Outdoor Sports and Pastimes

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 839, 28 July 1916, Page 21

Outdoor Sports and Pastimes

By Touohline

The Greatest Player. A QUESTION that is often asked nie is: "Who is the greatest player New Zealand has produced ?■'' It is undoubtedly one of the hardest questions one could be asked to determine, even if he has had, as I claim to have, an intimate acquaintance with the playing of Rugby in'' New Zealandi for many years. The advent of the game into Wellington was in the same year that I first saw the light in Auckland —in 1868 —and, as I played while at school my oTaim to have had a long connection with the game will not be disputed. I remember as a boy seeing Tim O'Connor, George Carter, Darby Ryan. Jack Lecky, Bob Whiteside. Barlow Madigan, and other well-known' old-time Aucklanders giving of their best on the Domain Cricket Ground and the other convincing areas in Auckfland. The first interprovincial match I was a spectator of was between Auckland and Wellington on Dilworth's Paddock in 1886, a match that will be remembered as long as the game is talked _ about. The next year I was in Welllington. putting the season in as a member of the Union Club's junior team. I witnessed the Canterbury-Wellington match* on the Newtown Park, and travelled back to Auckland with the Canterbury players on their way to play the representatives of the northern city. ' In the intervening years since then I have been through the whole gamut—as player, referee, secretary of Rugby Unions,' manager of travelling teams, and football critic—so that on the score of experience and intimate knowledge of the players I should be able to give ah opinion as to which is the best player the Dominion has produced. • * * * Some Great Players. To enumerate all the great players who have taken part in New Zealand's national game during its history would take up more space than I can spare m this article, so the calling over of some names that come to my mind as I write will have to suffice. R. Whiteside, the 'lengthy Aucklander, was the best scoring wing threequarter I have ever seen,' his principal assets being plenty of pace and a mighty

fend; C. Madigan, a strong, bumpy runner j J. A. Warbrick, a famous Maori p»layer, who had a long and glorious career as a representative player, and captained the New Zealand Native Team on its tour roundi the world; P. LKeogli, O.tago's great half-back, ranking with the best New Zealand has produced; F. JerviSj a fine potter of goals and a class three-quarter, gaining a trophy for the best back in the 1893 team that, toured Australia; E. Francis, who won a lot of games for Canterbury by potting goals; D. R. Gage, the Maori player, probably the cleverest oldtime back, with a wonderful stamina and a surprising dot of cleverness in his pla.y; J. Taiaroa, a square-built halfback, who made a big name for himself in the 1884 New Zealand team that toured Australia ; E. McCausland, a fine full-back and a clever drop-kick; M. Herrold and J. Conway, -two fine halfbacks before the position they pttayed in received the title -of five-eighth; H. Kiernan and C. Caradus, two clever Auckland half-backs of differing periods; W. Elliott, one of the strong backs in the New Zealand Native Team; W. Allai dyce, F. Fairbrother, H. M. Speed, W. Bee, H. Braddon, G. Harper, H. Roberts. T. Lynch, G. S. Stephenson, W. Balcli, a.nd others whose names do not come so readily as I write. These were amongst the old-time backs, and as we oome down the years other names crop up—W. J. Wallace, "the Admirable Crichton" of the world's football; Fred Roberts, whom -I consider a better half-back than even P. Keogh was; G. W. Smith, c rare trygetter ; J. Duncan and M. E. Wood — greiat five-eighths both of them; W-. J. Stead', P. Jacob, and J. Ward, three of Southland's stars; R. McGregor, W. T. Wynyard, A. Aslier (Auckland), and A. Bayly, J. Hunter, H. Good, A. Humphries (great layers when Taranaki was one of the leading football centres of the Dominion). So one could go on bringing back to memory the names of fine pllayers, others that could be mentioned being: W. Roberts, P. Harvey, A. Armit, E. T. Harper, D. McGregor, H. C. Wilson, and R. G. Deans. * » * » Amongst the forwards there _ were some great players in the old timesgreat in physical stature as well as in playing ability. Just to mention a few names:—G. Williams, G. -Carter, T. O'Connor, 0. Wells, F. B. Young, T. R. Ellison, G. Wynyard, R. Taiaroa, A. Campbell, G. McLaren, S. Cockroft, T. Cross, B. Fanning, W. Cunningham, J. Swindley, E. H. Dodd : , C. Purdue, B. O'Dowda, J. M. King, J. S. Milne, H. McTntyre, W. McKenzie, W. Hardcastle, J. Calnan, W. Pringle, T. Pauling, J. Poland, M. Lindsay, D. .Gallaher (the "All Black" captain), C. Seeling (declared to be the best forward in the famous team captained by Gallaher) ,W. V. Millton (captain of the 1884 New Zealand team), P. P. Webb, A. McDonald, G. Giillett, F. Given, W. Drake, H. Frost, F. T. Evans, G. Tyler, R. J. Cooke, J. A. Horner. L. W. Appleby, F. S. Murray, A. Stuart, W. Watson., R. Gray, and many others.

One oould go on recalling the names of players who have left an indelible impression on the game in these parts, but the task I set myself at the beginning of this article is not being made ■ any the easier 'in recalling tliem. Thinking things over, however, I am prepared to say that the late a T. R. Ellison— or, to give him his Maori name, Tamati 'Rangawahia Erihana—was the greatest of them all. Borii in the pah at the Maori Kaik at the Dunedin Heads, "Tom" was not long in finding something in the nature of a football to kick about. Jack Taiaroa and Ellison were cousins, and these two great Maori players were pah mates. Ellison went Te Aute College, where fellowscholars of his were: Gage, Friday, James, Pau, Taaku, and Hiroa. In 1885 the subject of this paragraph joined the Poneke Club in Wellington, and the next year—lßß6—he represented Wellington, being then but 16 years ot age. From that time he had a brilliant football career for eight years. Against the English team in 1888 he impressed

even the visitors with undoubted prow> ess at the game. Here is a racy comment on a happening in that game: — "Within ten minutes of the kick-off, Ellison found himself about the half-way flag with the ball just in front of him. He kept it near him; if a star of the Runcorn or Salford Club made for it he cleverly whipped it away with his feet, until finally there was only the full-back in front of him. Ellison fooled him, too, and over the line went the swishing ball. Ellison tore after _ it 2 _ and wound up a great display of individual brilliance by scoring under the posts. The Englishmen were aghast." * * * » T. R. Eliison was a member of the New Zealand Native Team that toured England in 1888, and on his showing in the matches played by that combination he was declared to be the greatest forward in the world. From thence till 1893, when he captained the New Zealand team that went to Australia, his name was a household word in the {Rugby world of New Zealand, and the man who oould stand up to the lithe, desperate-playing half-caste was considered a wonder. Columns might be

written of the maimer in. which he used to fend, to dodge, bump, and take the ball on the line-oat. - He originate*! the present wing-forward game, and successfully taught it to some of its finest exponents, being himself one of the best. When occasion demanded., T. K. Ellison could take a place among the backs—half or three-quarter- I —and was a. fine coach. He could not only plan out great, deep, wily, and pretty schemes, but personally carry them through to triumphant, execution. He could take, his place in the front of a scrummage, and hock the ball with the best of them; his tremendous strength enabled him to - burst through a pack, and then, when he was clear of the wreckage, and was well in the open, he was a perfect '; demon. He was a powerful runner j he ' had the great loins of the Maori, and' he - could "bump" like an indiarubber traction engine. In his prime in those : magnificent forward rushes, which characterised our national/ game in Ellison's ' time, he was the prince of forwards. One writer has it: "There was strength of the bull ? the spring of t-he tiger, and the cunning of the fox embodied in this wonderful half-caste when he was in action.*' And, summing up with these words, out of all the great players New Zealand 1 has produced., the. statement that the : late T. R. Ellison was. the greatest carries with it a lot of conviction —to ine, at any rate, if it does not to everyone who reads this article. * * * * A Text Book. - T. R. Ellison left behind him a little book entitled "The Art of Rugby Foot>- " ball, one of the most valuable booklets as an educator on Rugby ever published. It would be a_ wise thing at this jttnoxiire -vr l history of the game were.»» the New 'Zealand Rugby Union to reprint certain chapters in this book, distributing them to the various schools and clubs up and down the Dominion. Such an action would prove of immense advantage to the future of the gaine, ■ and _I commend it to the favourable consideration of "the governing body. -' There are-so many young fellows knocking about just now with no knowledge of the theory of the game that a booklet telling how Rugby should be played, describing also ("be various positions of "the players on the field, would edly prove of great value. Such a book is "The Art of Rugby Football." - v

The Sports Roll of Honour. J- Lieut. Athol Hudson, reported killed in France, was one of the most promising long-distance runners in New Zealand, and bade fair to make a big name for himself on the running track. At the Wellington Centre's Championship Meeting in March, 1914, he won both the mile (time 4min 37 2-ssec) and three mile runs (Ismin 34 3-5soo) in a manner that declared him to be a champion; The two runners who finished second to Hudson—F. Byrne in the mile and H. Williams in the three miles—are in the fighting line. At the inter-University tournaments Athol Hudson succeeded in 1914 in establishing record' times for the two events mentioned above, as far as these tournaments are concerned, winning the mile in 4inin 32sec, and the three miles in 15min 24seo. In 1913 he won the mile championship, but did not start in the three miles. Athdl Hudson was a New Zealand Rhodes Scholar, and is declared by those who know to have been one of the finest scholars to pass through the "Victoria University College. His were great, but he was modest and unassuming, and a real likeable chap. Mpre's the pity that such a bright and promising career should be sacrificed to German frightfulness. * ■ * ■ ■ * W. Bell, the Athletic Club and Wellington Rugby representative forwardhas been wounded in the fighting in France. This is not a new experience for "Billy," as he got a lot of shrapnel into him on the Gallipoli Peninsula He made a big recovery from his wounds on that occasion, and I hope he will this time. - | The wound E. Roberts is suffering is in his right thigh, but the extent of it has not been cabled out to New 'ZGarland. The Rugby representative halfback, however, is bound to make light of his misfortune. R. W. Heath, the Victorian tennis player, who injured his collarbone in an accident to the aeroplane he was taking across to France in a snowstorm, has been granted a month's furlough, and is now in England. In a letter received from him he stated he was spending a, week at Lady Drogheda's place in Ireland!, One of South Africa's best-known athletes—W. H. Flynn —was killed in action in East_ Africa on the 9th March. Three years in succession he bagged the half-mile and mile championships of the Transvaal and the championships of the Natal for the same distances. This was in 1912, 1913. and 1914. At the last South Africa Championship Meeting, held in 1914. he lowered the half-mile

record tha.t had stood for over 20 years, beating J. A. Victor in the fine time of lmin 55.4-sseo..