ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 21, 21 June 1926, Page 3

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

S ATI' II DAY’S MATCHES. HAWERA. June 19. Anroa 3. Mansis a 0. CHRISTCHURCH, June 19 Western 2. Technical H. Thistle 5, Villa 1. Sunny'side 10, St. Albans 0.

n AUCKLAND, June 19, Tramways 2, North Shore' 2. Xortlicote 2, Thistle 1. Ponsonby 2, Y.M.C.A. A (?). WELLINGTON,. June 19:, . Watersiders 0, Hospital G. Thistle 3, Institute 1. Y.M.CA. 7, Seatonn 2. Marist 3, Pet one 2. i Diamonds 3, Brooklyn 0. HAXII.LTON. June 19. A match for the Brown Shield between South Auckland and poverty Bay resulted in a win for the former by I to nil. The home team were easily stronger and kept play mostly in the visiting half. Play v.ns clean and open, the. combination of South being superior, as wore their dribbling tactics. The visiters played a hard game, hut wens unable to break through the strong home defence in the first half, which, arrived with the scores; South Auckland 2, Poverty Bay 0. South Auckland added another within live minutes of resumption, and play livened up considerably. The visitors pressed on several occasions,' hut their attempts to score were futile. Ten minutes from the close South Auckland, with a well combined movement, pressed tbs visiting gaolie and the fourth goKl was clovsrlv I haded tbranch. Poverty Pay showed some brilliant individual play but lacked combination. ENGLISH CANADIAN TOUR. OTTAWA, June 19. A- Nanaimo, British Columbia, the British Soccer tourists defeated an Upper Vancouver island aggregation i (jy three goals to nil, this toeing -the tourists’ tenth victory. The Scottish P.A. -has startled tub football world by a companion suggestion to their now accepted re-form jof the offside rule, that the penally law should be revolutionised’ 11 (suites the Glasgow Evening Times). If Carlton Place is not careful it will ■ be getting a reputation of being actually awake. lam afraid that on [this occasion their idea will receive short shrift. In effect they propose either to increase {lie penalty area, to thhtv yards from the goalposts to 1 an area bounded by (he bye lino, the loucblines, and another mark across the field at thirty yards out, the kick in both cases to be taken from the actual spot of the infringement. Presumably this is a laudable effort to make the punishment fit the ermo. It seems, however, to have been overlooked that this is exactly contrary to the purpose of the penalty law, which was placed, on the book of football statutes to act as a deterrent to tricky play in the neighbourhood of the goal, even at the expense of justice to some extent. The fact that a goal is a probability from a - foul anywhere in the box was originally regarded as merit, though it teems nowadays to be considered otherwise. In the bad old days you simply swept the feet from an opponent who faintly threatened danger, and then, to the best of ,your ability, packed your goal. It was a great scheme, but singularly unsporting. As a preventive the idea of the penalty was introduced, and I think it would be a step backward to do anything to alter its severity. If under the new scheme the punishment were made more severe, then it might lie justified. but this would not be the case except in the limited space directly in front of the goal and nearer to it than the fatal spot. Whatever change is desirable, it does not seem wise to tinker with the 18-yards lines. Possibly a new area outside of this, in which free kicks might be taken more freely, is worthy of considera- v tion, but I doubt it; wo do not wish too many complications and mathematical designs on the field of play/"