English Soccer Team Sees District

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 124, 27 May 1937, Page 9

English Soccer Team Sees District

BRIEF STAY IN PALMERSTON NORTH Members of the English. Amateur soccer team, which arrived at Auckland on Monday and is to make a five week’s tour of the Dominion, spent the morning yesterday in this district. Arriving from Auckland by the early train, they were met at the station by officials of the Manawatu Football Association and followers of the soccer code. After breakfast, the team was conducted on a tour embracing Mt. Stewart, Feilding and the dairy factory at Bunnythorpe. In answer to a desire expressed by several members to see a New Zealand racecourse they w'ere shown the Manawatu Racing Club’s property at Awapuni. Returning to the city for lunch, they later caught the express to Napier, where the first game of their tour is to be played to-day. The team will not be seen in action in Palmerston North. The join managers of the team are Messrs Wreford Brown and T. Thorne, while Mr A. Stollery is the coach. Mrs Wreford Brown is also included in the party. “The side is a good one and is fully representative of the best English amateur standard,” said Mr T. Thorne in an interview. * ‘ The team is of average weight and 1 expect it to prove an allround and well-balanced combination. There are three of the players who have not yet attained international status, but these are at least budding internationals.” Mr Thorne said that he did not anticipate his players would have any difficulty in adjusting themselves to New Zealand conditions, in view of the fact that they resembled those of England so closely. He refused to comment on the merits of any particularly outstanding players, stating that he expected all the members of the side to perform well. “There is a feature of the team, however,” he said, ‘and that is that we have a player who is one of the youngest ever to travel abroad. That is W. 11. Pickering, who is only 17 years of age.” The three men who captained the English amateur team in its three fixtures last season, E. Tunnington, J. W. Lewis and B. Joy, are all members of the side, Tunnington being the captain of the present touring team. The lastnamed has been prominent in representative amateur football for several seasons. He is a brilliant halfback, able to play in any of the three positions. He has had considerable experience with the professional team of Accrington Stanley. The party possesses some outstanding personalities, prominent among whom is B. Joy, a stalwart centre-half with a brilliant record. He is the possessor

of ten amateur international caps and one full international cap, and, apart from his splendid record in amateur football, he has won renown for his performances in the famous Arsenal side. Joy has played for England in every match in the amateur series during the last three years. Six feet throe inches in height and over 13 stone in weight, he should prove one of the outstanding attractions on .the tour. Mr Wreford Brown is among the leading administrators of the amateur game in England. Ho was formerly centre-half for the famous Corinthians side, and he represented England from 1889 to 1898. He has had considerable experience in managing teams both in England and abroad, and was in control of the English side which visited the last Olympic Games. The English side will play 10 matches in the Dominion. Three tests will be played, the first at Dunedin on Saturday week, the second at Auckland on Juno 19, and the third at Wellington on June 26. The visitors will meet the Auckland provincial team at Blandford Park on June 12, the test match the following week to be decided at Oarlaw Park.