Football A Popular Diversion In Army Life

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 109, 10 May 1941, Page 3 (Supplement)

Football A Popular Diversion In Army Life

THERE is plenty of football \ enthusiasm and a fair amount ; ? of first-class talent in the Maori j Battalion now in training at Papa- ! . kura. This was demonstrated . j when the 2nd Infantry Battalion ' j played the Artillery in the first c contest for the Challenge Cup on ; Wednesday. I '- Nearly half the infantry team 1 comprised Maoris, awl their com-' •• rades on the sideline were most : ' spirited in their barracking. Prin- ■ cipal subject of their vocal offering , . i was C. Taitc. a 11-stone wmger. ( former captain of Te Ante College. ■ ; who played for Ilawkc's Bay while 1 still at school, and later for King ' , Country, and last year for Wanga-' nni. Though inclined to bore out . towards the sideline, Taitc showed ' , himself a most determined runner. | ] , whose weight made him rather a • formidable opponent. When he made : t a holt for the line the first timet | lie got the ball and jigged his way j ] I over for a try after nearly going j j out of bounds the native cup of; ■ joy overflowed — and referee Cor- . j poral Elkington. also a Maori, held j up the game while he put the demon-; : strators back on the sideline. Taitc ' | should give Eden Park patrons some j ' thrills, too. j [ i Army football within the houu- , claries of the Camp is assured of, , plenty of friendly rivalry, and when : the team comes to Eden Park it likely to become a public favourite, j Indications are that it will be a | 1 strong side for a month or two at; ' least with plenty of aspirants :'or ; vacancies that will occur. Incident-1 ! ally, it is reported that there were . over 200 volunteers when inquiries were made for players for the teams , in the Rugby Union competitions. . I The fact that the footballers miss' j quite a few irksome parades, of | course, had something to do with j this response. j j Broken Collarbone First* defection through injury in the team which beat Technical Col-1 | lege last week is S. Jackson, who ' I fractured a collar-bone at Eden Park ] I just before half-time. Brother of E. j Jackson, the All Black, he com- | . menced his representative career as I full-back, going to Fiji with the i Maori team in 1938 in that capacity, j but he finished up with his brother j in the front row. Football is in the i blood of the Jackson boys., as their! • father in 190S came out from England as a forward in the Anglo- ■ Welsh team which toured New j Zealand. S. Jackson has been in the I army for 12 months and is now a. j ; second lieutenant. Everard Jackson ; came in with the latest reinforce- i ; I ment and is in the ranks. Staff-! } j Sergeant McXamara, an old Pon- j . sonby player, Lieutenant N. Mc- j • Donald (College Riflesl and Jackson ! ' comprise the selection committee j r for the Army team. Merv Corner is now on final leave j - andis not likely to play more than 1 one more game at Eden Park. To !- fill his place Johnny Pile, Auckland representative half three years after e Corner, has been brought out of t retirement. In a trial on Wednesday he stripped much heavier than

' when he was behind the Auckland J scrum, but there was polish about j t ' his play. j ' Back in a Rugby ,- n was M. j W. Devinc. who in 1937 took part I •in the trials for the Tests with the' j Springboks >in New Zealand and : came to Auckland next year to play ! League for Richmond. In successive! ; seasons he twice just missed New 'Zealand honours. An attack of 1 measles prevented him going to! 1 Australia in 19:55. and his omission I i from the t-ide to tour England was: one of the surprises of the selection. ' A rugged forward who was noticed i 'in the game with Auckland was J.! Crawford, an East Coaster, lie is a■Maori, as are N'orthcroft < Hawke's \ Bay». \V. Moore iQpotiki'. whom l the selectors have been giving the! , onceover. I : D. K. Aratema is a rangy "native ; forward who comes from Rotorua. | . while a South Auckland player, j Kelsey. is another aspirant for the | scrum. Aloe Brown, who gave up I the Grammar all white colours to J don the policeman's all blue and ; resigned to enlist, is still a hard ; grafter in the pack. With M. G. Smith, centre for Hawke's Bay two years ago. for the i full-back role, and P. Day. E.J .'Werner <Otago> and Taite. three-1 ; quarters, and W. Pcrriam (Otagob; ) one of the outstanding players of, ! the last two seasons, as either centre] ; of three-quarter, or five eighth, the | • Army has few vacancies in the' 1 backs. A good man for a five-eighth I ' berth was being sought this week. • ! i j The Army has the goods on ] L • paper. The next few weeks should) • '. see the players moulded into an i -'; attractive combination. j