ASSOCIATION CODE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19349, 9 June 1926, Page 18

ASSOCIATION CODE.

REPRESENTATIVES DO WELL \ — SATURDAY'S SENIOR GAMES. NOTES ON PLAY AND PLAYERS. Auckland Soccer enthusiasts were well catered for last, week with a programme o! matches on both Thursday and Saturday. Although the King's Birthday games were to a large extent marred by inclement weather the representative contest between Auckland J*nd Waikato was watched with considerable* interest and the result should please the critics Waikato's overwhelming defeat by 10 goals to nil came as a surprise to many for tho team was by no means an inferior one. Their chances of winning the Brown Shield, which has been allotted to tho minor associations, are considered to be extremely bright. The facts of the case are that Auckland this year has probably the strongest combination that has ever represented the local centre and on Thursday every player was at the top of | his form notwithstanding the unfavour- ! able conditions.

Tho solo selector, Mr. A. P. Neosham, has every reason to bo pleased with his choice and, barring accidents, there should be no changes for the first match in the English Association Trophy series' which will tako place between Auckland and Wellington at Wellington on July 3. Northcote's Plucky Effort. " At tho Domain on Saturday Northcote put up formidable opposition throughout their game with Tramways, the championship leaders having to go all out to win by two goals, one of which came from a penalty shot. Having in mind, perhaps their easy defeat of Northcote in the first round, Tramways treated fcht> game as a picnic at the outset, but they soon found they were up against a muchimproved side and had to use their_ best endeavours. Even when the municipal eleven settled down to play in earnest they found the task none too easy. The Northcote goal was certainly the sceno of action for most of tho second half and Lyon defended his charge well. He, however, did not have such a strenuous time as might have been the case, for the . fullbacks, Sheldon and Hibbert, were very strong on defence. Hibbert, on the right, played his best game to date being always on the spot and very hard to pass, while his clearing kicks were invariably made with a nice judgment. His partner, Sheldon, is young and lack 3 the experience of Hibbert, but is a very sure tackier and full of energy. McGarry, late of North Shore, made .his appearance in Northcote's half-line, and plaved ' a very useful game. The youthful Lithgow battled hard against .clever opposition, while Woodall frequently came into the limelight with brilliant spoiling work. Northcote's forwards were inclined to be weak on the right, where Brown and Entwistle lacked the necessary understanding which makes for success, although Entwistle put in some smart spurts down the line and often centred with rare judgment. Bell, as usual, was very forceful, but he must learn to distribute the ball among his colleagues to the best advantage. Tremain worked solidly throughout, combining nicely with Burford on tho wing. The latter player, however, met more than his match in the opposing defence. The Tramways Players. During the afternoon Batty, tho. Tramways' custodian, had plenty to do and acquitted himself very well. ' In tho first half especially, with the dazzling sun right in his _ eyes, Batty got his sido out of some tight corners that would have meant disaster to a less experienced keeper. MoElligott was easily Tramways best back. His finished play had the opposing left wing properly tied up for most ot the game. Kissock took things very easy to start with but soon got going in effective style when lie saw how the game was shaping. Spong is a player who: improves every week. Ho gave tho left wing fine support throughout. Simm was an absentee from the front line, and his accurate passes to centra were sadly missed. Dodds rose to the occasion like tho good player he is, and was responsible for most of tho successful moves. Spencer and. Davis were others who seemed not inclined to take the game seriously. Lewis landed a clinking goal when it was badly needed. North Shore v. Y.M.O.A. After failing to secure a single point in their first five games Y.M.C.A. showed greatly improved form last week. They secured full points against Northcote in tho holiday match on Thursday and nearly repeated the trick against North Shore at Dcvonport on Saturday. If Y.M.C.A. have found it difficult to win their games , the Shore have found it hard to escape a draw. . Saturday's result made tne third match in succession in which the black-and-gold eleven have finished on level terms with their ' opponents, and they have recorded four draws in the seven contests playsd. Jt would seem that the Shore team has settled down to the unprofitable idea of playing just as well, or badly, as tho team opposite them, and in* spite of a good surface, dry ball and perfect weather conditions, the display at Devonport was very poor. Tho listless game in th& first spell was nothing above junior standard, and although = Shore > held a marked advantage they,- failed to press it past tho nimble Lucas, in goal. In tho second half both teams infused mora energy into their play, and with thai homo team battling hard to avoid a loss the'last 20 minutes were quite exciting. Lucas put up a sterling defence against the Shore attack and fully deserved to catch the selector's eye by his brilliant saving. Dick, at centre-half, stood out in the Y.M.C.A. back line, frequently spoiling the Shore forwards and feeding his own with good judgment. Humphreys and Milne led most of the offensive movements, and only the solid dafenco of Gerrard and Guest kept them from scoring. Guest, who formerly represented Wellington, was playing his first game after a year's absence, and shaped like an experienced back who wilt be useful in tho knock-out contests approaching. Corbett, who stood down with knee trouble, will t be out of action for a while undergoing an operation. Baxter shone out among the home halves, but the forward lino showed none of its real form until nearing the finish, the outstanding exceptions being the goals from Heyes and Woolley, which were fine finishes to good combined dashes. Thistle Too Strong. At Biandford Park on Saturday Thistle proved too strong for Ponsonby, winning by a margin of three goals. Ponsonby put in a great finish, reducing tho lead by two after being five goals down. Further changes ware seen in the Scots' eleven, Duns'more *and Jack being absentees. Ahem, lato of Ponsonby, was played on the right wing and proved very effective, being indirectly responsible for several of tho goals. He was in familiar company, Christie, the inner right, having occupied that position for Ponsonby last year. Kay, on the left wing, was also conspicuous throughout, but frequently hung on to the ball too long. Hislop" and Christie, the centreforward, played very useful games. Jack's place in goal was taken by Chesney, formerly of the Northcote Club r and Auckland's representative custodian last year. On the Ponsonby side the forwards , found the Scots' defence a hard nat to crack. Their attack was considerably improved when Innea changed to the centre-forward position. Of the backs Morrison, Kane and Williams did tho lion's share of the work. Wright worked hard as centre-half, but appears to lack experience. Kennedy was not as good aa usual.