FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14808, 11 October 1911, Page 9

FOOTBALL.

COOPER BENEFIT J MATCH. ;• The final football match of the season will be held at Alexandra Park .on. Saturday next, when the Territorials and Tramways match will be played. Tho Territorials have so i far been unbeaten, while the Tramways team, who hold the Kohn shield, have not ,yet , suffered defeat this season. .The proceeds of the match will go to the" benefit of ■the Cooper fund- Owing to the healthy rivalry between the two teams, \ a good sporting game may bo expected. Geddes, Macky, Ifwerson, Hines, Weston, Gordon, and Webb are playing for the Territorials, while tho Tramways, have Webb, Hall, McGregor, McLeod (Wellington representative), and Franks, all of whom are' well known ) to the football public. .'"•;,;

FOOTBALL: IS IT DETERIORATING?

A further letter has been received from "Old-Timer," on the question' of- tho standard of Rugby football to-day. He writes:—"Your correspondent, 'Another Old-timer,' tries, to show that my letter was full of inaccuracies, and that I know nothing of New Zealand Rugby. It is so long since Keogh's day, probably about 1886, that I may have been mistaken as to whether he played for Auckland or Otago; ,but the fact remains: that we have never had his equal. Wynyard, certainly i represented Auckland. A. D. Thomson, then clerk of court at Feilding, represented Wellington against the English team as centre-three-quarter in 1888. Tom Ellison played as a forward before and during the Englisn. tour of the Native team, and scored the : largest number of tries among the forwards. On their return he always played as a threequarter back, was very successful, being a strong fending runner. Joe Warbrick captained the country team at Hastings in 18c6 and 15187, and was badly injured playing as fullback for the Natives' team against Auckland in their second match of the tour prior to going Home. The year, I think, was 1887. Without wishing to offend Tyler or Cunningham, I think players of their stylo tend to make the gam© . slow and close. As for the Victorian • game, --■•- it is played solely in Victoria, South Australia, West Australia, and Tasmania. In conclusion, 'A.O.T.' ; probably ,y knows as little of that game as ,he has shown i.ho knows of old-time Rugby,. and his experience of it is -. probably from ' the safo' side of the fence." '-.7.-, : :^ >i: ,l':■■'"-'-' ••"' = - : >'.-■,''.--■'•' ~-^h

Orakei Natives and Tonson, Garlick ■ teams played a friendly game of football at Kohimarama, the former winning by .35 points to 8. ■