FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 230, 22 September 1908, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

' AIUUVAL OF THK-ACSTHAI.IAX IIOMJi TEAM. London. September 40. The Australian liuuliy team has arrived at Plymouth, the Mayor of Plymouth gave a public welcome and a dinner to the visitors. The .a.ptain of the team, intervienvi, declared that the wing three-quarters might not be so fast as the New Zealanders, but the forwards were quite as active. TJILTiSDAY'S XOIITHKUX UNION GAME. " Fair-minded Spectator" writes to the editor as follows:- --•■ Alter waiting in vain for several days for an expression of the ' unanimous praise of the spectators ' at last Thursday's Northern L'ni-ui match. Mr. Tom, Smith has perforce to take up the ctulg'els for the pro's, anil the way in which he has done so will do littie good to the movement, 11.' apparently think- that he will best accomplish thi- by vilifying the officers of the- Taranaki ltugby Union, by openly proclaiming them as enemies, and ■by alienating the press by making unfounded statements—accusing the reporters of making their reports of the match subject to the censorship of the chairman of the T.B.U. He also goes so far as to' hint that they wish to aid and abet the foul tactics and. rough plav, which they have always set their faevs against, ever upholding the suspensions of players proved guilty of foul pl-iy. He says ' scores of spectators are indignant at the misleading reports of tae ma'tch.' I can only say that 1 have heard no one yet give expression lo their indignation. In fact, it has been the other way about. It was quite evident as the game progressed that it was intended to make an ' honourable draw' of it, and this arrangement was only upset bv the instippressiblo brilliancy <n Hardgrave towards the finish. Does Mr. Smith reallv think that Thursday's game will bear comparison with the games v. Anglo-Welsh, Otago. or Wellington, to say nothing about Auckland V Why, it was as different as is club football to representative. At one time t'le ball passed through six Auckland players' hand- without any of them running, and when it reached the opposite side of the field it had travelled back yards. No. Mr. Smith, we had hoped that the exhibition on Thursday would not he held up as a fair sample of the gninp. We were willing to make allowanots for players not being conversant wilh the rub'-: but if you.claim that it wis

•a faster, lietler-pnssiii-r frame, and .1 hi ttcr-tacklinfr Kami 1 ' th.in has been seen this season. I do not think -llie;e is uiueh fear for the f-ood old Hiiu'hy I'niou }raine vet auhiio. Mr.- Smith speak, of tile .•decaying old liu-roy framc.' No far from this bciiifr the case, it i- 1 ven now throwing out new. shoo;s, and with anienilniculs'nn the lines sii»;>esteil by the provim ial unions will continue to hold sway in New Zealand aour national fame."

The Press Association did not inform us what happened to Jackson, the mem-' her of the An-rln-Welsh football team that toured the Dominion and in Australia recently, who was arrested on a eharjre of assault, on information laid by the alleged victim. William Lewis. It appears from the Wellington papeifl that, when the ca-e wa- called the. informant a-ked permission to withdraw (he char-re. The information was acordinrrly dNuii-.-: :1. Mr. Wilford. w 1., appeared to defend, then proceeded t" make a statement to the lleneli. in wlii.-h lie narrated the incident, that led up to the dill'ereiice between the men. M--.

Wilfnnl claimed that the motive wlih-a actuated Jarks.in's conduct in tin- intiftci was ;i natural desire tn uliliiin some redress of rt wroiijr which lie consider'd had lipi'ii inlli.dcd upon a third ihtsou duriiiK the vova-ri" .if the Maitai from Sydney, on whirl, -hip all ill.' parti - wore ]iassoi>'_'ors.