FOOTBALL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 250, 22 April 1912, Page 4

FOOTBALL

NEWS AND NOTES. It 'behoves footballers to waste no time i in getting into form, because the date » of the. commencement of the cup competition has been fixed for Thursday, May 2, and Saturday, May 4, a week earlier than last year. It was necessary to make an early start, as there is a big programme of representative matches to got through this season. The cup fixtures have been arranged, and as there arc only four senior teams in each of then ortliern competitions, three rounds will probably be played. Eltham find that after eighteen years they liave fallen upon evil days. Last season saw this club considerably weakened, and it was unable to complete its engagements. This year various causes ■ has led to' a: 'dearth, almost amounting to a famine, of senior players' in the, EJ- ! tluvm district, and the club, after con-' sidering the position very carefully, found itself unable to enter a senior team. Their junior team apparently, contain no members sufficiently capable to fill the vacancies, as the club turned down as impracticable a proposal to run them as seniors, deeming them, as an enthusiast remarked, "hardly a decent feed for juniors." The defection of the seniors debarred the juniors and second juniors taking part, and would thus debar thirty players from enjoying the national pastime. This the Un'ioncommittee does not desire to do. It wishes to foster football and the more trams there are the merrier. Three years ago' Okaiawa was in as sad a strait and were thrown in with Knponga. for a season, with the result that the fo.otball, .prestige of the district was preserved, and the following season, when Okaiawa went on its own again, it was so invigorated that it nearly won the championship, and actually performed ihat feat a season later. Kltlnun Club's ease appealed to the Union, and their juniors were allowed to play under the wing of tho_ Stratford Club this year. Their senior players, however, were given to Kaponga, who are weak, as it was con- | sidered that if thev were allowed to play for Stratford it would he sirengthciiing an already strong team. It is understood that Inglewood will again have a weak I cam. 'This will be regretted among followers of football. All footballers admire the pluck of the Inglewood team in batllhur year after year without often a semblance of a chance, always fulfilling their engagements, even after defeats that would dishearten the sturdiest, and if any team deserves to taste the sweets of victory the maroons do. Defaulting secretaries among football clubs and other small sports bodies are very common. Two Taranaki clubs this year find that their secretaries have left for fields unknown, and so has (lie cash balance, which the books show should be in the club's exchequer. In many clubs, however, the poor secretary is expected to finance, the show, paying the expenses often of needy or shrewd players, and is out of poekit largely at the end of the season. Omission to note paym, -its in the club's books makes it look rs though

the absent secretary has made money at I the club's expense, when possibly a little j personal explanation might show the boot on the other foot. Of course carelessness is not always the cause, for there are many cases of actual dishonesty. We have to thank the secretary of the Tukapa Football Club for a complimentary season ticket. The Tukapa Club desire to acknowledge receipt of the following donations: Dr. Fookes £1 Is, Dr. Walker £1 Is, Mr. T. (Bishop :10s fid, Dr. Leatham 10s ' iOd, Mr. A. iStansell ss. Mr. D. Teed' ss; also Dr. Fookes and Mr. A. Stansell for trophies. Footballers will all extend their sympathy to "Simon" Afynott, the Taranaki and All-Mack representative, in the sad loss he has sustained in the loss of his father. "Simon" has retired from active participation in the game, but it is sincerely to be hoped that Taranaki will not for many years lose the benefit of his experience and advice in the selection and training of its representative teams. i