FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12242, 11 April 1903, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

, ««r&t woSLg™ 011 '' * UnU * l mes,lns «»«So%aZx;:Xr" p " ~d South Ru ? b y representatives go islands? g coming season ' touring both traS® wT District Football Club's fine will Tip sa, 1 gymnasium in Baker-street »>H be opened during the coming week. ' null to 6,W Ibe ? few changes in the Parnell senior team this seaspn, only one new i district 1 * tk l ll up his residence in the ciisonct since last year. For the better protection of the club's ridedTo rp 6 - + ity Di f trict , Football Club der'°. register under the Unclassified Soday evening last' 6 annual meeting on Tuesday evening last. hoofIsp^1 sp^ , m » th ® ex-Thames player, and a ' district 3 a , rop - ; has . sett ¥ in the Grafton S"„ M ii»f y d e ,r a """ th " dub ' • e " or witkChi°h rl f\ ?n ) nan J e + d ' Pollock ' an old RandtticK °' ub (Sydney) threequai-ter-back, is reIto obtaH fi° CtJSOnby district; and if able to obtain I® necessary Saturday afternoon , fifteen this'season* ,he p< "" oob ' Club '» first I its T r h a nW o fV onby vvil i mlM me back to | its ranks this season two South African warnors, in the persons ° D. Gallagher, the onetime crack wing forward, and D. Dunlop, who used to play in the forward division. Another addition to the front-rankers will be Davis, a recent arrival f J^ on s tho ® o . expected to don the jersey TvH»l f n W season are lorns (late of Lyttelton), N. Kelly, the well-known ex-Wel-lington nlayer, and . " Tiffy" Laing, who rendeied yeoman service to Auckland in representative matches last year. Frost may also bo persuaded to turn out again, and altogether the club should put a very warm first fifteen into the field. . !i. ] ' son ; who showed such promise as halfback tor the Poneonby senior fifteen last season, is at present in the South, but it is probable that ho will return to Auckland in time to assist his old club in this year's championship matches. ■n At the annual meeting of the City District I' oooball Club last Tuesday evening th© question of playing a return match with the Ro- , torua Club team was raised by one member. ; 111 all probability an effort will be, made to j send a fifteen to Rotorua before the Auckland Gup matches commence. ' The veteran Otago representative "Jimmy" Duncan, recently told his clubmates of the Kailcorai Club that " he would not swear that he would not play during the coming season. It may therefore be taken for granted that he will once more don the jersey. Q.he Suburbs District Club intend making an effort to obtaina suitable building of their own for training purposes during the coming season. The Parnell District Club's now training i hall' is to be opened on Thursday evening next, when a concert will be held, the funds to go to extinguishing- the liability on the new building. A prominent Suburbs Club's senior told mo during the week that the old difficulty of . getting together sufficient senior players to represent the club in the first grade competitions regularly is likely to orop up again this season. He suggests that those who are considered fit for tho first grade should be distributed among; the six other district clubs interested by means of a ballot. The suggestion is by no means a bad one, but the question is what would become of the juniors. As the Rugby Union's rules stand at present, I _ understand that juniors would not bo eligible to enter the competitions in tho absence of a senior team in the district, in which case a, considerable band of young player 3 would be sacrificed unless some satisfactory solution of the difficulty could be arrived at. The annual roport of the New Zealand Rugby Union states that so far a satisfactory response has been made by the affiliated unions to the inquiries as to the number of players who would by prepared to accompany a New Zealand team to England in 1904, under a pure amateur basis. The Queensland Rugby Union has approved the dates (August 1 to 8) for the fixtures against the New Zealand representative team for Australia this season. Tho team will tour New South Wales and Queensland. The Wellington representatives will go South this season, playing matches against Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. A meeting of delegates from the various local clubs is to be held prior to the annual meeting of the Auckland Rugby Union (Friday next). Among other matters the question of club representation on the Management Committee will in all probability be discussed. The cup competitions ~ under the Canterbury Union are to be commenced on April 25. G. D. Gray, tho Albion and Canterbury wing-threequarter, has removed to Wellington. Wellington papers are bemoaning the loss of Meredith and N. Kelly, both of whom have settled in Auckland. The absence of such a doughty pair will undoubtedly weaken the Wellington representative team this season. I understand that it is the intention of the secretary (Mr. C. E. MacCormick) to introduce a motion at the annual meeting of the Auckland Rugby Union urging the trustees to move in tho direction of securing a ground. Tho motion will no doubt be warmly supported by the delegates, and the representatives of the Ponsonby Club will in all probability suggest that owners of suitable areas of land within a certain radius (distance to bo fixed by the meeting) of the city be invited to submit terms of sale to the union forthI with.

Our Paeroa correspondent telegraphed on Thursday evening as follows: —The formation of a Goldficlds' Rugby Union has been talked of for a couple of seasons past, and now it is intended to take steps to bring it about. A meeting was held at Karangahake last night to consider the question, the following delegates being present: Messrs. McMillan, Hands (Waihi), Scanlon, Davies (Karangahake), Nicoll, Bush, and McGregor (Paeroa). The matter was gone into thoroughly, and it was the opinion of the meeting that it would bo io the best interests of Rugby to form such a union, and that a very powerful combination could bo selected from the ranks of footballers in the Thames and Ohinemuri districts. It was decided that the time had arrived to form such a union, to include the Thames, and it was arranged that a further meeting be held on the <2lst inst., to draw up rules, etc., and discuss the movement. PARNELL FOOTBALL CLUB'S ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Parnell District football Club was held in the Oddfellows Hall, Parnell, on Thursday evening. Mr. R. B. Lusk was in the chair, and there was a fair attendance of members. The report, as read by the secretary (Mr. H. G. Chevis), complimented the first, second, and third A fifteens on their gameness in turning out Saturday after Saturday last season against overwhelming odds, and the third B fifteen (Newmarket) on their success in winning the second junior oontests, with the splendid record of eight wins out of nine marches played (scoring 61 points as against their opponents' 18). It also stated that the club's training hall would be completed in the course of two or three days, and opened next Thursday evening, the 16 th inst., with a smoke concert. The finances of the club were shown to be in a better position than during any previous year, the club s assets over liabilities amounting to no less than £270. The club made a profit of £30 curing tho season, besides paying off -some £301 as the balance due on their allotment. , J.ne subscription for the . incoming seasop was fixed at 7s 6d for seniors and , 6s^°^ u " f 1 th ' and the following were elected officers of the club President, Mr. G. S. Kissling; vl !g" presidents, Canon Mac Murray, the Rev. H. Kelly, Father Kelioe, Sir J. Logan Campbell, Dr. Gordon, Dr.. Marsack, Captain Frater, Messrs. S. T. George, W. 9 Whitley A. S. Bankart, T. Russell, W. Edwards, G. W. Baslev, H. G. Brook, H. C. Wright F. Unfill J. Page. J, J. Roach, W. W. Duthie, RFraser W. R. Holmes, H. Campbell, J. M. Sham, E. Anderson. II C. Tewsley, N. Gleeson, D. Crozier, F. Tomhnson, C. B. Russell, L. M. Myers, J. H. M. Carpenter, Ivor Evans, J. Thornes C. F. Houghton, E. B. Dufaur, P. C. Leckie, R. B. Lu=k, C. Palmer, J. Mowbray, W. Jagger, J- McPminell E. J. G. F. Greville, C. M. Brown, C Speight, B. J. M. Kemp, H. Jonas, R. Fl'lison IT Davey, N. B. Lusk, J. M. Chambers' T. Gilbert, y 'j. G. Lecky , Skelton W. E. Bruce, J. Dempsey, G. L. Cawkwell D. Teed T Harle Giles, R. Croker, T. J. ElliTon F. G. Fowler, E. W. S- Rathbone and H Gillies; lion, secretary, Mr. H. G. Uievis (third year); hon. treasurer, Mr. A. Twiname; committee, Messrs. R. Handcock, T. Saunders, and A. Taylor; editors Messrs. Fraser and Buchanan: delegates, Messrs. F. Murray? F. Jervois, P. R. Fraser ; Selection Committee, Messrs. R. Handcock, A. Tw.name and A. Taylor. The committee of the club were appointed the f managing com.nit'se of the gymnasium for the ensuing season. The delegates to the Rugby were instructed to support the P ro P°^ a ' to alter the by-laws of the union to enable dub representation on the Management Committee The first practice was fixed tor Saturday next, and, on the mo H On tr ° a -p R fraser, the secretary and treasurer (Messrs. Chevis' and Twinama respectively) were accorded a unanimous and hearty nn<?fc of thanks for their services during the past year. n ;