SOCCER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 11 July 1923, Page 3

SOCCER.

(By “ Old Player.”) SENIOR COMPETITION.

There have never beon such scrapings lor teams since the code openeiU m Tiinaru ns there was last baturuay. illness an. mgst players ana worn in tne country were tne. common complaints.

The prospects of a visit from a Canadian team seem pretty bright lor next have been going •on m Australia between representatives oi tne JNevv Zealand and. New boutli Wales and (Queensland Associations. and as a result the .New bouth . Wales body has decided to co-operate with the iN'ew Zealand Association in the Canadian tour of Australasia iu iyU4. •iiie venture will cost JtiSUUU oi winch New Zealand's share will be iioUU. hew bouth Wales- will conti'ioute iiIUUO, imu kjueonsiancl £ouU. ! 'j Jie Canadians will cominence the tour j m .Now Zealand. ! Apropos of tours, a talented party of bcol.ush footballers, Unuur w.s. cuai'ge oi Taira Luuarii (Glasgow;, lias set out on what promises to uo an eventful and sixceessnd tour in bouni America. .Lt is a far cry from Cathktu to Liuoitos Aires, and the tour js probably urn most ambitious, so lar as distance is concerned, ever uncieri nken by any football combination, .hut- the '1 hire! Lanark —management ana players—are used to travel, and two years ago they carried out a most successiui tour in Canada and North America. On that- occasion something like a Scottish 1 liter national team sported the Third Lanark colours, but the lot now in the far south are oiever enough to give the natives a lesson as to how football should bo played. As ut, present arranged, eight games will be. played against crack South American loams, although the itinerary will he, ol course, suojoct to alteration. The principal matches will he played in Buenos Aires, Monte Video, Valparaiso, Itossario, and, possibly, Ban L’anle.- —“Maroon” in the Glasgow “vVoekiv iN'ew's.” ‘ * # » To return to our own back yard, i Saturday's games were a good deal up and down, on Au/.ae btjuare, mostly in the laiter condition, thanks to the muddy state of the ground. This week-mul secs the entry of the lasi lap for the Can e Cup. and with a hit ol luck some rousing encounters should be witnessed. * * * Rangcrs-VY a I oi-sillers mooting last week was a much better game to watch j 1 than was ] ioaiTs-Bovcrs, for-the simple I n.-ason that the teams were more evenly > matched. At one time it scorned as s though -Hangers would lose one valuable I point", but the Light Blues gathered I themselves together for a supreme > effort at the end, ami got the winning goal some minutes from time. .Both I teems had players in strange places, and it was something in the nature of 1 n novel! v to see .Duncan Menzies hetweon the slicks, and the club’s hardest ! working official “padding the hoof” at right half. Jn Watersides Peter iutty name in to “hold the ior tv’ and right

well did he perform; Beal gave an astounding display at right back, while Bert Moore again came into the team, I and would have been a very useful, member had he been able to keep his feet. Dan Davies, from the B Grade, hgured at inside right for Rangers, and after playing a Young Cup. match per-1 formed with credit in the higher grade. J. Simmonde, sen., again filled a gap j for the Watersiders,'playing on the ex-| treme right, assisted by a member of his family, and ho showed quite a lot of dash. ” Onlv occasionally, however, was anything like, combined play seen, and usually those attempts were nipped in the bud or allowed to “fizzle out by someone slipping. Rangers wero I well served by their defence, and no j one could bo blamed for the points 1 registered. Archie "White was well up > to form in centre half, and got every ■ assistance from his flanks. Lowe played . with dash and judgment on the extreme . right, while Parsons in centre is <■ i opping into the game quite nicely. ife , throws the ball about in a manner/, which gives the opposition little rest, . and he seldom telegraphs his movements. Davidson puts a lot or hard work into Ms play, but once or twice ( could have parted with the ball to bet- j ter advantage. Jock Mei-zies had many lively runs "on the left. Nowadays he seems to devote more attention to centring than to popping for goal—a change of tactics which in not unprolitable. It is verv disconcerting to a de- j fence to have 'dangerous crosses lob, lob lobbing about the goal-mouth.

The Watersiders’ attack, considering its composition, did creditably well. As usual, Charhe "Mulian couldn’t allow a game to pass without scoring a goal, and the one ho registered was a cleverly manoeuvred piece of work. Its a pity a reliable, dependable partner could not bo found to bring Weston out. This lad shows much improvement as the weeks go by, but lias never had a .chance, for one reason or another, of getting into an understanding witn an inside player. J. Roundhill was inside left on Saturday, and worked .willingly, and his brother, at left hall, interrupted several likely-looking elierts. Hamilton showed something like bis old form at centre half, and on occasion his placing was the best seen this season. A tower of strength at left half was Calvert, whoso resourcefulness and steady kicking got the team out or many difficulties. * * » With the exception of about 20 minutes in the second half the HcartsRovers match was very tame throughout. The Maroons were minus Nieol, Phair, Greer and Shaw, and had to roly on Woodward, Mctcall, B Graders Sneddon and Cox. Rumour lias it that “Geordie” Nieol has put Ins gear on the shelf for good, but it is to be hoped that rumour will bo a lying jade. If the Hearts’ and South Canterbury rep. forward is not prevailed upon to help the game along for many seasons yet, then the more will ho the pity, lor it > s players of his experience ami calibre that are most needed at the present juncture in the game. Phair and Greer were unable to get into town on Saturday, and Shaw was working in Um country ; and with such depleted ranks Hearts could hardly be expeel ed L> stretch their formidable opponent. In .view of (lie weaknesses the team showed up well. Woodward, though losing five goals, had several really good saves, and was not at fault in at least three occasions. Bolshov and Scott got through a gruelling afternoon s play, and cleared their lines times without number. Harry Gunn was pretty well the only half who stuck to Ins bit through the game, and be stuck very closely, and not without success, to Mcikio and A. Taylor all aiternoon. Hunter had a roving commission for a while between forward and half back, and Darning was in much the same boat, but both were of much service.

McCullough was not given a chance, either by his own side or by his opponents. He was not played to at all as a centre has the right to expect, and when there was the ghost of a chance he had generally two or three opponents to contend with. Sneddon notched a finely-taken goal, while Metcalf and Cox'were triers all the time.

Rovers were never hard pressed. Cummings, It. Taylor and Anderson were sound in defence. Lewis was as often in the vanguard as defending, while Clinch and Jepps repulsed most efforts from their part of the Hearts’ forwards. Forsyth played one of his best games this season, and kept his wings supplied with the ball very cleverly. Unce or twice he was too unselfish, and could have gone on his own, but lie gtive a hue exposition of the centre forward’s game. Young Brown was given his second game in the senior team, and showed indubitably that he ought never to have been allowed out of the eleven since his first game. A fine type of a strapping, go-ahead youth, he combines a natural alertness with a Home-bred conception of the game, and would be an ecquisition to any forward line in Tiraaru. Meikle jtnd A. Taylor were aggressive all day, and a lot of clever play came from this wing. A. Rennie deputised for G. Keen, who occupied a stand on the toucliline, owing to a broken rib or two. Tho former infused quite a lot of dash and determination into his play, but has not the control of the ball that would reap the fullest reward.

The B Grade match Hearts v. Rangers was unfortunately spoiled by the Light Blues being able to field only nine players. While the Hearts had matters pretty much their own way, the game was not altogether devoid of interest, and attempts at combined play were not totally absent from the game. There is still the lack of a proper understanding amongst the players as to their positions in covering up, but time and coaching should. remedy this.

The Management Committee will meet to-night, when the draw for the, coneiuding round of the Gave Cup will be made, while other important- business has to be transacted. It is hoped that clubs and players are keeping the pendin'- visit to "Wannate on lhursday foitnioht in view. The country club is looking forward to the game with keen anticipation, and the management is anxious to send a strong eleven doi\n.

.Rovers P. 9 W. L. I). 6 2 1 Goals. .LG A. 29 12 PtB 13 Kangors ... y 0 2 1 20 13 nouns it 1 4 4 31 0 aiersiders 9 U 5 4 20 30 4 Hearts B a GRADE. 3 6 0 12 3 6 Rovers 3 2 1 0 u 7 4 llauigers ... 4 U 4 U V 11 U