THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL TEAM.

Evening Star, Issue 12943, 5 May 1908, Page 8

THE ENGLISH FOOTBALL TEAM.

[From Octr Special Cokeespondekt.] LONDON, March 27. - -The Wilson Incident.— The case of T. W. Wilson, the ScottishCumberland player who was selected to proceed to New Zealand with Air Harnett’s team, but was suspended by the Scottish Union and provisionally also by the Emergency Committee of the Rugby Union, came up for consideration at the Union’s Committee meeting field in London last Tuesday. After a lengthy “ pow-wow,” it was decided that as Wilson, by his own letters to the secretary of the Scottish Union, had submitted himself to the jurisdiction of that body, the Rugby Union Committee should “ decline to include him in the team going out to New Zealand." The Committee, however, removed the pro visional suspension order of the Emergency Committee, ns Wilson's suspension by the Scottish Union was not the outcome of rough play, misbehaviour, or breach of professional law. I he \\ il.son affair arose out of the action of the Scottish Union in prohibiting players under their control from taking part in the New Zealand tour. On December 19 Wilson, a member of the Clydesdale Club, wrote to the Scottish Union to the effect that he had applied for inclusion in the team for Now Zealand, and later, on December 25, he wrote to the secretary as follows:—‘‘l was under the impression that the Scottish Union were in favor of the proposed New Zealand tour.

I shall certainly not go to New Zealand without jwnnissioti from tho Union, and T shall be glad to loiow whether I have their sanction to accept an invitation or not. In reply to this tho secretary wrote-:—“I may say at once that the Committee will not grant permission to any of their players to go with tho propf«ed team to New Zealand, and, in that connection the last paragraph of vonr letter is very satisfactory indeed.” Subsequently Wilson arranged to play for tho Carlisle Club, and, despite his letter of December 23, was announced ns a member of the team for New Zealand, and in a further letter to tho Scottish Union he stated I gave Clydesdale an intimation that I intended going to New Zealand. I resigned from that dub in order to play for Carlisle.” It was after this that Wilson was informed of his suspension by the Scottish Union, an act which led to the Rugby Union taking the matter up. with the result now made known. The vacancy created by Wilson s exclusion from the New Zealand team has, it is understood, been filled by Cl. It. Hind, of Kent.

■ —Mr Harnett on His Team.— Mr G. R. Harnett, who is to manage the Rugby Union team, was talking about his boys at the Haileyburv Wanderers kootball Club “smoker ’ on Tuesday night last. He occupied the chair, and. in acknowledging the toast of his health, remarked that the British team were not going with the idea of teaching football—they could not do that—but would keep up the best traditions of the game. England and Wales had helped to get together a side which, win or lose, would uphold the sport they were sent out to represent. He would repeat once more that if some 0r... d'd not take out a loam tho colonies would probably turn io other directions, and such a tour was a necessity if New Zoa-ian-d ivetre not to be abandoned to professionalism.—(Cries of “Shame.”) Whatever view others might take, it was the duty of England, as tho oldest and most important Union, to keep up the “grand old game” and the amateur Hag dying. If one could not get the best, the next must do. The side would have thirteen or fourteen internationals, and if all pulled together, as ho was euro they would do, they would not come back disgraced. Anyway, they would do their best. ’lhey looked forward to a good tune, though ho personally was not so young as he should like to be. They would, however, have to decline many of the generous invitations already being extended to them. They were also to visit Australia and Canada on tho way home. . Ir Harnett appears to he laboring under the delusion that there is a serious dancer of Now Zealand Rugby footballers rushing to the flesh-pots of professionalism, and that tho visit of the English team will effect the Dominion’s salvation. Possibly there is some small danger that the “ Ail Black exponents of tho Northern Union code may infect Rugby players with a liking for the tliriteen-a-sidc came, and it may find favor with tho public. If, however, it was found that the Northernijnion game was preferred by players and tho public to the Rugby Union game, I do not sec that this would necessarily tend towards spreading professionalism among the bulk of New Zealand footballers. "The N.U. game can be just as well played hv pure amateurs as by paid players. They Don’t Ibink Imperially.” The current Pictorial’ contains the following hit at the Scottish R.F.U. over their attitude towards colonial tours: In one of bus great Fiscal Reform speeches -Mr Joseph Chamberlain adjured the nation to think imperially. This ex hortation appears to have been lost upon the Scottish Football Union, at least. That is the conclusion towards’which one is impelled by tho position they have taken up in relation to impendin'' nr pro posed colonial tours or visits of represontain:e, "Bugger” teams. The Union officials have, I understand, declined to share in the exploitation of a British team in Now Zealand, and they would prefer, so it appears, to have no dealings with the New South Wales side which Is coming to England next winter. Their motives arc, I doubt not, commendable in thcmslcves, but their action in the abstract appears to reveal a sad lack of discrimination.