Our National Field Game

NZ Truth, Issue 1030, 22 August 1925, Page 13

Our National Field Game

Doings

INotc^s on Players A.t Hastings this Saturday, Hawkes y defends the Shield against Taraki. This makes the eighteenth time 3 Bay has been called on to defend 2 trophy. There will be a galaxy of the Rugby ent at Palmerston North to-day to idden the eye of Palmerstonians and sir friends and countrymen from all 3 surrounding cities and towns. The j event is the meeting of the New uth Waies team and the combined ellington - Manawatu - Horowhenua teen. Poneke by defeating Berhampore at ellington last Saturday assured emselves of the championship. What strikes one most -about the siting New South Wales team is sir youth. [t happened at the Southland-Mana-lenua match. A near-sighted Can•burian was a spectator. He wiped 3 glasses a couple of times and then claimed doubtfully: "X I had left hi y- specs at home I couldn't be convinced that isn't Dalley behind the Southland pack." High praise for Kilby. _•• ; • t> ; The Hawkes Bay juniors play their first representative game , of the season against Wairarapa to-day at Cartertbn. Through not having the 'services of some of the Napier High fjxjhool boys the team is not at its full srength. (Canterbury play the Maoris to-day fell Lancaster Park. Two years ago Canterbury beat the Maori team by 7 Jjcants to 3 after a hard and exciting game. ,the Payne trophy match at Lancaster] Park next Saturday.. This game is ar; using no end of interest. Public opinion m Christchurch favors Old Bo ps the present holders. ' 'he Canterbury touring team never won a match m the north. They had haiid luck at Napier and "Wellington. A.fler these two matches- the team was bo 'weakened by players having tb' returVhome and by others on the injured jlist that it was not greatly surprisinglto find them defeated m the remaining two games. . : : A>| Dunedin to-day Otago and Southland j play their return game on OarisHbrobk and there looks like being little ■between them. Otago will miss such ■players as Don . Stevenson, Len WilBiams and Jack Murray, but they are Hkeeri on avenging the 1 15 to 5 defeat •handed out to them at Invercargill. ■ All Black Jack Harris' reckons his ■shoulder will be all right by next ■Saturday antl he is anxious to assist ■his team m the Payne trophy match. ■ Not a great deal of interest was ■taken m the game at Christchurch ■ last Saturday. The. showers of rain ■ which fell during the morning influenced a lot of people, including Kme of the chosen players, from atRending the Park. Even the referee ftiid not put m an appearance and the Reams, when, readjusted, were kept ■waiting for twenty minutes or so till ■another referee was found. The thing I was more or less a farce, but it served I itS*purpose m giving the Old Boys a I run and thereby keeping thenv fit for I the Payne trophy, match. I Christchurch High School disapr pointed their supporters m the annual inter-High Schools tournament 'at Christchurch last week. They were beaten m both their games, thereby gaining the "wooden spoon.' Timaru, the winners, were the biggest and heaviest side of the four, and as a team generally were superior to their three opponents and thoroughly de-. served their win. : f Congratulations to E. A. Cockroft who coached the Timaru High Sshool v boys, winners of the 1925 South Island 'High Schools tournament. "Cocky" was a member of the 1913 New Zealand ceam which toured x Calif ornia. It is many years* since a combined * Otago-Southland team took the field, so added interest will be given to the <game x against . New South Wales at Punedin next Saturday. A big con-

and Their Play tingent of Southlanders intend travelling up to see the game, which will be controlled by Tom Baird, of the Southland Referees' Association. Some few weeks back "Truth's' Hawkes Bay rep. wrote, of a certain referee: "'Tis a good man who makes a mistake and owns up to it, etc., etc. Now he (the writer) has another designation to substitute the above. It was m the Hastings -Mar ists game when a try was wrongfully allowed on account of a player, receiving the ball from a throw-in, 'standing inside the five yards line. It will be recollected that "Truth"" stated the referee admitted the mistake and told A. Kirkpatrick, the Hastings captain, that should he protest to the Hawkes Bay Union he (the referee) would go to the meeting and own he erred. As stated here Kirkpatrick refused to protest, but at a' meeting of the club, due to the referee's own words, a motion was carried by a two to one majority to issue a protest. When the objection came before the Union the said referee calmly stated that he did not say he would adriiit making the mistake referred to, etc., etc. This m consequence took the wind completely out of Hastings sails, who then withdrew their protest. The failing of the protest on Hastings side put them out of the running, so the winning, of the senior championship went to Pirates. A country team composed of players from Tuapeka and West Otago played an Otago team m Dunedin last w<3ek and were easily outed by 54 to 3. It wasn't a race from the start and none of the country players showed much promise. Pacey, of the 'Varsity B, played a fine game for the winners and it was no 'surprise to find that he was selected as five-eighths against Southland to-day. Pirates have gone right through the season m Dunedin without a defeat and have won both the club banner and the Ainge Charity Shield. They weren't by any means at full strength when they beat 'Varsity A last Saturday. . The Wanganui Metropolitan . S'lbUnion has decided to purchase a property at Aramoho containing about 8% acres at a price, it is understood, of £6500. . ■ v, :< '•":■/. Mr. Arthur Way, president of the Rangitikei Sub-Union, was very pleased at the fine showing the ; Rangitikei; reps, made m a match against Taranaki. To *be beaten by two points only — 12 to 10— by the Taranaki team shows that Rangitikei did remarkably well, and Arthur had reason' to be proud of his team. . The biggest joke, m N.Z. Rugby circles is recognised to be 'oIe:Bill Meredith, the Auckland referee. ' Fancy him hailing from the' Bay, too, whence he descended to surprise the natives of Wellington with many weird and wonderful things, not forgetting his immaculately creased long whites. Old Bay and Wellington fans would not recognise him now m New Zealand regulation cut-me-rdowns. Anyway, for Bill's latest "howler" — it is ''the" gem m N.Z. Rugby annals: ' Hazlett, the nineteen year Southland forward had the temerity to turn on Maurice Brownlie m Saturday week's Ranfurly match' at Napier. Up walks Bill m his best style: "Now then, Hazlett, you leave MR. BROWNLIE alone!" Bill made no secret before leaving the Bay that he was "set" for Hawkes Bay's games at Wellington and Auckland; He may get the latter (they're not quite responsible for their actions up north) but the Hawkes Bay — Wellington match on September s—never5 — never on your life. There's more than a policeman's life not a happy one, unless and until Manawatu are all square with Horo-whenua-on September 5 poor 'ole Bill Dustin's existence will be altogether without charm. The big match at Wellington to-day is the meeting of the old rivals, Petone and Poneke.

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