FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 128, 30 May 1903, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOOTBALL.

The biggest club match of the season so far is over, and the result has been a surprise to everybody. He would, indeed, have been a sanguine supporter of City who would have prophesied a victory by 1C points to nil. ,

There was no question about City's superiority on Saturday. The red and black forwards were in great trim, and in the second half Graf ton could not play up to them. Time and again they broke away from the pack and swept down the 'field. With a little more skill in dribbling and foot-work combination the City pack would be indeed formidable. The' Grafton men were not nearly so successful in their rushes, hard kicking—that great fault of local forwards —being the chief cause of failure.

Asher's cutting in from the blind side on Saturday gave City their second try. When this was done there was an extra man >to account for, and consequently George had almost a clear run in. Tyler, on the wing, would have had no opposition at all had ho received the ball. I could not help noticing that Grafton's backs were watched and marked better than the City men were. Kelly received a special amount of attention from the City men. Dick McGregor made a run which reminded one of his efforts in his best days.

1 wonder how many years of news* paper criticism it will take to convince Asher that it is shockingly bad football to run across the field in the region of one's own 25. There was a glaring case on Saturday,. Asher ran about half way across'the field parallel to the goal line when pressed and was then grassed by McGregor.

King, who took Kiernan's place behind the pack, played a fine game, though he was on the sick list. His defence was admirable in every way, and once or twice he showed a remarkable turn of speed. One i> : imost tempted to think that he is rat."α-r thrown away at full- back.

A very noticeable feature about the Ponsonby-North Shore match was the lack of efficient training displayed by the latter team. The individual members ot the Norßh Si , ore team nre, in the majority of cases, promising young players, nr.d handled in a different manner should make .1 very good showing agau.st the beat of our clubs. The material is there,bub so long , as they train after the fashion they do now , ,they cannot possibly expect to compete with any degree of success. The backs are the worst offenders. Porisonby, on the other hand, while no better in calibre than their opponents, played with cohesion, and showed evidence of very careful training.

Suburbs' ill-luck is still with them. Absolum has not yet put in an appearance for them, and on Saturday Plugge, who holds the forwards up in the scrums with great effect, was absent, Sutherland's line kicking was a treat on Saturday.

At a meeting of the Waiuku Football Club, held on Saturday evening last, W. Johnstone f»as elected captain of the senior team and A. James vice-captain. A. Michie was appointed captain of the junior team and A. Watkins vice-cap-tain. H. 0. Mellaop, the secretary, of the club, was appointed selector of the seniors. After the meeting the following teams were selected: —Seniors: Vaughan, C. Herrold, G. Honey, F: Henfling, Gleeson, S. Bright, James, Hammond, W. Honey, McNaughton, Johnstone, Bennet, Craig, Powel, Walters and Webster. Juniors: C. Barriball, J, Herrold, A. Flavell, G. Flavell, J. Michie, Taylor, A. Michie, A. Watkins, Smith, E. Morley, G. Bright, J. Keogh, L. Dromgool, M. Keogh, P. McDonald. Emergencies: E. McDonald, T. McNamara and W. McDonald.

A. E. D'Arcy has taken to golf. He won the Cadogan Cup, played on the links at Botany,' Sydney, the other day. This is the oldest golf trophy in Australasia, and has to be won twice in succession to become the property of any individual. Thomson, late Wellington and Auckland, is playing at Christchurch, and showing good form. The Australian game appears to be finding much favour in the Newcastle district (writes the "Referee" Newcastle correspondent), and already there are seven senior and four junior teams affiliated with the League. The Canterbury Union is endeavouripg to arrange for the Auckland match to be played on a Saturday instead of a Thursday. As" the Union points out, the Otago and Canterbury Unions travel equally to Auckland, and yet Otago always obtains the better date when the Aucklanders visit the South.

I hear, indirectly, that the Aueklanders recommended for the New Zealand team for .Australia are: Nicholson, G. Tyler, Cunningham, McDuff and Asher. McDuff is not playing this season.

On present form my Wellington correspondent thinks that Joe Calnan should be sure of a place in the New Zealand team. He played a magnificent game against Poneke. Another strong candidate for colonial. honours is McAnally, of the Poneke senior scrummers. George Spencer, full-back for Melrose, will give the selectors considerable thought, and Wallace must have a big say when the final selection comes to be made.

The injury to Tom Cross, who broke his collarbone early in the gajne between Poneke and Melrose on Saturday i will keep him off the field for several weeks hence, besides spoiling his chance for a place in the New Zealand team. Up to the time of his disablement Cross was playing splendidly, and going "eyes out" against the champions.

Renwick, the promising young Grafton threequarter, who was disqualified for life in 1901, was reinstated by the Management Committee of the Auck' land Rugby Union at its meeting on Wednesday evening. The decision will be forwarded to the New Zealand Rugby Union, by whom it will have *to be endorsed before Renwick will be permitted to take the field again. Renwick will play for the Ponsonby Club.

At its meeting on Wednesday night the Management Committee received a notification from the New Zealand Rugby Union stating it had been decided to hold the New Zealand-Auckland match on the return of the colony's reps, from Australia, on Wednesday, Aug. 20. The secretary was instructed to write in reply that Saturday, the 22nd, would bo a more suitable date, and that this could be ensured by arranging for the team to return by the Oceanic Company's steamer, arriving at Auckland on the Friday.

The secretary of the Southland Rugby Union haa written the Auckland centre requesting that Southland be included in the Auckland team's Southern •tour this season, and promising that if the request be complied with to play a return match next season. I understand the proposal was favourably commented on, and a definite arrangement will be como to when the committee meet on Wednesday to draw up *the programme for the tour. Our representative team will leave for the South immediately after the New Zealand match, and a contest with the Southland team should be looked upon with the greatest interest, as so far these teams have not met on the football field.