PLAYERS and the GAME

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12181, 4 July 1925, Page 17

PLAYERS and the GAME

HE AU Blacks .. 2 «’«n up <0 standard. That ca " He * said they have cause they have won against strong teams. Wellington saw nothing of the 1924 team, but next Wednesday the men of 1925 will be out to show the people how All Blacks, play. Wellington has just won the first representative match of the esason. and eight of the team, plus Bfcven bi» men from up the line, intend to show the All Blacks that there are still some good players left. It is two or three years since Ted Taylor and Jim McKenzie used to turn out together as the redoubtable backs of the Thistle Club, and their reputation was built up on the thorough understanding each had of the other’s play. McKenzie then pulled out, possibly because of a mistaken notion that j he was getting old. For the next year I little was seen of him, but now he is j a valuable member of the management i committee of the W.F.A. The W.F.A. couij do with a few more men like him. Too many of the old guiding hands left that body together, and its constitution at present is not as good as it ought to be. The unhxckie.st footballer in Welling ton —Pringle—watched his team. Oriental, beat Old Boys on Saturday. This husky forward who fust missed a trip Home last season and who must have been well in the running for a place in Jim Donald’s team is still on crutches as the result of a broken leg. But he braved even the weather of last Saturday in order to see his team play. The Cycle track at the Petpne oval trill be ready for cycling early in the ootming season. If you are six feet two and fifteen stone, Rugby should have t.o terrors for you. Certainly it has none for Finlayson, the big Novtklander who led the All Black rushes in Sydney. Once upon a time these big men were slow, but men like Richardson and the Brownlies have destroyed that tradition. Just henv near Finlayson is to the Richardson-Brownlie class you will b* able to judge on Wednesday.

’Varsity se«ras to be one of the few teams in years to appreciate the virtue Bof handling. When their backs have the ball it takes a lot of tackling to get it from them. They handle well, and better served they would mu up even bigger totals than they do. If ever a man has earned his place In the representative team, that man is Love. The ’Varsity five-eighth showed sterling form in Saturday’s trying game. He fields and handles the ball in a manner which would not disgrace an international, and his strong running and speed proved very useful. But he occasioally does rash things, and it was due to a piece of wild play in midfield by him that Marist began the rush which led to their only try. Otfier things being equal, the big man will always beat the little man, applies in football. On Saturday the conditions at Wakefield Park made a forward game the only one possible, and thus Oriental’s heavier pack were too good for Old Bays, whose nippiness Was of no avail. M&theson, of the Wellington Rugby Club’s senior team, is a professional runner of merit. Jack London, who before being transferred to Invercargill was a member of the Wellington Rugby Union, and an earnest worker in the cause of amateur athletics, is to be presented with a fine medal for services renderad by the Wellington Amateur Athletic Club next Tuesday. Just now he is )H>ending his annual leave in Wellington.

Bolt, who plays for Diamonds’ senior ii. Soccer team, had hard luck in having his ankle damaged five minutes iafter the game started last Saturday at lAsaociation Park. It was also hard luck for his team, for they were defeated by Thistle by 3 goals to 2. Bolt la a bright and willing youngster, and knows a good bit about the game, and bis absence meant more than a little to .bis side. Still, it was the fortune of .War.

George Stace and Reg. Trowern are to be the star leather-pushers at the Wellington Boxing Association’s tournament on Monday week. Stace is an Australian boxer of undoubted ability, but lie will meet a tough boy in Trowern, whose victory over Hill and a draw with Baxter have made him favourite. Stace will find that Trowern will hit bim much harder than the elusive Charles Purdy hit him.

Wellington bowling directors are timing at an Empire gathering for the coming season. A strong team is coming from the United Kingdom, and invitations have been sent to Canada. South Africa, and Australia to send teams. The centre says: “All these visits would be most welcome, and there should be no difficulty in improving the finances of the centre to meet the demands occasioned if the necessity should arise.”

Tho semi-finals of the Chatham Out> to-day should ho particularly interest ing. In spite of Scottish wanderers’ success over Marist last Saturday, it ie difficult to believe that they will succeed in defeating Hospital to-day on the latter’s own ground. Y.M C.A. will have to do battle with the Thistle, and having in mind the fact that a fortnight ago Thistle achieved notability by inflicting the first defeat of Itho season on Y.M.C.A. one can imagine that the triangles will he keen to retrieve that defeat. They should be able to do it.

W. H. Smith, Huddersfield, will bo written down as the first player to score a goal direct from a cornerkick. Ho accomplished this feat at Leeds road in the game against 'Arsenal with a beautiful swerving ehot from the left wing which completely deceived Robson. Up to that time although there had been hundreds of corner-kirks conceded, no player had been able to take advantage of this new F.A. rule. Has the feat yet been accomplished in New Zealand?

It is overdue.—Accommodation for nil sports bodies using the reserves in the yicin'tv of Dnnpa street js to he provided bv the C'it.v Council in one building. The building will he large enough to -rive the much needed ac-

commodation to footballers, cricketers, and golfers Tea-rooms will he placed above, and if well patronised will help to rmy the co-t. of the building. The -arefcl-er s house will be within ron--nnient. dislam-e. AVill other erganisninnx controlling or owning playing -fens please copy 5

South African cricket . now has a board of control. The old system was bad, and it became a well-known axiom that to get to England on a tour a cricketer had to be performing in either the Transvaal or Natal. Te Aute College have the Moascar Chip,, will be able to defend it on their own ground at Pukehou. and mav hold it a long time. They are tine fighters, and in Hawke's Bay it is well-known that they play best wheir they are losing. In February. 1926, Sydney will Le the scene of the greatest bowling carnival ever held in Australia. Representation is expected from England, New Zealand, and all the Australian States. Can it he true that Soccer teams visiting Hospital have to pay Is 6d a head ground fees? If so, seeing that the teams pay their own expenses up there every week, this is a little item that might well be written off the slate. By the way, those who want to see Hospital in action can see them next Saturday against Marist at the nasm Reserve. The substitute question again. The return Soccer game between England and New South Wale 6 was a bit of a farce. Cartwright, the hi.S.W. goalie, had to go off, and the English manager wouid not allow a substitute. Is tnere any reply to the argument that the “no substitutes” attitude puts a premium on foul play? He was plucky. The Hutt full-back, Cudby. towards the end of the first spell last Saturday got a nasty gash in the head, but swathed in bandages, he continued to carry on, and made the match a draw by kicking a nice penalty goal for Hutt. International hockey this season. Tho Australian team open its tour on Wednesday week, against Manawatu, The Test match is at Wellington on August Bth. A match for Wellington Rugby juniors. Hawke’s tfev will send a ..unior representative team to play rn September 19th, on the same day an the Ranfurly Shield match. Has Mr W. T. Parata found some new Maori players? The New' Zealand Maori team meets > Canterbury on August 22nd, and the Hawke’s Bay fifteen plays Taranaki on the same day. Air Parata has given an assurance that no Hawke’s Bay Maoris will be required. Now read the names of the men who won’t be eequired:—Nepia, Mill, Paewai, Falwa6ser, Gemmell, Barclay, Walker, and Ormond. “Son” White, one of Southland’s two great All Blacks, is not playing this season. He was married just after the team returned. , For the first time in its history the Amateur Athletic Union of America has decided upon direct aid to the young athlete in the matter of coaching. It has appointed two coaches, and each has to put in three hours an evening at one or other of the principal training grounds in New York and New Jersey for four days a week." Maurice Brownlie, the Haiwke’s Bay captain, was declared by English judges ■to have no superior in the world as a Rugby forward. An interesting story is told of his early days

in big football. Laurie Brownlie, one of his brothers, gained a place in the New Zealand team —“Teddv” Roberts's team, which was defeated by New South Wales at Christchurch—and Air Brownlie, senior (who. bv the way, is as big as any of his sons) tokl Maurice: “If l.nnrie can do it. you can do it.” And Maurice did. Later on Cyril Brownlie decided to do it, too-

Alex. Farquharson, ex-champion amateur lightweight boxer of New Zealand many years ago, and the first lightweight champion of Otago, has taken over instructional charge of the Otago University boxing school. Napier Boxing Association, in cooperation with Dunedin, hopes to bring Max Gornek back to New Zealand for matches with/ Eddie Parker and Lachio Macdonald. “General” Booth on the 1924 All Blacks.—“ Reviewing this opening match of' their tour with that of tho last team over, I certainly think this team made a better debut. It showed no awkwardness whatever after the first twenty minutes, and put up a better and more concrete defence, tackling splendidly.” Given favourable / weather Hutt should fully extend Poneke to-day. The ouburban team possess a fast back division and dashing forwards, and they are all fighters. Their light weight will be tlieir handicap. “Watch Hickey,” should be their slogan to-day. New Zealand Rugby League plays its first game in Sydney next Saturday. The British bowlers’ party will number 42, of whom 32 will be players, including the champion of England, and the president of the English Bowling Association. J. Richardson and W. J. Stead, vicecaptains of the two most famous All Black teams, have been asked to coach the Southland representative team this year. Between them they know a littlo ahout the game. “If it had been a North-South match, with such forward play and sneh liandling by the backs, people wonld have talked about it for years,” said an old Rugby player after the ’VarsityMarist clash. It was a snare and a delusion. Who said a start had been made on the foundations for the grandstand at Association Park ? There was not a sign of them last Saturdav. and a couple of pressmen sought a littlo shelter from the torrential rain behind a derelict sheet of corrugated iron. As a spectator said. Association Park is “a snorter in a southerly.” A movement is on foot throughout New Zealand to induce Mr R. W. McVilly to accept nomination as chairman of the New Zealand Amateur Athletio Association for the coming season. Rangi Akuira. who will be full-back in the match next Wednesday, has one achievement to his credit that has seldom been surpassed. As a schoolboy in a seven-aside tourney he kicked 19 goals on one day.

Matheson, the big WeUington sup-, port, was unquestionably the outstand- ' ing forward on the field last Saturday at Hutt. The mud seemed to be bis 1 element. Incidentally, he contributed the whole of the 6 points scored bv Wellington. The Auckland centre has been very much dissatisfied with the actions of 'their delegates on the New Zealand Amateur 'Athletic Association. Now the Canterbury centre has requested their delegate, Mr F. Wilton, to either support a certain motion or hand m his resignation. Sidet, the Oriental full-back, is improving with every game. Against Old Boye, on a sodden field, his kicking and handling were remarkably sure. On ; the other side. Malcolm waited for the bounce frequently, and once it : beat him, and. Sly, who followed up faet, scored a good try. “Ted” Blakeway, one of 'Wellington’s . leading cyclrsts, who was transferred to i Christchurch last season, is back again in Wellington,' and will be competing for the’ Selw.vn dub when ‘ the racing ■ season commences. , An innovation to New Zealand in the shape of a green cue has been brought by Tom Tothill, well-known billiardist. He claims that it is more restful to the eye, and in sighting against the white balls gives a better - and sharper cue angle than d white one.

For city players only: a note on the hardships of football:— “I commence work at 4.30 a.m. (very often earlier), and con- | tinue till 9.30 a.m., then motorcycle to Greymouth or Hokitika, S 3 miles from where I am, ‘Otira, and return home on Sunday. On my Sundays at work I go through on Saturday morning, returning that night over the fifty-odd miles of rough road, crossing no . fewer than 10 creeks—-not a. pleasant ride' in the dark and rain. It takes a little, of. the glamour off the game, but we still box on.” The . writer is Bert Thomas, an Auckland Rugby representative, now on the West Coast.

Nimmo, at first five-eighth for -Hutt, has a nice turn of speed, and a “football head.” A great solo run, which ended, in, his being foreed • out right on” the Wellington line, was one of the prettiest incidents of the match.

They say that' the balance-sheets of some of the bowling clubs are works of art. None of “the twenty-nine” went over. The New Zealand Rugby League team contains four prominent Rugby Union layers, but. none ot them were in England last year. The four are Gregory, Kirwan, Dixon, and O’Brien. All except Dixon are Auckland Rugby representatives, and O’Brien was in the All Blacks in 1922. The Wellington Rugby Referees’ Association contains amongst its active members a fair sprinkling of men of the Amateur Athletic Association. Those that come to mind are L. A. Tracy, C. H. Jenkins, D. Paris. A. Evans. A. W. 0. Travers. J. Peterson, A. C. Kitto, A. J. Parsons, and A. Grigg.

IT is diffiemt to win an All Black jersey, and much more difficult if you are a forward. Jack Walter, whose picture you have just looked at, is only 20. He is now returning from Sydney, where in one game at least he was the best player cn the field. Fast, too—in one game

too —in one game he caught Grossman, the |s T .S.W. crack threo-quarter. Stratford is proud of him, and gave him a present before he left. For the comfort of the'English Rugby Union perhaps.jt had better be added that it wasn’t a money present. W. Kyle, tho Wellington champion 440yds sprinter, is joining up with the Wellington Amateur Club this coming season. The critics are, right sometimes 1 Ivan Sharpe, ex-amateur international and editor of the “Athletic News.” in November last wrote in reference la the English Cup:—“l am inclined to regard Sheffield United as the biggest tffteat to southern hopes.” . Sheffield United won the Cup. There are some shrewd kickers in the Marist senior fifteen. Cummings at second five-eighth, and Griffen at centre hav% useful feet, and their tactics in the first spell of the match against ’Varsity were well judged. It was this which gave them much ground, and led tq their only try. But they could not repeat it in the second half. The probable team to represent Wellington in the Wellington cross-coun-try championship at Dunedin in August —RUA:'Rose. D. Todd. R. Kent? F. Silver, E. J. Heffer, G. Dome, and P. Wilson.