they lose only two championship points. It will not'affect any of the lower teams, but the reconstructed position' means that Northcote and North Shore are level with 16 points with Ponsonby one point behind. A play-off between Northcote and North Shore is therefore inevitable. Reference i,o the high standard of play in Auckland was made by Mr. J. Scott, manager of the Wanganui team, in replying to a toast at the dinner after the Brown Shield match 'on Saturday. Mr. Scott said that he could not speak too highly of the treatment received by his team in Auckland. The match had been an object lesson to them. They had been fairly beaten in a game contested in the best of sporting spirits, and were not going to make any excuses. Beiore leaving Wanganui they knew that Auckland was a tough proposition, but had ho idea that the standard of play was so remarkably high. He was doubtful it there was a team in New Zealand at present capable of wresting the Brown Shield from the holders. <

P. W. Waterside ... 9 g Hospital 9 5 Diamonds 8 n Thistle , 0 a V..M.0.A. ... 10 3 £« r°ri - 10 3 Mnnafr ......... a „ Welgasco a- 0 L. 0 2 3 2 4 4 7 D. For. Agst. Ets, 0 32 S IS 1 27 13 13 1 15 10 12 2 IS 17 10 3 . 21 21 9 2 16 21 8 •5 10- 20 5 2 0 35 2

Senior A.

-p. ' Institute 3.0 Scot. Wander. 10 Porlrna. 10 Sth. Wgtn. ... 10 Brooklyn 9 Island Bay ... it Swifts 9 V.M.C.A 10 W, L.. : 9 1 7 2 4 3 3 3 2 6 1 5 IS D. For. Agst. Pts. 0 38 « IS 1 25 IS 15 4 14 15 12 .'! ID 15 11 3 22 1(1 9 1 11 22 . 5 3 13 20 5 1 i 38 3

Senior E.