ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 2 July 1924, Page 8

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

TRIAL MATCH. A trial match in connection with the soccer code was played at Aurou on Saturday, the teams lining out as follow!}: 'White and Green —if idler (A), goal;, Betteridge and Edwards (:VL), tuli-backs; Kilpatrick (A), Nicholls (K), and B. Bollard (K), lialt-backs; Plant (A), Galloway (H), Pollard (K), Freakley (K), and J. Campbell, (H), forwards. Blue and Whites—Hart (H), goal; Brown (A) and S. Pollard (K), fullbacks ; Thatcher (M), Pooch and Barker (H), half-backs; Armstrong (A), Smart (A), G. Brown (R), Langlands (A), and Muggeridge (M), forwards. Pooch and Nicholls were the respective captains. The day was cairn, but the ground was a little heavy owing to recent rains.

Pollard set the ball in motion for the greens, and the game commenced in real earnest, each player determined to do his utmost to catch the eye of the selectors. The green forwards set'up a hot attack on the blues’ goal, led by 11. Pollard, but Betteridge .intercepted and placed the ball well down. Pooch (Hawera) sent the ball to Muggeridge, who made a good run up the line and centred. Smart secured and had a shot, which went over. Hart took the goal kick, which he placed welL down the field. Pollard .sent the ball to J. Campbell, who took-it well upheld and centred. Pollard secured and sent in a stinger, which caught Hart napping, the hall just going in at the corner, registering the first goal for the greens. From the kick-off Galloway by a pretty piece of play took the balk well up, Barker relieving bv finding- the line. From a throw-in B. Pollard secured, arid sent out to Freakley, who had not been playing up to his usual. At this point he broke away, but was ruled offside. From the free kick Brown (Auroa) sent well up, Langlands securing, but lie was challenged by Edwards, who miskicked. This enabled Smart to secure, and he being fleet of foot took charge, and beat Butler all -the way, the ball going under the bar, making the score one all. The whistle then sounded half-time.

From the kick-off in" the second spell some very fine individual play followed, in which the whole of the blues’ forward line took a hand until intercepted by Nicholls, who relieved by sending out to Campbell. The latter secured and set off for the blues’ goal, and having no immediate opposition sent in a trimmer, which Hart saved in good style. . Barker, who had done a lot of useful work during the game, secured and sent up to Langlands, who has a fair amount of speed and took well up, Betteridge relieving by sending out to Plant (Auroa). This player made a nice run up the line and centred, and Freakley securing drew Hart out of goal to take the ball, which he could not reach in time, enabling Freakley to trick and place the ball between the posts, registering the second goal for the greens. This was the only mistake Hart made during the match—coming out too far to intercept a ball. After the kick-off both sides were playing well, the blues striving hard to equalise the score, Smart iust failing on the call of time through either miskicking or slipping when everyone thought a goal was certain. A hard and fast game ended shortly after with the greens in the lead by one goal.

Mr G. ! Mitchell made an efficient referee.

In commenting on the play, a keen follower of the game states that the following -players shoived improved form on previous tests; Galloway, of the Hawera Club, a new arrival, from Wellington, is improving with, every trial, being very clever with, his feet, but he lacks the sting behind the ball when shooting. He would be well advised to practise shooting goals. Brown (Auroa) is not at home at fullback, he being a better half. His display at full was very disappointing. Plant (Auroa) made a good start in the first half, but ‘‘did a freeze” in the second half for lack of support. This player is worth a place in the next trial.

Langlands (Auroa) showed to advan-tage-in this game, and is worth another try-out, Edwards is not the same George Edwards as one has seen on the football ground, and one can only sum him up with a long series of miskicks and a poor exhibition of the full-back game, die apparently having a day off. On the other hand, Stan. Pollard (Kaponga), in the writer’s opinion, played one of the best fnll-back' games of the day—a sure and good kick nicely placed and always in his place, he having filled Brown’s (Eltham) position at full-back. He also is worth *a try-out. Barker, of Hawera, is a worker, and played a good half-back game. 01 the two goalies, on the day’s play Hart undoubtedly was the pick' Butler having little lo do, but what lie did was done well. Hart (Hawera) is young, sound, and always alert, and is •i S! , l | endHl He was better than Butler at the kick. Of course Butler lias tlie experience, and is oertaiulv worth another trial, hut what the selectors are looking for are the best men for the positions to he filled. In the forwards there is amide material to choose from, and the half-hack line is reported to he about fixed up. Lhe selectors are still looking for fullhacks and a goalie. In conclusion, the writer would like to impress upon the players who are picked for the trials to do their utmost to appear on the field at the proper tune, for time is short, and it does not give the selectors a chance when playe> s do not turn, up, otherwise thev will have to he dropped and others" who turn up substituted. The following will represent the Auroa A team in their match with Eltham at Eltham on Thursday T Kilpatrick, L. Plant. F. Butler. M.’ Biadfoid, A. Armstrong. B. Langlands. . Bi(?\mi. Smart. Len Thoirmine. t' • Bradford, C. Davies and •J. McCarty. Cars leave the store at 1 p.m.