FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 9

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. , (Br AniSTOBDIiUB.) ■ For some reason or anothor, the grounds • ... at Miraina'r wore' not "flagged" on Saturday ■ , "AH Black" Booth, who lias been' plnyuif ■ for tho Leicester Tigers, is returning to Aus'J;' tralia next month... : Curing tho la'to Homo Rugby season ■ Wales' defeated Australia, England, Ireland •. Scotland, and Franco—thus making a clear i/.';; sweep :oLthe Deep sympathy will be felt for Mr. Goorg< Harnett, .manager of tho / Anglo-Welsh team • who has just had the misfortune to lose hii ' youngest daughter. Sho - succumbed to ai ' attack of meningitis. •■. •' ■ ••• J. O'Lcary, ■ formerly of Mastorton, wli< played in :tho .North / Island representative .team last>year, has 'thrqwu in. nia. lot .wit! Ponsortby. t , -Thomson! a Scotch international forward :; who playeel against tho South. Africans, has • becomo a member or tho City Club at Auck- \ land. . "It ;is stated that the negotiation for the transfer -of ;H. . to- ono •of the Honio toams was on the .. basis • or. £10 £ i week. ) > Playing or - refereeing in any football • as- , . .Boeiation , declared Iby tho - council to bo s professional body is now an act- of profos- .. Btonalism under the rules'of 'tho Now South .: .Walos,Rugby Union.. ' f Tho Southland; i Rugby; Union has decide*: to drop a resolution, which it was proposed to.submit to tho annual nieetihg of the .New '' Zealand. Rugby Union, askuig 'tliat;the' posi- : tion of-'players suspended' for having takei: .'-V; part, in; Northern Union football: be -reconsidered. >' . i One cannot help feeling (as a result ol l at. leastoub of; tile Eonior matches: on Saturday) that it would bo a .good plan to divide '■■ '..the''strong' andvthe"weak .teams into" twe . classes, A and B. If this were dono on tin 5; / rosulte 61 "the presentseason's contests : . the ■ . standard of play -would be -greatly , improved .. ; That would probably bo,preferable to weedmg. out, : say, the two weakest fifteens. ■ / . Referring to.thofijio display;.given by. the Wolsh;,three-quarter. -lino -against Ireland, the London "Illustrated Sporting- and Dra- :■ matic Nows". says: It would perhaps-bo toe . much, however, to say that W: Trow. J. P, - Jones, J. L., Williams, and P. Hopkins aTf equal to Gwyn Nicholls, 'R. T. Gabe,,E. T . y Morgan, and W. wLlowollyu, but they a« young and full 1 of possibilities '.' •' One , ! of - the' two forwards -who stood out above .tfcq .others on tho sido of the; Welsl: .-, team in its engagement.: against' tho choice ; of Ireland was big Ivor Morgan, of the British .touring-,team. Writes.the critic of the ,' ' Athletao : Nows"l. could- not swears-thai tllo former was shoving for all that' was in j *}t ln th® o P sn he ; was . brilliant.:' He unfabled .well; and when- lie picked :,up. and ran.he did 60 with the pace and swerve of n wee-quarter back; wliilo'.his gripping was ! • Tho text; of - the: resolution of tho Scottish . .. / Rugby Umon with rejard to ovorsea toun; wa* as-under: 'IThat'this union take part, in . : no oolomal except those that are man- - ..aged, by-a cdininittee. equally , representative • or.tJi© four.countries, and decline to associ.v ate thomselves in nny ' proposed New. Zeaof tho gates, of • the 1905.. t-qur, asked-for by .this union, are . isupplied; ;'and- the accounts :.of "the^AngloWelsh tour of. 1903 aro published. s, Harold Byrne, who represented' Cantergames; pWysd- in 1904, includi .;mg.tho:.mateh : against the.British.team,'died ■ 1 ' oa Jlonday morning, after a very brief - illnoSS »n • f a , 3 ? n 9 °t. a family <jf four, brother all noted for.'their cleverness as back .' P~y€.rSj ; oufc ;iip the gam© for some " /tJme/ PHil has also' done. : Oi the other two, W. J.; Byrne was killed in : -, ou , ,-n i fl : lcl ; k ut ' V lO youngest of tho fam- ' - W''■„® rnia i!':"i s "stillt : aii' active member 'of the Old Boys' Club. ■ i amusing _ scene was witnessed on the football. ground or tho . 2nd ' Cheshire . Re<n- .., merit—an. old . Salford -corps— at Secundera- - bad. recently. Tho ball rolled in closo pros- • imity ; to a cow and calf whioh -were g'raziiig , /.near^ : "-As ;one : of'the . Cheshiresvwent tlie ball tho cow charged him and . knocked wm down. With gi;eat .presence of mind the soldier seized the hyo horns of-tho cow ; ; rand "Any -fw- : pricks,:;but..thestruggles. :'of'.the : brute -"I:irf: attempt .to. get :;away.,,and S , ler ' ho , hira S °n like grim death, . -.prpduced a spectacle ; most' ludicrous,;-and the remainder of -the .foo'tballers^,' : andv spectators ; ;as they rushed to - the . man's . assistance Cwere convulsed with laughter.: % Vfi i bro 'h° ra ' named Williams, of Havor- ■' tpnWo-^'' :,S ° nS l° f -? , fd W® r 'P°lica - BUperihv . tendent, issued, a-. challenge, to any other :3 B «m;tr°th6rsrm rthe:;Uisted, Kin£lom- : te tit 7 pi, gan? - 6 '° f u- Ku S b y -football for £200 "and '''out •'fnTiS^ lp- ' ■' 'i'' 1 ®' tr °tKßrs' are • net : only football players,- but;:several>havo been I 0 *'®' 011 toerririning path'. : i n ■ a?'hi-+^, hes^ amateur; boxers, and it Jia -aa id, challenge ..p any_ team -of seven - brothers: inTthe'world ? h ,^ r ages range from -22- to 43.' l'ho foofcl ■' u e >®t , B - as accepted by the brbthers : iAr laneli y >' the ,-brothersi Phillips' - of .Maesycwmmer;: the' m '*!' a 1 * Smth ' ~ brothers Hall,, of . Gloucester, -;arid ■ :the' broi- thcrs IMarslt, of Newcastle-upon-'IVno As the^haUenge^of!;the : ; Llanelly beoiiy a ccepted;o? •; i? i>• i •- BGmor ' matches at - at^: ; a «Motcd:. abputx-'tS^ . loo.ters,lhe display mado '-bv; Southern ; wouleT V ; T or W^^abugh:;psS^ .... - the tall score, of -IS points; :the margin would S rea #had':.i^ , -number; of-chances beeav thrown l 'awiiv :'St- ■ James. knocked up:v34^ix)i n tsMS' :^ - four made by Victoria:' (-'ollege.' . Only 'onc'o ■ ■ ' ivict «s ; -^alle^upon fo -SeS l^b^( Se ol^ S 'A i^ v - iilfeHoW^is P la y illlt^asraaaga It was generally expected that ex-selector -.Hogan would bo;found m '-tho..ranks 'of . Southern . v • Saturday 1 . - ('Mick'-'- had iKicn looking forward to tho game, but mi- ! whilst training. ;As ' i's scruin; 0 ' , m ™ y Btrcn ßthen his : Some of tho young players in. Saturdav's - Kmor matches were very nervous.- For in- :■ at left wing for St; James, do.with'the ball when it came- his way. As tho eamo .: progrwsed, -however,- his: fornrimpro'ved ap, preciably, and he gained tho honour of securing a try. ■■■'; *ry r - J Poncke, -Kannagan probably played tho game of -.Lis -life .on Saturday. • Whoncver i-K.Wrin, iTS : : was in 'f L^ ol3^" B '' how over, -ho : kfrin? B 'rti f ;?+ ' r7' % ■ r , cf ?^ eo -"noted the intnngomeiit,-and'pcnaUsed liim. ' P.n pV f r iu DO cu S ' what to expect of IJirry . . >rt . 3 ) ,<rf-'the St;, James - teata; :V Sonietimes -he scorns te^do- the. right .thing as if by in:.;ctmct;;at othet times ho muddles very badly. _was. his lorm on - ' ■ -n Hamilton ..Victoria College havo sccurerl 0 /?,'I" 1 ?: S full-back; ' : On-' Saturday ' his -exhibition of •ficlding.:;was,disthictly 'good Bui he has .one lrretrievaWo fault-ho • aas V no. idea of finding,^h,: Timo and in m tlw baU iin/splendid styleoiiid ' aT^' T n 7? h ?fft'- : "• he would only -niako a point ?f getting' tho line ho would .bo of great assistance to.his side . ..'Saturday's.cames ,at/the Athletic Park can hardly be desenbod as a series of surprises ;-but thero. is- no doubt "that many of those who tried to i'oretell th ß result of the'.Ath-letic-UnentaJ contest.wero proved to be false prophets. In their-. forwards ; Athletics certainjy had. the advantage of. weight—the weiglit-of forwards solid in tlie pack and actho loose, but Oriental relied on theii .. J'ght. van to, play with the ; backs, keopin" tho game open and fasti . There was little difference Mtween the. rearguards; The Ath-

lotib men were a 'rearguard in-"tlio' litcra' sense.: their' opponents were, a attack.or defence, attack, M'Leod 'and i'Ved. worked well togethbr, ant! their dashes might well have broken througl a stronger Jin© than* the Bluo and "Whito, had.not "llangi". .Wilsoii developed a; rathei disconcerting habit of coming to the' lielf of. his backs, with a still more disconcerting tackle;; • .Kinvig, who has not been heard-of xmict so far,, should, not remain in the. dark mucli -longer,.-for his. coolness,.!!! defence, and certainty in. line-kicking, 'shed a little more light; than does the play of. many,of th( glowworms .of senior; football. H6 and Roberts, combined. to form a stonewall, calling for all 'the tho Athletic forwards to Hurdle or all their weight to break down. As hinted before, 1 , tho Blues,strength laj rnarnly in the forward; line,, 'Their back? did little, more than defend, arid they: did not all' do that..Evonson was the : best, oi the set, his kicking .proving of great . service to his side;' "Rangi" "Wilson ■ "starred' 1 with' the pack, and,his .ploy was, always Uf to form. ;Murray sets -a good example, for his try : was,the result of training* 'which enabled him to. keep on the balj constantly, follow, up steadily, and let nc .opportunity, slip through "not being there. . . When Melrose met Wellington,, it was the /same old story of tho..same old. game.thai has been marked and pigeon-holed as "Melrose play.". It ,was-.a case 'of "constant dropping wears away the stone," .though the dropping was- more in the nature of a sledgehammer than, 'a drop -of water. r The Melrose- team 4 is ; changed, greatly, but the Melrose; play -is not. It js : still the/close hand forward attack 'that has obtained' for years, though ,*this style succeeded last season, L a^ rs at Present as if it would benefit by. a little variety. ~ On 1 Saturday the, solitary • concerted ; attack of .the backs resulted in a , and -it was also -.the. wing threequarter, Marshall, who* .was .responsible foi thp second score. ' given a littk opportunity, : would ; become ; a V tower oi strength tohis team/; but':': at present hij 0n .,l c^anc f a in/the '.way ;cjf defence. • Wellington- team this season, judging irom. last ;, Saturday's',play, : - is. 6f .'.highei quality jthan the) fifteen that woro yellow. and black,.last year.;,:. Iho.forjvai'ds are all fairly heavy, and, should,. improve in play as "the season advances. ■ Syrnja, and M'Kellar ; 'are oltl bands that should'show- the- way-to-the new arrivals. ..It is in their, - backs' that' Wellington are weak. Last year it -was 'tho same, but tlie infusion of new blood, and'tlicrb'is plenty of it, should have had .better effect. Twc easy tries-wero lost, and,'with them, the game, was but part of the penalty, paid for this weakness on Saturday. •• On one occa"iS iii '' to tho ball and praot cally fall-over the line to .score : but U »J. hesitated ; and -.Wellington ; lost. Bitterly cold for those on tho touchline, at i.'otono on Saturday, the southerly which blow uninterruptedly through the Heads and across the 'harbour, brought the assurance or . a warm game;. : Sparing no' energy, the Petone pack swept .over-the. White lino. in tho first/spell. Ends v/oro changed, and m the sucpeeding moments-another raid was accomplished,'bringing the .Petone record to eleven. Old..Boys forthwith: plotted . ret-alia--«0n...-;Thomson'(centre), took .tho'lqad, and past the three-quarter flag before he lost the, ball. -The whites followed on, and, after/scrummingi.'judged -it out again 'to . Mona,who.iall .'but reached tho line and ™en- transfeired.'to ; Dawson, tho fast .win" • vTwo .other, scores, followed for. tho Whites, ihefirst 1 of was by Gilbert, who got WWS* ;balfia.:dozen bewildered Blues.'Thomson <might havo, succeeded without interferen<», a.moment; before,but'that he failed to P l , U P, a Psss- ' TJIO'-Operations tvliich 'led to ; the.. next c scproi' : onginated with Hawlce, one ;of the forwards.—Marchant kicked fault lessly three times, and the Old Boys, with 15 S? 1 ?I s \°. n >' -succumbodto the, tired feeling, and'-relapsed onco. more into a barren deensive. , . wade good headway and concluded:'with a tally of 23 points.::! boautiful:piece of line dribbling was a feature :ofo.tifo,'second spell and earned for Sullivan - well-deserved applause. .Corson . was in good form, and Togden,' on tho other mng,;made..use,of liis legs on/a couple of Dcoa,sions, when only,a. sprint'.Would do ii Jho brothers . Ryan were well placed, and a.reon,,although atifirst receiving more, than pluckily 6 - knocks, 'came; through of-tlw walk spots of,the Old Boys' team was _the, full-back—a new, man. Pieot ivas out;of,place, once.or twice when wanted ■ )ut should, improve with another; match or swo, •■■■•. ■- i • ■ - A. fact satisfactorily noted among members of Petono Club is that the five teams