Out Door Sports
Observer, Volume XVI, Issue 957, 1 May 1897, Page 5
About this newspaper
Out Door Sports
By ' Habbieb.'
COMING EVENTS. May B—Auckland8 — Auckland Rugby Union's CnpCompetions commence.
I was very much surprised to see the, comparatively speaking, poor attendance of delegates at last week's special general meeting of the Auckland Rugby Union, especially in view of the important nature of the business to be considered. And much more was I surprised at the manner in which the question of the position of the Suburbs Club was dealt with. Here was a club which stated absolutely that it -would not be able to put a senior team in the field, and suggested that a certain course should be pursued to get over the difficulty, and yet the delegates found it impossible to say either aye or nay to the proposal, or to suggest an alternative course. It is true that the chairman ruled that a resolution embodying an alteration in bye-laws could not be dealt with in the absence of formal notice to that effect, but even so, it would have been easy for the meeting to have affirmed a principle and afterwards called a meeting in proper form to carry it into effect. Instead of which, however, the question was shelved by deciding to call upon suburban residents desirous of playing football to send in their names to the managing committee, and agreeing to allow Suburbs to draw a bye for the first Saturday's Cup Matches. What course is to be pursued when the names are sent in, or are not sent in — which i 3 more likely — was not indicated, but presumably another general meeting will have to be called. Meanwhile time is passing by, and the Cup Matches will be in full swing before the question is definitely settled.
Dave Gage will probably play for Hamilton this season. Championship football matches in (Jhristchurch were commenced last Saturday. Rumour has it that a Hawke's Bay representative football team -will visit Anck land this season. Newton F.C had a big muster for practice at Surrey Hills last Saturday, and some fair form was shown. At the last meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, the name of P. M. Thompson was struck off the amateur list. Auckland 11. win their match against Victuallers by default, the latter having intimated that they will not complete the game. If I mistake not, the infusion of young blood into the Ponsonby team this season will have the effect of improving it very considerably. I hear that a player named Thomson, who is spoken of as an excellent threequarter, and who hails, I believe, from Masterton, has taken up his residence in Pirnell and will play for that district. The Melrose (Wellington) team beat Sydenham at Christchurch on Easter Monday by 8 points to 5. A. Mason, the ex-Otagoite, who played for Merivale, is spoken of by Christchurch writers as the best back on the ground. The committee of the English Union has ruled that in cases where two players of opposite sides are running for the ball, a player overtaking another may not shove the overtaken player from behind ; if he does it is illegal, and should be penalised by a free kick. In the light of recent events it is interesting to note that considerable betting was carried on at the recent Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club's meeting held at Christchurch. And yet no mention appears to have been made of this fact at the Association's meeting held subsequently, although, seeing that the headquarters of the Association are at Chris;-church, it is only reasonable to suppose that membersjthereof were present at the meeting.
With the exception of Suburbs, all the district clubs held practice games on Saturday last. M; M. Rosingrave, the Sydney athlete, who has been seriously ill with typhoid fever, is now oat of hospital. City had only about 15 players at Potter's on Saturday, and of these Geo. Smith and Thomas were the only seniora I noticed. D'Arcy was playing three-qnarter in ParnelTs practice game on Saturday. He is, however, very much out of condition, and will require a lot of work to get him fit. I have been requested to remind secretaries of country unions and clubs affiliated with the A.R.U., that their returns for last season must reach the secretary not later than Monday next, otherwise they will be too late for insertion in the Annual. Grafton and Ponsonby had each about twenty members at Potter's on Saturday, and joined forces for a game. There were tot* many players on either side, however, for the game to be much better than a scramble. Parnell F.C. had a splendid muster at Potter's Paddock last Saturday, there being close on forty members taking part in the practice match. At present appearances the maroons premise to be exceptionally strong this season. Two Wellington football teams— the Melrose and Wellington— which visited Ghristchurch at Easter, had a very rough experience on the passage to Lyttelton in the Rotomahana. Some idea of tbe nature of the trip may be gathered from the fact that it occupied 74 hours. North Shore Football Club practised at Devonport last Saturday. The Shorites have secured four rattling good forwards of the right stamp from the recent Torpedo Corps arrivals, and as H. Dacre is also back, their front division promises to be stronger than for some seasons past. The return match between the North and South of England was played at Dewßbury on February 27th, when the former won by 2 goals and a try (13 points) to a goal (5 points), thus revenging their defeat at Richmond in December last. Auckland 11. are showing very good batting form at the end of the season. On Saturday they compiled the respectable score of 135 against Belmont, Hill, 31 ; Allen, 27 ; Murray, 25 ; and Hay, 16 ; all batting in good style. Belmont at end of time had registered 3 runs without any loss of wickets, and will continue their innings to-day. Cumberland and Kent had, at latest advices, to play off for the Connty Championship at the Rugby game. It would thus appear that the long series of successes by Yorkshire has at last been broken. No doubt the ' split ' on the * payment for broken time ' question has seriously weakened the ' Tykes,' as amongst the seceding teams were some of the strongest in the County. Mr Airey's motion providing for a sole selector of representative teams instead of a committee of three, as heretofore, was carried by a large majority at the Rngby Union meeting. It is to be hoped that the new system will work better than the old in the matter of reßultß, but it also must be borne in mind that it is impossible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, or in other words, that the cleverest selector cannot choose a good team unless he has a sufficiency of good material available. ' Licensed Victuallers failed to roll up a team to meet North Shore on Saturday, and the latter therefore win the match by default, and at the same time the first Junior Championship. The Marine Suburbs Club have had a very successful aeaßon, having won all their engagements, and in the majority of cases by a considerable margin of runs. I understand that it is their intention next season to again apply for permission to play as seniors, and surely the Association cannot, on performances, urge any valid reason for declining the request. Certain it is that as at present constituted they are a long way ahead of any of the other junior teams. In deciding to send a team to New South Wales and Queensland this season, the New Zealand Union have wisely determined not to play any matches againßt odds and have arranged to play only two matches per week, which iB quite sufficient, particularly on hard grounds such as are the rule ' in Australia. The following is the pro-, posed itinerary: — Leave Wellington 26th June, play New South Wales on 3rd and 10th July, Queensland on the 17th and 24th July, and New South Wales on the 31st July, with minor matches on each Wednesday. The team would then leave by the Alameda on the 2nd August, arriving at Auckland on the 6th, and play here on the 7th, leaving again for the South on the 9th August*
McMahon, the well-known Sydney i fall-back, has gone to .England aa a member of the New South Wales Lancers de- I tachment. It is proposed to play the North v. South match at Wellington on 26th June, prior to the departure of the New Zealand team for Sydney. Dave Gallagher was, I believe, the only member of Ponßonby's last year senior team to put in an appearance at Potter's last Saturday. The attendance at four of the principal Association matches in England on Feb. 27, amounted to 64,000, and the gate money to £2313 17s. Judging by the remarks of Mr Chapman and others at the annual meeting of the Otagq Rugby Union, the old bitterness of feeling against the New Zealand Union still exists in certain quarters in Dunedin. The president of the Otago Rugby Union, Mr Gallaway, has been elected Messro Henderson (Auckland), Faehe (Wellington), Cotterill (South Canterbury), Firth (Nelson), and Logan (Hawke's Bay), compose the appeal committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union. The following proposed movements of teams were announced at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union :— Otago to play Southland ; bush districts to play Wairarapa ; Canterbury to visit South Canterbury and Otago ; Wairarapa to visit Wanganui and Taranaki; Manawatu to visit Taranaki; Poverty Bay to visit Hawke's Bay ; Buller to play West Coast ; Wanganui to visit Taranaki ; Auck- j land to visit Taranaki ; Taranaki to visit Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago ; Wellington to visit Otago, Southland, Hawke's Bay, also probably playing Manawatu and South Canterbury.
