FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 May 1924, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

PLAY IN TARANAKI. THE CUP COMPETITIONS. TO-DAY’S MATCHES. Tukapa v. Old Boys, at Pukekura Park. Kaponga v Eltham, at Eltham. Opunake v. Patea, at Opunake. Hawera v. Okaiawa, at Hawera. Stratford v. Star, at Stratford. Inglewood v. Clifton, at Inglewood. HOW THE TEAMS STAND. CROUP 1

REPRESENTATIVE MATCHES. The following representative matches have been arranged:— June 3. —v. Wanganui, at Wanganui. July.—v. Wellington, at Hawera. August 7.—v. Manawatu, at Stratford. August 16.—v. Wanganui, in Taranaki. August 30.—v. Wellington, at Wellington. Sept. 3.—v. Wairarapa, in Taranaki. Sept. 13.—v. Auckland, in Taranaki. TO-DAYS MATCHES. The matches set down for decision today are those that were postponed from last week owing to the wet weather. So far this season footballers have been very unfortunate in regard to the weather, there having been a series of rough week-end.-,. It is to be hoped that they will be more fortunate today. All the matches fixed for to-day are of an interesting nature. Greatest interest will attach to the matches at Hawera and Eltham, where the leaders in the respective groups will have hard tussles to maintain their positions. At Hawera the local team will be opposed by Okaiawa in the opening match of the second round, and Okaiawa are confident of turning the tables on their opponents, who gained the \ictory in the first round.

, At Eltham. Kaponga will meet the leaders, who so far have not received a check. They are confident of continuing their unbeaten career to-day, and have been consistently training, but Kaponga is an improving team, and now that they have struck something like true form the Kaponga fifteen can be relied upon to make matters very interesting. Star and Stratford meet at Stratford. The latter won by a narrow margin in the first round, but Star are confident of winning to-day, and as Stratford are equally confident, a keen struggle is expected. The Inglewood-Clifton match at Inglewood should prove another interesting struggle, the first meeting of the two teams having proved very close. At Opunake the two coastal teams are meeting, and as Patea, like Opunake, possesses solid forward and some speedy backs the local public can look forward to a close struggle.

At Pukekura Park. Tukapa will meet Old Roys, and though the former should win, the match should be full of interest throughout, as both teams play the open, spectacular game that the public admires.

NEWS AND NOTES. It is pleasing to note that the Wellington Rugby Union has agreed to send a representative team to play the usual game at Hawera during winter show week. This is a match that is looked forward to with interest by all football enthusiasts throughout Taranaki, and there would have been great disappointment had it fallen through. G. Hart, the Tukapa wing three-quar-ter, who is well in the running for All Black honours, lias been suffering from influenza during the week, and if he plays to-day in the North v. South Island match he will not do himself justice. Sam Cameron who represented Taranaki as five-eighths from 1912 until last year, is this year playing for Waverley. It is pleasing to note that he is showing such form in his old position that he has been chosen to play in the trial match at Wanganui to-day, and there is therefore a possibility that he will be playing against his old province on Tuesday. The writer has to thank Mr. Thos. Buchanan for a copy of the official programme which the Auckland Rugby Union issues each Saturday. The programme is well got up, and contains a number of interesting photographs, as well as useful information. Mr. Buchanan, who was a member of the management committee of the Taranaki Rugby, Union for over 20 years, during which time he was delegate for the Clifton Club, still takes a live interest in the game and is honorary press representative on the Auckland Union. "Webber, the Inglewood forward who showed considerable promise last year, is this year playing for Ponsonby seniors, and is very highly spoken of. The replacement of Badeley by Ifwerson. instead of Thomson, in the recent trial Rugby match at Auckland is the subject of a statement by the selector of th? North Auckland Rugby Union, Mr. S. Weston, who thus explains the matter: —“It is claimed that Thomson should have been asked to replace any back who retired, from the scrum-half to the full-back, the absurdity of which

is not worth discussing. Thomson was never dore the slightest injustice. He was never anything but an emergency wing-threequarter, and I hardly think his warmest admirers could suggest he had the slightest chance of getting any further than this game, even in his own position. On the contrary, to have allowed him to play in the middle of the Auckland combination (whose work he did not understand, and would be unable to carry on), would have been to place it at a hopeless disadvantage, and deprive the selectors of any chance of correctly estimating the various players.” Hawkins; the cx-Old Boys player, is playing remarkably well for Petone (Wellington), and 'is regarded as a probable representative wing three-quarter. Last Saturday he scored a try for his team, which are leading in the compefition by one point. Hickey, the exTaranaki representative, also scored for Poncke on Saturday.,

<5 ft- B: ? 1 8 S’ 3 0. 3 &- 3 ft« a d .Eitham ... 4 4 0 0 30 12. 8 Tukapa .... 4 0 1 64 8 Palmate ... ... 5 2 1 2 29 30 5 Opunake ... Q 0 2 16 23 4 Kaponga .... ... 4 1 ] 2 26 26 4 Patea ... 4 1 0 3 ‘>1 35 2 Old Boys .. A . 4 0 GROUP 0 4 22 50 0 flawera ... ... K 4 1 62 IS 9 Stratford .... ... 5 3 1 35 27 7 Star ... 5 — 2 26 31 6 Inglewood .. 2 —. 3 36 49 4 Clifton ... 5 1 —— 4 14 38 2 Okalawa .... ... 5 1 — 4 29 37 2