FOOTBALL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14238, 2 July 1910, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

TOUCHLINE TOPICS. (By C.E.H.) Premiership points:—Celtic 11, Temuka 11, Pirates 8, Timaru 4, Zingari 2, Star 0. . The Maori team concludes its tour of Australia to-day, playing Victoria at Melbourne. v The New Zealanders finish their extended programme to-day, _ playing (probably a deciding match with Australia) at Sydney. So far the sub-union and country clubs have shown more desire to avail themselves of the accident scheme" than have the town teams. All the teams have made full use of the "centreing" manoeuvre, but what is wrong with the good old cross-kick that no one ax>pears to have any use for? A correspondent asks whether a force ever counted in fifteen-aside Rugby. It did, hut not within the memory of present day players. The records indicate that a, force was worth } point in 1875 and 1876. Pirates are evidently not paying the same attention to training this season as previously, their last three engagements having found them wanting _ in the second-spell. Instead of taking prido of place as the best-trained team tliev are now far behind teams like Znisnri and Celtic in the matter of condition. Though official information is not yet in possession of the Union, various ■press reports indicate that the South Canterbury rep. programme will be approximately as follows:—Aug. 11, v. North Otngo, at Timaru; Aug. 18, Asliburtnn County, at Ashburton; Aug. 20, Canterbury, at Christchurcli; Ane. 24,-Southland, at Invercargill; Aug. 27, Ota go, at Dunedin,

!Now that the rowdy element at Temuka has been brought to its senses, will not some of the local men take a turn with the whistle? Five teams have their headquarters at Temuka, against two at Geraldine, but Geraldine furnishes four referees to Temuka's none. It is hardly fair that referees (should have to be found from'Timaru •and Geraldine for even third-grade •games at Victoria Park. The town grounds were in surprisinglv good order on Thursday, bright sunshine and absence of frost enabling the dry subsoil to quickly absorb the rain of the two previous clays. No. 1 ground afforded quito good foothold, and No. 2, although it was not conducive nippy play, was much dryer than hull been anticipated. The Temuka and G'eraldine grounds were both on the greasy side, but the Winchester park .maintained its reputation as the best wet-weather ground in the province. The three leading teams maintained their positions on Thursday. The premiership has not assumed such an open appearance since Temuka, Star, and Pirates had a chance of making a triple dead-heat four years ago, when a much-debated potted goal settled the : argument in favour of the country team*. There is on best form nothing to choose between the leading trio for the second round. Although. Pirates ! chances of gaining the .lead are rather remote, they promise to be an important l'nctor in deciding whether Celtic or Temuka shall wear the laurels, and Timaru are callable of effecting a surprise against any team which may hold them cheap.

By virtue of good individual play 011 the part of three or four forwards, and good defence by a trio of backs, Star made a tolerable stand against Celtic on No. 2 ground. The Celt team was practically the same as that which defeated Pirates, and though they were never in danger of losing, most of their points had to be worked .for. The Greens, however, may have had something up their sleeves, as they did not appear to play with such dash as they showed a week ago. Beu Fitzgerald played another good game, and about the best of the promoted juniors in the competition. Morgan, of Star, is another scrummer -who is noticeable for plenty of dash. Judging by the surprise that has been at the sanctioning by the Intel-national Board of further changes in the rules after having previously rejected them, it does not appear to be generally known that the latest amendments are for colonial consumption only. Prior to the last conference at Sydney, endeavours had always been made to induce the Board to alter the code for all countries. The last request, preferred jointly by the Australian Unions, was that certain alterations should be sanctioned to suit " local conditions," to apply only to matches in. and between the colonies concerned. In the absence of other information, it is safe to assume that this is the understanding on which the • amendments have been agreed to, and hi contests with Home teams the old ! order will prevail.

■' Celtic v. Pirate juniors had a fairly strenuous go on No. 2 ground. Celts winning 'by the agency of .J. 'Houliliaiv's good kicking. "His first shot struck a post and rebounded over the bar, his second was piaced fairly in. tfio oentre, and . a third went close. The winners played two men short, 'but wSt a not at such a groat disadvantage as' might- appear, two or three Pirate men being immistakeable passengers. Kane {-a St. Pat's College lad on holiday) assisted Hertnon to liold up the Celt rearguard, who were not too successful in their attempts to play a passing game. Many of Mason's passes were comfortably T.t off by the Pirate's wing forward, and most of Celtic's troublous times resulted from their own reckless handling. Allott, who later on played in a senior, game, was again very reliable at full lor Pirates.

The startling reversal of form by Australia and New Zealand from Saturday to Monday has been responsible for the usual cry of " sclilinter." Northern Union games in Sydney have often had a suspicious two-ancl-two-aud-a-play-off appearance, but in the amateur game the players have no direct interest in the gate, and it is very unlikely that a New Zealand team would allow itself to be beaten in such an engagement except on its merits.. The defeat on Monday is nearly the heaviest suffered by a Dominion fifteen since the New Zealand Union came into existence, and it will perhaps give a muchneeded fillip to the llugby game in Sydney. Up to the present stage the Union has been toiling painfully in the rear in the race for public favour, and though the glamour of the skilfullyadvertised English team (combined with the love of a section of the public for fight) is in a great degree responsible for this, there is no disguising the faot that' the New South Wales Union is just now fighting with its back to the wall.

Temuka !e<J Zingari a. merry dance on Thursday, and liad their kicking for goal been up to the mark the score would have been much larger. The country team ascribe their big win less to their own excellence than to Zingari's deficiencies. The Yellow forwards were not seen to the best advantage, and high tackling and waiting for .the ball to bounce pi-oved the undoing of the backs. A great number of penalties were inflicted on, the home team for offside in passing rushes, and Zingari bad several fair chances to score from these breaches. Ted Horgan showed more than a glimpse of his old-time form, and played ' his best game for a couple of seasons. Oldfield was in the van in most of the forward rushes, and made his place in the fifteen secure, but the present pack is a good deal below the high standard set by Temuka a few years back. Despite their heavy defeat, Zingari have nothing to be desnondent over, for though some of their supporters hare *»en inclined to appraise one or two oI

I their performances too highly, experiences sucn as lell to their lot this week j were oruy wiiat the club was prepared to 1 acc when it decided to eiiter the senior ranlts. 'l'imaru and Pirates seniors furnished onlookers with one of the pleasantest games of the season. There was an a bsenoe of ■ spit-et illness, ■ the common practice of dumping men who have purled with the ball was not indulged in, and altogether the match was one of the kind that popularise football. The play was fairly fast, and even when slowed up a by line-kicking was never tignt, and eacn side indulged in a- fair amount of passng. Hotter scrum work gave Pirates more opportunities of opening up, but most of their eiieetiv© efforts were initiated from the loose by Coles. The Timaru forwards followed the more consistently, but they were met by better all-round fielding by the opposing backs, one or two ol the Blue rearguard making awkward mistakes in catching, especially when playing against the sun. With the advantage of the sun, the Blacks had a good bit the better of the first term, but there was little to choose on the second spell, Timaru if anything more than holding their own. Allott played well at full for the winners, and is the bestof the many goalkeepers tried bv Pirates this season. Hall was shifted up to wing threequarter, and except foi two poor attempts to take passes at critical moments, shaped much better than he is wont to do at full. 1 erceval on the other wing made fewer mistakes than usual, fielding and kickmg iu good style. Davey was reliable at centre, and ■A\ all kicked and «,athered very neatly in the five-eighths line. Coles was the most useful back on the side, his rush stopping and opeuing-up work being really good at times. Two of the forwards, Jackson and Kinow ere playing their second game of tne afternoon, the places of Rodgers, Iter, and. ■ Courtney having to be filled. U .Leary was mostly in evidence tjirougli his offside propensities. Jones Campbell and Carlton were the best- of the vanguard, Allen being their closest competitor. Timaru are an improving fifteen, and W'tn a little more experience the trio of young forwards—Cowan Bros, and iUcUonald—will improve the pack materially. "Wigley played a slashing game 111 the iirst speli, his one weak" j ness being a leaning to oifside play. I*lo\v he tailed to get into the Canterbury team last year is a bit of a mystery. O Le.-uy and Plarlev were tho best or the back d.v.sion, O'hcarv using tlie line well if a trifle too" frequently. and lis all round work was i-'haracterL-ed by greater soundness than in his prev.ous appearances. Sinclair played a servicea oie game, though he is n,it cut out lor a half-back, ami -ualgieish at w.ng threequarter defended solidly exce : ,L tor one rather bad mistake. Plard.c scored nicely, but is scarcely' playing up w h;s tor.i; or last winter, and Clark was not so safe as usual. Morris is a powerful kicker, but shapes like a weak defender. Tile luiiowing are next I'll I'-RSOAY-'.S FIXTURES. Senior. —Star v. Zingari, Caledonian Ground, at 3.15; Temuka v. Pirates, Athletic No. 1, 3.1o; Timaru v. Celtic, Athletic Xo. 2, 3.15. Juniors.—Pirates v. Geraldine, at Geraldine; Celtic v. Athletic, Temuka, 3.15, ,

1 resident's. —High School , v. Celtic, Athletic No. 2, 2.1o; Geraldints v. Pirates, Kectorv, 3.15; Zingari v. Star, Athletic No. 1, 2.15 5 Athletic v. Temuka, Termika, at, 2.15. Fourth Grade. —High School v. Star, Rectory, 2.15; Zingari v. Celtic, Caledonian Ground, 2.15.