SOCCER

IBV '-'VANGUARD")

Chatham and Charity Cup matches have interfered very considerably with the League competition this season, arid several of the clubs are all behind as fax us the number of matches played is concerned. Thistle, Diamonds," and Karori, who quickly lost their places in. the cup contests, have each completed ten matches,. but Marist and Hospital, who reached the final, have played only seven and eight games respectively, and Y.M. C.A., Waterside, and Institute', have figured in nine championship contests. V.M.C.A., who have won six out of nine matches played, are really in the best position, although they have very little to spare -from Marist, who have been victorious in four out of seven, and appear to have excellent chances of still further improving that average. They have proved their ability beyond doubt in the Cup matches, and there is no reason why they should not repeat their performances in the championship matches which they have still to play. Thistle have won only fifty per cent, of their games,, but three drawn matches have added to the points which stand to their credit, and they occupy second position in the championship ladder. Diamonds, who are at present third on the list, have won four out of ten games, and have divided the points on four occasions. In point of form their position on the ladder is really a false one, and no doubt they .will be replaced when Hospital and Marist have completed their games. Waterside and Institute have the same winning average—two out i>f nine—but three drawn g?.mes by Waterside as against one by Institute have given last year's champions pride of place ?sixth on the list, a very • different position than was thfi case last year. Karori, who are eighth and last, have so far failed to break their "duck." but the suburbanites are still living in hope that their luck will change. It appears certain, however, that Karori will have to leave the ranks of the A division at tha end of the season, and give place to Scottish Wanderers, who have an unbeaten record in the B division. Scottish Wanderers have given an almost faultless display of Soccer this season, aud their promotion to the A division will be well deserved. Brooklyn/ who have won eight games out of ten, have also played bright football, but other teams in the division are well out of the running, Welgasco, who were in the A division last year, bringing up the rear with the inglorious record of ten defeats m ten games^ ~ ■ A glance at the goal records gives rise to some interesting deductions. Y.M. 'C.A. -have the best record as far ac goals for are concerned, twenty-three.having been scored in nine matches, an average of 2.55 goals. Twelve goals have been scored against the team. Hospital have scored twenty-two goals in eight matches, which gives them a slightly better average than V.M.C.A.—2.75 goals per match. Complete figures are as follow :— ■ . .

It wil be seen from the above that •Hustle have been very successful in det? f iM lnß> *lw goal-keeper, who is included in the team for to-da.y's match against the.Chinese visitors MORE ABOUT ROUGH PLAY hJn9^" 01? of rou S K Play> %vhich has been discussed from time to time ir. these columns, is the subject of a letter £ fofes £rom "B- H->" wh°writ-

(!„■<= i • Setting a little bit ovoi-done, this harping by a f ew about the rough Play m Soccer? 'Corinthian's' outburst in your columns last week would be amusing, if lfc were - nofc for the faofc . hls letter is full o f inaccuracies, and such statements, if allowed to pass, are Zv nf ? y t0,, d0 he came ha™ than any of the alleged rough play. It thift' „ace to 'Corinthian/ that this talk-of rough play, 'play the man,' etc., is practically confined to 'old-time Payers and old enthusiasts.' Surely tney aro getting nervous in their old ?i *ti a, . r?c°gl»s«l foot in all sports that the 'old 'un is inclined to the view that present-day players cannot play the game as lt used-to bo played in "thoir time, iho games recently played on- the J«ui K6, 81T6) Marist-Instiiuto and Manst-HospiUa, were sui'ely worth look•'"K "fc- and didn't prove a frost, and I lailecl to see any unnecessary cliai-Rinn-, oij that boccer as a game is" not clean. Jlie idea is absurd, as any present-day player will assure your -correspondent, and I am not a bit surprised' at him be ing accused of wanting to see the game played like basketball. He wants to see our football played the way Newcastle United and Aston Villa play it. Well, the former team beat the Villa for the .Mjrlish Cup by the very tactics that he condemns, and the Corinthians are no' i-.lt! t'luve jiliiVbCH • Uii-«'«. ia iu> hue )»t>v. don about them. When 'Comthiaa'

THE CHAMPIONSHIP

V.M.C.A. IN BEST POSITION

DBAWN GAMES STILL POPULAR

learnt the, game, he says he was tanght to play the ball and not the man. Surely his memory is weakening, or else he is trying to 'kid' we young fellows. Association football 25 or 30 years ago was considerably rougher, more vigorous, or | more robust, whichever you. like to call it, than it is at the present day. The centre forward was usually told oft to mark the 'goalie' from corners, and the goalie, was bundled into the net i£ the forward could catch him, whether he had the ball or not. Not so now. A high dropping shot had more terrors than at present, when the keeper hadto keep one eye on the onrushing forwards and ,the other on the ball, or else he would be m the net before the ball arrived A successful goalkeeper had to be in those days a bit of a pugilist to hold his own and get room to work in. My memory «■ pretty good, and I can go back in Jocal football to the days of W Auld T Shields, F, Courtenay, M. EVaser 'h' ,<3odber, A. Wells, etc, and I can assure you those, gentlemen were pretty robust m their play, as were theii confreres, and I don't think any of those would say that present-day football is as robust as m their day. In any field game worth while there is a risk of injury, and would the young, virile man nave.it otherwise? There are people, and I suppose we will always have them more or less, who, when a player ia hurt, cry out that it is the result of dirty or rough play. Football is a-, game in_ which a player must expect to re-! ceivei some hard knocks and surely my friend doesn't, expect the Wellington team to stand off and watch the Chinese run rings around them. The talk about Home players being shocked at our roughness is all nonsense, as Wellington football is a parlour game, ' compared with some of the district league! at Home, especially in the colliery districts. It was unfau- of 'Corinthian' to attribute the sad fatality, at Auckland to violent and dangerous play, as the finding was quite _to the contrary, and in imr long experience of football it is the only fatality I can remember in New Zealand that could bo attributed to playing Sc^er football. By all means, keep the game clean and suppress rough play when it occurs but there is no need to get hysterical over, the matter and Seep on instilling into our players that they are a very rough lot, because they are not. rney play a, good, clean, vigorous game on the whole, and,their failure to draw tremendous crowds' is due to limited population, Bugby, and the lack of a central ground of their own. Give Soc--1 cer Athletic Park, and send the Rugby j people away to the suburbs, and you will , soon find the Soccer teams drawing good gates. The Rugby people did this once, but soon hurried back to the Park. It is only the enthusiast who will inconvemence himself, on a Saturday after™?n" t gfeat maJ°rifcy Set used to going to the most accessible ground, and stick to it 'Corinthian' need not fear for the future of: Soccer in Wellington, '^f.i 6 ? rn6r ,has been turned by the introduction of oversea teams, and the game mil progress in New Zealand by leaps and.bounds, despite opposition." „-'-. NOTES. The weather at Porirna last Saturday was in keeping with that experienced on other grounds, except that owing to the sheltered position the wind was not troublesome. The rain however, fell continuously, and was unpleasant ior payers and spectators. .Hospital demonstrated their superiority in all departments of the game. On the previous meeting Hospital won 6^o, but did not ]S core until well on in the second spell, when the goals came all in a heap. On Saturday the -goals were evenly distributed throughout the game, which was a good one, considering the conditions. As I remarked on the previous match, Karon is a team that should bo doing a great deal better than they are They have two good backs in Prince and Henderson, although the goalie behind them is inclined to be weak. The halves and forwards are a yonng, fast jot but they lack steadiness, especially m front of goal. They had chances on bnturday, but wore in too big a hurry, pie Hospital team was a different one to that which snrlered- defeat the previous week, and with Gibb at full-back the defence was considerably strengthened. Robinson was an absentee, his place being taken by Thompson who gave a good display at contre-haU: Case filled the centre-forward's position; and besides getting two goals showed plenty of dash. The referee appointed for the game did not arrive or notify the HosP™1-,°™£: ?, nd {t was that Mr. li. Wmdley was present as a spectator and consented to act. He was of course, quite unprepared, and received a thorough wetting. Since the previous match a heavy coating of lime has been spread over the ground, and no doubt the rain and tramping of many feet was pleasing to the groundsman. Another noticeable improvement since the last game is the erection of a, temporary fence on the south side of the ground to keep the spectators from encroaching on the line of play. i •"

_ It seems a long drop between an international football match and poetry Bui wait and hear (says a Bristol write,] what I have to say. On Satmtlay, the Bth March, .at Cardiff. Ireland and Wales engaged in a duel that attracted 45,000 spectators. The Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, and Mr Eamsay Mac Donald, the Prime Minister, occupied seats in the grandstand Just before the match, the band of the Welsh Guards commenced that noble hymn, "Cyn Rhondda"; the conductor left his place and went to the centre of the field, and led a choir of 45.000 voices. As one man, the mass of peaplo Sttl'B ''? Wlr'lsll *'* bWitIUM tfit!,l.ir%. . Wheu it waa iiuialied, tho ei'oyd uaked

for more, and the band played the immortal "AberysfcwytiL" Once again the | condnctor walked to the centre of the stadium, and conducted bis huge choir. This hymn, in the minor key, rent the I hearts of the people—some were actually in tears. I have heard .great choirs in my time at the festivals, but never before have \ heard such a choir as this. The effect was stupendous and awe-in-spiring. During the singing of these hymns the cares of the world seemed to vanish, the struggle that was to follow was forgotten, all who heard the songs of praise were brethren one with another. I am bound to say that on this football field one of the greatest notes of poetry was struck that it has ever been my lot to hear. The Scottish Football Association, has made a decision, that a player who is injured during a match shall be immediately removed from the field- of play, and that pfay shall not he stopped for injury to any player until the ball has ceased to be in play. At the first annual dinner of the Christchurch (England) Football Club to'celebrate the club's very successful season the Rev. A. E. Thompson presided. In a speech he gave some very interesting facts about the game of football, the first records of which, he said, were written round about AJX 80. Ho referred to a Chinese notable who indulged in the game about 300 years previously—3Bo B.C. The Queen of that period, anxious about, the safety of her Royal spouse, consulted her courtiers with a view to stopping this pastime, which she considered too exhausting for His Majesty. When, however, she was asked by the said courtiers, who themselves indulged in the game, to substitute an alternative, the Qoeen could only suggest "Tiddley-winks." The reward of footballers years ago, in place of cups and trophies, was a garland of flowers, loaded with fruit, for the winners, while the losing side was publicly flogged. That was in the good old dajs. Remarks made by a correspondent last week on the subject of appointment of referees have drawn a reply from Mr. F. L. O'Connell, the chairman of the Wellington Referees' Association. After stating that " 'Vanguard' is apparently trying to play the doting parent to the spoilt child correspondent," Mr. O'Connell gives an absolute denial to the assertion of the correspondent that there are some referees who demand a first division game occasionally, under threat of throwing up the sponge, and' that the referees have'to get a first division game, although not competent to take a fast game amongst the seniors. He concludes by calling on "Vanguard" and the correspondent to "come out into the open and prove their statement.'' "Vanguard" would point out to Mr. O'Connell that, although publishing the letter in question, he did not necessarily agree with all the views ex--1 pressed therein. In the interest of the game, the writer gives enthusiasts the opportunity of expressing their views, even when they are diametrically opposed to those of his own, although', of conrse, criticism of a grossly unfair description is not allowed to pass. That rule has been followed in the present case.

_The attendances at meetings of the Wellington Eeferees' Association ' have been very unsatisfactory this season, and the chairman of the association (Mr. F. L. O'Connell) has asked "Vanguard" to extend an invitation to all enthusiasts to attend the meetings which are held fortnightly, and thus tak 6 - advantage of1 the opportunity of improving their knowledge of the laws of the game. PLAYERS' TWELVE. COMMANDMENTS. !■ 7611 comprise a team, not one. 2. The ball is made' round to go round. ' I 3. Thought is the parent of action. 4. Think before you shoot, not after. 5. No Prohibition. Put spirit into your play. . 6. Play football;- dance elsewhere 7 Never carry on j. you may be carried off. 8. Let spectators do the shoutdne, players the shooting. , 9. Never'lose your temper; yoa might lose your life. 10. Blows count in boxing, goals-in football. ■ . ■ T I 11. Self-conceit is the footballer's greatest sin. . .".: . 12. Stop with the whistle, not before. CUP PLAY AND SCORING.. | Newcastle United will.have 551 challengers for their title of Cup holders next season. This is nine less than were eutered m the season which has iust ended. Most of those 551 teams will pass out in the qualifying rounds of course. _ The leading goal-«oOTer in first-class football in England and Scotland during the past season was Halliday of Dr-Jidee, with 38 goals in 35 "matches. Ferguson, of Motherwell, scored 27 goals, though he missed playing in several matches. Ferguson's record is a' rsmarkable one. In eight seasons ha has shot no fewer than 243 goals for Id's club in League matches. With 42 o-oals m the season 1920-21, he created a Scottish League record. A remarkable record of prolific goalscornig has been achieved by Wesley Rangers, an East Bristol club, England, in which they scored nearly 500 goals m three seasons, in each of which their reward has been- the securing of a championship. In 88 games no fewer than 440 goals were obtained, or an average of over five goals a match, while only 73 goals were registered against them.In the seasons 1921-22 and 1922-23, the Bangers became champions of the Kingswood and District Junior League. In the season recently ended they achievei the honour of coming out on top in the First Division of the Bristol and Suburban League. Their success in that season was largely due to M. Dando, their centre-forward, who has scored 56 goals in League games, while in all matches, 40 having been played, he provided 85 goals. The League record of the club for the three seasons is as follows:—

With the mission, of boxing against 'three selected Welsh heavy-weights,1 Tex O'Rourke's crusaders recently invaded Cardiff. L. Price, the Bristol white hope, accounted for Billy. Nash, of Newport, but the second of O'Rourko's buddies, Billy Prestage, crumpled up under a few 'straight lefts and a right hook from Tom Norris. The best fight of the evening was . that between Isaac Ingleton and Bob Allison, of Cardiff. Allison boxed gamely all through, but O'Rourke's man1 proved too lougb v ptrorKWiUoo .md Allinun was put to. slcoy iv Uig eJsUtli co\if\d.

SEXIOK- A. Pts. Pts. Ch. „ „ „ , ■ P. • W. 1. D. For.Ag't.Pfes. J.M.C.A 9 6 1 2 23 12 11 Thistle .;.... ID 5 2 .3 18 7 13 Diamonds .... 10 1 2 4 19 16 12 Hospital .... 8 1 1 3 22 8 11 Marist .7112 17 11 7 Waterside .... 9 2 4 3 7 11 .7 Institute .... 0 2 6 1 11 21 6 Karori , io 0 10 0 11 42 0

.a., .ujlv lvSlUiN. ■vr-iV r, a For- Against. Y.M.C.A. 2.55 133 Thistle .: ;.... 1.80 .73 Diamonds 1 91 i 54 Hospital 2>5 l'.OO . M r anst 2.42 1.59 Waterside. .77 122 Institute 1^22 2.33 Ka r°n 1.11 4.22 B DIVISION. ; ' or- Against. Scottish Wanderers 5.33 100 Brooklyn 5.00 . 2.30 South Wellington 2.90 2 30 £e^ n» : • 2.33 2.13 Y.M.C.A. 2.77- 2.77 ™^ toun ' 2.40 2.60 - Jonnsonville 122 2 33 Swifts - 1.22 3!33 welgasuo 1.10 540

' SENIOR-B. Ms. Pte. Ch. o n- ,_ „- P- w- *" D- For.Ag-t.Pts. Scottish Wand's 10 10 0 0 53 10 20 Brooklyn .... 10 8 1 '1 50 -2» 17 Sth. . Wellington 10 5 3 2 29 23 12 fetone 9 6 3 0 21 19 12 Y.M.C.A. .... 9 5 4 0 25 25 -10 Seatoun 10 3 5 2 24 26 8 Johnsonville .. » 2 C 1 11 21 5 S^'s 9 i 8 0 11 33 'I Welgasco .... 10 0 10 0 11 54 0

L921-2 L922-3 [923-4 Goals. P. W. L. D. F. A 30 29 10 159 29 30 27 2 1 138 31 ....... 28 26 0' 2 116 18