FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1925, Page 5

FOOTBALL.

THE WEDNESDAY COMPETITION. * SOUTH TARANAKI PLAY. (From Our Own Reporter.) • Hawera, June 18. Interesting contests in the South •Taranaki Wednesday football competition yesterday resulted in Fraser Road defeating Normanby, Ohangai beating Wharehuia, City A defeating Tokaora.. City B secwting a victory over llaaaia. CITY A 9 v. TAHORA 0. City A defeated Tokaora at Hawera dy 9 to nil. The first spell was of a ragged character, the Tokaora forwards dominating the game and being unlucky Hot to score. A splendid run by Goodtfrin opened the Hawera team’s account with a try, which Purser failed to convert. Better football was witnessed in the second spell, the City backs throwing the ball about freely, although greater cohesion and accuracy of passing would have given better results. Craighead and Smith each succeeded in dossing the line, neither of the tries Being converted. For Taliora the most prominent players were Fraser, Wren and Taylor, while for City A Vivian, who had not played for twelve months. Purser, Craighead. Dalgleish, Hall and Trotter all played good football. FRASER ROAD 9 v. NORMANBY 0. Playing at Normanby, Fraser Road defeated Normanby fey 9 to nil. The game was mostly confined to the forwards. The. weight of the Normanby pack made the game very hard in the Jrst spell, and Fraser Road could only tiold their own. In the second spell the condition of the Normanby pack gave out. A. Rumbal kicked a penalty and E. Burke scored an unconverted try. H. Whareaitu added a penalty «oal, giving the victory to Fraser Road by 9 to nil. yL OHANGAI 5 v. WHAREROA 3. Whareroa put a much stronger team In the field to-day, and they succeeded In extending the Ohangai team to the Utmost, although they suffered defeat by 5 to 3, the margin being the conversion of a goal. The game was played at a gruelling pace throughout and Wliareroa were unfortunate in losing A Paterson owing to an injury. Both forward packs were in great form. For Ohangai T. Magan scored a try which Hume converted, while Whareroa'a score ■consisted of a try by French, the fullback. CITY B 11 v. MANAIA 6, Playing at Manaia, City B defeated Manaia by 11 points to 6. A bright, open gamer between City B Snd Manaia gave the Hawera team the victory by 11 points to 6_. Play alternated freely up and down the field, and Was marred by a serious mishap, D Jury, of the City B team, retiring with a broken arm. Tries were scored for Manaia by Wilson and Rum Sam. and for City B by Harrison and Foster, converting one try and Hart kicking a penalty goal. CENTRAL DIVISION. YESTERDAY’S RESULTS. Zirst juniors.—Cardiff 11 v. Pukenga--3; Stratford 6 v. Toko 0; Midhirst 13 v. Inglewood 3. Third grade.—Stratford 15 v. Toko 0; Midhirst 14 v. Inglewood 0. ALTERATION OF FIXTURES. PROTEST BY INGLEWOOD CLUB. Dissatisfaction at the alteration of the senior football fixtures for this week was expressed at a meeting of the manfigement committee of the Inglewood football Club last night, and as a result the following resolution was passed:— **That the secretary write to the Tara* &aki Rugby Union strongly protesting against the action of the management committee in departing from the fix* (urea as originally arranged without giving more notice to clubs; also to point out that the change of this Greek*! fixtures has caused the Ingle- . wood Club great inconvenience on ac Mu-gjtiunt of onlv three players living in .the borough.’* It was pointed out that the members the team were drawn from scattered some living in the baekblocks. For this week Inglewood was originally act down to play on its home ground, but is now to meet Tukapa at New Plymouth. It was difficult to advise all players to this effect in the short time Available, and it was felt that some players would arrive in time to play at ingle wood, only to find that they were supposed to be at New Plymouth. Some doubt was expressed as to whether Inglewood would be afeie to place a senior in the field under these circumfitaneea. TEAMS FOR TO-MORROW. TUKAPA CLUB. Seniors ▼. Inglewood, at Sportsground, gt 2.45 p.m.: Petty, Hart, Hooker, Loveridge, Ennis, Oliver, Jeffries, Taylor, Evans, Johnston, Oliver, Davis, Hamrn er a ley, McLean, Fanning. Emergeneiesj RHdhr, O’Dowda. First juniors v. Lepperton, at Leppertcn, at 3 p.m.: Beggs, Evans, Southcombe, Taylor, Stagpoole, Brown, Thomson, Stohr, Blincoe, McManus, Moorhead, Kewell, Pascoe, Smith, Lovegrove, Friar. Third juniors v. Urenui: McLean, Dodunski, Head, Bithell, McNeill, Cole, Toomey, Corney, Bartholomew, Boswell, Oodfrey, Rhodes, Moorhead, Cottier, Si ewart, Sole, Williams. Fourths v. Old Boys, at Racecourse No. 2, at 1.30 p.m.: Julian, A. McLean, Morris, Dickinson, Connett, Field, Tippins, Boyle, Gayton, Broome, Healy. Stewart, Hill, McLean, Rowse, Aroa., £ aruer. STAR CLUB. First Junior v. Old Boys: Kay, Loveridge, Home, Butler, Boon, Champion, Rilling, Morris, Coulthard, McKenzie, Moller, Pollock, West, Newman, James, Whiting, Bellringer, Shaw. First junior v. Urenui, at Western Park, at 3 p.m.: Pen warden, Murphy, Rjissell, Johnson, Blackie, Baker (2), Nagal, McKay, Retter, Mills, Buttimore, Keary, Carter, Frost, Wolfe. Third grade v. Old Boys, at Tukapa, 1.30: Simpson,. Hodge, Capon

I Hogarth, Freeman, Dickie, Stewart, Bedford, Peel, Fitzsimmons, Philpotts, •Jakea, Findlay, Boyle, Shippey. Fourth grade v. Technical, at Racecourse, at 1.30 s Ennis, Early, White, Lander, Glentworth, Tuffcry. Knight, Cropper, Parkin, .Sampson, Miles, Mai'well, Harvey, Shaw, Troy, Hartnell. OLD BOYS’ CLUB. Seniors v. Eltham, at Eltliam: Valentine, Meuli (2), Brown, Taylor, Earl, Deem, Venables, Moore, Brewster, Wilson, Collins, Leggat, Roberts, Frethey. Emergency, Hughes. First junior v. Star, at Western Park, at 1.15 p.m.: Abbott, Skjellerup, Nasmith, Bullard, Hawkins, Corkill,. Ballantyne. Pope, Knapman, Wright, Knoffloek, Brookes, Bendali, Ryan, Green. Emergency: McLean. Second juniors v. Star, at Tukapo, at 1.15 p.m.: Martin, Kidd, Thorburn, Spiers, James, Muir, Bellringer, Sullivan, Tulloeh, Evans, Fookes, Hutchen, Woodham, Dinniss, Kebbell. Emergency: Dailey, Campbell, Guild. Third juniors v. Tukapa, at Racecourse No. 2, at 1.30 p.m.: Ford, Olson, Plumtree, Lister, Hutchinson, Law, Jackson, Insull, Baunton, Groomlbridge, Olson, Pope, Salt on, Allen, Washer. Emergencies: Roch, Trueman, Anthony. STRATFORD CLUB. Seniors: A. Collins, F. Dossett, Walter, J. Jans, F. Algar, B. Collins, J. gangster, C. Coulton, Hinton, J. Young, Kivell, McCullough, O’Keefe, Bond, and E. Young. Emergencies: Lehmann aud Thomas. KAPONGA CLUB. .Seniors v. Opunake, at Opunake: G. Patterson, J. McCarthy, C. Patterson; C. Rye, C. Whalen, A. Guy, M. Lynsky, J. Patterson, J. Hammersley, P. Hammtrsley. W. McCook, A. Thomas, M. Malone, W. Martin, C. Espin, L. Tliowmine. Reserves: L. Whalen and J, Doyle. juniors: Busby, Tremain, Aroa (3), Tyack, Free, P. Hammersley, Parker, Eliason, Keheley, Northcutt, Sheehan, Sangster. THE OKATO CLUB. Second juniors, v. High School, at Okato.—Hickford (2), Wadsworth (2), Thomas (2), Ansley (2), Cocksedge, Benton, Wahu, Roebuck, Lawn, E. McCabe, Stewart, Ferguson, Bright. A RUGBY STORY. “THEY RUBBED THEIR EYES.” PLAYiEIR AND POLICEMAN. “The best of magicians never did anything better than we did in 1895,” observes the late W. C. Matter in his reminiscences of old-time New Zealand football. “We put a perspiring, begrimed representative footballer, with a torn jersey and ruined pants, into a four-wheeler at Newtown Park, ’Wellington, and turned him out with a true vizard’s dexterity, at Lambton Quay, a spick and span policeman.

'"Haw many -of the thousands who saw that bitterly contested game between the Wellington forwards and the Taranaki backs at Newton Park in 1895 solved the mystery of the strange exploit of poor jim Poland (another gone). What happened? Why these people saw Poland ploughing and busting away as men of his stamp could, in the dying moments of an exhausting, strenuous, doubtful battle, and then ere they reached the city in the drat of the trams, beheld him a full-rigged, fresh arid splendid “ißolbby.” Some people rubbed their startled eyes, and wondered if they were all there. It was true. Season your imagination for ■a while, and give ear to a simple story. “Wellington wanted its full strength against those Taranaki hustlers and bustiers. The Taranaki men had committed themselves to the tremendous task of breaking that great record held by Wellington, of never having been beaten on its own ground by an interprovincial team for seventeen years. •’How long did you say?’ asked one of those Taranaki giants the night before the match. years,’ was the statistiaian’s reponse. 'The Taranaki’s response was something like that made by Napoleon the night before Waterloo, but he reckoned without Wellington’s magnificent vanguard, and on the morrow it was Taranaki and not Wellington that looked oftener at the elock.

“If I am not mistaken, Skinny Humphries, Taranaki’s clever little ‘donkeyman,’ was brought to the ground for that match and coddled up on a blanket. And when the struggle was over he was coddled up again and sent back to bed.

“But about Poland. He was in the police force, and was compelled to be on duty at 4.45 p.m. Entreaty would not move the powers that were, and so it looked as if we would have to do without him. Then a brilliant suggestion was made—l am sure it must have caused the author some mental pain. Why not begin the match earlier, and arrange for Poland to be returned to the city in time for duty. The Management Committee agreed, and so the thousands who had to hurry through their lunch and make -for Newtown Park on that enormously windy afternoon earlier than usual must blame the writer.

“A member of the committee was appointed to stage-manage the lightning change performance of 'Poland—Player and Policeman.’ Mr. Firth had no sooner (blown his whistle to end that scoreless struggle than Poland was arrested and bundled into a cab outside the ground. “In that cab were Poland’s other appurtenances—tilings that jingle and click, and a smooth piece of wood that beats the best shillelagh ever waved at Donnybrook. By the time Adelaide Road was reached Poland was half a policeman and half a footballer. The Basin Reserve saw him in his tunic—all wrongdoers know the details of that uniform—and by the time. Courtenay Place was astern the change was complete, and for the rest- of the galloping journey Poland was attacking his doles far niente. “Round about the back of the station a flushed, excited ‘Bobby’ was seen to leave a cab, and a few minutes later when'the sergeant called Toland' the response came at once, ‘Here, sir.’ The sergeant raised his right hand, applied the tips of his fingers to the back of his head and began a tickling kind of movement—in short, as Micawber would have put it, he was thinking and thinking hard. Outside the trama with their hang-ou-by-your-eyebrows passengers vyerc reaching the city. InctiU thiph-iaji hard-

gave orders to inarch. Out strode the watch on its way to t-lie Quay. ‘•'Thu? they conversed on the crowded cars:

£l lFinc stamp of men, the police, ■Dear me, is not that Poland?’ 4i ‘ Which one?’ “’The red-faced one who is grining?

“ f Go on. that’s not a bit like Poland—besides, how could he be there?’ “That man went home and told his wife he was sorry for poor old So-and-so. Why? Because he was behaving very peculiarly, and was beinning to set? things. “And then we marvel and wonder men iail aaleen- understood