FOOTBALL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume III, Issue 189, 26 July 1913, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

lIAAVKE'S BAY RUGBY UNION. A meeting of the management committee cf the. Hawke's Bay Rugby Union was held last evening, the Rev. Father Mahcney (vice pre sident) in the chair. The Dannevirke Sub union enter ed a challenge for the Hawke's Bay Shield on behalf of the champion team of their district. — Approve'!. Tlie Ladies’ Hcekey Association asked for a donation in aid of repre sentativc team.—Regret that at pre sent there are no funds for the purpose. Tlie A) airarapa Union intimated a desire to send a junior represent,a tive team to Hawke’s Bay before the ch.se of tire season. —Agreed to. and the date (August IGth.) approv ed : also. Hastings v. Napier third grade representative match be ar ranged as a curtain raiser. Mr. Fee guson, Hastings, was .appointed to select the junior representative team.

Tin' Napier Sub union wrote re garding the ''Has Beens" -mateli. claiming a proportion of the pro feeds. —Held over pending receipt of full returns of the match. The secretary's action :-u ende-av.-ouring to arrange a match Hawke's Bay v. Xew Zealand Native team on Wednesday, 30th instant, was endorsed.

AV. Neilson, manager of ike Hawke's Bay team recently on tour, presented his report of the trip. He showed that three of the four matches were played under very ad verse weather conditions, the Wairarapa match being the only fine clay. The tourists had been well hospitised by the various unions.

The behaviour of the tesm had been exemplary.---Air. Neilson was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for Lis able efforts : unions to lie thank ed for hospital it y. The Daimevirke Suh union clnil lenged the Hawke's Bay touring team to a match.—Reply to be sent that owing to fixtures ahead, such match could not he arranged. It was decided to make an enden vour to meet a request of th-' Poverty Ua.i I niou to send a Hawke's Bay junior representative team to Gisborne on August 9th.

Challenges from the Napier ami Hastings Sub unions for matches for the Hawke’s Bay Shield were accepted. NOTES BY PATRIARCH. " After tlie dinner following tlie “Has Becns" match last Saturday, a “coterie” of past football enthusiasts. some of whom have been associated not only with, the government of the sport locally, but also with the New Zealand Rugby Unicn. m-*t and decided to form a New Zealand Rugby Veterans' Association, the object being to assist in keeping the amateur game on top and in < ndea vouring to bring about a modification of the present laws of the game, so as to ensure its being made more open and attractive to the general public. The meeting was most on thusiastic. and the creation of such an association is open to great potentialities. It is intended to eu deavour to form branches through out New Zealand and it is more than likely that steps will be taken to arrange a North and South Island

‘’Has Beens” match next season. If the association succeeds in bringing out the members of the redoubtable “All Blacks,” together with other well-known players who are now In retirement, “The Patriarch’’ hopes he will be there to see the contest. The scheme is considered to be quite feasible and needs only to be taken in hand with the same enthusiasm as was displayed in the formation ;f the veterans’ association. It is likely that a return “Has Beens" match will be played at Hastings before tlie season terminates.

The tour of the New Zealand ’Varsity team has been a great success, not only from a match winning standpoint, as the football dis played in all four matches is described ns being greatly above the average, and likely to have, a beneficial effect on the old game in the future. One Sydney paper, in commenting on the tour, remarks that from a spectacu . lar point of view the play was almost a -perfect exhibition of scientific i Rugby, and incidentally that if form in future went any way near the; standard shown by the New Zealand' team, there would be no fear of the I spectators preferring any other I game. It is difficult to understand! why the onus of keeping up the best! traditions of the game should be left : to the colleges in New Zealand, ami why other teams do net endeavour, to make the game as open as pos i sible, in view of the strong competi-j tion by the Northern Union enthusi i asts. and thus retain the public support as well as the reputation our representatives have earned in the past. Personally I have always been a strong opponent to the wing forward, and am thoroughly convinced that hf is largely instrumental in preventing the open back play, which is probably the most attrae tive feature of the game. Later on 1 intend dealing with this phase of; the game at greater length. Mr. Parata’s Native team, now touring the South Island, will en [ gage. AVellington on Saturday, :md may possibly appear against ( Hawke’s Bay at a later date.

The local representatives while on tour showed their appreciation of Mr. Neilson’s efforts as manager by presenting him with a ease of pipes. Mr. Neilson, in response, expressed his satisfaction with the excellent manner in which tin* team had conducted themselves all through.