ATHLETIC SPORTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9082, 16 June 1888, Page 3

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

PIXTUEES. Football. rugby. .Tilly 20—Auckland Representatives fco South. August—Third Match with Knglish Team. July 7—Warbrick'a Native Team v. Auckland. Juno 16—Ponsonby v. North Shore. June 16—Auckland v. Grafton. Juno lft— Ponnonby Second v. University. June Iβ—Gordon Second v. North Shore Second. June 10—Selwyn v. Waiteinata. ASSOCIATION. Juno 16—Devonport v. Wanderers. June 10—Saracens v. Ellerslio.

FOOTBALL.

The Rngby Union, or at least a majority of its committee of management, are apparently determined that the trip South shall become an accomplished fact, and the details are already "cut and dried." The date of the departure of the team has been tixed, and the matches to be played decided upon, notwithstanding there is a widespread leelinc; to the effect that a tour, as proposed, would bo undertaken and accomplished with greater eclat and more promise ot success if postponed to next year, which will probably be bare of iuterprovincial contests; while with three Knghsh matches, the fixture with Warbrick'a team, and the games arranged with Thames and Tauranga fifteens, the greatest enthusiast for the Rugby game cannot wish for more " foreign" tootball in Auckland than that which has fallen to our lot this year. The many objections to the tour were given at length in tins column last week, and I do not propose to reiterate them, but will once more caution the Union about tho importance of sending (if they must send) none but the really best team that the province can put into the Held. On her performances with the Englishmen, coupled with her play against Southern teams in 1887, Auckland holds the pride of place among the various provinces, and this honour should not be risked by any hurried or ill-advised sending away of a fifteen below the highest obtainable standard of excellence in the Rugby gamu. It is amusing to notice in regard to the prospective tour the astounding indifference to money which is assumed by several of those who are anxious to " take a littlo trip." "The Union has £ot plenty of money to pay the expenses, so that it does not_ matter what attendances may patronise the matches," has been repeated to mo more than once. If lam not greatly mistaken, the Union's resources do not exceed £350 all told, and though the journey might, with economy, bo carried out for this sum, yet to sink at one plunge tho accumulated funds of a couple of seasons, seems to my mind to savour strongly of the action of a small boy who, on being given a shilling; is in a fever of anxiety to spend it immediately at the first shop he conies to. A very fallacious idea also appears to prevail concerning the fitness of Whiteside and Madigan to undertake the trip, and opinions arc freely expressed that each will be well enough to play by the time the tour starts. From past experience of similar injuries, and from conversation with the players themselves, lam pretty certain that If either of them takes part in a hard-fought game within the next two months at the least, they will receive a second injury which is sure to be more serious than the first, and may possibly be a permanent one. Footballers arc often induced to play when really not fit, but 1 hope that the good sense of the two named will prevent them from indulging prematurely in their favourite pastime, while I am convinced that I but echo the opinion of the football public of the city when I assert that an Auckland " rep. , team will be incomplete without them.

Should the Southern tour eventuate, I have to draw the attention of the Rugby Union to a question which arises from the fact of our best team absent from home, and which, although only a point of minor importance, still has excited some little, curiosity among footballers, and upon which my opinion has boon asked. It is :If a second Auckland fifteen be chosen to play matches against Tauranga or Thames, are the players in such a team entitled to receive the interprovinoial cap for ISSS? which is given to tho.se who represent Auckland in foreign matches ? I am of opinion that no such badge should be granted to a team which must necessarily i>e but of secondary rank, or if any memento of the kind be given to the players that it should be sufficiently dissimilar in colour or shape to the coveted " rep '" cap, to preclude the possibility of a mistake being made in the status which the possession of such a trophy always confers upon a player. As was expected, the form shown by T. Ryan in playing* for his club on Saturday, after his enforced retirement for two seasons, contained nothing at all to justify inclusion in the representatives chosen to play against Warbrick's team on the 7th proximo. lie was very much inferior to the Darby Ryan of old, and apparently his hand and foot have nearly, if not quite, forgotten their cunning. I see "his club have chosen him again for today's match a&ainst the Auckland Club, but it must be at the best only a doubtful experiment. The fact of the two senior matches on last Saturday resulting in draws shows that there is after "all a near approach to equality of merit among the four clubs, which should tend to make the return fixtures of singular interest, and their indefinite postponement will cause disappointment to a large section of regular attendants at the weekly contests on the Rugby field. Great enthusiasm in regard to football has apparently lately arisen among our various volunteer corps, and several companies have lately formed clubs. This afternoon tho " A Battery play a match against tho Civil Service employees, and an exciting contest is expected. No doubt somo of the " great guns" of the former team will make good shots at the bar 3 and score, but the knights of sealing-wax and red tape are proverbial "stickers,"and will probably be able to "tie-up" their opponents before the game ends. The Gordon Rifles also have a match arranged for this afternoon which will be-played at Potter's. The majority of those engaged are novices at the game, but the forwards will be able to "form fours" with alacrity and precision in the packs, while their knowledgf of skirmishing drill should prove of value in loose scrummages. The backa will have plenty of "judging distance " work as they attempt to catch the ball, and their crack shots will of course discriminate <iuiukly between an " inner " and an " outer" in regard to the goal posts. The regular club fixtures for this afternoon are matches between Ponsonby and North Shore at Devonport, and Grafton and Auckland at Epsom. Both will be good contests, and their results will be watched with keen interest, as a loss or a draw to cither Ponsonby or Grafton directly affects their position in regard to the Rugby Union's Cup for the premier club of the season. I expect that the two named will, however, manage to win, though they will have to work hard for victory. A feature of the Gordon-Ponsonby match bust week was tho excellent play shown by the blue-aud-blacks' captain, Arneil, in his old post at threequarters. Though he has been playing forward for the past three seasons, Arneil has evidently not neglected his old powers of punting and potting, and hie game reminded me of the consistently brilliant work he did in this department on the Domain in 1885. The Gordon crack, McCausland, was, not as good as I have seen him, but his confrere, Maaefield, was in grand fottle, and must inevitably attract the attention of the Selection Committee as a candidate for intcrprovincial honours. The forward play as a whole was good on both sides ; but four men thrust themselves on my notice by their consistent fine play. These were Mills— (who had not played previously this .season), W. Hobaon, H. Poland, and P. Gould. To anyone who has considered the comparative merits of New Zealand and New South Wales footballers, the fact that Lillywhite's English team could only make a draw with King's College Pasf and Present, is sure evidence that the former were below par in regard to condition; for, if fit, there is no doubt they are much superior to any cornstalkers' team that could be nut in the field. I am sorry to see that Stoudart, by playing too soon, has again injured the ankle to which ho received damage in the Christchurch match, and is once more obliged to stand out of the English iif teen,, At the meeting of the Rugby Union on Wednesday, the protest entered by the Waitemata Club againet the win claimed by Ponsonby Second was considered, and the verdict given in favour of Waitemata, with the effect that the match becomes a draw, and Ponsonby is so much worse in regard to the Junior Cup. It is asserted that no notice was given to the Ponsonby players of the matter being about to be decided, and consequently they had no witnesses present whoso testimony to the facts in dispute would probably have given a different complexion to the whole affair. If this be so the matter should be re-opened, and both sides heard.

The resuit of the Hanlan-Tricketc match was an easy victory for the Canadian, and caused very little interest here, as the match lias all along been considered a moral for Hanlan. In a recent letter to " Pendra-gon," of the London Referee, Hanlan states that although all Australians consider Kemp to be a much better man than himself, he is not altogether satisfied upon that point himself. His race with Tnckett he considered a foregone conclusion in his own favour. The letter ends with a eulogy of Australia and the Australians, and expresses a determination on the writer's part to settle there at an early date. Jason.