ATHLETIC SPORTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13781, 20 June 1908, Page 8

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

FOOTBALL. i ? » ' THE RUGBY GAME. , TO-DAY'S MATCHES. - THE following arc the fixtures for to-day: — ; ' FIRST GRADE, City v. Ponsonby: No. 1 ground, AlexanJ dra Park; referw, Mr. A. Campbell. . Now ton v. 'Varsity: No. 4 ground;, referefc, Mr. W. A- Knox. North . Shore v. Parnell: At Dovonport; ' referee, Mr. R. Oliphanl. SECOND GRADE. King's College v. ,Newton:' No. 3 ground, Alexandra Park-; referee, Mr. R. McGregor. City v. Grafton: No. 6 ground; referee, Mr. W. Pitts. . ■..■■•;■.'■;■' ' > North Shorn v. Parnell: At Dovonport; referee, Mr. W. Moore. . -." } THIRD GRADE. ' North Shore B v. Ponsonby: At North- j cote; referee, Mr. J. Sutherland. j North Shore Av. Marist Bros.: No. 9 «round, Alexandra Park; referee, Mr. H. : ,-; . Frost. . „. ■"' , , • . Parnell v. City: .No. 7 ground; referee, j, Mr. R. W. Barry. ;•{;,' . FOURTH GRADE. • City v. Ponsonby: No. 8 ground, Alexan- ■-'., dra Park: referee, Mr. Parker. ■; .' , St. Patrick's v. Grafton: No. 10 ground ; referee, Mr. A. Flugge. . Newton v. Alexandra: No. 11 ground; , referee, Mr. D. Donaldson. The principal attraction to-day will be the Tou»onby-Cily match at Alexandra Park. , ' .' It is not venturing too much to say thai the fixture will provide ..llio premier /'club draw of the season. Ponsonby will play about the !-:<me side that defeated City so easily in I. (he first round, but City have strengthened -- their team . considerably, ' and in * many .quarters it is believed that they will boat Ponsonby. I do not incline to that opinion myself, and think that Ponsonby will win, 1j , oven though it may be by the narrowest of margins. City players have improved considerably, but there has been a lack of spontaneity in accepting opportunities to ;,Y -rr.rc. Patrons of Rugby can confidently - . look forward to a rousing exhibition of the j-dme to-day, which, it is to be hoped, will be reo from objectionable practices. jjf"' 'Varsity should defeat Newton on the No. ■ 4- ground, but the result is problematical, « most of the senior teams outside those of th©' two loading clubs appear-to have lost interest in tho competition. . Tho same remark applies to the ParnellJ North Shore match, which will be played -"' . at, Devoport. It is quite on the cards that a close, game will eventuate, from which | the home-team may come victorious. i .:.•■' The various junior grade and school fix- ! tures will bo played to-day. ' NOTES AND COMMENTS. - The juniors still afford Work, worry, and amusement for the Management Committee of the union. Quite a.//'number of juniors von " carpeted" on Wednesday evening ■ for various offences, and'for the first timo this season disqualifications wore meted out. ■j In ono instance a whole team were sus- • ponded for the rest of the season for con- :.,''. tinually disputing the referee's decision?, and finally, leaving the field in ii body. S.jtno of our referees' may. not quite perfect, , ■ hut they are a body of gentlemen who weJy '; ■•.:'■ giyo their services; for the, love of the game ; I and without hope of fee or reward. '•■ ■ 'Xlioy '; ' have "nothing -to gain by giving Wrong decisions, arid it is real bad sportsmanship to Vi! so demean oneself, especially when defeased ' , badly, as to walk off t!io field of play. The I action of the union is to be commended. Some comments, have been made about th« behaviour'of. the members of the North i;> ■ .Shore second grade team, and also some of •' the-team's patrons, during the currency of the match against City' juniors, last Saturday. The match was played at Devonport, and, judging by reports received, it appears •that there was nothing very: wrong with the behaviour # -of • the spectators.,'■■ 'Warned by :'-.':.' past experiences, tho club officials had made ; .' - preparations for the match, ; and took pre- ■; Cautionary* methods, . but, beyond the earnest | "barracking" of partisans—-they would not j ' . '.' be -worth their salt if they did not ass:«i J ' their team to .the best; of their ability—nothins; untoward.. happened. . . \ , , . On the field of play the game waxed fast I :., . and furious, and some do -say* that the referee was weak and players on both sides got out, of band, but, as, that, sido of the question is being considered by the union, ; it. is not fail to make comments.' One x.-.'-.■ thing is certain, and that is that the con- | duct of "spectators'at Alexandra Park has been just as bad, if not Worse than any- , thing I have seen at the : Shore, and.it apparently is 1 a case ,of "give., a dog a bad name,' oto. ■ . - ' '.■'.: The Auckland contingent for the. North Island match, Messrs. Gillett. Seeling, Hay- • ;. ward, Cunningham, Francis, arid Nicholson, •leave on Monday, for "Wellington. ■■ J '- ' „-,.. • - The Grocer* and Milkmen mot the Butchers ■ on Wednesday, and after a very fast and interesting game played a drawn match. Tho Grocers' forwards played a combined and ~ splendid game, considering the. weight of their burly opponents, and came through their work really well Leatt, Covins, Ear- /, rison, and Webber were the pick of the , forwards, _ while Roscoe, on the wing-, was very consistent, his score being a very smart ' n piece of work. Of tho backs Burton, at half, was out by himself; while Nicholson. Hunt, and Olsen got throutrh their work in an efficient manner. Nicholson and • Hunt's fine turn of speed being frequently annlauded. Pock, at fullback, was very sate. -The result of this match leaves the next roUnd in an interesting state. • Tho Ponsonby v. Newton junior match was '/ fairly interesting to watch. In the first snell Ponsonby had a bit the best of it, their backs at times getting on some good passing ruts, arid at half-time were leading by • three to nil. •Tn the/ second spoil N-iwton held the upper hand,-and never left the issue in doubt. - The forwards were . very evenly matched, but-Ponsonby's backs let the side' down very badly, going right to pieces towards the finish of the game. For Newton, Hoaly, at fullback, played a safe game. Reed and Rassmussun (backs), and Callaghan, ' Hayward, and Farrant (forwards) were tho pick -of the side; while Gundry, McKinnon (forwards), and Carlaw (threequarter) were most prominent for Ponsonby.' The Grafton-King's College junior match '/' was ai even game, but-both teams were very . much out of condition, apparently 'through v) lack of training, and -gave rather a poor dis- . play. ,

HERE AND THERE.

The North v. South Island match will be played at Wellington .jext Wednesday. The second test match between the British footballers and the New Zealand represen- ? tatives-will eventuate next Saturday on the J.' Athletic Park, Wellington. ' Football in Melbourne is developing a notorious side this year, with alleged scandals and attacks on players by the barrackers. _ There are three clubs occupying first position >■ in the Sydney Rugby Union football premiership.- viz., Sydney University, Newtown, and South Sydney. ■ Tho sum of £1053 was taken at the Maoris match, Sydney, on Monday week, and. £176 at-the concert in the Town Halt 5, in .the evening. These figures suggest that the Maoris have "caught on" as an attraction. ; There is only one class of amateur the man who .indulges in sport for sport's sake.".; But the man who made even 6d out of sport is not an amateur. I honour the professional, and I honour tho amateur." Judge Backhouse (of Sydney). A peculiar feature in the Northern Union game is that a 'side may impress you as the better of the two. competing, and ■ yet be beaten by a substantial number of points. This argues a bigger element of chance in the game than in any other kind of football. . " Mr. James J. Giltirisn. hon secretary of the New South Wales; Rugby League, has been unanimously elected manager of the : - New South Wales professional team for / England. As the organiser of the Northern Union movement in the State he has put in a tremendous amount of work, and has r thoroughly earned the compliment paid him. ; Football Sunday at Crescent Church, : Liverpool, was a great success. Mr. Sutcliffe is a speaker worth listening to. Mr. Clavton advised tho churches to lend their -class-' ;■ rooms to junior teams, which would be a , step in the right direction. Hotel-keepers are too eager to allow juniors the loan of a room,, witty, wo all know, what conse- ... quences. \, . A tragic event occurred on April 21 at ■ Balmoral, Belfast.' during the progress of a Rugby charity cup final, which was attended by the Marquis of Londonderry. . Mr. Jas. Dempster, one of the directors of Dunville . and Co.". Limited, distillers, was seized with ; - an apoplectic fit. and expired a few minutes later. The deceased ; was well- known in ; ,i, Belfast commercial circles. ; -■-■ ■■ ' iiSj?!-iiiAw»::;.i.', , .7'w;.''-?'.'-:. , I J - ; '* l ':-v' ;■''-:■■'..>■ ■.■"■-■ : < ■ ; "'■ . ; ''

The following arc the results of New Zealandors'. matches under Northern Union rules in. Australia:—Newcastle, ' won, 34' to 8; New South Wales, lost, 10 .to -; 18; New South Wales, lost, 10 to 13 Australia, won, 11 to 10 Queensland, won, 34 to 12 Bris- ■ bane, won, 43 to 10; Queensland (with H. Messenger), drawn, 12 to 12 Australia,' won, 24 to 12; Australia, lost, 9 to 14. Played 9 matches,. won 5, - lost 3, drawn I',1 ', scored 187 points to 109. Under. Rugby Union rules, they beat a,Newcastle team by 53 to 6. Between England v. Scotland and Glasgow. Boys v. London Boys there is an immense football gap, but the; lessor match drew a gate of over 60,000 when it was last played in Glasgow, and as everyone was delighted with the football;shown on that occasion the number will not decrease, given fine weather, when the teams next meet at the splendid Queen's Park ground. Mr. Sutcliffe at Liverpool deprecated our young men making football-playing and football discussion the solo topic of their interest, and the one aim of their lives. Ho is quite right. Some young men make it their daily breakfast, dinner, and tea—-they live on it, so to speak. Football is a rare tonic for Wednesday or Thursday afternoons, say, or Saturday half-holiday-makers, but it is not helpful if over-indulged. There is a medium in all things. A very rare feint was brought into operation by H. Messenger against the New Zealand professionals during the last test match at Sydney. Ho. burst through, • and whilo going at top pace .was supported by a com-, rade on each side. He feigned a pass to the man on the loft-hand side, but'swung the ball back ■ and across to the man on the righl-hr.nd side. The ruse was perfect as far as Messenger was concerned, for it beat the New Zealanders; but. it was nullified by the pass being missed, It is the first time one has seen this particular kind of feint tried by a colonial player, though I (says a Referee writer) have seen Gwynn Nicholls bring if off. It is of Welsh origin. It was described to me a. few years back by a Welsh, player, and he called it the ■'reverse pass." 11 requires some practice, and is one of the cleverest tilings imaginable on a Rugby field. : „' The Maoris are to be complimented (says the Sydney •Referee) on their football in the opening match in the preserve of a very big crowd and under rules with which they aro not yet thoroughly familiar. The forwards were bothered a great deal by the new formation of 3, 2, 1, by the offside-in-the-scrummago rule, and by the ■nlay-the-ball rule when tackled. They may accordingly be expected .to vastly improve after a few matches. The Maori backs, however, were full of life and, individually clover. Papaknra, the fullback, gave a really great display. His Jianding-off and dodging and swerving, together with his pare, made him the most fascinating figure on the side. A. (Opai) Asher, too, displayed some of his old-time bounce, or india-rubber holiness. Ho' is a most remarkable man. He is tackled and downed, but is instantly on his feet again with a peculiar bounce one has never seen in any other footballer. ': THE ASSOCIATION GAME. The cup final is an event of tremendous magnetic power. It drawns the schoolboy who aspires to international fameand there are few who do notthe spectator, that remarkable person who with wonderful zest and seriousness, and often fortitude, spends his ' Saturday afternoons for eight ._ v months of the year in waiching his favourite club, and the veteran who speaks of " his davs" with happy remembrance, and is. now a candid critic. It is a great . scene - this • gathering of old and young (says the: Evening Standard). There is nothing like it in the annals of sport. A letter has been; received from the Referees' Association by the Auckland centre, asking : for a decision bearing on rule 17, as to whether the players should line up behind the ball, or not in taking a penalty kick, and the following ruling was arrived at by the Management Committee —" That players may take up any position they .choose outside the penalty area, 'but within the field of play, always provided . that no player take up an offside position." To be sure of the ruling, it has been decided to. write to the New Zealand Council, asking them if-they confirm the "ruling arrived at by the. committee. '-■ '- ! A most interesting match is to be played, j next Saturday between the. past Brown shield representatives and a representative ' team from this season's teams. The " old players" } have such men as Bellamy, Heather, Yates, Goldie, Richards, Dugmore, and Meldrum in their ranks. This match should be a great go, as the past team have some of the finest exponents of the game we have seen. In the eveninc a smoke concert and reunion will bo held in the Strand Arcade. « ■■ ■ It has been decided to "cancel all senior fixtures for next Saturday, owing to the ;'representative match. , The Huntly Club has written asking to be affiliated with the .local association. This club will be glad to play any club who can journey to Huntly,. and will travel if a day can be arranged. - .' A case of betting by two players in the Tabernacle-Ponsonby match was brought forward last Tuesday, and it was agreed to wait for further .information from the offenders' club. - The players have been-expelled from their club, and have appealed to the committee. Mr. Speed has replaced Mr. Dunsford as secretary of the Referees' Association... ', THE AUSTRALIAN GAME. The play of the,, Melbourne University .team is agreeably surprising the football puoiic. and 1 its style of play is attractive, breezy, and open. The progress of this club is sure to have a beneficial and salutary effect on the scrietly amateur side of Vic- . torian football. In direct contrast to all other teams, the students supply their own unforms and pay all their travelling expenses. Pooiball is booming in this the Jubilee year in Melbourne. At the ten senior matches, League and Association, fully 100,000 people • attend every ' Saturday. Most of the games are evenly contested, and on Saturday last one game resulted in an exact tie— Prahran and Essendon (Association), three of the. contests were won by the narrow margin of two points only, and one by four points, so' that one kick decided the issue in each case. ''"•■■: An old Carletonian footballer and international cricket umpire, whose lines have lately fallen on unpleasant places—to wit, Ted Barrass— a collection taken up on his behalf at the Carlton-Geelong match at . Carlton recently. It is said that his heart, , which was always a big one, has beon strain- , ed principally through the stress of a long athletic life. As straight as a die, his do- , cisions on the cricket field always command respect. ' '. ) At the Fitzroy Ground on a recent Satur- ( day a disgraceful riot was indulged in by ] a section of the br.rrackers : at the close of j the Fitzroy-Essondon match. The playingi ground was rushed and a melee occurred, a plain-clothes constable being struck by I one of the players in mistake and brought ( heavily to grass. The match was very rough, ( and four or five of the players will.be 1 brought before the League by Central Dm- ',- piro T.uHoch on various charges. Fitzroy * led all "through the match till tho final term, } when Essendon forged ahead and won by j four points. That, magnificently-built ath- t lete Busbridge played like a lion for Essen- f don, and was easily the best man on tho i ground. Whilst the diminutive Bailes, on i the wing, was almost equally conspicuous for i Fitzroy. 1 Instead of tho usual competition matches ■' taking place to-day a match has been arranged by the league between the best two < eighteens of the league. Tho match will be * played at Victoria Park. The teams will be ' chosen from the following : — J A Team: Abfalter, Bridges, Breese, ' Cairns, C. Coates, Colo, Clayton, Frith, ] George, Hoffmann, Lawson, Roget, Ray, ' Sponce, Smith (2), Yule, Wilson, Words- . worth, Thomas. B Team: Bcttis, Black, Brown, P. Cairns, - Foley, Fletcher, Gibbons, Goldsworth, Hud- j dlestone, Hewitt, Liversidge, Lording, Marshall. Pratt,- W. Rutherford, Tongue, Wain -, (2), Welch, and Wells. Mr. Rhodon will officiate as central um- , pire, and Messrs. Kingsbury and Liversidge, I - sen., will act as goal umpires.