FOOTBALL.

Southland Times, Issue 19658, 7 October 1922, Page 13 (Supplement)

FOOTBALL.

(By “Onside Mac.”) J. Lilley, the veteran full-back of the Star Club, was seen in a new role on Saturday, playing front row for the Rugby players in the soccer-rugby contest at Rugby Park. Lilley was probably the best forward (rugby) the team had and his two tries were well-deserved efforts. The work of shifting the big grandstand at Rugb.v Park to the position occupied by the little stand on the west side has been commenced. The small stand, having outlived its usefulness, will be demolished. The bigger building will be placed on a concrete foundation, thus increasing the space underneath, which may be used as dressing sheds etc. It is understood that the building of a new stand, better able to cope with the public demand for increased seating accommodation, will be undertaken in the near future. Although he secured two good goals in the soccer portion of the “half pie” football match played at Rugby Park, Cook, the New Zealand soccer player, got few chances when playing at wing in the rugby spell. However, he showed great speed and an unhesitating run and more than one spectator remarked that he would like to see the soccer champion on the wing of a good rugby team. It is reported that G. Owles, the Otago representative footballer, is leaving this month for South Africa, where he has a brother farming. Saturday must have been the first time this season that Cleland was played in his rightful position, second five-eighth. He gave a sound and promising display. I am

told that next season his club will probably play him at centre and he should do well in either that position or the one indicated above. At a meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union recently drastic action was taken in the case of Torn Jones of Newport, who it was alleged bad introduced certain prominent Welsh players to the Northern Union dubs. Deciding that this was a breach of the amateur laws, the Welsh Union suspended Jones during the pleasure of the Union. Jones, says an English paper, was the most brilliant winging forward of the Welsh team last season and played in all the international games. There are three brothers Oughton in the Star senior team, but it looks as if it will not be long before a fourth brother will be playing first grade football. Playing second five-eighth for the winning Territorial team on Saturday, young G. Oughton gave a promising display, passing out well and cutting in with nice judgment. H. Forsayth, who was in New Zealand a couple of years ago with the Sydney University team and is now completing his education at Oxford, will in all probability be back in time to give his native country a hand next season. Forsayth got his rugby Blue at Oxford, was five times capped for Scotland and was rated by critics as the best full back seen in Britain for years. The extraordinary interest in football in Victoria was manifested in Melbourne last Saturday week when 64,000 people were present at the semi-final for the Australian Rules competition between Esscndon and Carlton, a record for Australasia. Besides that, 20,000 people went along to see the Association final. The gate receipts in the first mentioned match were £3248 and Essendon won by 39 to 34. Among the outstanding individual scoring performances this season is that of I. Grieg, a member of the Berhampore intermediate team, says the Wellington Post. He played in thirteen matches, and scored 110 points—an average of 8.46 points per game. His score was made up as follows: Six tries, twenty-six goals from tries, twelve penalty goals, and one potted goal. In the intermediate grade match played as a cur-tain-raiser to the representative game at Athletic Park last Saturday week, Grieg scored thirteen points out of a total of sixteen registered by Berhampore. The New South Wales Rugby Longue’s propaganda tour of New Zealand came to a sudden and somewhat dramatic conclusion last Saturday when it was announced that the southern tour had been cancelled, io the acconij>animent of wrathful protests from Canterbury. It has also been intended to play a so-called teot match between (he Kangaroos and the Rest of Australia and New Zealand combined at the Caledonian Ground in Dunedin. When the team arrived in (he Dominion the Leaguers were considerably piqued because a civic welcome was not extended to them at Wellington, but those who are conversant with (he present policy of the League both at home and abroad will support the Mayor of Wellington (Mr R. A. Wright) in his attitude towards the “missionaries.” The gold medals presented for the most improved players in the Invercargill Club have been awarded as follows; —First grade —G. Cleland; second grade—C. Stoiw; third grade—D. Mitchell; fourth grade— R. Gardiner; fifth grade—R. Piercy. QOO