Soccer Tour Concludes: Australian Team Departs

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 264, 4 August 1936, Page 14

Soccer Tour Concludes: Australian Team Departs

(By

HOTSPUR.)

After a triumphal tour of seven aud a half weeks through New Zealand, the Australian soccer players left Wellington by the Wanganella on Saturday night on their return to the Commonwealth. By winning every match of the tour, many by substantial margins, they established a record which future teams may fiud diffficulty iu emulating. In the twelve matches of the tour, leaving out the exhibition game at Wellington, the Australians scored 100 goals and 15 were registered against them. An average of 8.25 goals a match,. and not a single draw or defeat is a splendid one for the visitors to take back with them. Smith, the clever centre-forward, who has played in every game, scored 39 of his side’s goals, Cameron, Price, and White being next in order. The goals scored by the various members of the team were as follows:—Smith, 39; Cameron, 18; Price, 13; White, 12; Wilkinson, 5; Forrest, 4; Donaldson, 2; Harden, 2; Evans, 1; Bryant, 1 McNabb, 1. The largest ■ score. .13-1, was recorded against South Auckland, and Australia won 13-2 against Wairarapa. The lowest score, 4-l„ was registered in the third test at Auckland, other fairly close games being against Auckland in the opening game of the tour, and Otago, both of which were won by the tourists, 5-2. By winning all three Tests, Australia won the Ashes.’ln Test matches, Australia scored 21 goals and New Zealand two. Test Results. The following are the results of tests played between Australia and New Zealand :— 1922. New Zealand 3, Australia 1. New Zealand 1, Australia 1. New Zealand 3, Australia 1. 1923. Australia 2. New Zealand 1. New Zealand 3. Australia 2. New Zealand 4, Australia 1. 1933. Australia 4, New Zealand 2. Australia 6, New Zealand 4. Australia 4, New Zealand 2. 1936. Australia 7, New Zealand 1. Australia 10, New Zealand nil. Australia 4, New Zealand 1. Totals. —Australia 7, New Zealand 4; one drawn.

The Exhibition Gaine. . Saturday’s exhibition match at the Basin Reserve was an unfortunate conclusion to the tour. The match was timed to start at 2.45 p.m. At 2.30 p.m. there were three people in the stand and the sea-gulls were in undisputed possession of the playing surface, which had not recovered from Wednesday afternoon’s League game. The goals became extremely muddy very early in the game, and players slid for yards on the greasy surface. .’ Ten Wellington, players took part in

the match, and so unpleasant were the driving showers of hail and sleet that they would doubtless have been glad to surrender the privilege to others. The local players partiepiating were; —N. Gates (Technical Old Boys). R. Boyes (Institute Old Boys), A. Halley (Lower Hutt), R. Sutherland (Institute Old Boys), R. Janes (Waterside), P. Turkington (Marist), K. Yeoman (Seatoun), S. Connell (Petone), L. Nicol (Diamond) and M. Quirke (Marist). Yeoman was originally placed as fullback in Cameron’s team, but changed places with Mackay and for most of the game was playing at inside left. He got through a lot of work and seemed quite at home in the forward line.

Those spectators who did brave the elements were rewarded with occasional flashes of first-class football, particularly in the second spell, which was much the more even. It was apparent that given a good ground and a fine day. the teams would have been able to entertain the crowd with first-class football instead of drawing forth hearty laughter when, as often happened, tackled and tackler slid for yards or fell prone on the greasy surface.

No Cause for Discouragement.. Though the result has been so overwhelmingly in favour of the visitors. New Zealand must not feel downhearted, and it should be a case of the greater the defeat. the greater the lesson. The Australian manager, Mr. S. A. Storey, had said at different times during the tour, that the standard of Soccer in New Zealand is not so low as the scores made by the Australians would indicate, taking Into account the fact that in New Zealand the teams had few opportunities of international play. Olympic Competition. The Soccer competition is being revived at the Olympic Games at Berlin. The record of finals in previous games is:— 1908. —Australia beat Great Britain, 2-0. 1912.—Great Britain beat Denmark, 4-0. 1920.—Belgium beat Czechoslovakia, 2-0. 1924.—Uruguay beat, Switzerland. 3-0. 1928.—Uruguay beat Argentine, 2-1-1932.—N0t held. Crowded Fixture List. Wellington’s list of fixtures is so crowded that there appears no likelihood of a game with Canterbury this season, and it seems probable that the Auld Memorial Cup. an end-of-season fixture, , will not be competed for this year. The congestion has been caused no-t so much by the unfavourable weather as. by the fact that three days had to be given up to matches against the Australians. No one begrudged this, and no doubt these games more than made up for any disappointment, at the lack of interprovincial matches!