SOCCER.

Grey River Argus, 8 April 1927, Page 3

SOCCER.

BLACKBALL CLUB. The following team will represent the above Club against Dobson to-morrow at Blackball in a competition game (Ist. round). —Parsonage, Cochrane, Moor, McDade, Smith, MeNicol, Mcikle Clark, Kerr, Rarity, Hampson; reserves, Penman and Swinley. Any player unable to play in the game is to notify the Secretary as soon as possible. Owing to the Oddfellows’ Hall not being available on Sunday evenings, the fortnightly meetings will be held at the Secretary’s residence (Harper St.) at 7 o ’clock.

CANADIAN TEAM’S TOUR. HARD TASK FOR NEW ZEALAND ♦STRONGEST - SIDE EVER IN DOMINION. The Canadian team, which is due to arrive in Auckland on May 23 foi a ten-w-eeks' tour of New Zealand, has now been linaJly selected. Soma of the players are natives of Canada, well built and trained in a good school of football, with the advantage that they have Jia-d experience in playing I against English and' Scottish professional teams, from which games they have emerged with credit if not with success. Several of them were born in the nursery of Association footbail, Scotland, and learned to play with teams of considerable reputation. I hey have a fine combination oi weight, speed, and good tacticians Thev have at least two first-class centre-forwards, one of them 6ft m height and over 12 stone in weight. First of all, they’ have one man for each position, accustomed to play in the place which he will occupy in li'.c. team, and there are three or four of

those versatile players who can fill almost any position with equal facility. They have a regular goal-keeper but they have a fine back who —pi.-'’ between the sticks owing to an accident to the goalie—proved to be ore <»f the best goal-keepers in Canada and a terribly hard man to boat. The defence of the visitors appears to be what one might describe as cast iron, and will call for the utmost -.n-lea-vours of the New Zealand forward pack to penetrate. There are tnree full-backs. and one of these can play centre-forward, and the other is probably a better goal-keeper than ? fullback: there are two right-halves, two '■(’litre-halves capable of playing m tin* forward line, one left-half who c :ii fill a place at inside-left, two left wingers, two centre-forwards —both ith formidable reputations as scot- • ”s. While no one seems to be definitely allocated to the right-wing, the remainder, with the exception of Tait, the team goalie, can play in practically any position in the forward line, •md even in other places. They have three fairly easy matches to start

with, Taranaki, Wanganu : , and Mananatu. but these should put them in good time to meet Wellington on June 3. and from then o.n they will be a team to be reckoned with, for they will have got into then stride. The liist test is on June 25, at Dunedin, by which time they will have played I’t least ten games, and they will be a real trial of strength. The second and third tests will follow on succeeding Saturdays at Christchurch and Wel lington, and the last at Auckland, just before they leave.

It is a big tour that the New Zealand Council has undertaken, but its optimistic estimate of the success f, < the visit is fully justified. The negotiations opened in .1925, but it was not possil.de to secure a visit in 392<> and the local and Dominion competitions gave clubs everywhere; a big programme to carry out. Finally the arrangements were completed. 1l.« Canadian Association to send a firsrclass team, the council giving -way on the question of allowances in order t«» secure the best. The tour will cos T New Zealand £7oo'l, which means an average of practically £350 per match for 21 games. In addition there are other heavy expenses to be incurred, and the assembling of the New Ze-’-

land representative teams for the 'l’cst matches will be a considerable item. Lt looks as if the total expenses will figure round about £lO,OOO, which will require an approximate average of £5OO a match to cover. Most of the guarantees have already come to hand, ami flic remainder are expected to reach headquarters very shortly. It. will be upon the four Test matches and the four games with the four main centres upon which the council will rely for the greater portion of the receipts, and as it will be first-class foot ball there is little doubt that the public will throng to see it. The Canadian team is a far stronger one than that which visited Australia two seasons ago, and no side as good has hitherto visited New Zealand. They are assured of a great welcome fiom Soccer enthusiasts in all parts cf the Dominion, and there arc more of them than is generally realised. Take the number of people who arrive in the Dominion from the Old Country every year, 90 per cent of whom arc interested in the round bull game. Practically all. the men in. the Dominion Navy are devotees to the game, and with the old and present daschool who will .follow no other pasttime in the winter the number runs into many thousands. Not only will the visit ’promote good relations between the sports bodies of the twoDominions, but it should do much to cement and improve commercial relations. The revised itinerary is as followsMay 23, 1927.—Arrive Auckland. May 25 (Wednesday). —-Versus Taranaki, at New Plymouth. May 28 (Saturday).- —Versus Wanganui, at Wanganui. June 1 (Wednesday). —Versus Manawatu, at Palmerston North. June 3 (Friday).—Versus Wellington at Wellington. June 4 (Saturday). — June 7 (Tuesday).—Versus Marlborough, at Blenheim. June 9 (Thursday).—Versus Nelson, at Nelson. June 11 (Saturday).—Versus Buller,

at Westport. June 15 (Wednesday). — Versus Westland, at Greymouth. Juno IS (Saturday). —Versus Otago, at. Dunedin. June 22 (Wednesday).—Versus Southland, at Invercargill. J uuh 25 /Saturday), —Versus New Zealand, at. Dunedin (first Test). Juno 29 (Wednesday).—Versus Canterbury, at Christchurch. July 2. (Saturday).—Versus New Zealand, at ChristchurcU (second Test). July 6 (Wednesday).—Versus South Canterbury, at Timaru. July 9 (Saturday).—Versus New Zea land, at Wellington (third Test). July 13 (Wednesday). —-Versus Hawke’s Bay, at Napier. July 16 (Saturday).—Versus Poverty Bay, at Gisborne. July 20 (Wednesday).—Versus South Auckland, at Hamilton. QTuly 23 (Saturday),—Versus 'Auckland, at Auckland. July 27 (Wednesday).—Versus North Auckland, at Whangarei. July 30 (Saturday).—Versus New Zealand, at Auckland (fourth Test), i August 2, 1927.—Leave Auckland.