FOOTBALL FACTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 9739, 29 May 1897, Page 7

FOOTBALL FACTS.

[Br Drop Kick.]

"•* WeeklyHPresa and Referee-i'-— > •■■■

The weather experienced in Christchurch on Saturday was by far the worst that footballers have had to put up with during the current season. Early in the afternoon a strong, cold soif-wester was blowing/and, later on, frequent showers of hail fell. In consequence of the Queen's Birthday on Monday, and anticipating that some of the senior teams .would be engaged on that day, the Canterbury Rugby Union decided to cry all championship matches off on Saturday. As things, turned out it was just as well that such important matches did not take place, as, although the weather was not bad enough to cause a postponement, the high wind and, later on, slippery ball made a good display of football almost a matter of impossibility and the true merits of a team could not be gauged on-such a day. To fill the gap the Rugby Union arranged a couple of matches with the Ellesraere and North Canterbury Unions which were played atLeeston, and Lancaster Park respectively. The team from the senior club's of Christchurch, who visited Leeston on Saturday and defeated the Ellesraere representatives, was very little like the one originally selected and published. They, donned the green and black of the Linwood F. C. and gave a very good account of themselves, all thiugs Considered. Their passing was fairly good, but more particularly for the forward work and packing of the scrums do they deserve | credit. Their, opponents, who appeared in I red and white, provided a good game, in which their willingness and evident desire .to. entertain their visitors made up for a j deficiency in science. Their backs lacked ! combination and the forwards were easily telescoped in the scrums. Voyce was full-back for Canterbury and played well. His two goals were quite a feature. Burson, Glenn ie and Wilson were the three-quarters, of which the better game was played by Burson on the wjng. Price and Carr, five-eighths and half respectively, performed their share creditablyi but were not brilliant. The forwards were Johnstone, Ford-, Duggln, Fanning! Brooker, Cowper, Preece/, Philips and Sanders. They were an even lot and no one ,waa so far better than another to deserve speciallmention. Niven, the full-back for Eilesmere, proved himself a pretty good man for the position, his tackling generally being good. The three-quarters were H. Wright, Gore and Herrin and the halves Rennie and R. Coe. These two played well individually and were ably supported by Wright. The other two threequartera were somewhat weak. Drake and Harley as the wing forwards put in a Jot of good work. The other forwards were McEvedy, Webster, Lambie, Ironside, Dunlop, Davis and McPherson. Webster, McPherson, Lambie and Davis were the best of the bunch but all were better, in the loose, open work than in the scrum.

The contest between North Canterbury and the Canterbury Rugby Union attracted but few spectators to Lancaster Park, which; is to be regretted, seeing the proceeds from " gate " were to be devoted to the wife and family of the late Mr Merritt, whose painfully sudden death occurred when, he waa on board the steamer en route, to Wellington at Easter time to assist the Albion Club in their annual match with the Poneke Second. The. play in Saturday's match calls for but little comment, as it was merely a scrambling rush from the kick-off until the call of time and but very few pieces of either good individual, or combined play, .were witnessed. In the first spell the town players, with the wind in their—your, made matters pretty lively for opponents, scoring 11 points to nil. Austin drew first blood T>y scoring a try after the best bit of passing that was seen during the afternoon. Duncan next kicked a goal from a free kick, and he also converted a try secured by Fawcett after, a loose rush over the goal lide. The second spell was more evenly contested and by good forward play the local men prevented their opponents gaining more than one try, and players and spectators alike were relieved when the' referee blew his whistle to cease play. : C. H. M Anson, who last season played' for the Merivale -Second Fifteen, is this year p_y_g for the Gisborne Club. In the opening match for the Senior Banner on May Bth, against Te Arai, he scored a try., The local paper reporting the game says:—Manson showed himself a valuable acquisition, being always on the bell and "grafting" really hard. .

I have to acknowledge the receipt of the " Otago Rugby Union's Annual "Jot 1897. The book contains the usual information published in works of the kind, and appears quite up to the staodard of previous publications issued Toy the Otago Union. The frontispiece is, a photo engraving of last season's Otago Reps. - Mr W. G. Garr_rd, the Ho_ Sec. of the

Canterbury Rugby Union, who is also a member of the New Zealand Rugby Union's Selection CommiU*e, proceeds to Wellington to-morrow, and the New Zealand team to visit Australia, will be chosen on Saturday night. On his return to Christchurch Mr Garrard will probably visit Duuedin, for the purpose of meeting the other members of the South Island Selection Committee to pick, the team to play against the North Island team m Wellington next month. The following Auckland footballers are nominated for the New Zealand team :— Forwards—Haucouk, F. Murray, Wilson aud Gallagher. Backs—E. Smith, 11. Smith, D. Gage and J. Young. The Wairarapa Rugby Union have nominated E. Udy, R. Gray and H. Wrigley as members of the New Zealand team. The players selected by the Wellington Rugby Union for inclusion in the New Zealand team are :—Pauling, McKenzie, Laws, Roberta, Caln&n, Hardcastle and Young. The Selection Comu<ittee of the Southland Rugby Union have submitted the following players as worthy of consideration in the choice of the New Zealand team s—l/. Murphy, C. Purdue, R. Donaldson, \V. Myers (forwards), I. Jenkins, J. Manson, B. Bain (backs). P. Anderson was also selected, but he would be unable to go if finally chosen.

On Saturday (to-day)>the Senior matches in Christchurch are Linwood v. Christchurch and Kaiapoi v. Sydenham at Lancaster Park, Merivale and Albion having a bye. I shall expect to see Linwood and Kaiapoi win their respective matches, but Sydenham should give the latter a good go. The afternoon tea at Lancaster Park on Saturday was much appreciated by both players and spectators, aud Mrs Adftms and her staff of young ladies were kept busily engaged during the spell. A North Island exchange states that D. Stewart, of the Thames, contemplates taking a native team to England and America shortly. *. The takings at the gate at Lancaster Park on. Saturday were £5 15s 3d. Mason, the Otago half back, who has been residing in Wellington for the past month or so, returned to Dunedin last week. A match between New Zealand and a team representative of the metropolitan, branch will meet on the Sydney Cricket Ground on July 7th, the Wednesday between the dates of the first two matches, New South Wales v. New Zealand. It should be au attractive fixture, remarks a Sydney writer. Reporting Mr Firth's recent lecture in Wellington on the rules of football, a local paper says:—" The first point dealt with was that giving to the referees the sole charge of the game without appeals, a change which, as was pointed out, would make the game much faster, besides doing away with the noise, shouting, and cunning cheating which was so objeotionable a feature of the game under the old system. To make the change a beneficial one, it was more than ever neoessary to secure good referees, and an appeal to all footballers was made to do their best to treat referees properly, and to recognise how much, was,due to them for undertaking a responsible- and not too pleasant duty. Many qualifications were necessary for a good referee—ho njust possess a thorough knowledge of the rules, and he must be observant and prompt, and ho must be determined and able to manage numbers. ' To induce suitable men to give up their time and fit thetnselvcs to act as referees, players must treat them with eyery consideration, and they must not be exposed to the abuse which iv the past had too often been their only thanks. Continuing, Mr Firth called attention to the law which orders that the ball must be pub down at once if fairly held,'and to the penality of free kick for not doing so, or preventing a player with the hall doing so. He pointed out the great difficulty referees would have in deciding whioh was the offending player when two opponents were struggling with the ball. He suggested that the law of twenty years ago should, he re-inserted, and that thv.man,with the ball should cry "Down" when it was held. The off-side rule was next considered, and the change pointed 4 out that an, offside player must keep not less vthattf, ten yards from • ; ;»»-pia;yerv fos th.c ball, and Vif within .that distance must ai; once retire.. Attention was called to a mistake in the rules—that ft free kicks were to be given on claims by the, opposite side." This, as the lecturer pointed out, was impossible now that the referee has sole charge of the game. The next change referred to was, perhaps, the most important of all, viz., that breaches of rules were to be penalised only When they benefit the side committing them; if they benefited one of the opposing side the whistle was not to be blown; Furthermore, wilful breaking of rules, or systematic wasting of time, such as "knocking on" to secure a scrummage, or kicking the ball . unnecessarily far out of touch, were to be penalised by free kicks. It was pointed! out, too, that pushing a player from behind t unless he actually was holding the ball, and calling out, "All on side " when such was not the case, was now illegal and punishable by free kicks." In general the lecturer pointed/ out that the new rules were designed to prevent what is technically known as "pointing," and with good referees must make the game faster and fairer. The following decision otNew South Wales Referees' Association will be acted upon by its members during the season,:—'Law 3, section d.—" When tho ball his been improperly put into a scrummage." This has 'been interpreted to mean that when a player Who puts the ball into tbe scrummage does so in such a manner, either by a turn of the wrist, or otherwise, that although the ball may have touched the ground midway between both sides, it rolls towards his own, the referee must award a free kick to the opposite side. -This has become a common practice of late, (says a Sydney paper), and it is obviously against the spirit of the rule, which is that both sides shall have an equal chance of securing the ball. Referees have ,beeu instructed to penalise the practice. The Rotahitanga Maori team, which visited Canterbury: last season, defeated the Carterton Club, at Carterton, on May Bth, by 8 points to 6.