FOOTBALL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10536, 10 August 1912, Page 5

FOOTBALL.

Two or three Rugby Union offioialv took up a collection at Christ's College ■• on Saturday. It was a courteous action on tho part of the headmaster to offer the ground, and teeing that the teams' cut it up dreadfully, it would be a graceful act on tho part of the T T nicn to make a donation to the College Sports Fund. /Mr Q. A. ("Gerrv") Drake, the Old' Boys' Senior fonvard. was recently married. I tender my congratulations. Following the victory in the Junior Flag competition, the High School Oid Boys' team has received a number of , letters from football enthusiasts and, other old boys, conveying congratula-- . tions on their win. also one from the . Linwood Football Club, tendering its . congratulations atid expressing the term . that it was a "good win by good ■ .sports." This letter was much appro- ] ciated by the Old Bors' team, and at - ' the smoke concert held on Friday the . health of the Linwood Club was enthusiastically honoured. In view of the recent resolution.-. passed at the meeting of the Manage- . ment Committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union requesting clubs to hold'' meetings to discuss-the present position of the Rugby game, I understand that secretaries are calling meetings which ) will be held shortly.

The . Christ's College-Otago High. School game has again been postpone** till August 12. . \ A Taranaki paper states that an effort is being made to get "Jimmy Hunter to _ represent the Taranald province in the rest of its representative ' games. It is very doubtful, however, if ' the brilliant back will play any more, as he is now located some distance from - the centre of- population, and is mar--' ried.

The Taranaki Rugby Union is at prosent compiling a list of all past Taranaki representative players for a per-' manent record. To allof those prior, to probably 1807, and those who have since played in a certain number of re- ■ * presGntative fixtures for the province, life members' tickets are to be issued, and these will be available for all func- / tions conducted by the Union. It is hoped by this means to keep in touch with all old players, and every year those of five years before will have their name? r>ut on the list.

Gmv.-'.-o Nicholson has not yet definitely decided whether to accept the position of coach in America or not, and is waiting for further advice from the States. ( Tho " All Black " has had a busy time of it this season, urd in addition to his work with the Ponsonby team,'has been coaching the Grammar School boys and the Grafton junior tennis. '<

" Wanderer" has no hesitation in stating thnt more ankles mid collar-bones are injured in Svd-'ey in" miy one season than in. say. Wellington (New Zealand). London '/En gland), Scotland, or South Wales. Thnt "liability to accident " is a big factor, and must be taken into consideration when considering scientific play. Light wing three-quarters- are liable to Tght rihy or the ruck when grounds are hard and opponents big'; tackling on Loth sides is liable to he afc a discount or cause injury ; thrt is, one side. Take play: — Can a forward "dribble true'' on a dry. bard ground? Does not the ball tend to over-run him? Can anyone saj for certain how a falling ball will bounot on a hard ground, the slightest inden-, tation becoming an angle off which the ball will bounce in the most uncertain manner? It is because of the hard grounds that Sydney forwards are miles behind New Zealand, Wales, or Scot-" laud in the art of wheeling or screwing the scrum.

LEAGUE. I am told, and I give it for what It U, 'worth, that it will be a great shock to certain people when the names of the desorters to the League become known in Christchurch. The Wellington-Leaguo is endeavouring to arrange c« fixture with Canterbury for September 7. I leant that the local League has secured the Agricultural Grounds for the forthcoming games. With tuch a fine stand this will be a decided ac? quisition. T>r Thacker has been elected to the position of president of the Canter- ' bury Rugby League, and I understand that the various executive officers have been elected for the forthcoming ga*ie. From an Auckland paper:—There is said to be a good deal of quiet talk among Gisborne footballers about the possibility of Northern Union football being started there, and that developments may be expected at any tim«i. A Napier writer was told by some 6i the leading players who t eprosonto* both the North and South Isßnd in tho recent inter-island match theie that they were after the League game, more especially when it got started in the South Island. There has been a great deal of talk—and writing—locally during tho na'-t few weeks as to tho drawing powers of League and Rugby Union _ lootl.ali I have seen it stated that in Aui-kland the Ruhgy Union game still draws its thousands' to the League's hundreds Previously X have not bothered tmiol. about this aspect of the question, but I would just .'ike the author of that statement to explain why, on July 27, whav both the League arid Union in Auckland played their first representativematch of the season, fully U'.GQ spectator;) witnessed tha League game at Is per head, and barely 2000 the Kugby Union game at half the price. I am quoting the figures from the Auckland papers. Moreover the League game was bright and 'spectacular, whiia the Union game was dull and uninteresting. Fair play is bonny play.