ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23203, 29 May 1937, Page 19

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL

ENGLISH TOURING TEAM ARRIVAL AT WELLINGTON (Special to Daily Times) - WELLINGTON, May 28. Bearing a fit and healthy appearance and looking forward keenly to their match to-morrow afternoon against a team representing Wellington, Wairarapa. and Manawatu, the touring English Amateur Association football players, under the charge of Messrs T. Thorne and C. Wreford Brown as joint managers, arrived at Wellington this afternoon. They were welcomed informally at Thomdon by a large gathering of officials and supporters of the code, including Messrs J. A. Milburn (chairman of the Management Committee of the New Zealand Football Association), A. Williams (secretary), W. B. Hicks (chairman of the Management Committee of the Wellington Football Association), W. J. Arens (secretary), members of both bodies, and of the New Zealand and Wellington Referees' Association. Mrs Wreford Brown, who is accompanying her husband on the tour, was presented by Mr Milburn with a bouquet, and her room at the hotel was decorated with flowers. The Englishmen, who made so many friends in Napier that a large party from Hawke's Bay is coming down to Wellington for to-morrow's match, were soon mingling with the officials on the platform. The gathering gave three cheers for the English team and for the success of the tour. The visitors' response was a novel one. Proudly bearing aloft their mascot, a toy bulldog of ferocious mein, with a Union Jack sewn on his back, they formed a circle and sang their "theme song,

a humorous version of the well-known nursery rhyme " Mary Had a Little Lamb." The party then left by bus for their hotel. Mr Frank Campbell (vice-chairman of the council of the New Zealand Football Association), who travelled with the team from Auckland, said that Wellington crowds would enjoy the polished play of the Englishmen, their speed and faultless combination. At Napier, while still feeling the effects of their sea voyage, the?* had played sparkling football, and it would be interesting to see how Wellington fared against them when they would be at their best. B. Joy, centre-half, who captained the side at its first appearance, is playing against Wellington, but L. C. Thornton has been appointed captain for the match. . ',>' .• Mr Brown said to-day. that it was not proposed to have a fixed captain throughout the tour. The English team for to-morrow's match is as follows: Goal-keeper. L. T. Huddle; fullbacks. G. A. Strasser~and H. S. Robjbins; halves—J. W. Lewis, B. Joy. and E. Tunnington; forwards—E. C. Collins, S. Eastman. R. J. Mathews. L. C. Thornton (captain), and L. C. Finch. The Wellington team will be:—Goalkeeper. Wyatt (Hospital); full-backs, W. Miles (Hospital), S. Haines (Petone); halves—J. Todd (Hospital). E. Jeffery (Hospital), yN. Gates (Technical Old Boys); forwards—A. Wilson (Seatoun), W. Allan (Manawatu), A. Leslie (captain, Petone). J. Hatchard (Marist), and W. Woods (Hospital).