OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume XXX, Issue 38, 4 June 1910, Page 10

OUT DOOR SPORTS

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Wl -fir HERE was another large atwl' '< I tendance at Alexandra Park $?\ A on Saturday to witness tue %*'■ AjR.TJ. games. In tho senior fix-" wins were recorded by City Marist.Bros. Old Boys. The game It'between jPonsonby and Newton did not eventuate, owing to the latter V&- club being unable to raise a team. l^. City and Parnell met on the No. 1 $>' ground, and after an exciting go, * -'City got home by 6 points to 3. City Sy'had the advantage of a strong wind t S in the first spell, and it was in this :*''.« half that they rang on their points.' £"•' Pfcrnell played up so well against M'the wind that their chances looked ik? rosy in the second half. But City's Ptf defence was too good, and Parnell could only get within three of their W' City's form was not nearly as good as they displayed in their first game. wT, Their backs were vjery in-and-out,par- ; ,,ticularly in the second spell, when &,'several of them let their side down jg;; badly. i&k Thomas, full-back for City, was fe v "none too reliable, 1 and it was just as F,-well he was shifted in the second |£"epell. ' .- : . . . . -" ■ .' ll Stewart was easily the most conof the three-quarters, and as Vk .full-back in the second half freFy quently got his side Out of trouble. «£* Bennett, a recruit from Waiuku, ii.\did not shape very Batisfactorily. I' He may have been suffering from $£' " grandstand fright," but still he giVdoes not appear to be any great gun. g|; . R. Magee played very soundly, and '. 3p' the team would be in a bad way with- £> out him. Montgomery and S. Magee &&\did nothing remarkable, but Buchianan showed creditable work at times : ac half. ; Herring was an: absentee from the j ■pack, and they had all their • work out out to keep up to Parnell. Their line work was superior to that of their opponents. G. Tyler went well, , -and McGuire, Clark and Walter -were generally in the thick of the "work. ! k . Estall was flashy when playing on the wing, but when he went to three-quarter—well, he gave a fine ■ ping-pong display.- ( This was Parnell's third defeat for the season, but they may be said to ■ :Kave been unlucky in all their games. : \They are now: being dubbed "the champion hard luck team." Still, .there were times on Saturday that it was their bad play, and not hard . luck, that lost them several golden opportunities. I* i Saunders, the ParneH full-back, I'hiad a rooky time of it, and his play a long way below concert pitch. |k,',*Hogan did well in the three-quar-|\tpr line, his fielding and kicking begijtig sound all through. Smith was hiot too. bad, but Twiname has play-j-ed better games. He was apt to get gout of his place too much. s*y«>Hardwick appears to do better as j.nve-eighths, getting' well into the Armstrong made several bad fmistakes in the first half, but came to K&ght later on in the game. Thomas,, pSfc-'a useful half, and wae, about the Ppundest of the , backs. Hie - line looking was consistently-good. s|>Th,e' Parnell •forwarde played with |||eat;yim in the first half, the told its tale in the second. In and ifot k -they ;;

, had a bit the beet of City/ and bone went better than Martin. ' Muir was another honest'toiler, whilst Rhodes, 1 Fransch and ,Cleave were well in the ' thick /of it".-. - . „■; \ Mariet Bros. Old Boys scored their second win this season by defeating Graf ton by 9 pointe to 5. The "Tykes" had several of their best , men away, and tbie made their win all the more meritorious. Full-back O'Brien gave another fine display for his side, and he is showing the most consistent form in this position in the senior grade. The three-quarters were at their best in the attacking .work. White and Little doing well. Blake is a poor defensive player. Tobin and O'Brien worked well together as five-eighths, and there was not much to choose between Nolan passed out smartly, and , was not wanting on the defence. The blue forwards stuck to their work well, and a prominent duo were "W. Dervan and Harris. Sheehan came in very useful on the wing. Grafton's form is not improving, their backs being the weak spot. Several chances were spoiled by faulty handling and a hesitancy to do the right thing. Miller had a busy time as full-back, and acquitted 'himself well. V ' Wolfgram wants all the work you can give him, and the better he seems to play. He made some slashing runs, being hard\to stop. Colman was somewhat patchy. Power did his best at five-eighths, and Barker, a Maniapoto rep., was fairly passable. Kiernan's play is showing no improvement, and I am afraid there is not much likelihood of him being the Kiernan of old. Saturday's was a poor . \ There is not much fault to be found, with the Graf ton forwards. They are a willing set, and it was not their fault that they were defeated. McGuire came into his position again, and: played a hard game. Smythe, O'Brien, Eaton and Pople were solid toilers. Becker, on the wing, "is getting better each game. Ponsonby had a walk-over from Newton, the latter being unable to muster up fifteen. In all * probability, the red and whites will withdraw from the competition, and a fresh draw will be made. ■• v•■ • -■ ■•■•■;■ -■'- ■ Stohr, of Taranaki, fills Cameron'e place in the New Zealand team. Our referees kept a keen eye on the players on Saturday, with regard to rough play. In the Grafton-Old Boys game, Mr Williams warned several play ere, whilst in the junior games two players were ordered off. Frank Wilson has been selected to fill the vacancy in the New Zealand team through Fryer being unable to make the trip. The selection is a popular one in Auckland, and the University three-quarter has been congratulated on all sides. Owing to pressure of business, Frank Herring cannot make the trip with the New Zealand team.. His place has been filled by McKellar, of Wellington. Hay ward \has also given out that he cannot spare the time, and Evans,'of Canterbury goes in his stead.

c < Ivimey, r the Dunedih player* s Kurt his .ankle the other "day, < will , go to Aj»tralia"with the New Zeab kind team, but it ie ' doubtful if* he , , will play marly games. , ( '" „ - r George Sellara (Ponsonby) and- P.----t Warbrick (Parnell) Were .taken with j. the Maori team to-Sydney on Mont day. I heard that Sellers could have v gone with the New Zealand team, but preferred to stick* to; the Maoris. The New Zealand \team .leaved Wel--3 lington for Sydney" on Saturday next. l The team that was first selected has undergone a big, alteration, and is . " not by any means so, 'strong 'a com- ', j bination. Their first' engagement I will be that against New South . Wales, on Saturday, July 11th. Canterbury Rugby Union has now > 780 players under its control, and l has to find accommodation for 26 matches enoh Saturday. , Wellington Rugby Union boasts of 1480 par- • tioipants in the Rugby code, there , being something like 80 teams playing on Saturday when circumstances permit. Thei Maori team left for Sydney • on Monday night, and were given a big send-off. In their game against . Auckland 1 last Wednesday, they ehowed that the material was there. But they want knocking into shape, and under the/guidance of W. Stead and W. Cunningham they should soon be a greatly ( improved team. Their first game ie against New South Wales on Monday, June 6th. , The appointment of V. R. Meredith as manager of the New Zealand team on their forthcoming tour of New South Wales and Queensland is (says "Touchline," in the Wellington " Free Lance ") an excellent one. As a matter of fact, I know of no man who is better qualified for the position than the ex-Wellington representative half-back. He is a fine fellow right through, knows how to ' successfully manage a body of men —his position as officer commanding the Wellington Naval Artillery being proof positive on this point—is a good judge of a footballer, a fairly decent after-dinner s-peaker, and a good business man. Surely, these qualifications axe sufficient ' recommendations or the managership of a New Zealand fcotball team on tour. Mr " Ru" Cook, the Canterbury and N.Z. yep forward, acted as > referee in the Canterbury Boxing '. Association's provincial champion-; £ ships last year. This is what a; Ghristchurch. writer has to say about ,' him :—''Mr Cooke got a good re- ■ ception,and as far as the discharge of his duties Was concerned he justified the confidence which had been . reposed iii him. He *ha 3 a fine, strong voice, which was able to pene- " * trate to the competitors through; many exciting liuiiy-burlys, and the vigour of his semaphore gesticulations for silence on . the part of a roaring audience argued some physi- ; v cal capacity. Altogether; , Mr Cooke was a success. , '. /