STUDY THE COLTS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1927, Page 10

STUDY THE COLTS

THE COACH'S WORK

"Since schemes for the improvement of the standard of play are under consideration, may I be permitted to put forward a scheme," states an-j other club oflieia!. "I think it is common ground that there ara not in Wellington 110 players entitled to rank as senior players. As a matter of fact, the maintenance of one senior eleven in. the field almost always involves the calling upon of fourteen players during the season. Ten senior teams, therefore, give us a total of 140 so-called senior players. While it is plain we have not 110 senior players, let alone 140, nevertheless, having regard to the number of players in Wellington, we have or ought to have, I think, from 60 to 80 players fairly entitled to rank as senior players judged by any reasonable standard-of play. Once that be conceded, then the association, if it reduce the number of senior playerß to 44 (or at most 56 on the basis of fourteen to a team) will be doing an injustice to upwards of twenty players. NO CLOSE COEPOEATION. "The association's scheme is to rej duce 10 senior teams to four, and, to that j end a tentative scheme of merger is put forward. I cannot help thinking that such a scheme of merger as is put forward or, indeed, any scheme for the reduction of ten teams to four will bo looked upon as spelling the extinction of two clubs as senior clubs, and, for that reason, will not be found accentable to clubs. "The cutting down of ten teams to four must, in my view, for the next few years at all events, necessarily prohibit the advance of our younger players to senior status. " We cannot afford to kep back our youngsters. They must be given every chance. What chance will our future Dempsters have of fighting their way into a close corporation of 44 or even 56 A COLTS ELEVEN. j '' We now come to what I consider a most important aspect. We have in F. T. Badcock an admirable all-round player and coach. To my mind, we are not making half enough use of him. His services are almost entirely wasted on Saturday afternoons, the very day he should be giving,. and is ready to give his services most freely. "My scheme is for the reduction of the ten existing senior teams to five, and the creation of a colts eleven to be' captained by F. T. Badcock and limited to players under twenty-two years. That gives a competition limited to six teams or limited to, say 66 players or at the utmost 84' players; does no injustice; opens the door to a scheme of merger likely to be far more practicable ami far more acceptable to clubs than the association's scheme; spells the extinction of no existing senior club; gives the youngsters a chance; and gives us far more service from our coach. It is a scheme, to my mind, more calculated to raise the standard of play during the next few years than the association 's scheme. "I am, of course, airing mv own pri- I vatc views and not the views of any ' club with which I may be associated 1." it has since been pointed out to the writer that the scheme outlined is substantially the same scheme as has more than once been suggested by F. T. Badcock. The writer is very glad to hear that, and makes no claim to originality