LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20494, 23 August 1928, Page 4

LEAGUE FOOTBALL

liy Forward. lost opportunity. The second League test match has come and gone, and there can he no doubt that it has Ted to more discussion than any other football fixture held in recent year*. The unfortunate part of it is that the comment has all been most unfavourable to the English and New Zealand teams in particular and the League code in general. Everything was favourable lor a display under the best possible conditions, and the test teams had a glorious opportunity of substantiating the claim that League football possesses attractions that make it worthy of public support. Why the teams did not take advantage of their opportunity is a matter for speculation, but the fact remains that they threw their chance away in a most deE lor able manner, and did incalculable arm to the gariie, which they were expected to play in a way that would gain many converts or at least sympathisers. The most likely explanation is that everything was sacrificed to the winning of the match in view of the fate of the “ashes,” and too little attention was given to playing the game in the . free and open manner in which it should be played and in the spirit, in which it should be' played. There is no doubt that there, was sufficient football ..talent on the field to provide a fast afid sparkling exhibition that would have delighted the spectators.. This talent was in evidence occasionally on both sides, but more particularly on the, part of the Englishmen, some of whose play was delightful to see. It is difficult to say what the result would have been if the game had been played in the way in which it should have been played, but my impression is that the Englishmen were the cleverer team on the day’s play. However, what has happened is irrevocable, and one can only hope that in future any teams playing in the code will follow the advice given-by Mr Osborn on Saturday; night, cutting out the rough stuff and playing the game as it should be played.

TRUE SPORTSMANSHIP. The following appeared'in the Lyttelton Times on the 15th inst.:—“General satisfaction was expressed at last evening's meeting of the Canterbury Football Association over the amicable arrangements made with the Canterbury Rugby League for the staging of the third League Test between England and New Zealand at English Park, on Saturday. August 25. I am glad that the hand of friendship has been extended to the League people,” said the chairman. • “It shows true feeling of friendship.” The action of the Finance Committee in making the arrangements was endorsd. AUCKLAND VISIT REVIEWED. “Before bidding you au revoir, I must say we have all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves during the stay in your beautiful city, and the Auckland people have treated us .exceptionally well,” said Mr Osborne, the.team manager, prior to the departure of the players for the south, “ We are leaving with excellent impressions of the high standard of football here. Of course, the wonderful weather conditions have been conducive to good football, and I feel sure that the big crowds which attended all three matches must have been very pleased with the exhibitions given. “There is one thing I am very pleased to be able to say.” continued Mr Osborne, “ and that is, at the various functions arranged for us as Helensville and other places, which we visited, outside Auckland,.. there was a Rugby Union reprethe regrettable incidents of the-1926 League warmly. We all appreciated this, for it shows the good feeling which exists between what I have been led to believe on many occasions were two extremely rival codes.

“ The Englishmen’s tour to date has been a great success, and the council of the New Zealand Rugby League has overcome any loss that was suffered through the regrettable incidents of . the 1926 League tour of England,” said Mr Cyril A. Snedden, president of the New Zealand League, to a representative of the Auckland Sun. “ They are really a very fine crowd.” was how Mr Snedden described the tourists. H had seen a great deal of them off the field, and they had proved most courteous and only too ready to fall in with any suggestions made by the New Zealand Council. Mr Snedden also,remarked that it bad indeed been a great pleasure to meet the managers, Messrs Osborne and Hutchins. They had done everything possible, to assist the council in making arrangements for the tour, and they promised that in the future, as members of the controlling body at Horae, they would keep in touch with New Zealand, and see that it was well informed regarding alterations _in rules, etc. In the future, therefore, instead of being isolated, New Zealand could feel that it was closely in touch with the Imperial controlling body.

NEW ZEALANDERS IN ENGLAND. Speaking of the New Zealanders who are now playing for English clubs, Mr .Hutchins informed a representative of the Auckland Herald that B. Davidson bad not come quite up to expectations. L. Brown was playing excellently, while in Mason, New Zealand had sent to England one of the best forwards playing there at present. Unfortunately, he was not with a strong club, and this was keeping him somewhat in the background. A name familiar to footballers the world over was being brought into prominence again by the son of one of the greatest forwards New Zealand had ever produced, and one of the greatest forwards the world had ever seen. Charlie Seeling’s son was playing for. the Warrington Club and had he had six months’ more experience he would-have been a member of the touring team.

THE GAME IN NEW ZEALAND. The introduction of the League game in New Zealand and Australia came after the visit of the All Blacks to England in 1903 (says the Auckland Sun). Mr A. H. Baskerville, of Wellington, organised a team to make a tour of Australia and England. That team included a number of victorious ” All Blacks.” On the return of Baskerville’s team via Australia, a couple of exhibition games were played in Sydney and Brisbane. the result of which was to give considerable impetus to. the came—and now

to-day New Zealand and Australia via with the parent body in strength and supremacy. On the return of the team in 1908, ■ a match was played in Wellington, and two or three games were then, played’in Auckland. The outcome was a meeting called for the purpose of forming a Northern Union League. In the latter end of the season 1910, an Auckland team made a missionary tour of the Dominion* going as far. south as Dunedin and Bluff; By 1 this time the League’s finances were very low, but the players were loyal and confident, and each member of the team put up £lO towards expenses with no definite promise of a refund. However, after the following season, when the visiting team returned from Australia, the ■League was able to refund the out-going money of the players concerned —the trip on that occasion returning a net balance of £llß2. Since that time the code has made wonderful progress bpth in Australia and New Zealand. It is interesting to note that as far back at 1908, the Maoris took a keen interest in the new code, and that year a team composed of Maoris only toured Australia. The tour was quite successful and the team returned' to. the Dominion with colours flying. The following season another Maori team toured Australia under the management* of the late Mr John Hettit, or Te Kuiti, a well-known League “head” in that district. This team was most successful and managed to win most of the’ important games. Such brilliant displays did the Maotilanders put iip on this occasion that the “ big chiefs ” of the game across the Tasman were not anxious to waste any time in signing them up for at tour of England. However, the New Zealanders felt that their team was not sufficiently strong enough to continue the tour to the Old Country, and they returned home. It sounds like a fairy tale to hear how a Chinese market garden was, in the Space of a few years, converted into one of the finest sports grounds in New Zealand. That, however, in a nutshell is the history of Carlaw Park, the headquarters Of the Auckland Hughy League.

j : NOTES. i Blazer, Eckhoff, and Townsend i Utago) | and Le Warne (Canterbury;. went to ; Invercargill with the New Zealand teaij as possible players in yesterday's match., The Otago junior representatives, who will play in Christchurch on Saturday, will leave Dunedin : by the express to-mor-row morning. The Canterbury League has granted permission to the Sydenham Club' tp play a match against Kaikorai at Monica Park on September 29, the Finance Committee to- approve of the financial arrangements, Burgess, the English player, who was ordered off the field on Saturday, will probably not don a jersey again for some weeks, as he sustained a broken i nose in the course of the fray. ; In the final match for the Thacker Shield, to be played probably next. Saturday, Sydenham will meet Marist (saya the Lyttelton Times). Then the holder* of the shield will be open to challenge* from other League centres of the South Island, to be played on the holders’ ground. A suggestion made by Mr F. G. Duntan in the course of a speech on Saturday night, was that the headquarters of the New Zealand League should be removed to Wellington or Christchurch, which were more central than Auckland. According to the' Lyttelton Times Sp'illane is the. only Canterbury back who stands a sporting chance of inclusion m the New Zealand team for the third test at English Park next Saturday. W. Le Warne, the Sydenham forward, was an emergency for the second test at Dunedin last Saturday. In the course of his speech on Saturday night, when he proposed the toast of the New Zealand Rugby Football League, -Mr F. G. Duncan said he was sure that League football had come to stay in New Zealand, although there had been some veiled opposition to it in Dunedin. The council, which was to be complimented on bringing the English team . to the Dominion, had done excellent work m advancing the interests of the code. The Auckland Sun states that nearly 70,000 people witnessed the three games played, in that city by the English League team. A trophy has been received by the Junior _ Advisory Board of the Canterbury Centre, and will be presented to tlie best player in the South Island schools tournament to be played on the West Coast. The Newton Club must be congratulated on what must be nearly a club record for New Zealand (says the Auckland Sun;. On Saturday week five of its first thirteen represented Auckland, while the same five went to Dunedin in connection .with the second test. The financial success of the English team's tour will no doubt give the English League a good impression (says the New Zealand Herald), and the Dominion can look forward with a greater degree of confidence to its being included in the itinerary of future tours. The Junior Advisory Board of the Canterbury Centre has decided to select a. Fourth Grade representative team to play' the Akarana team (Auckland) as a cur-tain-raiser to the third test match on August 25. The Otago juniors will meet a Canterbury team on the same day. Five playevs who participated in the match between F.ngland and New Zealand on Tahuna Park in 1924 were seen on the field again on Saturday. These were Sullivan and Burgess (England I ami Dufty, Brisbane, and Dclgrosso (New Zealand ). On his display in the three English games in Auckland L. Hutt is one of the most.improved players of the code in New Zealand (says the Auckland Herald). From a loose forward he has developed into a great worker in the scrum. Hutt stood up to his work in great style, and in each match was going strongly at too finish. It. has been reported that Fairclough sustained a badly torn muscle during the progress of the match against Auckland* and prior to the team leaving Auckland (says the New Zealand Herald) a doubt was expressed as to his ability to play another match on the tour. Fairclough was the outstanding back against Auckland,- and his brilliancy 'on attack really placed England in the lead. The English five-eighth also played wonderful football in Australia. Included in the last English team worn the following who are on the present tour:—-Messrs E. Osborne (manager), J. Parkin (captain), J. Sullivan (the brilliant full-back), W. Burgess (a good forward), H. Bowman, W. Bentham, J. Thompson, and R. Sloman, with Dav« Murray making hi* fourth visit as team trainer.