FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13722, 11 April 1908, Page 10

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. The annual meeting of the Auckland Rugby Union was held iast night. ; The season will : be opened officially on May 7. The present intention of the union officials being to commence the district championships on that date. ' , City, Ponsonby, and IPamell Clubs commenced practice last Tuesday evening in hteir various training sheds. Ponsonby had a fine muster of about 40. ■ : There arc rumours of many new players being in the City, but there is no report of any really good foreign players having arrived. Amongst, the new men are two or three useful country players. The lateness of the cricket season is causing some delay in the starting of practice games, and there is not likely to be very much practice indulged in until after Easter. A number of the clubs will be weakened by the withdrawal of University players, but it is from the weaker clubs that the withdrawals will be most felt. Grafton Club elected 2? new members at the- annual meeting, most of whom, however, are junior players. Information has been received that K. Wrigley, of the New Zealand Rugby professional team, was offered £400 and £2 J.O per week to play for the Huddersfield Club, but had refused * live offer. He was also offered and refused £20 to play in one match for the Rochdale Club.

It was recommended at- the annual meeting of the Canterbury Union that the team to play the British representatives should he selected a fortnight before the match. The local union might do worse than to support this suggestion. K. E. Booth, a member of the famous All Black combination, will play for Newtown (Sydney) during the corning season. C B. Fry. writing in Lloyd's Weekly, gives his opinion:—"l have often been asked whether captaincy counts in football as it does it; cricket. Til* answer is— yes and no. It counts differently'. In football a captain cannot direct operations; they happen. What he can do hto inspire effort by his personality: and that is about all he can do in particular match. But .he can exercise enormous influence on the tactics of his team if he takes the trouble to work hard at developing styles of play in practice games. In fact, captaincy counts heavily in a match if its functions have been exercised in the preparation which takes place, and can only rake plate, weeks, hefort the match is played. In cricket tactics cannot be rehearsed, in football they can ; and this is what differentiates captaincy in the two games." -~.,,, The Canterbury Union has fixed April lb as the date for the opening of the season. Followers of the game in the Dominion will regret to hoar .that Mr'. Rowland Hill, president of the English R.U., has been seriously ill. A sidelight on old-'ime football '■ in the bock country (England) : —The ball has been kicked over the stand : "no other is at hand. Captain (covered an bruises and blood) to referee: " Come along, sir nevermind the ball. Let's get oil with the same." The Canterbury Union will move at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Union in favour of equal division between the opposing teams of the profits accruing from the Ranfurly shield matches.The executive of the Canterbury Referees Association has given notice te move, at the annual general meeting of the New Zealand Referees' Association, that the annual conferences and meetings of the New Zealand Referees' Association should be held .in future in Wellington, instead of in a. place to be fixed each year. ; It was resolved at the annual general meeting of the Canterbury Referees' Association that: "If. in the'opinion of the referee, a player wilfully and systematically causes unnecessary loss of time when kicking at goal after a try has been scored, the /kick shaU be forfeited."

- ■ THE PRO-BLACKS. .On February 25? (writes our special correspondent) ?2 members of the New Zealand professional football team took their final departure from London, outward bound for Australia, by the P. and O. steamer Mongolia. But what of the remaining seven, for the total number of men in the , team when it landed here was 29? Two of this seven, -A. H. Baskerville and Palmer I (Wellington), are going overland; they will join their steamer at Marseilles. They are to spent, a day or two in Paris, then go on to Nice where they will arrive in time for the great floral fete, the Battle of Flowers. A day or two will be devoted also to Monte Carlo before the Mongolia is ;due* to; depart from , Marseilles. i.v; There are still five more men to be accounted for, ■ namely, W. G-. Smith (Auckland), L.B. Todd .'(Auckland), Gleeson (Napier), Lavery Christchurch), and McGregor (Christchurch). . The two firstuamed have accepted engagements for the remainder of the football season with the Northern Union clubs of Oldham and ; Wigan respectively. Smith has recovered from the recent injury to his eye. Messrs. Gleeson and Lavery are on; holiday bent, and they _ intend to spend ; several months on this side of the world, travelling about. McGregor is remaining in England, as he has accepted a situation in the Western Counties. Some members of the team remained North after the St. Helens match, in order to attend the special service at Eccleston Parish Church, 1 St. Helens, on Sunday, when the stalls given by Mrs. Seddon, m memory of her late husband, were dedicated. The others came up to London after the match. From what can be gathered, all the members of the team-are hugely pleased with the results of the tour, particularly from its financial aspect; but in all respects they appear to be perfectly satisfled. ,„ According to present plans, they will go on from Sydney direct to Wellington without piaying in Australia. .[A recent cable intimated that the New South Wales League was trying to arrange for 10 matches in the Commonwealth.! j

It is announced that the balance-sheet of the New Zealand ,'MPro.-All .Blacks" was adopted by the joint committee, after being audited by a professional accountant, on Thursday. ; Doubtless this would make interesting reading, but the particulars were for "private circulation only." Commenting on the financial phase of the tour, the Athletic News observes :—" We shall not bo very -wide of the mark when we say that the tour has resulted in the colonials receiving a sum but little short of £10,000, and that the Northern Union clubs interested have received £5000, but out of that -sum they (the Northern Union clubs) have had to pay off the expenses of their respective matches. As the Union only guaranteed their visitors a sum of £3000 for the trip, the joint meeting was naturally one for congratulatory speeches, and the meeting on Friday, when each of the colonials received his cheque, wis also a pleasing affair to those concerned. As the tour was conducted on socialistic principles of share and share alike, Turtill, the fullback, who has played in 34- games, reeeiws neither more nor less than Watkins, the forward, whose injury it l the practice games -has prevented him taking part in even one match during the tour." From all accounts, it seems that the acquisition of the two .New Zealand players, G. W. Smith and L. B. Todd, by Oldham and Wigan respectively, has not been accomplished without creating some heart-burning among other clubs of the Northern League, and the matter is likely to bo debated further at an early date. "One thing is patent,"- says an English writer, " that too much responsibility was/ thrown upon the special New Zealand subcommittee by the Northern Union. Maybe matters will be more clearly specified ere the arrival of the New South Wales professional team, who, to judge from what divers members of the 'Pro.-Blacks' reckon of the matter, appear to be a problematic lot.. That is. to say, they may be a good side, or they may not. They may have come on since the New Zealanders were last in Sydney. At the same time, we believe it is a. fact that there was not a general keenness before the Cheltenham match to revisit the Commonwealth. But queer things happened at Cheltenham in more ways than one. Meantime it is being realised that, the transference of the guarantee fund from New Zealand to New South Wales may have been somewhat precipitate, and that it would have been better to postpone the invitation to the State professional team until their strength had been gauged by matches with the 'Pro-Blacks' on the return journey, and it had been seen how the Anglo- team fare out there. We have no desire to throw cold water on the idea, but we cannot; help thinking the clinching of terms with New South Wales wa3 done much too hurriedly." The Times has received from a correspondent some copious details of the recent professional New Zealand tour, which it publishes. At the outset the Writer says: — "Financially, the tour of the,professional New Zealanders has been a great success, and further visitations of the kind may be expected. For various reasons, however, the record of their achievements in the football field is- not altogether satisfactory, and compare? unfavourably with that of_ the amateur 'All Bfecks,' who lost but a. sinele match." Statistics then are given of the result of the recent tour, and the writer proceeds:—"The percentage obtained by the New Zealanders in their matches with the Northern Union clubs is 61.53. which, if they had been put in the competition, would have given them the ninth placea somewhat lowly position—in the list. There can be no doubt," continues the correspondent, "that the public interest in Northern Union football lias increased as a Tesult of- this

tour, and the possibility of an extension of its sphere of popularity must be seriously considered, not only by the supporters of orthodox amateur Rugby football, but also by the lesser association clubs, such as Leicester Fosse, which wisely refused to lend its ground for one of the' missionary games with the Northern Union. The exhibitions at Chelsea and Cheltenham were failures, so far as this professional propaganda was concerned." Reference is, made to the rule in New Zealand whereby player* are insured against accidents in the field, any player so injured that he cannot work receiving £2 per week from the accident fund, and free medical attendance, as long as he is incapacitated. It is ■noted that, some-such system would be a real boon to workingmen players in this-country, and would diminish the temptation to which they are subject to join the Northern Union clubs— a temptation the force of which enables the .Lancashire find Yorkshire teams to find paid recruits in every part of England, especially in the west country. Referring to the final match of the tour, in which New Zealand beat St. Helens by three goals, five trie-, (21 points) to two goals, two tries (10 points), an English exchange says:— "The game was fought out in the best possible spirit, such as one likes to see. At its conclusion the New ZcJilanders exj pressed themselves delighted with the bonhomie prevailing among the home side." One of the St. Helens newspapers, referring to Raslcervill", says: "He has bad a lot of responsibilities upon Ids shoulders, and the smooth and successful manner in which the tour has been carried through snows how ; thoroughly tactfully he has done his work." j ' i I THE ASSOCIATION GAME. j The annual meeting of the Carlton Club J was hold during the week. The president I (Mr. Jno. Burton) occupied the chair, the 1 attendance being about 30. A most encourag- | ing report was presented, showing that the first junior team had played 12 matches. winning 10 of them, scoring 43 goals for 10 against. The team was composed at the commencement of • the season mainly of Rugby players, and', considering this fact, the ; place the team occupied, was very meritorious. : The third grade team, although not successful from the point of view of winning matches, nevertheless had a good season, and in spite of continued reverses turned up Saturday after Saturday. Two trophies were donated for the most improved players in each team. These were won by Mr. P. H. Haresnape in the first junior team, and Mr. W. Moody in the third grade team. The Management Committee, in view of the unsatisfactory state of grounds, some months ago decided to procure a ground for the club's own use if possible, and reported hav- ■ ing secured one at Epsom. The question ot a coach was left to the committee, with power t'> act. ■ The officers elected this season are as follows:— President. Mr. G. A. Buttle: vice-presidents, Mr. J. Burton. Mr. C. H. Ralph, Mr. .1. Banbury: secretary and treasurer. Mr Roy Gilmour: delegate to A.F.A., Mr. .H. P. Burton: captain. Mr. H. Walker; vice-captain, Mr. J. B. .. Gilmore. It was announced: by'the secretary that, in addition to the two trophies donated by Mr. Offer, two others were to be donated for each team this year, making .a all four trophies for competition. Mr. W. H. J. Reynolds, late secretary of the Auckland Fooball Association, left Auckland for Wellington and Napier via the Main Trunk line on Tuesday last. Mr. Reynolds, who underwent an operation for appendicitis about seven months ago, and has not yet recovered, was accompanied by his sister.

AUSTRALIAN GAME. A match will be played-to-day on the Outer Domain between the Austral and the newly-formed Newton Club George , Gillett, the well-known Rugby player, ha? signified his intention of playing the Australian game this season. He will join the Australs. This season's matches should produce some good play, as it will bo on the form shown by players that the selectors will decide the team to visit Australia in August. A conference will bo held on Easter Saturday of delegates from the different- centres forming the New Zealand Union (Australian game), when all arrangements will be made for the forthcoming trip to Australia. This season's matches will be opened on May 2, Austral playing Eden, at the Kingsland Cricket Ground, and Imperial playing Newton, on Victoria Park.