SOCCER

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 147, 25 June 1927, Page 22

SOCCER

• r ' VAH*UA*Oi" WITH THE CANADIANS

FIRST TEST TO-DAY

SOLID SCORE AGAINST CANTERBURY

To-day tho Canadians are meeting New Zealand in the first Test match at Dunedin, and the result will be awaited anxiously by followers of. the.game in all" parts of the Dominion. Since their arrival in New.Zealand, the Canadians have won friends on all" sides, and their progress, through the country has been watched with interest, not only by Soccer followers but by all sportsmen. So far they have been defeated only once,\ and then by a minor association, which apparently owed its success to a roinarkable,'. if not miraculous, display by, their g0..1.' ,opert In 1 all the : other games, the visitors have won comfortably, and. their success against Canterbury last Saturday, when they won by 6 goals to nil, shows that they are hot feeling the effects of \ the tour'unduly. The record, of the team up to last Saturday is as follows: v. Taranaki, won 10-1. ' ■ v. Wanganui, won 7-0. v. Manawatu, won 6-0. . v. Wellington, won 2-0. y. Marlborough, won' 11-0. .:,. v. Nelson, won 50. v. Buller, won 2-0. ' v. Westland, lost 0-1. v. Canterbury, won' 6-0. ■"

That record shows, that out of nine matches the Canadians, ; have beei. successful in eight. They have scored 49 goals and have had only'two registered against them. Only in one match have they failed to score, and in five matches they have scored half-ardozen goals or more.

Excellent form was shown by the Canadians against Canterbury last Saturday. ( The game was played .on ♦ a heavy ground, so that the visitors have proved conclusively; that they are by no nicans fair-weather .'footballers. Dealing with the gaijfe, a ' . Christchurch writer has the following to'say:— "The Canadian^played a, very attractive game, and in their ranks are sovcral players who could probably take their place ip. any company. The visitors showed their superiority early in the game and wbn'jyith 'comparative ease. They proved themselves to be fast and tricky players, their command over the ball, their footwork, and headwork being things to be applauded. Very seldom we>e the visiting players to be found out'"of pdsitioni and the understanding; of the forwards was amazing. Much" good should 'be the result of such a good exposition of the Soccer code, ffait,: the Canadian goalie, liad very little work to do, none of the local shots at goal extending him in clearing. He is recognised, as the finest custodian in British Columbia and-one of the best in Canada. The two" backs, Crawley and Edniurids. did not.have a greats deaKto do';' tut they" proved themselves to be sure kickers and deadly tacklers. Crawley has played in England for well-known Association clubs, while Edmunds was developed and^ coached by Jimmy Watsom, the Sunderland and Scottish! international full-back. The Canadian, half line— Monaghan (right), Brolly <centre), and Fnynter (left)—showed line judgment in passing to their forwards, Monaghan m particular-being very conspicuous. Their skilful manipulation. of the ball was,worth going a long way to see. Brolly is acknowledged t& be one of the best centre-halves in Canada today. ...•■.•■- '

Cverwhtlmlngly Superior.

"The visitors' forwards were overwhelmingly superior, and had the local, men guessing all the time. They were always on tho * look-out for openings, and, what is nioro, generally made the most of them-when they came along. Milliga* .and Davidson, the left jvinS, were a good combination, their short, snappy passing of ten disconcerting the Canterbury men. Milligan is a pjayer who is at home in any position in tho field. Archibald, (centre forward) is a very dangerous man when within striking distance of goal, as was proved, on Saturday. , He has been a most prolific scorer of goals during the past two seasons.. Williams (inside) and Gibson (right wing) were also a formidable pair, Gibson.V centres in particular always being directed to the right place to,finish off.the movement. Gibson is one of tho youngest membora of tho team and has declined many offers to go to the United States, one offer being.from the champion club. Williams is : another versatile' player, who is at home in any position.:

The Cant >ury Men.

"M'Dougall gave a great exhibition of goal-keeping, oft one .or two occasions rising to brilliant heights in effecting a clearance. On hid play on Saturday, he fully, merits, being included in the New Zealand team in the first Test match next Saturday a.% Dunedin, although he 1 did let six shots go past him. . Neither, Graham' nor Muscroft played up to form, their defence being weak. To this must be accounted, in a largo moasure, the great number of shots th.at. M'Dougall had to stop. Roberts, as centre-half for Canterbury, was perhaps the best of tho Ecd and Blacks. . He was always in position when he was wanted to extricate his'side from a tight corner. When on the offpnsive, his passes to the forwards were accurate and were tho means of setting up many of the Canterbury attacking movements* Muirson (right half) also played a good game, but Drydeh (left) was not conspicuous. ' ..',■■

"Isles and. Nelson were the pick of the Canterbury forwards. Phcips (centre), Duncan- (left Wing), and Harbutt (right.wing) were rgiht off their game and were a negligible quantity in the Canterbury attack."

An Easy Win,

•Y.M.C;A: had another easy win on Saturday, when they;, defeated South Wellington in the, second round of tho Chatham Cup by 8 goals to "nil. The match was played on No. 2 ground at the Basin Keserye, and, as with other games on Saturday, was played in bitterly cold weather with showers of "rain from the south., YiM.C.A. played'.witu the wind in their 'favour in the first half, and, to say the least, they found things very; easy... Except for : occasional "breaks" into Young Men's territory on the part of South Wellington the game was played continuously in sou.th 's half. The teams changed ends without a spell,: but though South hadtho advantage, of the wind in the seoend spell they could do' little, and V.M.C.A. finished .'-winners by a big margin. ' . . . '

Bentley, the Y.M. custodian,'had a day off, and wag not called on to savo to the extent thatho usually'doog. Tho ball was slippery,' and the custodian's work was consequently difficult. Bent; ley, however,' saved in a sure manner;and never'-gave " his' -sitle cause for anxiety.- ■■• y.v:.-1 ■■■>:.y- ■ ■:■ •'•.••■ ••.

Piince .was absent, from the full-

backs, and these places wern filled with M'Girr and Trott. M'Girr did not play aia usual hard game, and was obviously saving himself for the Test to-day Trott, who took the place of Prince! acquitted himself creditably, and in addition, did a. lot of the work which under usual circumstances would h»v# fallen to M'Girr.

Pearson, Ogilvie, and Beaumont made up the halfrline. They were not called on a great deal. -- •

Ball&rd was.the best of the forwards. Ho played" on the left wing, and pur-formed-invaluable work with tho Una centres he swung across. The forward!) were the strength of. the side, and tu«# manner in which they combined,,completely paralysed any attempt by South "Wellington to score.: Nicolle, on the right wing, was another source of annoyance to South, and, like Ballard, kept Dennis, Souths goalie, busy with shots. Worth, Rigby, and Lack, the rest of the forwards, combined well and assisted materially to run up tho points. .

Dennis, the South Wellington goalie, played the best game for the beaten side. He worked hard and well, in spite of the many shots th^t got past him. Souths. defence was.weak,, and could do nothing against the intense combination of Young Men. Occasion* ally M'Millan-broke away on the left wing, but he never got far. Ho found tho Y.M. backs too solid. South never looked like winners at any time. They had a difficult task to keep the score down. ' . . .■:

A Denial.

The secretary of the Brooklyn club writes as follows in reference" to an incident referred to in these columns last week, when reference; was; made to the attitude of sqnie spectators: at a recent match: "I read with surprise," he states, ""the statement that the incident evidently . started trouble among the supporters of the.Brooklyn club. .The, incident referred to did not start trouble among. the supporters (of which I was one), and your statement may have the effect of placing this club in a false position in-so-far as supporters of the game are concerned. The game in question was a hard one and 1, the worst offender has been punished by the Association." ■'■

WeUington Player Abroad.

At latest advice, Neil M« Arthur, the woll-knqwn Wellington and New Zealand representative player, '" who ' left •New Zealand some, littletime ago on a tour abroad, was in America. Writing to a friend in Wellington, Mr. M'Arthur makesi interesting references to the game of Soccer in the United States, and his remarks will no doubt be of interest to followers of "the game in New Zealand. He mentions that while in ban Francisco he met Joe Kissock, the former New Zealand player. He received the heartiest of welcomes' from members of the Californiari Fdotbfell Association, and an invitation.-was extended to him to stay in San Francisco and play football there.' M> Arthur had other intentions, however, and was unable to accept the invitation; While in San Francisco, however, he played for the Barbarians"in a cup game, and as he puts it, "he did not disgrace the silver fern." M'Arthur also saw one or two club games in-San Francisco He states: ?'I consider! the-club, football here on just a slightly, higher■:-,:scale' than, at'home. . . The football,,as awhole, however, is rough, and in one game a New Zealand referee would have suspended the two team?. A doubtful goal was allowed one side, and the other team did everything but kick the feree.. Gee, he was very, tolerant. . . In, Chicago, I saw the famous Olympic Games winners, the Uruguay eleven play, and although it w#s a rough Sunday afternoon it was r a good, game.? They are not up to professional, standard,, but play a good amateur game. A.good Wellington eleven would make matters interesting for them, in a clash. Their play, however, is .very dean, and a distinct contrast to the Pacific .Coast play. • • ..• The grounds are good— mostly stadiums—and the attendances are increasing every season. A Sunday match in California draws about 5000, and as they charge a uniform/price, of 50 cents (2s their income: is"not too bad The secretary of the Caiifornian Football Association receives 200 dollars a month." It is Mr. M'Arthur's intention, to proeeeti later to England and Scotland.

The Working Man's Bit of Sport.

In Now Zealand* owing to her smaller/population and the greater popularity of the other code, of football, Soccer does not attract such huge crowds of spectators as does the game in England But even in this country there are not lacking those who have, no sympathy with this winter game an^, who have no compassion on the multitudes who brave all sorts of weather (such as experienced last Saturday, for instance) and many kinds of discomfort, and who suffer anguish if their favourite team happens to be passing through a period of disaster. The spoil-sport says: V ?.. cannot understand this craze for lootball, either by players or spectators. There was none of it when I was a boy: in those days we worked hard and, if wo had a half-holiday, which was not often, we did not waste it." And then doubtless he. will quote to you Kipling's disparaging remarks about .football players, and leave you with a snort of indignation: The reply of a working.gardener who was told that ho was wasting time and money by going to football matches on a Saturday afternoon is •as good as any. He remarked:: "Why, football is the best thmg'that ever came out for -the British working man. I don't wonder that football is taking root in other coun- j tries and growing fast.' Football is the working man's'bit of sport. Wo.don't spend as much on tho game in a season ,as some of these swells squander an a night at the West End. We put down our bob and get a good return. For an hour or two we. forget our troubles. We drive dull carq away and tone ourselves up for another- week 'b work " There is not the slightest doubt that cricket and football, have killed the v more objectionable pursuits of our ancestors, and they have spread by means of practical object-lessons, the teamspmt. Looked at from a financial point' of view, all money spent on foothall goes into the game, no individual making a fortune out of. it. .England's State.revenue is enriched annually by about £3,000,000 from football, this sum not- including the large amounts that gp to. ch.arjtifes. It is not given to everyone to be ab\e to take an active part in our outdoor games, but there are many whose playing days are over but who still delight in. watching the play of others younger than themselves; and there is no earthly reason why they should not continue" to do so.' Undoubtedly they wHI, regardless of the criticism of a few spoil-sports. ■ .

Australia Beaten.

In the first Test match the CzechoSlovakians defeated Australia at the Sydney Show Ground by 6 goals to 4 after one of the finest, expositions of the round-ball code ever seen in Sydney (states tho "Referee"): The day was fine and f;he ground in good order and 18,000 people were present. The visitors again lost the toss, and kicked off from the Paddington end. It was a great game, -with the' Czechs on attack; Pine, driving,; Spic crossed. for Wiminer to jjaaa like lightning to JKni-

«ek, who had the ball in the net before the Australian defence-could,realise it Australia played with great determination. It was a glorious exhibition, and will do much to popularise the game. It will be long remembered by the crowd. There was not one weak spot in the vUiting team, their •work being masterly and effective. ■

The Australians did well, and, ViTthough not quite so polished.as ■• the Czechs, they were at all times dangerous. Atchigon made several ." mistakes, but did well. Ctum and Trayno* played ably, but were not quite as woll balanced as they might have been, lacking mutual understanding. '-.*-• t ..'.'• The home halves defended excellently, but their distribution of the ball was oither too much in the »ir or made with too much force to enable the forwards to gain any advantage; rather it gave the Czech defence the advantage. The forwards played well. Masters was up to his usual form. Bourko and Cameron did - many ,good>. things. M'Naughton and Viegal were not quite up to their usual form. ..; •••..

The Czechs one and all played superbly. Their combination was the finest ever seen in Sydney,, the success of the side depending on perfect understanding and passing. The quiak passing and the confidence %i the men in one another to be in position was an , eye-opener to everyone. They are a great siae.. •■'•••,.'.: ■■■-.;■

Old and New.

A revision of the laws of Australian football naturally brings up. the question of the game itself. "Has it improved?" "If so, in what respects?" "Are. the players more capable. now than formerly?" (asks a writer in*, tho "Beferee"''). : ' • The answer to these: must ever be a matter of opinion. The four -things that strike me in comparing :fq6tball of the present day with that of twentyfive or thirty years ago are: (1) Extra i>ace; (2) the greater number of mistakes and errors; (3) big. scoring; and (4) the frequency' with which free-kicks are given. - ;

From the"point,of view of the spec-" tator, I would say the game has improved; but, judged on the standard of effectiveness—no. ■'. ;

The old safety methods ..have been scrapped, for speed; and risk tikes the place of reliability. Not. tHeSriek taken by the man coming through, for that was essentially an old-time practice; but the risk to bring .cff. something spectacular—a risk that leaves the field open-to.the opponent when it fails. ■ Mistakes now are far more common than formerly for this' very reason; but. as a compensation; brilliant patches which thrill the crowd are more often met with., • : , -.-•:. ■.••:.,.. .... -;..•...'. •' .

In a.test, however,.between; the two methoas, the pia'system of .holding .what has been obtained, of playing"'the safe' game,-would, I think, win;. TThe big scores nowadays.are the indirect ".results .of brilliancy .and-.tpoed; -which bring about, errors.- In --addition, the failure; of the. back men to guard the forwards as closely as they should is a contributory factor. ■ It would turn one of the bid-time cap*, tnins- grey in a day were he to suddenly find himself in^charge of %.pre-sent-day side. '"'.'■■ ':, '-,' ' "•■"■ : ■."'.-

Despite, the number of-goals .scored, I do not think the .kicking is nearly so good, now as. formerly;, nor is the marking as safe. It was a rare tluri& iff the old days to see * pUyer miss a mark; now it is a common occurrence every week.'/ ' . ;

Our present style of play, appears to be copied from the'clean, open methods of the (South Australians; but I, at least, am doubtful whether the Baine results will ever b« attained by; it; as bytho slower but' safer? and surer" methods of tjhe old timesv •■ • .:-, ' .':;'.;' 'HOW :TEAJ»f:.ST^Iip.y V.-:; ■':]'":.

The tables Be!o«r gire'the iositton or teims In the various divisions down to b:

sliced and Horton's pullo^Botti were short with th«ir..seconds af. the eighteenth, but both chipped up,to within fairly easy distance of the hole. .Horton, however, failed with his putt, and Russell flowered his to finish one mo It was not to be expected after the strain ot such brilliant morning rounds that the same standard could be maintained in the afternoon. BusseU was 2 up at the turn.. When 4 up and 6 to play, Bussell looked to be in a comfortable position, Tjut he had some uncomlortable momenta before' the match ended. When Horton won the next two holes it looked as though Bussell might crack under the strain. His second at the thirteenth was badly topped, he playedout indifferently,- and then bunkered his fourth. Horton was well on in three, and holed a ten-foot putt for a four, Bussell taking six-by holing another long putt. Both were short of the green- at the fourteenth, but both chipped up well. Horton holed his putt, but Bussell failed. The .fifteenth was exciting. There both were: handy, with their seconds, but Bussell had to play first. Horton then canto .up inside Russell ?s ball, laying him practically i full stymie. Bussell had a nervy shot to play, but played it well, screwing his ball round into the tin. .HortOn was now right back into his stride, and Bussell was a little shaky after his unnerving experiences. BusseH'g drive at the sixteenth was sliced, and ha found a rough patch, Horton having hit one of his best down the middle of the fairway. Bussell,. with a great effort, played out well and was actually further with his second than the New Zealander. Horton's third found: the green, but Bussell duffed'his, and- 'then played a weak- fourth. Horton easily took the hole in. five.. Thus he had. re-duced-a lead of four np; to .one. up in four holes. If Bussell had not had something in reserve - it would .have been difficult to withstand' Horton's late rush. Horton'g.drive at tjie seventeenth was slightly pulled, and ran down the bank at the side of the green. Bussell made no mistake: with his, which finished ten feet from the cup. Horton stiTl had a sporting chance of a half, but as heiWM addressing his ball it rolled, and he incurred a-pen-alty stroke, and picked up. y it was an unsatisfactory anti-climax to a great match, Bussell winming two op and one

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