LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12713, 7 August 1919, Page 2

LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

NOTES AND COMMENTS, With the rainfall experienced on. the throe previous clays there was every prospect ol bleak conditions for the week-end games, but the weather broke . fine on Saturday morning and a day of appreciated sunshine gladdened the . hearts of players and patrons,, and when : • the various teams lined out the grounds I Had made a. fine recovery and were in ■ j good, playing order. ; s A? the local representative team was scheduled to ho playing at Wellington all senior grade fixtures wore declared j oil, h’.'fc as the secretary of the Welling- ’ j 'I 15 } • , ' Sfiof 'iation telegraphed late on ; j Friday afternoon that the ground, was | unplayable and advised postponing the fixture. _ the selected representatives L were notified to attend at St Albans . Parle for a. practice spin with those players of the grade clubs available. . Though three members of the selected sirlerevere unable to be present the rest i gf tnc team bad a fine, practice game wmeb served to give tho forwards and backs ;l good kjtowlodge of style and nmty and tlm try-oui was decidedly ; hoiipfirini. The team will leave for ■ .e|,ington on i-nrhiv and if snccessI |'il hr controlling, the'ball should give. , | 1 1 1 e nortbern team a good game, j The Wellington team tv ill hare the services of W. Wilson, J. Parker and | y•' ■ an"rod. tuiT-o of tho Now Aealand team, in addition to ft. Bradley, who was R»leetcd for tho Dominion I team as captain but who was unable to obtain, leave of absence. The appearance of the big forward TT, Tanered will bo watched with interest as ho made a reputation whilst with the New Zealanders in Australia. With the four above-mentioned player.-, and Worm ann Pollock, two new members of the code. *ho were playing ■ 'I? -T-ng-by ' Union fixtures . for Poncke. the YVeHjngtornans bar.. 3 strong team. A.s the Svdenhani Club had'prnriira,llr v.on the- senior division premier- ; S . , P jL mas a good'move on the part of the local committee to commence a .-.nook-out competition for the first grade tea ins. and the innoration will give the Sydenham, hinwood. Addnmron and Federal Clubs an opportunity toproro the survival of the fittest. Jhe team to play Wellington has undergone considerable alteration to the .side, originally selected as W 7 ~J. Mitch el and it, Piripiri. of the throe-ciiiar-Ders. are on the injured list, and W. ferny the and W. Brnnsden arc unab.e to play. The team, now consists or if. W light, fullback; D. Gcbrgc, S. Smith, F. King and C- Goodman, threequarters; J, .Sanders and ,T. Young, halves; and F. Kidd, H. Woffatt, a Trudgcon. D. M'ftibbon, AY. King (capt'L Ul )., T3. Healey, forwards, with W . Freeman ap'd S. Syraister reserves. T. Molloy, the Federal back, showed fine form last Saturday. Unfortunately lor lumself he had no opportunity of getting to practice last Thursday evening, and omitting to notify the selectors. D. George, the Sydenham threefiuarter, was chosen" to fill the position. On Ins game last Saturday T. Molloy ■w'onld have earned his place. JUNIOR GAMES, f Tho fixture between Woolston and I Avon was the principal attraction for rj ' i llßlOll followers on Saturday, as Hornby were considered certain to‘be at. I Wdenliam and Kin wood had, been : awarded their game with Addington, j There were plenty of supporters in j evidence to witness Woolston heat i tVvon, but the game was by no means 1 a spectacular contest,- the plar ho ire chiefly confined to the' forwards with ■ irregular efforts at passing by the hacks | and m the end (he weight of the Blues , enabled them to win, but one cannot ■ commend either team for its display of j the League code. The hacks for''the | most part seemed quite content, to kick and anxious to got rid of tho hall at any cost, and a capable- captain on Vvr' SKG " ou l d Lave made all tho uiiterencc. At times, some good individual running was seen, the best exponent m this being the Avon five-eighth, win? was the bright player in the backs, tic.- made some nice openings for his confreres, only, however, to witness ~,J S miss the opportunities. J no iorwards had most of the plav and they seemed determined fo keen the play tight and wearisome. With the I experience the- members get week in I and week out it seems hard to underI R f' ant j A’rivy there is not a much better standard developed towards the final senes. As teams have some promising players m their ranks a good coach would considerably improve the play otMhp junior divisions. The final games in the second division are causing a lot of interest to the team barrackers as, Hornby, Woolston and Lin wood each have a chance of winning tho flag. Hornby beat Linwood in their previous fixture, but as tho former played, an unregistered member the game was cancelled and has to be replayed, and should tho town team win on Saturday they replay Woolston. The eastern suburbs are the lightest thirteen of the trio mentioned, but they have some smart hacks and as E- Baker, their popular scrum halfi is again available and probably R. Smith, both 'of whom suffered disablement on active service, the Green and Blacks should fully , extend tho country team. The third division is also very interesting to the members of the Hornby and Woolston teams, and the former having been suSressfnl in their appeal lodged against Avon, who played a draw against them, the, country team are now leading for tho competition. Sydenham gave Woolston a good go last week, but fix the final stages the weight of the winners wore down the Sydenham lads. Woolston A. have now won the fourth grade banner. In heating Addington last week the winners had to go all theway. W 7 EST COAST NEWS. The members of the Addington team who recently visited the West Coast will ho interested to know that on Saturday last Runanga defeated the Kohinoor Club by nine points fo five, after a great game which caused a lot of interest. With T. O’Callaghan, the well-known New Zealand sprint champion. and the ex-New Zealand forward •T. Graham, playing for the Tvoh moors’ tho Greymouth representatives were favourites, and as the milling team would be practically tho sanio that narrowly defeated Addington, the Runanga supporters would be jubilant. There will be some excitement when the two mining representative teams, Runanga and Blackball, play one another. In securing the services of T. O'Calloghan and J. Graham, the Coast executive -will mow field a solid side-. The former, who has had a very successful career on the sprint tracks' throughout the Dominion, is just the ideal cut of a three-quarter, and if in form would be flie type of player to make a name for himself in a Dominion team. j. Graham is, the former Otago and New Zealand forward, and he is sure to have a successful career at the game.