MEETING THE EXPENSES

Taranaki Daily News, 19 April 1934, Page 9

MEETING THE EXPENSES

TUKAPA CLUB’S LEVY PLAN FORM OF OLD BOYS FIFTEEN. MATCH FOR THE DAN O’BRIEN. r (By “Side-Row.”) The decision of the Tukapa Club to favy each senior player Is every Saturday of the season, a plan outlined in the Daily News on Tuesday, is a sound idea which might with advantage be copied by other clubs to combat the 1 suggested evils of the provincial scheme of play. Admittedly the Tukapa Club proposes to pay half the travelling expenses of its team, a policy that other dubs less fortunately situated could not attempt But the main idea that by the levying of a small amount players will find it easier to pay the travelling expenses when travelling is necessary is sound and worthy of the consideration of other clubs.

Old Boys’ Showing. Unfitness was the main reason for the poor showing in the early part of the last season of the New Plymouth Old Boys team. Though it is difficult to judge properly owing to the comparative earliness of - the season, it would teem that the players will need a more rigorous training schedule • before the season begins to become properly fit for play. The adoption, of . the- -provincial scheme of play this year will mean that teams must be fit at the start and that they will have to remain fit, for there will be no second chance against a team that wins. The Old Boys team’s showing in the Black' and White Shield match against Clifton on Saturday was poor in the second spell. In the first spell the team played, except for lack of science in the forward play, really well. But in the second, the play degenerated a good deal, and the efforts of the pack to play cohesive football were not good. The backs, with a couple of wise old heads like K. Fookes and W. Rutherford to stiffen the line, continued to play well, although the efforts of the inside backs were generally wasted when the ball reached the wings. . There are some fine forwards in the team, and the addition of several young and virile men meant a good deal to the pack. Although apt to evade the tight stuff a little, Birch showed that he an be a useful man in opening up play from the line-out. A. Biggar, who used to play for the Oriental team at Wellington, is a hooker with plenty of speed and not a little ability. Blakeney is useful for weight and experience, and there are others in the pack who are just as useful. The back line is, out to centre-three-quarter, the same as last year, and is capable of bright and open play. But the two wings, Nash and Ford, lost too many opportunities on Saturday. Nash, a well set up man, started off by doing two or three things, including a centre kick, neatly and well, but in the second spell, though he was given opportunities time after time, he missed every one. Lack of dash was the principal failure. Though he is not really fast, he could be an awkward man to tackle. Ford certainly showed dash, but he made one or two serious errors, such as trying to beat Collins with three men inside. He needs to be a little more enterprising in his methods. At full-back the aide is well served by S. Clifford-Jones, a player equipped with safe hands and kicking ability well above the average. In catching and kicking he equalled Collins, the All Black, on Saturday. But he did hot have the opportunity to show the imperturbability in the face of a rush, the splendid anticipation and the coolness which distinguish Collins when the going is hardest.

Clifton’s Promise. If only the players in the Clifton side can hold together during the season arid can manage to travel on the necessary Saturdays the side will be good. Its showing on Saturday against a speedier team was splendid, and the way the ’ team fought back against al5 to nil lead and kept Old Boys penned dn its own half for most of the second- spell showed that the players are already in good shape. In Fowler, Armstrong, Oxenham and Taylor in the forwards and Potaka and Arthur Collins in the backs there is talent for any team. The possible addition of Jack Galbraith in the backs—he has been appointed to a school near Waitara—would make a great deal of difference to the side and would pos- . cibly result in a high place on the championship ladder. ; Draw of Play.

Although the draw for the playing of matches throughout the province was made by the management committee of the Rugby Union on Friday, it is not yet necessarily final. It has been found that several peculiar positions arise. The changing of the venue in one or two cases will, however, have the desired result of clearing up anomalies.

Dan O’Brien Match. As usual, the annual match for the Dan O’Brien shield between Star and Tukapa is arousing great interest and both teams have been training for the game. Tukapa has not had a match with an outside club this season, but Star has had the advantage of a match with Inglewood, the form shown being promising. Both teams are just about the same as last season, though the departure of Ross, last year’s representative, and G. Harvey is a serious loss to the Star team. The club has been fortunate in securing the services of Dingle, formerly of the Eastbourne Club, Wellington, who has played some good football both as full-back and further up. The selectors are in a dilemma, for McFarlane, last year’s full-back, is available, while the three-quarter line is most probably a fixture. Tukapa will be playing the 2-3-2 scrum with a loose head in the front row. Mr. C. Brown, the selector, believes that the formation is more suitable than the popular 3-4-1 scrum in that the loose head gives the hookers a definite advantage when it is Tukapa’s ball. The difficulty arises, of course, when it is the opponent’s ball and the opposing' half can select his own side for putting the ball in. The 3-4-1 scrum has proved to be of greater value to representative teams and it will be difficult to displace it so long as the English scrummage ruling is observed in New Zealand. But it will be interesting to see the results of Mr. Brown’s idea. Teams in the Dan O’Brien will prbbably be:— “Tukapa: Kenny, Davison, Dickey; ; Bethell; McNeill, O’Dowda; Ruakere, x' Lynch; Boswell, Brown, Wallace, G. and z J. Sullivan, Gardiner, Papps. Star: Frethey, Signal, Maurice; Mc'~Leod, Quin,, Price, Sampson, Beere; C. -/•Kinsella, Carter, Clegg, Wilkins, Aubrey, -• t. Kinsella, McFarlane or Dingle. p-pefit of Rain.

?~le rain during the week will be of immense benefit to footballers in the province. Previously the grounds have been so hard that players have been a little chary of taking the game too seriously, and stiffened muscles and sprains have resulted from early practices. For the Black and White Shield match last Saturday at Pukekura Park the ground was very hard, and even when light rain was falling players still raised the dust.

Wetere for New Plymouth. “Side-Row” understands that K. Wetere, who played some great games on the tour of the Taranaki team last year, will this season be playing for a New Plymouth team, possibly Old Boys or Tukapa. Wetere has great hopes, it is understood, of catching the selector’s eye for the Australian tour. He is reported to be turning out on Saturday for a New Plymouth team. The High School.

Owing to the hardness of the grounds little football has yet been attempted by the coaches of the New Plymouth High School teams. As, however, ten of last year’s fifteen are back at school this season the prospects are decidedly bright. Last year’s three-quarter line is available, while Grant, who played so well at full-back at Auckland and Hamilton last season, is also back at school. A new half-back and first five-eighths are required but Donnelly, the representative cricketer, should fill the bill in the former position, as he played finely in that place for last year’s third fifteen. The forwards will be the heaviest pack the school has had for years, arid include Whittington, Weston, Batten and Terry of the 1933 season. Meredith, last year’s captain, will again lead the side, and he will probably play as a roving forward. As most of the school’s inter-college games are to be played at New Plymouth this season the football public should witness some fine contests. The school’s second fifteen will be playing third grade, and from what can be gathered the talent available is better than for some years. School will also field three 'fourth and three fifth grade fifteens, making a total of eight fifteens playing in the competitions each Saturday. From this time forward the racecourse will present a busy picture each afternoon during practices. Next Saturday both the first and second fifteens will engage in practice games with the Old Boys club on the racecourse. CENTRAL JUNIOR MATTERS. SUBJECTS OF CONTROVERSY. Subjects of considerable controversy in the Central Division junior Rugby circle at the end of last season and the beginning of the present were discussed at a meeting of central district club delegates, and in every case the discussion resulted in a satisfactory manner. What was the position of Stratford Old Boys who had been approaching country players to play senior, asked Mr. W. Platt (Midhirst). There was more than one senior team in Stratford for which Midhirst players took the field, said Mr. Stephens. The remedy was to protest that too many senior withdrawals were weakening the clubs concerned, said Mr. W. J. Aitken (Stratford.) It seemed peculiar that Midhirst, which had been too weak to win the competition for years, said Mr. P. Anderson (Midhirst), was called on to provide so many members for the senior team of a town club whose junior team was very strong. There would not be nearly six Midhirst juniors in the Old Boys senior team, said Mr. L. C. Walker (Old Boys). Mr. P. Hom (Cardiff) criticised the response of players to his selections for junior play-offs, particularly those of the Celtic club, whom he accused of poor sportsmanship. A Pukengahu delegate said only one Pukengahu player had been selected and he did not play because he had not had a run for five weeks.

Mr. L. Wynyard (Stratford), said a firm stand should be taken and a repremand administered to the defaulting players. Mr. Rimmer (Cardiff) suggested that junior representative matches be played earlier. .

Mr. Aitken said the fault might have been with the club’s selectors. ’ It was decided to make club officials responsible for club members’selected for ■representative matches, and to • arrange junior representative matches earlier. Mr. Hom drew attention to the difficulty regarding boundaries experienced with the Schneider Shield representative match last year. It ’ was considered the matter had - been cleared ■ up last year and if it recurred it was a matter for. the' Union to decide. PROVINCIAL RUGBY SCHEME DRAW FOR SENIOR GAMES. ' SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES.. The publication of the draw for the Taranaki Rugby competition, which is to be played this year on a provincial basis, has brought home to followers of the game the’fact that the opening of the new season’s senior competition is almost at hand. The scheme of provincial Rugby play which has been introduced this season is an experiment, but it is one from which its advocates are expecting much, though they recognise that there are certain difficulties to be overcome—difficulties which if entered into in the right spirit will no doubt be easily solved. Probably the draw has been well criticised by the representatives of the various clubs. It must be conceded that the committee of the union has tackled its difficult task well, having devoted several hours to the work, which is a very complicated one. The fact that there are three teams at New Plymouth and two each at Hawera and Stratford adds to the problems involved, which included as far as possible giving every 'team a home match and a travelling match alternately, giving each team as near as possible an even number of miles to travel each year. Once the draw has been worked out making one alteration involves making several others. The draw is far from perfect, and will probably have to be amended early in the season. Patea, which from its geographical position is faced with the heaviest travelling, has had its travelling well balanced in the draw, as this year it travels to Star and Tukapa, and next year to Clifton and Old Boys. Patea also is to travel to Inglewood this year and next year to Opunake and once each year to Hawera and Stratford, while this year it travels to Eltham and Kaponga and next year to Waimate and Okaiawa. Counting the mileage one way only Patea travels approximately 317 miles this year and 268 miles next year. CLIFTON’S TRAVELLING. Clifton has four long travelling trips this year—to Patea, Waimate, Opunake and Hawera. Next year it will travel to Okaiawa, Kaponga, Empire Old Boys and Patea. There is one trip to Stratford each year as well as two handy matches each year. Its travelling mileage is approximately 264 miles this year and 217 miles next year. Opunake appears to have struck the best of the travelling this year, as it has eight home matches and six traveling matches. Its long trips this year include Patea and Tukapa, the other matches being at Stratford, Hawera, Eltham and Manaia. Next year it will be faced with trips to Waitara, New Plymouth twice and Inglewood, in addition to four nearer matches, making a total mileage one way of 281 approximately against 196 this year. Eltham, too, is fortunate in having eight home matches this year. Its travelling is remarkably light this year, considerably lower than under the old divisional scheme. Its longest trip is to Clifton, the other trips being to Hawera, Stratford, Kaponga, Okaiawa and Inglewood, making a total of 95 miles. Next

year Eltham will be faced with three trips to New Plymouth (it does not visit New Plymouth at all this year), Patea and Opunake, as well as Waimate, Stratford and Hawera, making approximately 196 miles, or more than double the travelling of this year. United Old Boys, Stratford, will not go further north than Inglewood this year. Indeed, with the exception of Inglewood all its travelling is into the southern end, the only southern team to visit United Old Boys being Patea. United will travel this year a total of 126 miles and next year 172 miles. On account of the home match with Stratford it has eight home matches this year and six travelling matches.

Stratford is in the same position regarding the number of home and travelling matches. It has, however, to journey three times to the northern end, playing Star, Tukapa and Clifton, while Inglewood and Old Boys will visit Stratford. Stratford’s other travelling matches this year are to Eltham, Hawera and Okaiawa, making a total of 129 miles this year as against 169 next year, when Patea and Opunake will be included. From their geographical position, however, both .Stratford teams and Eltham have comparatively light travelling. HAWERA TEAMS. Of the two Hawera teams each has eight home matches and six travelling matches. Empire Old Boys will travel to Star and Clifton this year, the other four matches each necessitating less than 20 miles' travelling, making a total of about 160 miles, whereas next year it Will travel to New Plymouth Old Boys and Tukapa, the other five trips including Inglewood and Opunake, each of about 30 miles, and making a total of 191 miles. Hawera, however, will travel twice into the north this year, once to New Plymouth Old Boys and once to Stratford United. Its other travelling matches include Opunake, Kaponga, Okaiawa and Patea, making a total of 142 miles. Next year it will have to travel to Clifton, Star and Tukapa as well as Inglewood, Stratford, Waimate and Eltham, a total of 209 miles. Despite the fact that this year necessitates trips to New Plymouth Old Boys, Clifton and Star as against only one trip to Tukapa next year, Kaponga’s mileage is only 181 this year. This year short trips to Opunake, Okaiawa, Waimate and Stratford create a balance as against comparatively long trip- to Patea and Inglewood. Kaponga will also visit Hawera twice next year while there are short trips to Eltham and Stratford United.

Okaiawa’s programme also balances out fairly well. It will travel to Tukapa and Clifton this year and to Star and Old Boys next year, while its other'matches are evened up. It will not visit Stratford this year, however. Its travelling this year is just over 200 miles as against about 180 next year.

Waimate will visit Tukapa and Old Boys this year and Star and Clifton next year. It will also visit Stratford and Hawera once each year. The fact that it visits’lnglewood next year makes its travelling next year just a little heavier — about 210 miles as against 200 miles this year. Inglewood’s travelling is heavier this year as it will have to travel to Opunake, Waimate, Hawera twice and Kaponga this season, Stratford and Old Boys being the only trips under 15 miles. Next year Patea and Okaiawa will constitute the only long trips, the remaining five trips being all from 13 to 19 miles. This year Inglewood will travel ; pproximately 202 miles as against 156 miles next year. Of the three New Plymouth . teams Tukapa’s travelling is balanced best. It will travel 219 miles this year and 234 miles next year. Star will travel, 273 miles this year and 165 miles next year, while in the case of Old Boys the figures are 288 miles and 165 miles. The figures in all cases are approximate.

. Tukapa will travel to Hawera twice, Kaponga and Eltham this year, its other travelling matches being United (Stratford), Inglewood and Clifton. It will travel seven times this year as against five times next year, when it will have ;some long trips—to Patea, Waimate and Okaiawa as well as Opunake, one trip to Stratford being the shortest. Old Boys also will travel seven times this year as against five times next year. This year it will go to Patea, Okaiawa, Empire (Hawera), Opunake and Eltham, as well as to Stratford twice, that being its only northern match. Next year it will have three long trips to Waimate, Hawera and Kaponga and two short ones to Clifton and Inglewood. Star will have to travel on eight occasions this year as against four next year. The team will travel this year to Waimate, Okaiawa, Hawera, Opunake, Eltham and United (Stratford) as well as to Clifton and Inglewood, while next year it will have three long trips to Patea, Empire Old Boys and Kaponga, and one trip to. Stratford.

The fact that there are three teams at New Plymouth necessitates two matches being played at New Plymouth on each of 12 Saturdays in the two years that complete the two rounds. In view of the system in operation of dividing a certain proportion of the gate equally between the competing teams an endeavour has also to be made in the case of the New Plymouth matches to see that as far as possible each visiting team has a fair proportion of games to itself, and that the three town teams are placed on a fairly equal basis in that respect.

There are so many matters to be taken into consideration that it can be seen that the union has no easy task in arranging the draw.