VISIT OF A COACH.

Otago Witness, Issue 1851, 29 January 1902, Page 53

VISIT OF A COACH.

Amongst the passengers for Wellington by, the Monowai from Sydney was Mr A. E. Gibbs, manager of the Colonial Mutual Life Insurance Company. Mr Gibbs, who went tc. England seven months ago on a trip for the benefit of his health, has completely re*. covered from hi 6 illness. He spent his holiday travelling in England and Scotland, and while in the latter country visited the Glasgow Exhibition. Mr Gibbs interested himself mainly in. the progress of Association football, and speaks enthusiastically of its popularity in the old country. One of the finest matches he saw was that for the final of the Glasgow Cup, played at Glasgow between the Rangers and Celtic Clubs, •on the Rangers' ground. This ground is unique in its way. It has seating accommodation for 70,000 people ; there is no standing room at all, every spectator gets a seat, and so well ara the seats arranged, in tier above tier, that the last man who pays his shilling, except for the fact that he is further away from the field of play, gets just as clear a view of the game as the first man to pass in at the gates. On the day of the final for thf Glasgow Cup, there were 40,000 people present. The game, after some exciting play, resulted in a draw. "It i>> easy to understand the preference shown at Home for the Association as compared with the Rugby game," said Mr Gibbs to a representative of the New Zealand Times. '" In the Association game the ball is within the view of the spectators the whole time; there is no scrimmaging such as in Rugby, and at Home, if an Asooeiation player kicks the ball into touch, except under the very gravest circumstances, he is hooted." Mr Gibbs admits that the* Rugby is the older game, but he says that as the ad\antaßPs of the Association game have become known to the people of England and Scotland, its hold upon the public has ineira^ed imsi'ihclv. and he predicts that the oaiue thinf," will occar in this country. Mi A Ar-bury. who has come out with Mr Gibhs intends to act as coach for the Association footballers should the conditions of his ordinary business prove^ to U« fucU a 0a 0 to warrant hi* remaining in Ne\» Zealand. Mr Ashnry, who has been manager of the Vulcan Knjjinoeiina Woikf at Birmingham, is a well-known athlete, hailing from Warwick, wiiir'i for'tty he has played for in s<M"r;>.! imp. 'limit 'm.itchrs He has been ronner^d "\\,fh tiir> principal Association teams in England for the pait eight years, and ha- playd for A-ton Villa, the most important te-un in Kir.'land. He w.is a member of tin- Ru<k'.- "W'hitworth Club, ami captain of the Atli^r-tono Club, and as a uprilitei lie holds a \t-ry tfo-ul re. cold. At a carnival it the A = ton Villa ground--, Birmingham, lie competed in four e\ents, and secured four prize — one first, a nrooitd. and two third prizes. Mr As-bury hold* 38 football medals, and ha» won about 140 pnzes in athletic sports. Mt A«bury has come here at his own p\ppiwp Mr fiibb". found that the English Associatirn could not do anything in the matter of wiling a team out to New Zealand oi assisting in regard to conches, the view being held that money madr by the clubs :ind player-, of England s-hould he spent in Kne'nnd. However, if satisfactory financial guarantees are given, it is likely that a team will come out to New Zealand in 1905 "If a good New Zealand team were to ro Home." said Mr Anbury, "I think it very probable that it would make a handsome piofit, after paving all expenses."

A man named Ellis has been missing since Friday last from Islington. Fears arf entertained for his safety, he having been, low-spirited for some time. He was last seen on C'hnstchureh railway station. His wife and family are at Islington. A gentleman has tried the following peculiar way of probing the ties of friendship. He pent letters to 24- intimate friends asking for the loan of £1. Thirteen of the two dozen friends did not reply at all ; five declinfd to lend the money, two promised to tend it on the no.xt day and did not do it;, one sent his "last ten shillings"; and only three sent the full turn asked for. The supplicant and all the "friends" he had written to are well off.