ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 12

ASSOCIATION.

| (Br CENTnE-HAtf.)

- Tho most. absorbing topic of' controversy among followers of .the Association game, at: the present moment/:is tho St; John's-Swifts appeal, case, which, involves the, right i.of .a tiiemboir, of the Managem'ant 'Committee .of 1 :a toam -in"! 1 a League contest. Tho facts show: — v. . . . ; L:.Th a t B. L. Salmon, a member of tho Management Committep, played for Swifts in that team's match against St. John's, senior first division ■ League contest, wherein tho Swifts wero victorious. ■

!. 2. St. John's team, .appealed against tho win, on the ground that Salmon, as a member l of.tho Management Committeo could not play -as: an aotive'member of a team in'a club j'iriatch. ,: ; *.'• : - .m(3.' Tho',appcal of St. JohnVteam was duly cdnsidored by tho Management- Committoo and disallowed, jthe when Salmon stepped on to; tho field of;play he'deased, ipso facto,: to be •al.merntar,: of the:' upon re-clectca to' his'seat oiv'the committ&o Anothor' member ..of : the., committee, Waters, who had similarly broken the rule,-was also ; reinstated. The epmmitteOj 'however,: hilcd. that;~ no' precedent' was to bo''cbriaiderod'Va established, ; asthero appeared to bo • some misunderstanding . on tno,particular .point involyod: in this particular Trule. ; !• 4 . • v. 14. ! St. ;Johri'S !;tbain';x has now /Appealed; against tlie decision of the Management Committee, and the whole question has been referred to an appeal, board.> ( These ate tli'e 'fafcts. ' As; the matter now the subject of" an. appeal, I . do not at this ,stap;o propose to. analyse'.the! position boyong giving expi'Msibn/to tfrd' points,j\rhich sum up tho wholo position. In the first place, jt; is open to argument whether the Management: Committee of a sports body Should include' in its • momborship . playing ; members of affiliated clubs. . I incline to tho opinion' that that should not bo ao. : Beoondly,' a sports body which condonos an infraotion of >lts own rules by a member of its committee, of management, disallows a protest arising from the offence oh the' ground of a "misunderstanding, I '.etc., is in rather seriptis dahgo^ : of ■ stultifying: itself;-;iu...the''iyes'.of the general public, and aliehating'a considerable amount of the confidence 'of its.-sup-porters. Tho argument that a member of the Committee 'of Management : ceases' to boa member; when, ho.steps into the field of play as an active member, of a contestant teamms; on the faco of- • it,' simply i ridiculous,': 'The. Management Committee is an. administrative council,'elected annually, lafld'one. natiirally supposes that tthe' resignation'-of a member of'.such ,a council would be a formal matter, requiring due notice, not a proceeding to be accomplished automatically,.:,To accept tho "Soccer" Management: Committee's ruling is to invest its members with : the powers of miraculous metamorphoses'. Probably tho most peculiar game of last Saturday's series ' was the . Y.M.C.A. v. Thistle contest, which was jvon by Y.M.C.A. by ono goal. The play was not of a high order/ but Y.M.C.A. possessed a combination ; which was, absolutely lacking in their opponents. " Tho winners lost anumber ; of i goals through bad: shooting, some of tho .shots' being of the. simplest nattirei Towards the end of the game Thistle livened up, 'and lost a couple of excellent chances w"hich might. have won the match for them.\ On the play they deserved to lose by about 6- —0. : . . ■.- , - ■ Tho first intorprovincial match' for. tho Brown Shield, under the revised rules, will bo played 'at Newtown Park this afternoon .between Wellington and Taranaki. The visitors are a strong combination, and' an exciting game is anticipated.-'j!; The following notes on tho. yisitofs are supplied-by an enthusiast who has watched the team carefully :—Goal—Carncross: Very cool,' and always on tho alert; can play forward if neoessary. Stapleton (captain), right-back: A brilliant player- both ; oii:;defence apd attack, and places the ball with accuracy. Bodle,' left-back: Equally as .sound as Stapleton on deferioe, but does not-'plaoo with the same precision. Hocken; .rights-half: . A veryi solid player, and; clever -' with V .his ■ head. Nicholls, .; contre-half: A .'.bustling : . little' player, \frho nover -khows'wheh'ho is beaten; works from start to' finish., M'lnncs, lefthalf: Au ex-Wellington player, who is playing better than: oVor j feeds his forwards in great style;' Smart, i. outside right, is a fast man,' " and -clover with his -feet . in\ centres, 'and yshOojis well.'. Col-: • lingwood, .: inside' right; is a useful, forward, although rather-- inclined to hang on to the 'ball too long. . Scliolefield, centre- : forward, is fast and' clever,'; and, a ■ dangerous • man anywhere near, the goal. He shoots equally well with either, foot.V. Ijggleston, insido left, is exceptionally clever, with his feet, and a 1 deadly. shot. Gwilliara,outside left, is an es-Wellington player, who has lost none of his dash and skill.. All the team requires is a little'combination.' , • The following table shows tho positions, of junior league first division teams to dato . -d cs m ' & •' d. J2ui!.2 § a . d 'O -2 .15 .do UtJ 2'S S 15/n 3 ir.M.c.A. (A)... 11 n .12 - 37 12 20 St. David's ... 10 ? !i ' 2 .1 18 13 12 -Wadesto'wn" ... 10 .• i 3.3 30 13 11 Diamonds ... 10 i 2 d U 22 10 Brooklyn ... 10' 1 2 7 13 33 . 1 >XJLCJL: Q2)-. 0 1 1 Z Z 23' 3

In the senior sccond division match on the Hospital ground, Hospital put up something, approaching a cricket score, winning by thirteen'goals to'nil,- the highest score this, season. , Though one-sided, the gamo was productive of some pretty passing by the Hospital, forwards, wnilo the shooting was very accurato .- Smith, scored six, Elliot four, Walker, two, and N, Mitchell one, bringing the goal record for tho season to forty for and live . against, eight to one, being tho average." :All the Hospital representatives were in good form, excepting the goalkeeper, ivllo had no opportuniuty to. show his keeping powers. Kor l'irorua, J. Wi Neera .worked hard, going from forward to halfback, and then in goal, whero ho rather sullied his_ reputation by letting four goals past him in Very quick time. . The following is the position of teams in the, senior second division grado; —

■.s« .'"*Ni* ' ' x £ to 000 bo o. :iV;V,-V :.fa £ A I-!OfaO"! fa Diamonds ... 9 9 0 0 34 3 18 Jlomtal .. 9 G„ 2 1 40 5 11 Y\fC \ . .10 6 2.2,42 15 11' I'orirua A- 9 5 2 2' 17 H 12 St Johns' 1 i . 9 4 3' 2 '22 14 11 Wanderers. .... J.:. 10 5 1 : 4 '29 27 11 Hovers n 1 ■2.3 '13 14 '10 '. J.;!; 9 4 14 10 19 9 Manst Old Boys ■ "... 0 1 2 6 13 21 4 Petone a i 3 . 2 5 3 17 4 Poririm 13 ... .;. 0 1 0 8 5 47 2 Thistle . ~10 01-8 3 41 1