NOTES BY FULL BAGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 62

NOTES BY FULL BAGS.

The final selection of the New Zealand team for England will be made in Wellington next month.

It has been proposed to raise a monument by shilling subscription m memory of the late T. R. Ellison, the well-known footballer

Mr G. H. Dixon has been nominated by the Welling-ton Rugby Union for the position of manager of the New Zealand team to tour Great Britain.

It is not generally known that the players selected to make the trip to England next year will have to undergo a strict medical examination before being finally included in the team.

Apropos, a medical gentleman in Dunedin has written the 2N.Z.R.U. offering to examine any player in his district for the New Zealand team free of charge. Messrs W. J. Stead and E. Hughes, of Invercargill, have intimated to the New Zealand Rugby Union that they will bo able to accompany the N.Z. team to England in 1905, if chosen.

The Canterbury backs, Harper and Deans, have advised the New Zealand Union that they can make the trip to England if finally selected.

Amongst the passengers by the Warrimoo from Sydney last week was tiio exOtago representative three-quarter back, Dr Nolan Fell, who has been studying at Edinburgh University for some years. Dr Fell is on six months' leave of absence from England.

If footballers in Wellington are so much perturbed over the non-inclusion of Calnan in the 53 men selected as the basis of the New Zealand team to visit England next year, why not we over the "non-inclusion of Bennet? The Englishmen gave Bennefc the palm as being the finest attacking centre three-quarter they had met in the colony. Apart from the testimony of Bedell-Sivright and Co., we know what tho Otago man is capable of doing. Yet we raise no storm ot protest and no inuignation meetings. Of course, we in the south do not take ourselves so seriously over football as do our brethren in the north ; * but it appears to me that the case of Bennefs non-inclusion might be taken up with some show of reason. Certain it is that the Otago playtfc is deserving of a place, in the N.Z. team as a footballer and a man.

The British full back, Stanger-Leathes, who gave such a fine exhibition against Otago, and Hulme, the half back, played in the big mateh — Northumberland against Cheshire — won by the latter by 7 points to nil. The aristocratic British full back is said to have played a 'fine defensive game for his county.

Rogers, of the British team, who had his knee injured in the Auckland match, playing for Kent in the county match against Midland, while dribbing the ball collided with the opposition full back, .and so further injured his knee as to prevent him taking any further part in the game. That famous Welsh <Jmb Swansea, wlncn an irate British footballer warned the New Zealanders to beware of lest they be annihilated, were, up to the ime of the departure of the mail, the undisputed champions of Wales. They had played seven matches, and w.on them all, scoring 123 points and having only 14 points scored against them. Percy Bush, the will-o'-the-wisp footballer of the British team, playing in a match in Wales shortly after his return, fractured a small bone in his arm. What a travesty of luck, says a writer in comment, afte>* playing through a big colonial tour an i opposing the rushing New Zealanders, to get laid out in a one-horse game like iiie reserves !

Bevan and Jowett, forward and threequarter back respectively of the Britisn team, turned out for Swansea against Aberavon, and "played well after their trip to the antipodes."

Footballers in Wellington are at present much exercised over the non-inclusion of J. Calnan (Poneke) m the 53 men selecL->d as the source from which to choose the New Zealand football team which is to tour Great Britain. A good deal of indignatio-i is felt amongsc local players (says a Wellington wrirer), and a z-equisition has been signed by six of the city clubs calling i'.~ a special meeting of the Wellington Rugoy Union vo inquire into the matter. '-'hu secretary of the union (Mr D. M'Kenzie; has not yet received the requisition. Calnau represented Wellington up to the li*C2 soasou, and then went to South Africa. On his return he played for Poneke '"n 1902, and last season ha represented the province vx ail it* matches He was a member of tbe 1897 New Zealand team which t<ured Njw South Wales and Queensland. After tho reLurn of the team to the colony he, wi< b. two other players, was disqualified by ci-o X.Z.R.U. for alleged misconduct on tho lour. Many people believe that this disqualification, which they assign as the caujd for his non-inclusion in the list of possible players on the present occasion, was quiteundeserved. Since that time he has beens captain of Wellington on a tour, and it i 9 believed in many quarters that the only ground on which he could justifiably be excluded from the New Zealand team woull concern hi a ability as a player, and this groxmd, again, is rejected as quite untenable, his recent form being considered, if not suffieiertly good for actual selection as one of the team, yet easily sufficient to warrant his inclusion in the 53 best player-3 iv the colouy. It is suggested that some other reason must be sought to explain t'ae present position, unless the explanation is the wildly improbable chance that he was accidentally overlooked.

On Thursday afternoon a football match was played on the Asylum Ground between a team of engineers and officers of the Aotea and Karamea and the Dunedin Wednesday Association team. The weather was fine, but the recent rains made the field! very heavy, but nevertheless a keen and exciting game was expected, and such :fc proved to be. In the first half the Dunedin team played a good game, but sA times the passing of the mariners was really brilliant. About 15 minutes after starting play a determined afctaok on the visitors* goal ended in Braitnwaite scoring a welldeserved goal. Give-and-take play was then indulged in, when a combined run by the forwards of the seaboys' team ended in the score being 1 all — tnis was a good low shot by Oliver, which the goalkeeper had

no chance to save.

In the second half the

borne" teanr hacf the better- of the opening exchanges, but the- mariners soon settled down to goodj earnest play, and some more brilliant passing by the left wing forwards, Anderson and M'Gilvray, ended in the centre forward, Musters, beating the goalkeeper, with a- regular beauty. This* put the* home team on their mettle, and they made very strenuous efforts to equalise, the play, being' very fast till ihe> wKistle blew, though neither side scored again, and thus ended- a very_ pleasant game in 1 favour of the- shins' team oy 2s to 1.

The English Rugby Union has appointed Mir Bercv- Coles hon. secretary in place of Mr Rowland Hill. Mr Coles hails from Eastbourne, belongs to a legal family, and has- been associated-, with Rugby- football fromah early age. Educate di-first at Rugbjr, he speedily won distinction as a, lorwara. and' entering at University College, Oxford, gained his Blue in' the season- of 1884--5, and wag- in- the- Dark Blue fifteen" the two succeeding, seasons, being captain in. 1886-7. Subsequently the old Oxonian, played with marked success for Blaekheath and Sussex;

At His best he ' was a fast, cl&ver forward, j a shade' unlucky'" to miss international Ron- j ours, the genuine,- merit of his play being i hardly appreciated at its true wor*h. As ; • cricketer, Air Coles- appeared in the Rugby Eleven against Marlborough, at Lordls in. 18S3, scoring' s*" (the highest individual total in tne-firstrinning6rand Q>. On 1 proceeding to Oxford: he' figured in the Freshmen's match in 1885, and was subsequently tried;-:

in 'the eleven, but- the much-coveted Blue did not fall to his lot. A solicitor By pro- - fession', -he should be-well- «juaiifte*r' for- hiff present? 'post.: The old - Oxonian is- an excellent- referee^ and is' a, member of - the 1/ondon'R.G.S.R.