SOCCER

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 150, 29 June 1929, Page 22

SOCCER

by "Vanguard" NOT THIS SEASON

THE AUSTRALIAN TOUR

N.Z.F.A. FINANCE

No doubt some disappointment will be felt locally and in other parts of New Zealand that the Australian tour of the, Dominion this season is: not to take place. The annual'meeting of delegates to the New Zealand football Association, did not favour the tour, and tins week the council definitely decided to abandon the proposal. The Australian authorities suggested that the tour should take place at the end of July The proposals were fully discussed at the meeting of the council, and, although various .members stated that the terms .appealed to them, it .was felt by; all that the ; season was now too far advanced for a tour to take place. For instance, all associations would' have to be appealed; to to help in the matter, of" guarantees. Further, all football grounds were fully booked up till the close.of.the season..-,lt was pointed out that the Wellington Football Association was unable at present to see how its competitions were to be completed, and the W.F.A i; is the/strongest association tHe New Zealand Council has, from a financial point' of view The opinion of the council is that it wouia welcome a tour in New Zealand or a tour in Australia, next season and is .prepared to -accept the terms offered now as a basis, for further negotiation when such tour is again considered. Institute's Bright In striking contrast-to. many senior games seen on the Basin Reserve this season was tho display of the Institute team in their match in connection with the elimination rounds of-the Chatham' Cup, played against Hospital. on Saturday. Dull football has been the rule rather than the exception so far this season, and Saturday's bright display came as a welcome relief. The Institute team have not been very far to the front among senior teams during recent seasons, but on Satnrday they gave a display that shows that they are becoming a Bountf combination. In Hospital they faced worthy opponents. The latter team have been Wellington's best, and still retain some of their best form. Whereas Hospital are a team of heavier and somewhat older players, Institute are a side of young, and nippy footballers, and in their match last week they showed just what good combination and nippy work could do. In some of their recent matches they have given indications of improved play, and it seems now that those indications are likly to be realised. Hospital, also, have been responsible for causing some surprise defeats, and in that respect their position has not been« very much different from that of Institute's. The game was. a hard one from start to finish, and the -fact that victory went to the side -with the odd goal only is some indication of the character of the play. Hospital attacked' strongly from the start, and were soon through.'Their goal was hardly expected. A pass came in from the wing, and the ball was headed into the net at an opportune moment. The goal was a good one. Before half-time was called Institute had equalised, and then the teams settled down to a hard struggle for supremacy which went in favour of Institute only a short time before full time was called. Taken generally, Institute's side was a airly well-balanced combinar tion, though there were some apparent weaknesses. In the choice of a goalkeeper, Institute were not too happy, and though Mantell brought off some good saves, his work was not always sure. There were times when it appeared, doubtful whether he: would save and clear. Little can be said of the backs, but that little embodies, a great deal. Gill and. Mil^s proved throughout a gruelling" game that they are a reliable pair, and though their work is perhaps not as finished as that of other defenders, it went a long way in winning the day. The halves Avere not outstanding, though Terry gave quite a good display in the centre position. He wasresponsible for sending his forwards away on numerous occasions, and in defence played a reliable game. The forwards were the strength, and, at the same time, the weakness of 'the side; The whole line is very fast, but as is the case with other senior teams it cannot shoot. Smith and'Cboly; the wingers, showed/themselves to "be a pair of-fast workers, and Haddocks (inside right) and Dickinson (centre) performed' well. May, the inside left, was prominent throughout tho game for his sensational runs, and waa likewise prominent for fcho manner in which he lost easy, goals.

Some of the shots he had to talie were not hard ones, but when it came to putting the finishing touches, he just could not do it. As it was, he scored both Institute's goals,- and the manner in which he registered the winning shot is worthy of commendation in spite of whatever weak efforts he had made previously. From a corner the ball went out to him, and after beating his man in some- tricky work he found the net with a good shot from a dozen yaids or bo away. In contrast to Institute's goalie, Hospital played Ell, a tried man, wh6 have a good display between the uprights. He made a great save in the second spell, when Institute were awarded a penalty. Little fault could be found with the Hospital backs, Gibb and Roberts. The former showed that he still retains his form, and played up to a standard that would warrant his inclusion in any representative side. The half-line was a strong one, but the forwards lacked sting in their finish. In the second spell Gibb moved up into the van, and his presence there was soon felt. The Hospital forwards did not receive in the second spell the opportunities that the opposition front line did. The halves and the backs were called upon to bear the brunt of the game. The Institute forwards were not to be denied, and they worked through the defence with a combination that was very effective,, and at the game time pretty to watch. In spite of the game being of a standard, better than the average, hesitation on the part of the players, in some circumstances, played a big part in the match. Many of the Institute attacks were wasted through the forwards hesitating before, shooting. The desire to gain a few more feet, to be slightly nearer the goal, before the shot was taken often resulted in the player losing the ball when he should have finished the movement with a well-directed shot. This fault, so apparent on Saturday, is by no means restricted to the Institute team. It is common with all teams in the competitions. After a break away when the forwards Have beaten the halves some players endeavour- to dodge around the backs, and lose valuable time, which has the result of allowing the defending forces to become consolidated once more, and the offensive effort is practically useless. No Easy Victory, ; ' :■. A splendid - exhibition of fast and clever football was given by Diamond and V.M.C.A.' in their Challenge Cup match at the Basin Reserve 1 last Saturday. V.M.C.A., in the first half especially, played with a skill and vigour that had the championship leaders extended to the utmost. Young Men were the first to goal,- Rigby -who only a few minutes before had- netted an "offside" goal, being the. scorer. A quick retaliation followed, Stark scoring for Diamond from a penalty. ' The reason for the penalty, a foul charge by one 'of the Y.M.G.A. backs during the progress of a corner kick; was not apparent to many of the spectators, and evoked some dissent from them. From the kick-off in the. second half, Diamond maintained a constant attack,, and soon Rait land M'Lebd^'nad- sent their score up to three. " The indefat: igable.Bigby brought hopes to V.M.C.A. supporters o % f a draw, when he scored his (and hi*s side's) second goal, but Diamond -were by now in full control of the game, and the only other goal was for them by way of their right winger, M'Leod. V.M.C.A. put up :a surprisingly good fight, and "were not disgraced in being-beaten by a "better team. - .-.'...:■■•■ :-■. „::■::■' ■ .'_ A feature of the game was the large number of corner kicks awarded to Diamond. Playing with perfect combination, and machine-like precision their forwards had' little difficulty •in reaching the. V.M.C.A. goal, but there' they stopped. On many occasions it looked impossible for them not to score, but erratic shooting and an excellent defence invariably saved the situation, in most cases at the expense of a corner kick. . •-.•.- Lucas, in goal for V.M.C.A. played a.wonderful game. Together with the full-backs, M'Girr and Braithwaite, he bore the brunt of the Diamond attack, audit was largely due to the efforts of this hard-working trio that V.M.C.A. made such a good showing. , 800 was nippy 'at right-half, and Arrnitage as usual was'a tower of strength in the centre position' Trott, the left half, played sound, though rather slow, football. ■ Y.M.CA.'s greatest fault was their unbalanced forward line. Worth, Rigby, and M'Leod, occupying the outside right, inside right, and centre-for-ward positions respectively, were excellent, but "* the same cannot be said of the men on the left wing, Lock and Babbitt, who were,the two weakest in the team. Their play was only of average standard, and they failed 1 to make the best of many of the opportunities which came their way. Eigby was the star performer among the forwards. He scored Y.M.C.A.'h two goals, using a powerful and well-timed drive in each case. The inside right position suited him well. Wyatt, the Diamond goalkeeper, had fewer opportunities to display his worth than did Lucas. He played his usual good game, ably supported by his full-backs, Guest and G. Wotherspoon. The halves were excellent in themselves, and gave invaluable support to 'their forwards. Stark and Smith, with M'C.ormack, were a particularly fine trio that gave the V.M.C.A. defenders no end of trouble. Stark was the outstanding forward. With his speed and his clever footwork, he had. little difficulty in eluding the defence, while his centres rarely if ever went astray. Smith, his,inside partner, worked hard and although his play-was not spectacular he figured in nearly every forward movement. The centre-forward and inside-right- positions were well filled by Rait and M'Phail, while M'Leod was on the right wing, where he played a splendid game which was overshadowed only by Stark's. , The match clearly demonstrated that the reason for Diamond's success is the perfect understanding that exists between each and every member of the team. Council Finance. The present position of the finances of the New Zealand Council are anything but healthy; In addition to its ordinary expenses, the council has under its control the following competitions :t-F. A. trophy, Chatham Cup, Brown Shield (minor associations), and the Peter Dawson Cup (South Island competition). The."controlling of these competitions is not always as successful financially as might be desired. Even •if the individual competitions do show a credit balance, and just :pay their way (which sometimes, happens, but not very often), the New Zealand Council is left without any means by which funds may be accumulated, for the purpose of inviting teams from overseas to tour New Zealand or to send New Zealand teams away, and for the numerous objects associated with the advancement of Association football in New Zealand generally. That the major competitions are anything but a gold mine might well be judged from last year's experience with the Chatham Cup. The final was played between Petoneand an outside club, and from the fact that the game was played in Wellington (as provided by the rules governing the trophy), it might well be said Jhat if

ever there was an opportunity of obtaining a good gate, that opportunity came last year. Even under the most promising of conditions the competition just paid for itself, and left a small credit balance. It is apparent that when tho final is contested between teams from outside Wellington the. attraction cannot bo as great as, is the <;ase when a local team is playing, and the gate receipts must fall accordingly, . while on the other hand the expenses increase. :' Some Figures. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Football Association delegates were asked to consider the present financial standing of the New Zealand Football Association. The deficit as shown by the balance-sheet was £317, and all present agreed that it was necessary, if the game of Association football was to go ahead, that this deficit should be wiped off and a credit balance assured. Considerable discussion took place as to the best means of attaining this object, and it was finally decided again to urge all associations at once to take whatever steps were most expedient in their own districts to subscribe this year a special donation to the funds of the New Zealand Football Association. It was pointed out that during the past six years the New Zealand Council had handled £25,----000 in incomings and, outgoings on tours. _ When one" remembers that at the commencement of this period the credit balance of the New Zealand Football Association was £32, one must admit that a considerable amount of energy has been put into the task of making the game more interesting to the public and players of New Zealand. When one remembers the interest displayed in the visit of the Australian team and the visit to Australia, the Chinese visit, the Canadian tour, and the visit of the Australian school boys, also the promotion of the Chatham Cup and the English trophy competition, one must admit that the game has been stimulated and has progressed; Further tours are necessary to maintain the interest,, and the opportunity for the public to see better games must be provided. That needs more finance. It was decided again to approach associations and clubs to urge them to make a special effort to assist, making an appeal for an amount of a minimum of £30 from_ major and £10 from minor associations. Several of the associations and one club have already responded, and it is felt that other associations and, clubs would like to take their part in the effort. It does not matter how the money is raised, whether by a levy, concerts, raffles, benefit games, or donations. The opinion was, however, definitely expressed that all associations could, if they would tackle the job in the right spirit, easily reach the minimum amount. . '■

The council has put its case' very clearly before all clubs in New Zealand, through the local associations. The fact that the appeal has had results might be seen from the donations already received, which include £1 Is; each from Waterside and- Institute Clubs, £10 from the Wanderers Club (Hamilton), and an amount from the Wellington FootbalJ Association. The latter has donated £30, and is holding a benefit match, Possibles y. Probables, next month for the same object. Any. gate receipts iix excess of £30: from -that match will be; forwarded 'to the New Zealand Council. ■-■: < ,' -

The following tables show the position of lower grade teams as from 15th June:— FOURTH A DIVISION. Goals. P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Marlst fi 5 0 0 31 3 12 Diamona 6 3 2 1 19 11 7 Institute G 3 3 0 17 13 6 Hospital 6 2.2 .2 IT 1G 6 Seatouu .6 1 3 2' 9 24 .4 South Wellington 6 0 5 1 2 28 1 FOURTH B DIVISION. Goals. P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Petone .: . 5 4 0 1 16 6 9 Trentham ....-.■ 5 3 1 1 17 8 7 Lower Hutt .... ,5 3 2 0 12 7 (5 Marist ........ 6 2 2 2 11 .15 G Island Bay 5 1 3 1 10 14 3 Wadestown ....513-1 0 10 3 Swifts .... 5 0 3 2 11 17 2 FIFTH DIVISION. : , •'■ ■ : Goals.. P. ■W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Miramar Hangers .65 0 1 32 1 11 Marlst A 6 -'5'- 0 1 18 1 11 Seatoun ...... 6 4 2 0 15 S S Swifts 6 4 2 0 9 14 S Institute ....... 6 2 4 0 7 20 4 Marist B G 1 4 1 5 18 3 Lower Hutt 5 1 3 1 5 22 3 SIXTH DIVISION. . Goals. P. TV. L. D. F. A. Pts. Seatouu 6 6 0 0 38 6 12 Marist Nowtown A 7 6 1 0 32 7 12 Y.M.C.A 5 4 1 0 22 10 8 Stop Out 6 4 2 0 14 14 S Island Bay ;.'.. 6 3 3 0 S 17 6 Marist Thomson . .6 3 3 0 11 18 6 Institute 6,3 3 07 14 6 Swifts 6 2 4 0 S 31 4 Marist Newtown B7 1 60 5 28 2 ' SEVENTH DIVISION. ' . Goals. P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Marist Newtown A 8 8 0 0 38 7 16 Miramar Rangers.. 9 7 2 0 44 7 14 Diamond .. 9 7 2 0 36 15 14 Marist .Thorndon . 8 6 0 1 28 8 13 Stop Out ../v.. 8 5 -3 0 15 7 10 Seaioun . ....... ;9 4. 4 'I.- 19-16 9 : Marlst Newtown B 8-2 5 1 11 28 5 Marist Newtown C 8 2 5 1 15 37 5 Y:M.C.A. ....... 9 18 0 2 48 2 Swifts .... 41 3 0 2 16 2 EIGHTH DIVISION. •'•'••■ Goals. P. W. Mi. D' F A Pts Marist Thorndon A. 7 7,0 0 42 i 14 Marist... Newtown A 8 ' 7 1 0 29 3 14 Diamond A S' 7 1 0 43 8 14 t *.'.?"? ••• 7 5 2 0 17 12 10 J" sttut« '-6-3 3 OM6 iS 6 Marist Newtown D 5 1 2 2 4 10 ■ 4 Marist Newtown ,B .'6 1 3'2 9 10 4 f,9?, ?'£ ;-'•'•• 7 '2 5' •«' ■•"■•i3-: 4 Marist Newtown C S 1 5 2 1 35 4 Marist Thorndonß 8 0 8 0 l 40 ~n Diamond B .... 3 0 3 O -'■ p 22 0