COUNTRY FOOTBALL.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18180, 17 September 1924, Page 11

COUNTRY FOOTBALL.

TO THE ZDITOB or "YSS FBXSSSir, —I am very pleased that jour correspondent, Mr W. D- Barrett, has seen fit to reply to Mr C. Tyler s un-called-for remarks made at the recent Sub-union Conference held in Chriai.chnrch. Mr Tyler has evidently not made himself conversant with the doings of the 'Tu Ahuriri Ciub this season, or else he would not make su';- 1 a statement about- a neighbouring It is oniv a short time ago that Air Tyler and Co. would have been on..\ too pleased to have several of the Maoris assisting the Kacgiora Club to uphold tho high traditions of Kugby in Eangiora; but now. for some reason or ctlier, Le is trying to make their name mud, whereas at the present time I ha\ e no hesitation in-saying that the Maoris are the most popular team at present playing in the' X.C.R.S.U. competition. Mr Tyler is also reporter] as saying that they (the E-angiora Club) had had one exprience of the K.C.K.SX., and diu not' want another. I would ask Mi Tyler if that.. experience was gained when the headquarters of the Sub-union were in Eangiora, and practically controlled by ' the Eangiora' Club. If such is the cape I can understand Mr Tyler not wanting any further experience of the same, but I cannot understand why, after such remarks, he should be so keen to' got players resident in the sub-union territory to play for the E-angiora Club and at the same time to trv to send the N.C-R.S.L. to the Avail. It would appear that, the C.E.U. are going to assist him a. great deal in this matter, as at the lasfc buburiion conference it was- decided to transfer two teams from tho W.C.R.S.U. and make a present of them to Hurunui, which at the present time is one of the strongest teams in subunion football. The reason given :s eicessivu travelling, but such not the case. From Oxford to Waikari the distance is about 52. miles, but from Waikari to Ivaikoura is nearer SO miles, so it is really making the travelling for the two teams concerned very much worse, as it is practically all hills. This alteration was not made by the county delegates at the conference, but. by delegates from the city clubs, each of whom had the right to exercise four separate votes. If the country football is to be controlled by the city clubs it in not much use sending delegates from the country, perhaps SO miles, 1 when any suggestions coming from them can bo swamped by delegates who have had no (xperienco of country football-and have r'o idea of what is required by tho different country sub-unions. If this sort of thing is allowed to go ou unchecked the life of country footb:i 11 is 'going to be anything but pleasant for. those who are striving to bring it up to tho standard that it held prior to tho war. I think also that the C.E.U. should take steps to compel all players in the country to play for the district thev live in. Tlayers such as J. Meikle, I). Isixon and J. 1-1. Parker could, with their experience, improve the football in their districts very considerably, and would no doubt be the means of fetching out men, who with a little finish on their play would be ab'le' to hold their own with the best in the town. —Yours, etc., GEO. T. McXALLY. Sefton, September 15th.