SPORTING GOSSIP

Putaruru Press, Volume XX, Issue 1193, 1 August 1946, Page 5

SPORTING GOSSIP

(By “Crossbar’’) Thi s seems to be an age of strikes and even" Rugby players are afflicted with the strike-germ. Every back, except one-, and also some of the forwards selected to play for Taranaki .against King Country at Taumarunui on Saturday went on strike and told the union committee he would not play. The reason was that the committee had decided that in future club fixtures would he played when the representative team played outside the province. All of the striking players were drawn from the leading clubs—Tukapa, Old Boys and Eltham. A conference was called and ih . the ' end a compromise was reached in that the union declared Saturday a “pointless” day. Club matcheiD would be played aa arranged,- but no competition points would be awarded.

Top scoring men for the British League team in Australia were Gus Risman, centre threequarter and captain, 68 points, Ted Ward (wing) 65, and E. Ward (fullback and centre) 62. The latter kicked 17 goals in one match, against Mackay (Queensland), an international record.

Wellington believes in coaching its young players. Recently, no less than seven teams of ochoolboy Rugby players attended on the same day .at the Kolbum - ground and were put through theirr paces by Charlie Oliver, all Black representative at criekct and Rugby. Oliver put the ladiD through a strenuous couerse of scrum formation, lineout wortc, dribbling and passing. The Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, was an interested spectator and addressed, the boys, emphasising teamwork. Master of the schools worked under Oliver’s direction.