SPORT AND PASTIMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24951, 25 June 1942, Page 2

SPORT AND PASTIMES

HOW TRIES ARE LOST WHILE in Alexandra a few weeks back the writer had the opportunity of seeing two junior teams in action. Only youths and boys play matches now in Alexandra, as so many of the men of military age are in the armed forces. Those 'left behind would, no doubt, also be in uniform if they could follow their own inclinations. The referee in the game which the writer witnessed was " Jim " Gilkison, a former Ravensbourne player, who represented the country against a metropolitan team after he had resided in the Central for a time for health reasons. Mr Gilkison also acted as the coach in this game, and he made a fine coach, too, specialising on the quick hook back from broken or partially formed scrums to the half-back. • One failing which the writer has observed for many years past in both junior and senior football was, however, very apparent, and Mr Gilkison quite agreed regarding this weakness when we talked about football later. When taking a team in hand, every coach should first of all emphasise the absolute necessity of his players using their eyes. The old system, or lack of system, of a man running until he is collared and then passing will never get a side anywhere. How many tries have been lost in the game of football through a player not using his eyes and running blindly into a tackle when he has a support waiting for a pass with a try in sight! One of the most outstanding illustrations of this weak style of play was given in the second test at Christchurch between New Zealand and the 1930 English team. C. D. Aarvold, the English centre threequarter, secured the ball with a clear field except for the full-back, G. Nepia. Aarvold had J. S. R. Reeve, wing threequarter, at his shoulder and a try seemed certain. Aarvold, however, elected to crash Nepia off the face of the earth, but instead was crashed himself. The opportunity was thrown away, and England lost by 13 points to 10 points. From tb.pt same match there is another story. Mark Nicholls had secured the ball near the Englishmen's line and started to weave his way towards the goal nosts through several defenders. He then propped, swune round, and threw the ball to D. Oliver, the former Kaikorai Otago wing three-quarter, who scored right at the corner flag. Whether Nicholls, when he turned in his tracks and threw to Oliver, saw his support, or whether he realised he would be waiting there cannot be stated, but it can be assumed that he used his eyes, saw Oliver, and threw him the ball.

Take a player like " Jack" Murray, the former University and Otago centre three-quarter, who had " eyes in the back of his head," on the football field and knew the exact time to send on the ball to a support. Murray was one of the greatest centre three-quarters who ever took the field in New Zealand. H. Simon was another great player who could b* reckoned on to sight a support and hand him the ball just at the right time. Keen followers of the game could, without exaggeration, tell of hundreds of tries lost through " blind" play, and of hundreds scored through quick vision. The point is made that coaches should start off with youthful players by impressing on them that if they wish to become real footballers they must use their eves from the start of a game to its finish and remember that they are only one of a team of 15. To score tries or to help a mate to score them, a footballer must not try " by guess or by God ' tactics. A Mystery " Wrinkle "

It is a recognised tradition of British sport that a man should face his adversary. The former Southern forward, T. Wallace, who has joined up with Dunedin, does not follow this tradition. He plays number one on the line-out, and turns his back on his marker. These tactics drew the attention of old-time footballers who watched Dunedin and Union play at Bathgate Park on Saturday, and Mr A. C. Haynes said he had asked Wallace why he did it. Wallace replied that it was a wrinkle which All Black " Jack " Hore had taught him. Unless it is that the front man is able to turn round more quickly to pack in behind the other forwards, its value was a mystery to the oldtimers. So long as a player is in line for the throw-out, apparently he can face any way he likes, but it would seem that the unwritten law in Rugby is that he should face his marker. It would be a ridiculous state of affairs if, say, the eight forwards on a side faced their own goal in the line-outs instead of the opposing forwards.

A Fine Club Man Elsom Black, Dunedin five-eighth, who is something of an idol to the Dunedin supporters, both on and off the field, scored 13' points of Dunedin's total of 18 points against Union last Saturday, and the full-back, T. Freeman, who has a particularly strong kick, scored Union's three points. K. Thompson and the former Southern player, T. Wallace, were the two best forwards on the ground. G. Reynolds was played at centre for Dunedin. His place, however, is on the wing, as he demonstrated when he was shifted to his usual position. There was no outstanding forward on the Union side, which must be complimented on the manner in which its packmen worked against the solid opposing vanguard. A word of commendation is due to Mr S. Gibson for the judicious manner in which he controlled the game. Back Through the Years

It is interesting to recall that the Dunedin Football Club was founded in 1871 and the Union Club in 1872, and It would require an immense amount of work to discover the number of times they have met since those days of long ago. It was also interesting to notice the presence at Bathgate Park on Saturday of two of Union's old-timers in the persons of "Jack" Hope and "Bill" Beadle. Mr Hope played for Otago in 1886 and 1888, and Mr Beadle represented Otago in 1888 and at periods on to 1896. Of course, that great supporter of the Dunedin team, and all-round good fellow, Mr A. C. Haynes, who played for Otago in 1915, was present. Some humorous Incidents of the old days were told. On one occasion when Union went to Oamaru to play an Oamaru team, Beadle secured the ball and fell across the line with it, but the referee said "No try," and ordered a scrum five yards out. He explained to a bewildered team that Beadle had his legs in the playing area when he grounded the ball!

Mr Arthur Geddes The death in Invercargill last week of Mr A. J. Geddes was a severe loss to Rugby football, not only in Southland, but throughout the Dominion. One of the finest type of sporting administrators, he was at the time of his death the oldest executive member of the Southland Rugby Union. He was foundation member of the old Britannia Club in Invercargill, and first became a member of the union in 1902. Except for one year, 1923, he retained his seat for 39 years. He gave splendid service to the game in the capacities of player, referee, administrator, coach, selector, and manager of Southland and New Zealand teams. The offices he filled were too many to enumerate, but they included membership of the committee'which selected the 1924 " Invincibles," the New Zealand team which toured South Africa in 1928, and the teams which met the 1930 British team. He was a New Zealand selector again In 1934, and was manager of the team which toured Australia in that year. In addition, hewas manager of several New Zealand teams in New Zealand. Everyone who has had experience of his tact and personality on such occasions would pay tribute to his ability to look after players on tour as well as to his deep knowledge of the game. Mr Geddes had many other sporting affiliations—he was an experienced bowler, for instance—but Rugby football was his great hobby, and he made countless friends in New Zealand and abroad.

Famous Taieri Names The death this week of Mr A. P. Gibson, of North Taieri, will recall to many old footballers in Otago the doughty deeds of members of the Gibson and Allan families in Otago football in the eighties. The Gibsons and Allans between them supplied about half of a powerful Taieri team in those days, and several of them built up proud records in interprovinclal football Arthur Gibson was one of the best forwards in Otago. Always in the best of condition, as might be expected of a hard-working farmer, lie was fast, tireless, dashing, and able to give and take a pass as well as any back could. The quality of his football is indicated by the fact that he represented Otago in seven matches between 1887 and 1889, which was a time when representative fixtures were by no means as frequent as they became in later years.

University Resource The Artillery team was unfortunate in losing IT. Martin, its captain and centre three-quarter, towards the end of its match against University (Medical Faculty) last Saturday. Martin was doing a tremendous amount of work, setting a splendid example to his side in keenness and general soundness. In spite of consistent tackling by the Artillery inside backs, the University backs and forwards had too much resource for the soldiers. When the Light Blue forwards settled down to something approaching sound scrummaging, M. N. Paewai (half-back) and P. A. Ongley (first five-eighth) played first-class football. They are developing into a combination worthy of any representative team.