LEAGUE RUGBY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 108, 12 June 1914, Page 2

LEAGUE RUGBY.

LOCAL AND OTHERWISE. Sydenham have the bye in the Thaeker Shield games to-morrow. On the ground nearest the grandstand Linwood will meet St. Albans, and on the further side Ad<Jington try conclusions with the City., . Principal interest should centre in the former. Last Saturday St. Albans won an easy vie-, tory over City, who on their first appearance put up such a plucky fight against Linwood. It is more than likely, however, that the wearers of the black and green will emerge victorious, though St. Albans are said to have received strong reinforcement, while Addington will probably end up ahead in their contest. City, however, may be depended on to put up a tough struggle, and Addington will have to go "all out." .

In the junior division; at present Linwood ami Federals top the ladder with seven points each. Curiously enough a similar position obtains among the third graders, with the same two clubs oil top. The game between the teams in the third grade to-morrow therefore promises to be a keen one., ' The. itinerary for ths English team .in the Dominion has not yetj been definitely settled. "The tentative programme, it will be*' remembered, included a match on a Wednesday for Canterbury, whieh, of course, was entirely unsatisfactory to the local league, and they have made strong representations that the game should be played on a Saturday. The following clipping from the "New Zealand Herald" will be of interest:— "The managers ;of the ;British team have communicated with the local league expressing t!he desire that the team's New Zealand tour should be confined" to the North- " Island.' This means that Canterbury-will not have a match, and Wellington will probably receive a game instead."

' The Canterbury Rugby League Some weeks ago very properly 'decided to have thfe goal posts, at the show , ground 1 padded;, but the. work leaves room for improvement. For .some reason, probably to 'preserve'the padding from the wet, an uncovered space has bieeri left at the 'bottom of the posts. In the writer's it'is fully as.important to have the ..lower part of the posts covered.. as ; any. other part, and any player while diving over the line on scoring a try would receive a very nasty injury if he struck the unpadded extremities. It might very well happenjand the matter should receive prompt ' attention.

Those players who have been lax about producing their passes at the senior games at the Show Grounds, and who neglect this precaution to-morrOw, will probably have cause to repent.their ifbrgetfillnesS. ! ' At. last : Saturday's meeting of the Canterbury League it was determined that very strong measures should be taken to enforce a rule which hitherto has been honoured more in the breach than the observance. Now every Saturday a member of the committee will be at the entrance, and every player will have to produce his pass before obtaining admittance. A plea of forgetfulness will not avail, and should it so happen that he has not the all important ticket there are only two courses open to procure ingress. Either he will have to pay the entrance fee, or send for his club secretary* on whose guarantee the "gatekeeper will then withdraw- his prohibition. Should the secretary be absent, which might very well happen, it will simply- mean "shelling out" to obtain admission. Forewarned is forearmed and it will be interesting to note what happens tomorrow. One thing the- players can be assured of, and that is that the league is absolutely determined that the rule shall be strictly enforced. The match England v. New South Wales, under the Northern Union rules, will be played on the Melbourne Cricket Ground on August 8, as an exhibition. It will have as counter-attrac-tion the V.F. Association semi-finals. Even so this match should attract attention. It is likely to be far tfre finest Rugby contest ever played in Melbourne.

A SUGGESTED BENEFIT. ' When the first Eugby League team from Australia visited England the manager, Mr J. J. Giltinan, was out of pocket £4OO, states the Sydney "Referee" of June 3. The League decided that, the team was a private venture, and declined to recognise the deficit as one it should make good. The manager, who gave a- private, guarantee, therefore, has had to shoulder it, and lias since been unfortunate in a financial sense. There are many who hold that the Rugby League has not played its part nobly in its treatment of J.J.G., who was one of its founders, and it is not too late to alter matters. It has been decided at a meeting of the team which met Bashkerville's New Zealand team in Sydney in 1907 and the Kangaroos of 1908 to approach the Rugby League with a suggestion that a benefit match might be sanctioned between a Kangaroo team and the Eng; lishmen, the profits to be presented to Mr Giltinan. A committee to this end has been appointed, and the matter may Come before the league this evening. If such a match be sanctioned, and the English team be agreeable, a strong combination may be got together. There are:—M. Bolewski, fullback; D. Frawley, S. Deane, H. Messenger, and W. Herdke, three-quarters; A. Butler, five-eighth; H. Halloway, halfback; S. Pearce, L. O'Malley, E. Courtney, J. Davis, W. A. Cann, and W. S. Noble, forwards. A majority of these men are already in thorough condition, and such a match would be worth seeing.