TOUR A FINANCIAL LOSS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3029, 3 April 1912, Page 61

TOUR A FINANCIAL LOSS.

MANAGEMENT CRITICISED. (Fbom Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 7. Footballers in the North of England express sympathy with the Australasians in the fact that, instead of making a profit on the venture, the receipts will barely meet the expenditure. The tour was prolonged by a month in order to play six more matches and gather in some gate-money. The weather has been very unkind, and the alteration probably means a loss of £4OO. The Athletic News says:—" However the league authorities in Sydney have been most generous with the players, and on this account the men cannot grumble. Altogether they will have been away from Sydney for eight months, and their allowance has been £2 per man each week, and ail found. Never has a touring Rugby football team been so generously treated. But naturally the men are disappointed that the prospects of a bonus are now more than remote." From another source the management of the tour is subjected to considerable criticism, an<l it is stated that the New Zealand membens received scant consideration from the New South Wales managers. General dissatisfaction existed over the selection of the teams, and some of the best, players lost interest. The expenses of the lour will prove to be enormouswell over £SOOO. in fact. From the playing point of view the visitors could hardly have done better. Only two Lancashire clubs (Wigan and Oldliam! and only two Yorkshire teams (Huddersfield and Batlay) can claim the satisfaction of having finished in front of them. And with the narrow victory by England at Nottingham the full record of the tour gives 35 matches plavcd—2B won, 5 lost, and 2 drawn. Altogether the visitors in these 35 frames have scored 86 goals and 149 tries, against 46 goals and 63 tries by opponents. They oj>ened their tour with 10 successive victories, and then, after the defeat at Nottingham, up to and including the last test match, they played eight games, winning seven and drawing one. scoring 164 points against, 50. Of the four New Zealanders, Francis played in 24 games and kicked 49 goals; he also obtained nine tries. Gillett played four times; Savoury four times, obtaining one try; while Woodward played in six matches and scored one try. The three, last-named men were all injured early in the tour