FOOTBALL CLUB DINNER

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1929, Page 4

FOOTBALL CLUB DINNER

MEETING OF OLD BOYS’ CLUB PRESENTATION OF DEWAR SHIELD PRAISE FOR STYLE OF FOOTBALL. The dinner of the Old Boys Football Club was held in New Plymouth on Saturday night. Mr. A. A. Bennett (president) was in the chair. During the evening the Dewar Shield and medals were presented to the club by the chairman of the Taranaki Rugby Union (Mr. J. McLeod). “This toast should be honoured,” said Mr. G. Bertrand, in proposing the toast of Kindred Clubs, “particularly because we are drinking to those who play the game we play.” In drinking to kindred clubs, they were 1 toasting not only Star and Tukapa, but all the clubs in Taranaki. He congratulated Opunake, a country club which had proved itself this season, on winning the championship. He extended congratulations to the Celtic Club, a new club which, lie considered, justified its decision to play senior football. Mr. Bertrand congratulated Star, and particularly Mr. McLean, on the honour of having his son in the New Zealand representative team. (Applause.) The Star club had. fostered junior football with benefit to itself. Most of the limelight centred on the senior players, but Star had not forgotten its juniors, a policy resulting in considerable success. He congratulated the Tukapa Club which, with a young team, had not only weathered the storm but had shown great promise for the seasons to come.

In his reply Mr. E. Jackson congratulated Old Boys on the excellent form shown during the season. In the early part of the season it was thought they might win the championship. They had not won the championship but had played good, clean, open football of a type which would make football the most popular of all sports. He congratulated the junior team, which had done great work. WEAKNESS IN DEFENCE. There was a weakness in Taranaki football to-day, thought Mr. Jackson. The defence was not as good as it should be. Too much praise was given to the man who scored the try and none to the man who saved a try.* The Old Boys team had played the game both on and oil tlie field. It was not the winning of the match that counted, but the type of game that w-as played. He felt sure the game as played by Old Boys and the other clubs would make football what it ought to be. It had been a pleasure to him to see the class of football played in Taranaki, said Mr. McLean, who also replied to the toast. Old Boys clubs formed a very valuable element in New Zealand football. At school their members had learned to play a. sound game. In these days the number of schools in New Zealand playing good football was much greater than it had been. The relations between Star and Old Boys, said Mr. McLean, had been of the; best. The' games between them had been clean, hard and well fought. He felt honoured at being asked to propose the health of the Taranaki Rugby Union, said Mr. A. A. Bennett. The union was a keen, efficient body, with the interests of Rugby at heart. He had always watched the proceedings of the parent body with much interest and must say that Taranaki footballers were exceptionally lucky in the type of meh running football in the province. Clubs were prone, perhaps, to overlook the amount of time and labour spent in administration. . , .. The union, said Mr. Bennett, had the ■whole-hearted support of the.. Old Boys Club. Whatever the union, asked the .club to do in the interests of the game would be done willingly. He .stressed the loyalty of members to their club and to one another. He knew of no other club in which these features were so marked. The union had. that same loyalty from the Old Boys Club. Last season, said Mr. J. McLeod in his reply, lie had not been in such close contact with the game as usual owing to a trip away from New Zealand, and he had been surprised when he came back to find that Old Boys had not won the championship. However, he felt that the time was only deferred. ' TESTING TIME FOR RUGBY’. The next few weeks, .said Mr. McLeod, would be a testing time in the history of Rugby in the province, and he was glad of the loyalty of the Old Boys Club. He knew he could rely upon it. Mr. McLeod complimented the club on winning the Dewar Shield in the first ten-a-side competition ever held under Rugby Union rules. Amid applause he presented the shield to Mr. S. Fookes and the medals to the members of the team present. . ' He had to congratulate the club on winning the Dewar Shield and being run-ners-up for the Taranaki championship in the third grade competition, said Mr. F. Foden in proposing the toast of the Old Boys Club. It was the junior teams which provided the senior teams of the future. The club was very fortunate in having Messrs. 11. Masters and G. H. Bertrand for coaches. But the coaches, said Mr. Foden, needed the. co-opera-tion of the players. If the players turned up regularly to practices, then Old Boys would soon be at the top of the tree.

The teams had had a varying amount of success in the past season, said Mr. S. Fookes in his reply, but it had not. been individual success. It was really club success. The only way for the chib to prosper was for members to give their best for ;tlie club on and off the field. He thanked the president for his keen interest and Messrs. Bertrand and Masters for their untiring efforts. Mr. Fookes strongly advised consistent training. No better example of the result of consisting training could be seen than in the Old Boys third grade team last season. At tlie beginning of the season 16 men had turned up to practices and by the end of the season the number was no lower than 14. That was keenness. He hoped next year the club would win the senior championship as well as the junior. The toast of the Referees and the St. John Ambulance Association was proposed by Mi. R. Howell, who expressed appreciation of their services to the game. Mr. F. J. Eggleton and Mr. Hopkinson replied. The toast of the President was proposed by Mr. J. H. Boon, who offered him the best wishes of the club and hoped he would hold office for many years. In his reply Mr. Bennett said he had been greatly struck with the comradeship and enthusiasm, win or lose, shown by each member for the club.

Other toasts were “The Host and Hostess” (Mr. G. H. Bertrand—Mr. J. Power) and “The Press” (Mr. F. J. Egglcton —Mr. G. Wells).