FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 105, 3 May 1919, Page 18

FOOTBALL.

BVGBT. The Rugby season was opened in Wellington on Saturday last with a sevenaside tournament, which was won by Fetone A team. This year G4 teams are playing Rugby in Wellington, as compared with 40 lapt season. There are nine senior teams entered, as against eight last year; the chief accession of strength is in fourth grade, which was non-existent last year, hut has this year been revived with a tfeld of fourteen teams. The suggested re-formation of the Franklin Rugby Union has met with j ready response from the surrounding districts. From information received by the local secretary, it is anticipated a very busy season will be seen this year. To set the ball rolling, a match will be played between Bombay and Pukekohe on the Pukekohe Domain this Saturday. I A revival of interest in the game wae I a marked feature of recent meetings Nheld in Gisborne (Poverty Bay) and New Plymouth (laranaki) to consider putting play this season once more on ,the pre-war basis. Jn both .places it has ■been decided ,to go right ahead with the playing programme, and to draft the returning soldiers into *he .various dubs as they get toaok in May and June^ T;he -Maori Expeditionary Force Bat- ; team has arranged a tour of New i I Zealand, starting the matches in Olago as early in the season as passible. SEhje! team has so far had but one defeat in 1 the tournament games in England and I France, and its showing ,in itiie Dominion should create widespread inj terest. i| The Auckland Referees' Association : will commence its series of weekly flwetings at ,the Sporte Club next \VV,ed,nesday :j evening, and tin appeal is made to all. former xoferees and .to old pjay.era <to' come t-.long on Wednesday .and lend fl hand. .Owing to the la,rge number of junior teams and public school teams playing this year the Association will haw a most difficult task to I supply referees for all games, and .O(W I ■players are invited to give assistance and j to make .themselves known at the ,noxt meeting of the Association, w>l-. comes any person interested. New Zealand football teams in the; Egyptian and Palestine area? are uphold-! ing the reputation of the Dominion, ac- j cording to the r.cwe brought back by the man on the transport Kaikoura. When .the veaaeJ left Egypt, ft tournament to decide which team should go -t<> England! ito tftkc part, jn the intor-.r.cgimental I I game there was just about .concluded. | ' and there was little or no doubt that ! the eucccseful team .would be one from ,the Auckland Mounted Riflea.. Tbie I team had awt and defeated .various Australian,. Koutdi Africau and English fifteens, iiud had also had « .very dose ! jtuaeje with $he Jtea»i from jfcb* flKedlipg-' ton Mounted Riile.B. only winning the latter match by 'three points to nrl. ! ! The niPn nlso stated that there had j 1 been keen competition for supremacy i ■ among the teams at the base. The New Zealand Details' team, however, had de- ■ feated all-comers, and had won a mas- '■ sive silver cup valued at about £70. This cup is to be brought hack to the Dominion and presented to the New I Zealand Rugby Union for competition ' ' among the secondary schools and col- ' J leges. ' NORTHERN UNION. i j This matter of the New Zealand tour in Australia crops up again, and the "council has already decided to go ahead " j with arrangements so that they will be fully prepared to meet any satisfactory 1 advices from the other side. A few days ' after this the secretary received a cable 7 message from Sydney. This is its text: "Government has derided not to interfere with football gatherings. Prob- ■ ability of all other restrictions being , ! shortly removed. The first match of the , tour, listed for June seven. Having boom season. Particulars by letter." The arrangemnts made so far come to i ! this, that Bert Powell, the Auckland > I selector, will meet Mr. W. Movie, selector from Canterbury, on May 12 in Wellington, where the selection shall be made without delay, and the result tele--1 graphed up here. Boat sailings are ' \ very vague at present, but as near as can I; be judged, the team will assemble in Auckland about May 19. and will be ■ away about six weeks. However, this . period of absence cannot be accurately ; stated until the programme of the tour ' I comes across, and there is every reason , J to expect it is in the mails now. It is well worth noting that the Knwke's Bay season has opened, although at present there is no detail available, except the rather threadbare » statement that things in Napier are i:i 1 great shape. Further information will 1 be along any time no«\ Feeling that 1 the season would.be jjpod down there. ■ l the N.Z.R.L. does not- feel inclined to - I leave Hawkc's Bay out in the cold ret ' yarding the tour, so it has made arrangef ments to cull from that province any • T players who come up to rep. standard. fc Although all these things have been I settled tentatively for the tour, there 3 is still a certain nmount of doubt '" ; whether it will be wise to send the 3 ; team away so soon. Apart from the ' ' necessity of picking the team on last ' year's form, and therefore not sending ? I the best possible combination, there is I just a suggestion that perhaps the party 8 j may run into trouble in the shape of '' ! quarantine or influenza. Tt would " i certainly be givyig New Zealand a much " j better chance if the Australians were f, to come hero first, and New Zealand '■ to follow them over, or fro back with ''■them on their return. But the folks 0 , over there want the Maorilatldors to get " i busy on the Sydney grounds during a '" ; series of hip public holidays over there, ; and assure the N.Z. League that so far Jj as later on is concerned, they have the i programme full. . j The League in Canterbury have sent .up their report and balance-sheet for ' the 1!)18 season. The document has this phrase: "We congratulate all members ;on their excellent conduct on and off c the field, and thank Messrs. R. .). StirV liiifr ami \Y. Wynyard for support on the ;■ N.Z. Council." Dr. Thacker, M.P.. was 1 the president, and hos been re-elected, v with Mr. A. E. Hooper as chairman of '■■ the executive, and Mr. \\". S. K. Moyle as ', secretary. The competitions in Christ:- --_ church this season start to-day, with '1 five senior teams entered. The Canter- . bury body has a credit balance of £71