The Association Game.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7865, 29 July 1911, Page 14

The Association Game.

(By “ Penalty.”)

SATURDAY was an ideal football day and the various grounds were in excellent order. The Public Schools'' League was started, and two good games took place at Duppa street between Marist and Te Ato and South Wellington and Thorndon. The Swifts v. Ramblers fixture, played on Kelburne, was one of the best - and most interesting games played this season. Despite the rivalry between tho ! two teams the football was good throughout ' the game, - and the excitement was maintained to the end. Each side from the start scored a goal in turn, and when the Swifts scored their fourth and winning goal, the Ramblers immediately pressed hard and tho excitement and feeling of tho spectators ran very high indeed. The Swifts were straining every nerve to hold the advantage knowing the value of every league point at tho present stage of the season. Ramblers were equally determined to share in the honours, and jjrobably only the final whistle prevented their so doinb. The form of the players was very fine, but probably the Swifts were just slightly the bettor team and deserved their ’win, and their goals were all more worthy of a score than those of their opponents. Tho first goal came to Ramblers. through Hart, who was playing centre forward, pouncing on tho ball after Pyo-Smith had missed, and ho beat Penliugton * with a hot shot. Tho ( quickness of Roberts at the other end 1 in throwing tho ball in before waiting for the half to do so twice caught tho Ramblers defence on the hop. Vessoy was on each occasion handy and beat Webster with two hot oblique ■ shots. Ramblers equalised, only to see Matheson put the inarones ahead with a neat header. Again Ramblers equalised, this time a very soft goal. To Barry fell. tho winning goal for Swifts. ' Webster in : goal for the losers made several excellent saves and could not be* blamed for any goal scored against him.( New men in the Ramblers team wore the right back and Carrington at centrej half, both of whom did well, though the( latter was obviously out. of' form. Rii schberg and Cross played their usual ‘sound games; The forwards did well, though tho inside, left was weak. On tho maroon's side Pye-Smith, after his first miss, was very sound, and must be considered one of the best backs in the league on present form. Wilson also did well. Rickerby played centrehalf and placed a clever, resourceful game throughout. Matheson was the hardest working forward; he put plenty of vim into his play, and a less solid* defence might quite easily have been broken up. Vessey led his forwards wellj and his two goals were well earnedRoberts did excellently on the right I might add that a few more class games similar to the above would send Association football in Wellington ahead jby leaps and bounds, but I .think it is; ‘a’ great pity that these "star" games cannot bo played bn tho 1 Basin. Reserve [instead of on grounds where but few [spectators congregate. A large ’ number of players, and some referees, I regret to say, are under the impression that once a game is started |h member of either side who should happen to be late cannot com© on thofieldThia is not so. A player can come on tho field during any part of the game even for the last, fiye minutes, and there is no need to notify the referee. However, tho player's name must bo entered on the team slip. The balance-sheet of Aston Villa shows a .profit for tho year of ,£5924. The .total income was *£16,141, gate money producing ,£15,428, less amount paid {away .£1103; season tickets and members’ subscriptions produced .£llOO. On the expenditure side, players' wages ' and transfer fees consumed .£4324, while the ‘total match expenses were '.£2862, travelling, training, • and hotel expenses amounting to J 51650. To Homo country players now resident in Wellington, more especially those who are Sheffielders, tho following bifi lof news may prove interesting: "Herbert IMunday, th~ veteran captain of the* (Chesterfield F.C., was recently presented' with a cheque for .£163 2s 6d, the pro-; Iceeds of hh> third benefit. Monday has [been connected with the Chesterfield Club eighteen, years, and people have often wondered how such a great player] has remained to his old club. Thel [answer is best given in Muaday's own words, 'The good feeling extended to me as lad has been handed down from one management to another to the preebnt day, and that is one of the many reasons, of my stopping with Chesterfield.' ", At the presekt time the Association game is attracting a lot of attention over in New South Wales and the coun-| try teams are fairly strong. No doubt : the following clipping from the "Referee" will be appreciated: “Easton. Park was the scene on Saturday of the! match that had most bearing on the; Bawson Cup competition. Balmain and Newtown met for tho first time, this season, and the supporters of both sides* turned up in exhilarating numbers.* There can be no doubt as to the popu4 larity of Soccer over Balmain way. In addition to the fine attendance one noticed with pleasure the little groups of youngsters around and on the ground who, failing a ball, plucked ofi their caps and kicked them about, refraining, the while from touching them and atJ tempting at times to head them. ’ If| their .parents were as keenly enthusiastic about the game as the writer, they would not find fault with the children for wearing out their head-covering in this way,. but. would hie them straightn way and purchase a ball for the wee chaps," The following from tho "Athletic News" is inserted for the benefit of the largo number of boys who are playing. Soccer in Wellington.;. “The PerkiasTiilei

Notes on the Week’s Matches and the Players.

School team, a Durham organisation, had a remarkably successful season, going through 52 engagements without being defeated. Eorty-six of the games were won and six drawn, and tho youngsters scored 221 goals ‘against 17. Their honours included the Marquis, of Londonderry's Cup, Lord Durham's Cup, and tho Northumberland and Durham Cup, while for the third consecutive season they were hailed champions of the Chestor-ie-Street League. Gradon, their centre forward, was top scorer with 112 goals. The proceeds of the English Cup semifinal and final ties were apportioned as follows: Bradford City, .£4570 TBs lid; Newcastle United, .£4504 16s 4d; Blackburn Rovers, '.£963 11s Id; Chelsea, *£Bo7 8r Gd. Mr J. M. Ollier, treasurer of tho Now Zealand Football Association, has found it necessary to - resign his position, and at the council meeting last Wednesday the resignation was accepted with regret. It is rather unfortunate that the' association should lose tho services of such a hard worker for the Soccer as Mr Oilier. The attitude of tho Canterbury Rugby Union towards tho Canterbury Football Association in the matter of a ground for this afternoon's Brown Shield contest with Manawatu is to bo much regretted. In Christchurch tho Rugby Union control all the grounds where a "gate" is possible and they have re-, fused to let the association have one of these grounds owing to the success achieved in the match with Otago, and Canterbury have now to play tho match on one ! of their own grounds and rely on, a collection for a "gate." At tho dinner given to tho Otago team a Canterbury Rugby official replying to the toast of. Rugby arid kindred sports in* rtimated that as far as Canterbury wore (concerned Rugby had. nothing to fear ifronv Soccer, and, further, that Rugby players were quite willing to assist yet the Rugby Union asked \£4io for Lancaster Park for the 'Otago match and refuse a ground for to-day's Igame. Perhaps it would bo just as well to remind tho Rugby people that to a extent .the famous All Blacks* teuccess was duo to Association, football authorities in England. ■ They not only lent them grounds to play upon, but put off important fixtures as well. It •is to bo hoped that the Christchurch ‘public will patronise in large numbers and give liberally to tho match this afternoon and by so doing show their resentment of the Rugby Union's unsportsmanlike action. *THE GREATEST TRY OF ALL (To tho Editor, “N.Z. Times.") Sir, —I was very much iinterested In th* history of ii'igby football in Wellington which has boon going through your columns for some weeks now. Tho work, is that of a, man who thoroughly knows ■his subject and be is entitled. to every icredit for the compilation of tho same. [The .history is tho most complete‘and interesting of its kind published here, ‘if you issue , the work in book form I Shall be pleased to subscribe. The : Rugby Union should see to it that our 'history is kept in reference form, for , have every reason to be proud of it. There is one item which I wish to mention. That is in regard to “the greatest •try of , ali," mentioned in your last 'budget. I saw George Smith’s try for (Wellington v. Auckland, and , freely 'admit it: w r as the work of a champion and a most brilliant effort. All tho jSame I consider tho greatest try X ever Isaw was that obtained by Frank Mitchin. ‘ ‘son in the game Wellington v. Otago, -at Athletic Park, on September 19th, ISO 3. It was described by your reporter as follows; The score was 17 to ,12 in the blues ' favour, and there remained but l two minutes to play. Surely Wellington's case jwas hopeless. But no!' See what is happening.. Roberts has secured tha ball from the scrum. He is collared, but too late, for Green lias tho ball, and now Mitehinson has it. It is Wei- ■ lington's last chance. Mitchinsoh has half the length of tho ground to cover and half the Otago team to boat. Can he do it? The crowd rises to its feet as one man. There is not a breath as ho dodges round Don and Clarke, but what a cheer there is as ho brings a piece of really brilliant play te a successful conclusion and dashes over tho lino. - “AH Black ” Macdonald, who was playing for the blues, apparently knew something of Mitchinson's methods, for when this particular piece of play started, ha with Mitehinson formed points in a triangle, tho other point of which was where the Wellington man went over tha line, tackled too late ley Macdonald; I never saw a man outwit so many players 'as did Mitehinson on , this occasion.—7 am, etc., July 35th. A. F. WIRES

. Two octogenarians—J. Qla&scy, eighty* throe, and J. Barker, eighty—competed in a 50yds. swimming handicap -for veterans in the Serpentine, Hyde Park, on June 10th, when there were nine competitors, whose combined ages - amounted to 545 years. There was a curious scene at tho Hendon aerodrome one day lately. An aero* plane broke loose and ran along the ■ground. The pilot desperately clung to its tail, but was obliged to let go. A, mechanic dashed at it, got-hold of the tail, was dragged along and shaken off. Tho machine next ran full tilt at three men who threw themselves on the ground to escape damage. Finally., Mr GrahamWhite managed to get hold of tho tip of tho plane. The machine whirled round and round like a mad teetotum, but in the end it was overpowered, Tho progress being made in aviation this vear appears to be as rapid as duxing 1910, says an American exchange. Glen 11. Cnrtiss has perfected his aeroplane so that he can star/, and alight on, land or water at will, tlru? leaving nothing further te be accomplished in tha fundamentals of dynamic flight. Wireless messages have been transmitted from an aeroplane in flight and received by land stations forty miles away, while early this month McCurdy’s biplane, at a height of 1500 ft, was able to catch messages over distances as great as 1000 miles, and this despite the fact that tha wireless operator was provided merely with a makeshift headpiece of towels to ■bind the receivers to his ears and protect him from tho noise of the uumuffled motor.