FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 168, 15 July 1916, Page 16

FOOTBALL.

KUGBY. So far, says a Canterbury writer, I have heard of no action being taken by the Canterbury Rugby Union to answer the charges made by a League writer of the playing by Union clubs this season of League players. Does silence signify assent? Peter Williams, the New Zealand and Otago front-rank forward, has sufficiently recovered from the wounds he received at Oallipoli to start playing Rugby again. He is chasing the ball for hia old club— Alhambra—in Dunedin. Evidently the committee of the Canterbury lYUjjby L.IHUU k> not pleasing vie critics wiiu uieir management, lor, says ii Southern writer, tue uavs 01 the 4_an-u-rbiiry ivugby eniou are sonietiuieo past ail uiiucrstauuiug. 'iae Umou luu uceu deploring tiie luct Uiat since tue war began it has been suilering from straightened iinauc.es, thougn it does not appear to have reduced its administration expenses to any great extent; the attendance of the public has fallen oil at Lancaster Park, and as a result the hat had 10 go round to save the Park from tlie tender mercies of the builder; the City Council has been aaked to forego its rates, and the war had been blamed generally for the condition of atlairs prevailing. Truly, the war has been answerable for a lot. but the unbusinesslike methods of the Management Committee of the canterbury Rugby Cnion have not tended to improve matters. Take last Saturday, for example. The. Linwoodilarists match was c«t down to be played on the Oval; the Christ's College-Christ-church match on the South ground; the \veathi>r was inclement. Possibly the Marists and Linwood teams were collectively higher up in the competition than the Christ's College-Christchurch teams, though Tip till last week Christ's College, like Marists, had not lost a game, and Linwood had only beaten Christchurch by the narrow margin of 6 points to 5, apart from the. fact that the Mariats team have boon monopolising the Oval nearly every week since the beginning of the season. But this was Christ's College's first appearance at Lancaster Park this season. It ia -well-known that the team possesses a large following, and a pimc betweon ite members and the Christchurch team, which is largely composed of ex-College lads, would, if played on the Oval, have been witnessed by a largo crowd, especially of the fairer sex, who. however, not being able to witness the srame from any of the stands, largely kept away in view of the muddy state of the ground nnd the wet conditions fpnerally. Perhaps I should not have blamed the Management Committee of the Canterbury Rneby I'nion, as I believe the I'nion'? Competitions Committee is responsible for the allocation of the grounds fnr matches, though the Mannaement Commit-too has the final =nv. but what T «houH like to know is: \Chv do the Competitions Committee look with particular favour on Marists. who. after all. don't apnear to draw larger crowds to the park than other teams? X Rufby fifteen selected from Welsh units at' the front have just received a nasty eetback in a match with a NewZealand side "somewhere behind the fixing line" (says an English journal dated May 22).' The New Zealanders' team, which included two of the famous All Blacks combination which toured this country in the season 1004-5, gave a superb exhibition of the passing game, and were much too fast for the Welshmen, eventually running out winners tve IS points to 3. Prior to the start the men from '"down under" gave vent to the All Blacks' famous war cry, and whilst the game was on an aeroplane hovered over the ground to remind the players and spectators that there was a war on. In a previous ma-teh the teams had drawn with five points each. J. Daley, the well-known Cardiff R.F.C. player, assisted the Welsh fifteen, and played a brilliant game. PUBLIC SCHOOLS' FOOTBALL Saturday last saw the sixth series of fixtures in the first round of the primary schools' Rugby championship, matches being played at Show Ground, Eden Park, and Devonport. The weather prevailing was ideal, and several interesting games resulted. The matter of referees to control the 1 o'clock fixtures is evidently becoming a problem, each Saturday witnessing last-minute arrangements for referees, fixtures in consequence commencing late. The Rugby Referees' Association is doing its best under adverse conditions, but if members deputed to control the 1 o'clock fixtures find such arrangements im-possible, early intimation to the secTetary would probably result in suitable arrangements being made. Saturday's hxturo. did not result in material alteration to the position of competing teams, and •Remuera, Beresford and Normal, and -Newmarket lead in their respective grades. 11l the A grade, victories went to Devonport, Remuera, Avondale. Vermont Street, and Pon,sonby. The B grade winners were Grey Lynn, Maungawoau, Normal, and Newton West, Beresford Street taking the bye. In the C grade, wins were registered by Point Onevalier, EUcrslie, Xorfchcote, and Newmarket. Napier Street put up a remarkably good fight against Remuera, the present leaders in the A grade, the game being by no means a one-sided exhibition, and the losers once again demonstrated that they are to be reckoned with fn contesting- the A grade fixtures. 'Remuera, however, ■were at somewhat of a disadvantage, several of the more prominent ■members of the team having played a hard game of hockey in the morning at North Shore, against Stanley Bay. Remuera arc also leading in the championship in the hockey competition. Avondale registered their second win of the season per medium of their neighbour, Mount Albert, the blues suffering defeat by one try, secured by Letchei, one of Avondale's most promising players. Parnell shaped well against Vermont street, the green and blacks finding tne maroons worthy opponents. Ponsonby rather outclassed Mount Eden, the latter failing to -play up to their best standard. Newton West created a surprise in the B grade by defeating BayfiekL, last season's champions, tie red and -w4iites using the wind to advantage during the first haH, putting on nine points, and then holding their opponents during the second epelL

Normal won decisively from Ejisom, and the meeting of the former with Beresford Street will be the "star" match of the B grade. Maungawhau, by defeating Nelson Street, notched their first win for the season, and now tie with the latter. Grey Lynn, after a series of defeats, ran home to victory by defeating Richmond Road, the winners proving too clever for the losers. ParneU Convent put up a good display against Xorthcote in the C grade, the boys from across the water winning by O-rfl, though the losers did most of the pressing during the second spell, and looked like winning had time permitted. The Northcote boys played much below form. for the losers, Keenan, a forward, played a fine game. A fairly closely-contested game Tesulted between Mount RoskiU and Point Chevalier, victory eventually going to the latter by 9 to 3. Newmarket's fixture with Te Papapa lasted but half-an-hour, victory going to the former.

NORTHERN UNION.

As a result of the 10 per cent reduction made on all grounds last week for patriotic and charitable purposes, it is anticipated that £81 will be added to the league's fund, bringing the grand total up to approximately £420.