NOTES.

Feilding Star, 4 June 1907, Page 4

NOTES.

Feilding Seniors meet Kia Toa, at Palmerston, on Saturday. They will also have to leave home to play Palmerston and Huimai, but the match against Old Boys will be played on the Racecourse. The points scored against Feilding on Saturday were the first in the Cup matches. The first try was a soft one, and it is very rarely a score is made in a like manner. The second, however, should never have taken place, half-a-dozen Feilding players letting a Huimai back slip past them without attempting to collar him. Jack Hughes, the Awahuri kicker, made a splendid, though unsuccessful, shot at goal from the touch line, the ball going over the post. His second attempt, however, was a feeble ono. The Huimais deserved their scores; in fact, the way the forwards worked, and the cleverness of some of the backs, entitled them to more. Carroll, at five-eighth, played a splendid game, although he is inclined to be on the selfish side. Many are of the opinion that McNae's absence considerably weakened the Blue and White forwards; in one sense that may be so, but in the writer's opinion he would have helped the Feilding backs by breaking up the scrums. As it was, Huimai secured the ball in every scrum, and kept it there, pushing Feilding about as they liked. Once in the open, however, Feilding forwards were the better of the two. It was a disgrace to some of the Yellow and Black forwards to have so many free kicks given against j them as was the case on Saturday. Off-side and obstructions wero the reasons. At the time for kicking off on Saturday, Feilding had only four- { teen players, and it was necessary to get a substitute — he played a hard game, too. The gap was caused by the player (?) who had asked for inclusion in the forwards not putting in an appearance; when he did turn up, dressed iv his Sunday best, he said he had been looking for " clobber." Readers can judge for themselves of a person who would solicit a game a week previous, and then act the donkey at the last moment. It is not an unusual thing for players to take the field with shin pads and ear guards. A Feilding i forward set a new fashion on Satur- : day when he started with a strip of sticking plaster along his "beak" — not a prominent one — to save it from getting scratched. The Feilding forwards played their worst game of the season on Saturday. Three had a touch of "grip," others the slows, and others that can't-get-out-of-me-own-way feeling. It was painful to see them line out, and it I would take too much space to describe the way they got into the scrum. There is a medal for the best forward, but if their play continues as it was on Saturday, tho judges will have to declare a deadheat between the eight. Coming to the backs. When they got the ball, spectators were treated to some pretty, and at times, brilliant passing. A Taranaki enthusiast considered it as good as anything he had seen in the land of skim milk and kumi kumi. Ongley was a back team in himself, and time after time got his side out of trouble by his collaring and kicking. In the first spell Rout did some pretty work, his short runs, feinting and passing pleasing the onlookers. Pirani played well throughout, and made some splendid runs. Although the try he scored was questioned for a pare forward, he deserved it, for it was the third time he had orossed the line. Twice he was collared before he could touch down and pushed back into play. Goodbehere was decidedly off-color in taking, whether from a pass or kick, and thereby lost several good chances of scoring, as his pace would tell, as it did when he scored his try. J. Price was very safe at centre threequarter, kicking and collaring in grand style. A. Price,, on the wing, showed great improvement in taking, and as a result scored twice after beating several opponents. In the second half he gave Trevena a spell at full, but did not have much to do — he missed the only man he should have brought down. There is no half-heartedness in Trevena' s collaring, and some of the other backs could take a lesson from him. In the second spell he played threequarter, shaping creditably. Referee Evans could do with running exercise. The pace at which the game was played at times found him out, and several breaches escaped his notice. There is some talk of outside clubs objecting to Trevena and Watts playing for Feilding, on account of ! their being out of the Manawatu boundaries. Let it be said that the \ homes of these two players are in I Feilding, and that they mostly come j : to town on Friday, riding back to . [ their respective schools on the Sun- ' ' day or Monday morning. They play j with no other team, and therefore an objection would be frivolous and ; would Bii rely meet its desert if it ' came before the Union. It is said that Referee Robinson,

of tho Foxton Sub-Union, intends giving up the whistle to don the jersey, and play for Awahou. The other teams will, no doubt, be glad to see such a change, as his refearing has given great dissatisfaction — except to one club. The same old disheartening thing. Five out of seven mon. picked to re- § resent the Feilding Seniors at the even-Aside Tournament, put in an appearance. This is the sixth occasion this season that such a shabby, unsportsmanlike trick has been served the Seniors. As late as Saturday night the two absentees promised to play, and yet they did not have the decency to notify the captain on Monday to the contrary. One of them (Goodbehere) preferred to be a spectator at the iadies' hockey match. [PEB PBESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, June 1. Senior— Melrose (10) defeated St. James (5), Oriental (15) defeated Wellington (6), Petone (14) defeated Poneke (8), Athletic (29) defeated Victoria College (0). Auckland, June 1. Parnell created a surprise by defeating Newton by 24 points to nil. Ponsonby ran over Grafton by 56 points to nil. City defeated North Shore by 19 points to nil. Christchurch, June 1. An inter-union match, Canterbury v Combined Country, was played this afternoon, and was won by Canterbury, whose backs showed better combination, by 16 points (two goals from tries and two tries) to 9 (a penalty goal and two tries). Dunedin, June 1. Dunedin <8) defeated Alhambra (3), Pirates (11) defeated Taieri (5), Southern (6) defeated Union (0), Kaikorai (8) defeated Port (5), Zingari (16) defeated University (9).