ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2935, 15 June 1910, Page 66

ASSOCIATION.

Bt Left Wixg.

The following table shows the positions of the various teams in the First Grade Cup competition:—

A welcome feature of Saturday’s play Was the cordiality which .marked the throe Senior .games. It, is so much more pleasant to record a display of good fellowship than to tell the tale of bickering, spleen, and general ill-nature. When sport becomes an3'bhing other than good tempered, heathy, zestful rivalry, it has lost its first, most vital manciple. Reverting to Satin-

clay's games, an impression has got abroad f that a City player was cautioned. Such was not the case. Two Scotchmen had a harmless altercation, which the referee ended without need of caution. Although a keen contest, the game was conducted in a friendly manner, an occasional free kick being all the check that was necessary. At halt-time the man on the line expected, nob without reason, that City would win the match against Ravensbourne at Culling Park. The scoring chances were with the side playing with the wind. Ravensbourne had only secured two goals with the wind, and City, although they had been mainly defenders, had yet shown n\3at combination, and diad placed ope goal against the wind. The first half, indeed, had provided the best exhibition of football the writer has seen this year. Ravensbourne backs withstood the temptation to kick too hard with the wind, and their forwards, particularly Barlow and his i inside men, frequently used brainy j methods to- thread through the Black de- i fence. City forward's showed still neater work, some of their strategic advances being pretty to watch. It was this forward display which encouraged City supporters to expect victory in the second half when the wind was favouring their champions. But, notwithstanding the inspiriting enthusiasm of their “barraekers,” City failed to live up. to their promise of the first half, their efforts, energetic, and hopeful in the first 15 minutes, gradually losing sting until, when the Ravensbourne vanguard had added a point as the result of a wellexecuted sortie, the game might as we'; have" been closed so far as City’s hopes were concerned. Ravensbourne are doing remarkably well, and none will grudge them their success, j With the first round through, they tie with | Northern for top honours, and this their first year as seniors. It would be rather interesting to see the cup won two years in succession by clubs doing their first season in the grade. Ravensbourne have strong defence —which was added to by j putting Fisher in the half line—and forcible j forwards, whose shooting on Saturday, if not deadly, was low andl well directed. Barlow made some nice break-away runs on Saturday. Harrison, in goal, has been very consistent this season. He took risks : by speculating' when he would more wisely | have handled on Saturday, but his kicking proved safe. The half line was a weak link in the City chain again. Lawson showed his adaptability in that department, cleverly crumpling rushes again and again. He might with advantage have placed himself in the centre. Robinson in that position was a very indifferent subtitute for Wyness, whose forceful deience and attack were missed; an*d Bailey has not the needful pace. Ritson improved considerably on previous performances, but lacks the virility of a Young or a Timlin... either of whom would have revelled in the clear openings which Ritson sometimes had. Logic put in some good work on the left wing. Mayhew * struck form, clearing often with power, but in his zeal for service crowded upon Jack, who up till the time of his unfortunate accident bad shown excellent goeil-keeping, with but two blemishes. W. Harrison as left back presented massive opposition to the Ravensbourne forwards Some clubs, winning the toss, almost invariably choose to face the wind, expecting to excel when they have the wind with thorn in the second half. This is sometimes doubtful wisdom. City found it so _ on Saturday. They opened against the wind, and just before half time then backs were greeted with the almost level rays of a setting sun, which handicapped them seriously. , The Mornington-Northern fixture at t.ne Gardens provided a contest never wearying in interest. Although Northern gained the ascendency early in the progress of the o-ame, the Blue-an cl-blacks never lost heart, tut played keenly to the end. It must be a disappointment to a team to secure the number of opportunities to scoi’6 that Momington had on Saturday and yet lose them. Although Shepherd was responsible for the safe custody of many shots, thero is no doubt that the Mornington forwards failed to secure the reward of their efforts because of faulty shooting. The play was decidedly above the average, the cleanly methods of both teams assisting to make the game delightful to spectators as well as players. In Shepherd Northern have a player of many Darts, and his work on Saturday was the largest contributing factor in Nortnern s A somewhat lamentable feature of local football is the poverty of the shooting. The reason for this is not far to seek, ft, is simply this: Shoot’ng is a special science, requiring special, frequent, mtellirr.ent practice, whereas players mostly content themselves with the meagre practice they got m matches. If captains of teams would arrange to get their forwards together regularly for shooting practice only, the men being given opportunities to shoot from all conceivable positions, there would in a short t’mc be a vast impiclement in the shooting in matches. The cricketer, the tennis player, the billiard player, all diligently practise strokes before they attain skill. The rule is the same for the footballer, who will not find shooting proficiency without specially working for it. Writing m the Windsor Mr W. I- Bassett says: — “ One great fault which men make is that they shoot right at the goal-keeper instead of at the portions of net which are not guarded. I have never seen a man shoot more discrimmately than Bloomer does, and he shoots to avoid the goalkeeper. Many men simply bang in at the goal, with the result that their shots, are usually intercepted by the goal-keeper. Few men shoot or pass with the side of one foot, sufficiently They are too apt to use the toe in shooting, and it takes a clever footballer to shoot effectively with his toe. Then, again, men do not trap the ball well, whilst those who trap >’t well often trap it when their side is moving towards goal; they want to take it on the run then. The man who stops to trap the ball under those circumstances is often the means of allowing his opponents to get into position, whereas had he taken the risk and gathered the hall on the run the goal might have fallen while the defenders were out of position. The forward who - loses time always loses an opportunity. That is a golden rule in football.” T a |.-in(r up the “penalty' discussion -n the Athletic News C. F. Sutcliffe says: 11 year tbs referee s decisions become move serious because of the growth and keener interest in the game, but the p~ty to ray mind is that too often the referee is tied down by the laws of the game. I would alter the penalty law by dividing the penalty offences into two classes—sen-

ous and trifling—and I would have penalty kicks for serious offences taken from the 6yds mark, and for trifling offences from the 18yds mark, and do away with the 12yds mark altogether. The reason is simple. I want the strongest possible penalty to attach to this unsportsmanlike offence, and I don’t want too big a penalty to attach to the lesser offences.” OTAGO FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. The weekly meeting of the Otago Football Association was held on Monday evening, Mr W. R. Sinclair presiding. A. Wyness (of the City Club), who had the previous week been disqualified until such time as he appeared before the committee to answer a charge of using improper language towards the referee on the field and when leaving the field, attended and expressed regret that he had lost his temper. Hp admitted the offence, but claimed that the referee’s decisions had provoked the remarks. During years of play he had never previously been cautioned for any offence. He complained that he had not received written notice to attend the previous meeting.—The secretary and the City Club’s delegate each stated that he had verbally notified the player to attend. —It was moved and seconded: — “ That this being the player’s first offence, and he having expressed regret, his name be placed on the cautioned players’ list.” An amendment: —“That Wyness be disqualified for an additional playing Saturday (making two Saturdays in all),” was carried. H. Elliott (of the City Club), who had been similarly disqualified on a charge of using improper language in the pavilion after the same match, appeared before the committee and denied the charge, stating that the only occasion upon w 7 hich he had expressed himself forcibly w 7 as when, at the conclusion of play, a linesman had called him a. liar, the incident taking place outside the pavilion. He claimed that he had a perfect right to say what he liked to a man who spoke to him in such a way. —ln answer to inquiry, the secretary stated that the player in question had thrice previously been reported to the committee. — A motion to the effect that the player be disqualified for one additional playing'Saturday was not seconded. It w r as resolved : “ Th it Elliott be disqualified until the end of June.’’ With regard to the renewal of the request from the Amateur Athletic Club Protection Society that the disqualification of a City player be endorsed, correspondence from the player in question and the secretary of rhe Opcho Cricket Club was read, and it was resolved that the society be again informed that the O.F.A. had no jurisdiction over the case. Notice of motion was given that the resolution to the effect that in future the O.F.A. automatically endorse all the Protection Society’s disqualifications be rescinded. R. A. Buchanan’s application for a transfer from the Cycle Corps to the Post and Telegraph (Wednesday) Club was grantee. Mr Broomfield complained of the encroachment of grade players on grounds where school teams were playing. He reported that on Saturday a sure goal had been prevented owing to the ball striking an Alliance player who had encroached.— With a view to making an example in order to put down a thoughtless but prevalent practice, the Alliance delegate was asked to ascertain the name of the player referred to. A- J- Muirhead intimated that it was desired to withdraw the Southern team from che Third Grade competition.—Permission granted, subsequent fixtures for this team to go by default to their oppon Apts. C. H. Johnstone, of the Roslyn-Wakari Club, reported that, owing to the non-at-tendanoe of the appointed referee, the Third Grade match, Roslyn-Wakari v. Christian Bros., had not been played.— Th© Christian Bros.’ delegate stated that one or two persons had been willing to act, but the Roslyn-Wakari team would not consent. -—lt was resolved that the match be replayed at the end of the season if necessary. The opinion was expressed that, in the case of a referee not -turning up, a substitute should be accepted when available. The secretary reported having received a verbal application from the Burnham Industrial School that the Otago representative team should, on the return jouriie.v from Wellington, play a match against Burnham team, which was leading for the Canterbury Senior Championship.—Applicant to be informed that such application should be forwarded through the Canterbury Association. Mr Jones intimated his willingness to endeavour to reorganise th© Referees’ Club. -Offer accepted with thanks. The High School Third Grade was granted the use of Corinthian Park No. 1 ground, if available, for a practice on Saturdav next. It was resolved that a letter of sympathy be forwarded to the parents of W. Roberts, the Ravensbourne player who had his leg fractured during the nrogresa of a match at Ravensbourne on Saturday. .SATURDAYS MATCHES. FIRST GRADE. Ravensbourne v. City. Culling Park was in excellent condition for th© match Ravensbourne v. City. City s team was considerably altered, the services of Elliott, Wyness, Russell, Brady, and M'Leod not being available. The team was as follows: —Jack, Maybe w 7, W. Harrison, Lawson, Robinson, Bailey, Forbes, Bailiie, Ritson, MTnnes, and Logie. For Ravensbourne Maines played outside right and John Connor inside right. Ravensbourne 3 goals. City 1 goalNorthern v. Mornington. Northern and Morrrington met at the Gardens, the ground being in capital order. The game was played in a friendly spirit, and ther© was no ne essity for much whistle. Northern ... ... ... ... 3 goals Mornington , Nil Roslyn-Wakari v. Maori Hill. Maori Hill were without the services of R. and H. Aspinall and Rcslyn-Wakari were without the services of Webster and Phillips (who have left Dunedin), Knowles and Kean (through injuries received in the match against Northern), and Farquharson, while Ritchie and Bradley, also injured in the Northern match, showed signs during the game of the difficulties they were labouring under. Roslyn-Wafcari 2 goals Maori Hill 1 goal SECOND GRADE. The Alliance defeated Maori Hill by 2

| goals to nil on the Clear. After the match the Alliance players were the guests of Mr and Mrs Stubbs, of Maori Hill, who entertained them at tea. On departing, Captain Thorn called for three cheers for Mr and Mrs Stubbs. Roslyn-Wakari defeated Northern by 2 goals to 1, after an exciting game. Sim, M'Laren, Dunne, and Thomson, were conspicuous for good play on Northern s i side. . _ , Southern 3 goals, Mornington 2 goals. High chool 5 goals, Cycle Corps 2 g ° alS ‘ THIRD GRADE. Northern A, playing two men short, drew with Alliance, each side scoring a goal. Birchall. Budge, and Fraser played well for Northern. Cormack, Lamb, Bowie, and Lawson were prominent for Alliance. , _ , , Northern B defeated Ravensbourne by 3 o-oals to nil. One of Ravensbourne’s players had the misfortune to sprain his ankle. Galland, Charteris, and Shepherd in the forward line, and Kennedy, and Green in the backs played well for Northfourth grade. Northern C and Christian Brothers clayed a drawn game at the Oval._ Defargey and Lavburn figured prominently i for Christian Brothers, while Singleton, ! Decide, Dyson, and Cameron played well ! for Northern. Holland scored for the Greens, and/ Dyson for Northern. Miaori Hill defeated Northern D by 3 goals to 1. M‘Lauchlan, Edwards, and Dryden played well for Northern who had ! not their full strength. High School 3 goals, Mornington B 2 | ° Southern 3 goals, Mornington A 2 S ° alS ’ SCHOOL MATCHES. Senior. Christian Brothers A 4 goals beat Selwyn College 1 goal. Scorers: For the winners—J. Walsh (2), C. Todd, J. Newman; for the losers, Lomas. Referee, Mr ! R. B. Shepherd. j High School A 7 goals boat High School IA 1 goal. Scorers ; For the winners—Orr | (2), • M‘Gregor (2), Kemnitz, Sands, and j Ritchie. For the losers, Nicholson. Junior. Christian Brothers B 2 goals beat Caver- ! sham nil. J. M'Carthy and S. M'Allcn scored. Referee, Mr G. Often. Green Island 6 goals beat Union Street 1 goal. corers; For Green Island —Deer (3), Coates, Borthwick, Carruthers. For Union Street, M'Millan. North-East Valley won against Kaikorai ■ by default. “St. Patrick’s 1 goal boat Mornington A nil. Third Grade. ! Ravensbourne 1 goal beat Mornington B nil. W. Kelly scored. Referee, Mr J. Watt. Wakari and High School B 2 goak each. W. Millar and R. Gibb scored for Wakari, Reekie and Paulin for High School. Referee, Mr S. Wilson. Albany Street v. Christian Brothers C.— i Drawn; no score. N.Z. ASSOCIATION. ; WELLINGTON, June 10 The Council of the N.Z. Football Asso- | elation met this evening, j The Auckland Association wrote favouring the proposed New 7 South Wales tour j in 1911, and guaranteeing _ £175 towards ' the exipenses.—lt was decided to communicate with the other New Zealand Association before opening negotiations with the New South Wales Association. Mr J. M. Olliver w 7 as appointed treasurer, Mr L. E. White being unable to again accept the position. _ Mr A. M. j Myers was elected a vice-president in place ! of the late Mr F. E. Baumo. i In reference to the dispute between the I Nightcaps Club and the Southland AseoI ciation over making fixtures, it was decided that the council had no jurisdiction, but to suggest that the proposal for the formation of a sub-union be carefully considered. It was decided to retain 5 per cent, of : the gross gate money at the Brown Shield match with Wanganui on July 2 after the percentage due to the New Zealand Council is deducted.

o bo cri s' w a r>) ■ OS CU Won Lost. d Q "3 O O d O o 6 Northern . 5 4 1 0 11 1 8 Ravensbourn© . 5 4 1 0 10 4 8 Roslvn-Wakari 5 3 2 0 7 10 6 City . 5 1 3 1 9 13 3 Morning-ton . 5 1 3 1 7 10 3 Maori Hill . 5 1 4 0 5 11 2