THE LEAGUE GAME.

Grey River Argus, 27 May 1922, Page 6

THE LEAGUE GAME.

i AMONG THE JUNIORS. (By 4 4 T'om lilin-e. ”1 Saturday last was ideal for football, and a fin. 1 crowd made their way out , io the R<\*. to witness the games scheduled by Ilie League Centre. D was wry unfortunate that Hie senior 1 game was postponed, but the circum- ‘ stances in the »ase made it necessary. Anyhoxx- l-.-t i:s hope that the players i x\ ho were hurt in the mine at Blackball will make a speedy recowry, and ; that they will, be found in their ranks again before long. T’he public were rewarded wjth two very line games iu [ the matches Kuhinoor 111. v. Blackball : Hl. and Boa 11. \'. Runanga 11. The I former came light out of tli-eir shell on Saturdax' ami made a big improvement on their last showing against Runanga, when they were defeated by 2«> points to nil. These boys are on the improve, and, under their painstaking tutor. Mr C. Giffney, they srioubl be heard of w before the season is far i adxunced. In Cooper, Hannan, Goodall. , Tomilson and Mcllirus (backs) amt j Williams, Boswell and Morrisey (ior- | wards) they have some promising boys, ! who should go far in the League game. ; Jn lhe Blackball team there is xery goou i material, and the manner in which I these boys handled the bail in passing | was worth noting. They should, howvxer, run straight, as this is always : belter it’ only it gains a yard. They would have scored a couple or more : tries had lhe inside men attempted this, ' Newrtheless they ga\e a good exhibition. and in IS. .Kerr. Dodds, Leaclt, White ami a (ample of others, xvhose jiames .1 am not familiar with, they have quality of the first order. .It win be interesting to see how these teams get on next lime tln‘y meet. I The newly i< r:.iei Roa team maintained lhe reputation, they had g:‘:.o by dt’cisi\<dy defeating Runanga team by 19 points fo live a IT er a veiy I ingame. Let m“ congratulat-c Hie lum boys on their appearance on the ground. Jt xxas admirable to sec’ ‘.hem, each one appearing on th ‘ ground clad in a nic’ amber and black jersey. With stockings and jmiits to match. 1 doubt if J. have seen anything more up io-date. Theirs is a good example tor some o! the oth-.-r teams, as besides making i> easy for the public, it is us easy again for the referee. T’he boys irom Hu* Roa Ranges arc a fine stamp of a team mid should be wry hard to dispose of in the Junior Cup. Iu fact they woul'i in my opinion, extmid the senior teams. T’he forwards are a heavy 101, averaging ncarlv 13 stone. Among the best oi them L noticed was I’attersou, a Re<lton player, who is a line cut of a forward. He had the misfort unt o to sprain his ankle on Saturday, ami this may incapacitate him for the season. Hanj son is another who played well, but he has a reputation from Southland. In the backs J. Daudo (the -ex Brunner player) was the pick, mid his work both on defen<"‘ ami attack was first class. He was ably supported by Skinner, xx’ho played the best game I haw seen from him. Nimmo also playi-l well, but is inclined to kirk 100 much, Buist, Taylor and Williams in the threequartor line all did well. The two Intt-or are Belter as forwards, but owing to a surplus in this dona rl men t, they arc filling Hie brn-k positions with credit. Stevens (full-back) did all that was asked o; him and is a reliable last line. This team are unfortunate in losing the services of Kirwan, last season’s best full bark in the competition, who had hi.[knee injured some time ago. The Runanga team, although defeated. put up a hard light against thcii weightier opponents, ami saw it on! t( the finish, when they were g"in.': strongest. O’Neill (full-back) got I plenty of work, mid came through i well. Isli« rxvood did not play Ins u>mi game, and seemed nervous. He sliouh.* make sure of his man. but should no; wn.it for the bail to bounce. Leoti played a hard g3in;\, and wa.? one ol the pick of those taking pare. 1-i.hci, on the wing is light, but stood up to his work well, and should do bctier against a lighter team. Oust (five-eighty wa> the pick of ’he Runanga backs, ami Lis club’s sck’ctors me robbing this bov of his career by not having him in lhe first 13. The only try Runanga got On Saturday was lus effort, v.hen hv beat several <•! the opposing team. I Houghton and Robson del not show out. their form on Saturday being not near th-cir best. The latter is lhe cut i <>f n plaver. ami, xx ht-ii he gets used I to the rules, shouM improve. Of the p,, ive.r.l. Ilei.m :■ y nml Maiolerson were I the pick the former putting in a lot of hard work. T hey \x < re ably sup ported by Mears, who is the makings ci a nice lorwar'l. having weight and pace. Tiie game set down at the Roc. lot to-day is the Junior gam.? belxxcen Rivals and Brunner, and a real good tusEle should < ■.- ntunte. T’he Rival team ; ., e L . pari smart lot as was evidenced last Sunday when they defeated the (.'reek team on their own ground. Should the weather hold out. lhe Blackball and Runanga seniors wt* trv conclusions at Rapahoe. This is the postponed fixture of last Saint dux. mid will finish the Hist round. Kohiuoor juniors will journey to BLnckbau to meet Roa. the town team being confident of success in spito of previous reverses. The West Coast Rugby Union’s request to the Now Zealand I uion foi that body to invest- 22090 in the Greymouth Trotting Club’s ground, Victoria Turk, so as to get full control of the football arena, is somewhat interesting and amusing to oflicials and followers of the League Code. No doul)t, the proposal, frQm the Trotting Club’s point

i of X lew, would bo good business, but the Neu Zealand Union ■would probably xvaut to know the position of the Rugby 1,, uion game here in Greymouth, before anything like that amount would (be forthcoming. The assumption that > il would mean the death-knock to me I J-eagut' game is obviously a ridiculous one. wh-.-ii one and all who are directly associated with the League game know the undoubted and rapid progress that our code has made since 1919. The following speaks for itself. Starling out with three teams in 1919, the League are in lhe fin-e position of having four senior, seven junior, three third grade and two fourth grade teams playing to-day xvith applications coming in all the time from new teams. Ak this j'rogress has been acnieved without i ’he u.-e of Vii toria Bark. .\rd this progress is bound to increase, even i though ili<‘ Rugby Union were succssi fol in ilicir cfTorls to monopolise the I‘ark. Further, it is more than likely [ ihat the - League activities under ad- ; vice from New South Wales, whose delegate visited here some lime ago. will hav-e a ground of their own in a ccni tral part of the town. Then they will be in a position—as they are in Auckland.—of being able to do without private grounds. The following' referees will oHiciat-.' in this week-end matches: — Rixals \’. Brunner, Rec. at 2 p.m. (Air Lawrence). Kohinoor v. Roa. at Blackball., (Mr i Nielson.) Runanga v. Blackball, at Rapaho-e, (Mr E. Smith.) DUNEDIN SCHOOLS’ ACTION. The West Const Centre of the Rugby l.oagmg actuated by the desire to see I fair play. ]>assed a unanimous resolution of sympathy with the Marist brothers and scholars in Dunedin in thuii grievance with Lhe Rugby Fouiban Union, at the fortnightly meeting of i the League livid on May Sth. T’he Rev , P.rotlier Director of ihe Christian .Brothers’ School in Dunedin, in acknowledg- ’ ing the rpceip; of Hie Langue’s resolu- | tion. said tlmf circumstances form’d | them to play the Rugby game. He menj lioued that they xvere not playing under th.’ jnrisdu t ion of the Otago R.F.C. i Dunedin not being situated in the foot- • ball competition in th-e same way as are (•(mires in lhe Dominion. An appeal had . been forwarded to the New Zealand | I nion, an i he awai’ed their reply with 'interest, and trusted that lhe League’s i good wishes w euld be reaUsed. LEAGUE FOOTBALL. | The following will represent Runanga seniors against Blackball at Rapahoe I this week-end:—W. Farsona'ge, \V. Mc- | Taggart, F. Finn, W. Robson, A. CronipI ton. W. Dando, A. O’Loughlin, R. An- ) derson, L. Hunter, G. Alanderson, W. 1 Harder, B. Furnell. and R. Cast. A practice match between Runanga I juniors and thirds will be played prior to the big match. j T’he fidlowing players xvill represent Brunner in their match with Rivals on Saturday, May 27th:—Keating, Creagh, Duggan, Glenn. AlrDonald, Glen, Rooney, Taylor, Hill, Aloor, Collins, Kitchen. Johnston. Emergencies: Cosgrove, pTeagh, Roberts. The Rivals team to play Brunnorton oa Saturdax’ is as follows: D. McGirr (ce’il. i, Dune; ii, McCabe, W illiam-', Brisbane, Johnston. Henderson, Williams, Fisher, Fraser, Davidson, (!. AleGirr, O’Connor, Wilils, McMinn. T he following players will represent Kohinoor juniors in their match with I Roa at .Blackball during the week-end: Morrissey, Tomlinson, O’Ronrke, AL--Cartlix-, Blocksagc, "White, F>enyon, Gill' noy, Reid, -\itken, Mcllarris, I’ascoe,