FOOTBALL PREMIERS

Evening Star, Issue 20610, 9 October 1930, Page 16

FOOTBALL PREMIERS

ALHAMBRA'S SMOKE CONCERT The annual smoke concert of the Alhambra Football Club was held in the Opobo pavilion last night, when Air It. Bennet presided over a largo attendance. Among the guests were Mr H. Harris and Mr S. G. Styehe, of the Management Committee, and representatives of other city chibs. The toast of the'Otago Rugby Football Union was proposed by Mr D. Gray, who said that without the governing body tho game would not be flourishing as it was in Dunedin. He suggested that when big games were played in Dunedin a certain number of tickets should bo allotted to each club. The governing body was open to a great deal of abuse, much of it quite undeserved, and he considered that the union always did all in its power to assist the individual clubs. To it the Alhambra Club owed much. '

The president of tho O.R.F.U, (Mr H. Harris), in reply, congratulated the Alhambra Club on its magnificent turnout that night. It was one of the largest attendances ho had ever. seen in Dunedin. As Mr Gray had said, the Rugby Union came in for a great deal of criticism, both adverse and otherwise. Of course, any member of a body such as the Rugby Union—and it was an important body which ran the foremost sport in the dominion—expected criticism, and a public which took such an interest in football as the New Zealand people did became pretty critical at times. At the same time no member of a club should take a seat on the Management Committee unless he was prepared to put up with a fair amount of criticism. During the years he had been a member of that committee the criticism that had been received had been fair. After all. it was only a matter of opinion, and no doubt there were other men in the dominion, who could run tho game just as well as the present committee. From his experience, however, the men who had been elected by the clubs at their annual meetings to represent them on the committee had done what they considered was best in tho interests of Rugby football. They might have failed—all men made mistakes—but he could truthfully say that they had done their best in the interests of the game of football. Of course, when a man took his seat on the committee he was not there for any particular club, but they were all there to do what they considered was best in the interests o c all clubs. The game of football held the interest of tho public in New Zealand to a very large extent, and some of those who had been on the Management Committee in later years had wondered if the standard of football was as good ns it used to bo. Some of them who bad played football in the dim and distant past were rather inclined to live in the past. Naturally there had been changes in later years. The game had altered, and tlie new kick-into-toueh rule, which had been intended to speed up the game, bad been introduced. Football, after all, was only a recreation, and lie took it that when clubs were formed they sought recreation and enjoyment. He bad come to the couch- ion that the new rule introduced a few years ago had debarred a number of young fellows who would like to play from joining clubs, but because they were not “speed merchants” they thought that they could not play tho game. He strongly urged clubs to support the continuance of the rule they played under in the past season. He thought that they would find it was in the interests of the game as a recreation. So far as speeding the game up was concerned, no doubt they had all seen the British matches, and bo did not think they could have anything better than the exhibitions put up by the British team. There was another body very closely associated with tho Rugby game —the Referees’ Association. The referees turned out Saturday after Saturday and did their best to control the games. They did yeoman service in tininterests of tho game, but one wondered if tlio game was not over-ruled. It was rather trying to find a, ruling for every small point that came up during a Rugby game, and ho thought that if referees took a broader view of tho game, so long as one side did not obtain an unfair advantage over the other, that small breaches of the rules should bo allowed to go. Of course, referees had to stick to the rules to a certain extent, and they did what they considered best. It was very easy for those wo sat on the bank to criticise the referee, but they did not always see the game from the field as spectators in the grand stand saw it. Mr Styehe, who proposed the toast of tho Alhambra Football Club and the first fifteen, said the club was to bo congratulated on its fine room, and be thought the club’s success was largely due. to the interest that was taken in it by the old members, and also by tho lady friends, who looked after the social side of the club’s activities. So long as the old members took a keen interest in the club’s affairs it would be a success. He congratulated the first fifteen on its■ success, and also the junior teams for the way they bad turned out week after week. He thought it was rather soon yet for the teams to have adopted the English stylo of play, but he hoped that all teams, during the next season, would endeavour to make the game open and play the game for the game’s sake. Mr Harris then presented the shield to the vice-captain of tho club (Air R. .Sonter). Ho said tho club was to be congratulated on winning the shield in the jubilee year of the union, and be hoped that in fifty . ears’ time + be Alhambra Club would again bo the winners of the shield. Tho toast was then honoured with great enthusiasm. Air Bennet, in reply, assured the visitors that it gave the Alhambra men great pleasure to welcome them i.liat night. Sueli social gatherings went a long way in helping the game, and there was no doubt, as Air Styehe bad said, that the old members gave the younger players great inspiration. • Air Soutor, on behalf of tho first fifteen, added his thanks. Tho (cam had been a, very happy family. They had all pulled together, and he thought they could put their success don-i to tho encouragement of the older members, and also to the time and energy that Mr “Punch” AUDougall laid given to the team’s preparation. Other toasts honoured were :—“ Sister Clubs,” proposed by Air G. Nelson and responded to by Messrs C. Somitag and A. Grant; “Referees’ Association,” proposed by Air J. Mitchell and replied to by Air J. Himbiirg; and “Performers and the Press,” proposed by Air I. Grant. The toast list was interspersed with a number of musical items. Songs were contributed by Alossrs R. Walls and C. S. Hawes, and Mr W. Ruffell led tho community singing. Mr E. Ruffell played a violin solo, and Alossrs W. F. and M. Connors contributed a banjo duet. Air H. Russell gave a couple of recitations. Bogg’s Orchestra, under the baton of Afr J. Himbiirg, added tn the enjoyment of the (Miming.