ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1180, 15 July 1911, Page 7

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

RUGBY FOOTBALL. A TILT AT THE LEADING TEAM. TO-DAY'S ATTRACTIONS. Interest in tho football championships will centro mainly henceforth in attempts to cut down the clear lead established by St. James. Poneko will attempt this not too easy task at the l'ark to-day, and the fixture opens up possibilities of nn ungentle tussle such as barrackers love. On tho adjoining ground Southern will play Wellington. Tho attraction at I'ctone is a match between the home team and Melrose that should bo worth going to see. Tho suburbanites have gone back to some extent of late, and Melrosa havo been moving forward. Under the circumstances the game might afford place to interesting developments. ' T. WALSH LAID ASIDE. Tho fact that T. Walshe, of the Poneko team, continued to play'on in the match agaiust Athletic last Saturday, after being incapacitated as the result of a bump received in tackling Evenson, led to a general belief that ho had not been seriously injured, although it was apparent that he was in a dazed condition throughout the .match. It appears that tho accident was a serious one, and Walsh had been confined to his room in Barrett's Hotel all through the week as a result af nn injury to his heart. It is understood that ho will be able to go out for a walk to-day. The Poneko man has been sorted out for special attention by his opponents in practically every match in which his team has engaged in this year, and a rough handling has been his portion every Saturday, but l he has withstood all onslaughts up to last week. Tho actual contact which led to tho present incapacity of Walsh was, however, the result of his own flying tackle of an opponent. TRAMWAY RUGBY: A TRIANGULAR COMPETITION. The Rugby matches for theJKohn Shield, among Tramway teams of New Zealand, will be played at the Athletic Park on July 18, 19, and 20. The drawings have f>een as follow:—July 18, Wellington r. Auckland; July 19, Auckland v. Christchurch; July 20, Christchurch v. Wellington. THo teams are as follow:— Wellington.—Wills, J. F. Clark, Phillips, Small, Player, A. Clark, Hawkins, Bromley, Winnifield, E. W. Taylor, M'fiean, Wills, It. J. Bows, 'Moriartv, and Sutherland. Auckland.—Nicholls, M'Gregor, Hall, Rodgers, Webb, 0. Jones, Matthews. Kirkwood, Owens, Beacham, Prior, Franks, 1). Smith, Anderson, and Cnssidy. Christchurch.—Clarkson, Mitchell. Blewitt, Blackburn, Whittington, Hughes, Clark, Stewart. Hayward. Allen, M'Cann. O'Connor, Clark, Blackburn, and Grammar..

The Christchurch and Auckland teams will both arrive on Monday. ' NEW ZEALAND LEAGUE TOUR, By Telegraph—Presß Association-Copyright t Sydney, July 14. Iho teams for to-morrow s League footDall match are as follow:— New Zealand.—Seager, Gilmore, Mitchell Auckland, Morse, "Woodward, M'Donald, Savoury, Dunning, Stanawav, Francis, Eukutai, Gillett. , New South Wales. —Veill,' Broorahara, Messenger, Hallett, Frawley, Farnsworth, M'Kivat, M'Cue, Sullivan, Cann, Courtney, Noble, Pearce. FAR AND NEAR. The New South / Wales Rugby Leaguo has' decjded that the team to visit England shall- play in sky-blue jerseys, with the letter "A".and a kangaroo and a forn on the breast.- The pioneer League team wore light; blue jerseys adorned with the kangaroo. . When, teams take the field without any direct plan of action—as they must often do in itugby football] to-day (says "Fullback" in :tho "Otago ;Daily Times")—such teams take pbt-luck' whatever the'game offers in its development. The handicap is obvious at the outset. Tho team which has a preconceived plan of attack and defence has a distinct advantage over the side which goes out to take the play as it comes. Although thero is little real difference in the merits of the Ivaikorai and Zingari-Richmond' thero were occasions on Saturday when one was forced to the belief that Kaikorai had taken the field with a system of tactics which, if not always successful—and this cnly by reason of faulty execution—was the main line of action which ultimately, won the game. Neither team can claim brilliant backs— and' this'is a serious handicap alike, to Ziijgnri as to Kaikorai—but the forwards are the equal of, and in the caso of Ivaikorai, _ superior to, those, of any other team in tho senior competition. It was therefore to be expected that tho contest at Carisbrook 011 Saturday would resolve itself into a battlo between tho opposing forwards. And so it proved— a' battle royal—with no quarter given and littlo expected. An exhibition of high-grado Rugby, with all the thrilling elements of back play, it was not, but as a fierce and strenuous forward struggle it was eminently worth while and good valuo all the way. With play confined to the trojans of the scrums thero was little variety; but what it. lacked in colour it more than mado up for in vigour and intensity.

SCHOOLS COMPETITION. The schools competition matches set ilown for Kelburnc Park this morning are transferred to Dtippa Street. Tho matches are to commence at 10.30 a.m. Oriental Third Class.—Players in this leam aro asked to note that their match "ias been transferred to Karon, and that the drag leaves the Government Buildings it 2 p.m.