SOCCER’S CORNER

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17834, 30 April 1926, Page 6

SOCCER’S CORNER

ANTICIPATION, GOSSIP AND NEWS OF THE CENTRES.

Association football should receive more .support and appreciation the Christchurch sporting public than it does (writes “H.N.11.”). It is a good game, fast and exciting, requiring skill and energy, and it is well played in Christchurch. English Park, the home of Canterbury soccer, is well worth visiting on Saturday afternoons, and has accommodation for 12,000. Association officials at the gates often turn longing eves towards the thousand or so that are left vacant every time a match is played at the park, and wonder what the world is coming to. The code is the national sport of Britain, , and is by no means unworthy of more public interest than is accorded to it at present. The Senior Grade. Cup competition that is going on at present, with twelve playing teams, is in every respect of a high standard. The position of the teams at present is shown by the table:

The position as disclosed is interesting. Sunnyside is at the top, but then second is an old B grade team. Stili, Technical have not met Sunnyside yet. Neither have Nomads; a good deal depends on this match for Nomads. Either Nomads come level with the leaders or stay where they are while Sunnyside put on a big lead of four points. Brighton, for a new team, has done remarkably well in reaching third place; this team .also, however, has not been tested yet. Then Western, the last of the. four-point brotherhood, is a dark horse. Poor last year up to their final remarkable burst in the cup final, they seem to have adhered to that last minute form so far this season. They plav Lvttelton to-morrow, and the result will be watched with considerable interest. If Lyttelton wins, it may go towards pulling that team, one of last year’s best, out of the slough of despond into which it has fallen. If, on the other hand, Western wins, and Nomads defeat Sunnyside, that will put. Western at the top of the list. Of course, if Technical Old Boys beats Addington, and Brighton, Thistle, either of those teams will have *the same points as Western. The situation is cdfhplicated to a degree. The week teams seem to be playing the weak teams in the main, which gives the victors positions which perhaps their true standard t does not merit.

Chief interest in Saturday’s soccer matches will centre about the NomadsSunnyside match. Despite the tact that Sunnyside appear to be in a stronger position than ever this season, with over twenty first class players available, Nomads, if they adhere to last Saturday’s form, should give their doughty opponents something to think over. The Blue defence has in the past been a barrier to the dashing Sunny- | side forwards, and it is now further rcinforced by the presence between the posts of Jim M’Dougall, one-time centre forward, who is much more useful where he is now’. Then in the forwards. Nomads have revived their old prestige.

There, is Norman, the scoring man last Saturday, and he has a good lett wing, at any rate What the other wing will be like remains to be seen, ltis at. present the weakest part of the Nomads company. However, in a week ? time, when, it is understood, Ives ancl W. Purves, his suspension expired, will constitute the right wing, the Blue foiwards will be a formidable crowd indeed. , . t Sunnyside are well known. lla\ mg

all the advantage in the matter of training facilities, and being able to pick their men, they have developed a well-conditioned, energetic and skilful ( forward and intermediate line, with combination that is delightful to watch. Their full backs are a good brace, though Nomads have the advantage » here. But more on Nomads half backs than on the backs or the forwards will \ depend the match. liowarth, Jock M’Dougall, Scragge. A clever, tricky trio, with Jock M’Dougall, one of the greatest halves in New Zealand, as the pivot. Howarth has brought some much needed weight into the line, and what with keenness, rivalry and one thing and another, the game will be well matched. Kaiapoi play Villa at English Park. Villa showed 'good form against SunriySide, but tired and .slackened _ oft in the second spell. Against Kaiapoi they should hold out better. Villa has a good team, and will give Kaiapoi a hard go. The country team has good material', however, and will probably prove the victors, though the margin will be narrow^ A ding-dong struggle may be expected between Lyttelton and Western at Heathcote. Western has had wins so far, and the Port team defeats only, with a bad downfall by seven clear goals against them with Nomads. Western have not got 50 per cent of tha quality of the Nomads defence, and the vigorous methods of the Lyttelton forwards will probably meet with suc- | cess. However, the Western forwards have dash, and their intermediate line is good, while back of it they have a capable custodian in Andrews. To predict the outcome would be a difficult task between teams so evenly balanced. It must a.so be taken into consideration that Port have laurels to retrieve, and are playing on their home ground. Thistle should beat New Brighton, comparing the chances on paper. Paper is an unsatisfactory medium, though. .The new team from the seaside have done very well so far, and will prove a tough nut for the bcotsmen. The co-ordination or an older established team is wanting m Brignton, though it cannot be denied that they have a sporting chance ot making their four points, six.

Technical Old Boys v. Addington Workshops. This is a further example of how the weak teams hang together. So far the Old Boys have not suffered a defeat, but they ha\ e only had the tail, so to speak, to compete with. If the Workshops go down, that makes Technical six up with Nomads and Sunnyside, and a few more, to go. It is up to Workshops to win. and bring the relative positions o'i the teams to a more equitable basis.

St Albans have a bye. Bye-bye, St Albans, anyway. They could only play eight men last week. Their position is something like that of the pale wraith known as Villa B. is unfortunate, but inevitable, that St Albans will go down unless they receive some | new players. Their pluck in entering | the competition at all, knowing their I own position so well, is commendable. 1 NEWS FROM THE CENTRES. I -v, ENGLISH TROPHY. I The New Zealand Football Associa--1 tion have discovered to what purpose they are going to put the magnificent trophy recently sent to the Dominion by the English Football Association. It is to be competed for by the four major associations, Christchurch, Dunedin. Auckland and Wellington. The Brown Shield has l3een relegated to the minor associations lor competition, on practically the same lines as it was competed for before.

The major associations will play their interprovinoials on exactly the same principle as the Plunket Shield matches are conducted. Each team I will play two home and one away matches during the season. This year,

however, Canterbury is to play one home match, against Otago, and two away, against the northern cities. The proposal of the N.Z.F.A. is to pool the gates for division among the competing centres. Though the Canterbury team will travel twice, probably it will prove to be the better course. Better gates may be anticipated in Auckland and Wellington, this year at least, than in this city. In future, however, if the hoped for awakening of interest in interprovincial matches is aroused, Christchurch may do its share towards securing good agates. AUCKLAND’S OATES. Auckland Soccer is in a very happy position. Ranking in the northern city as the second in popularity of the winter sports, there are 150 teams playing every week, and there are 12,000 registered players. Five thousand spectators at even the ordinary inter-club matches is an average attendance, and cup finals and interprovincial matches attract ten to twelve thousand. The game has broken into the schools, there being now very few of the educational institutions that do not play the code. When the officials of the Canterbury Football Association heard that they would not believe it at^first. SUNNYSIDE IS IN PECULIAR POSITION. Some reference might be made to the present position of Sunnyside in the competition. . , , _. Owing to an order issued by bir Trubv King, in his capacity of Inspector of Institutions, the Sunnyside team will not be allowed to play home and away matches. That is to say, according to that order, Saturday after Saturdav the Institute men will play on the same ground, in their usual places, where they train during the week. Anyone who appreciates the position will realise the inestimable advantage enjoyed by a right half, for example, in always going up the field in exactly the same place; distance judging and placing become instinctive through ! usage. Now that on the face of it is | hardly fair to the visiting clubs. They come comparatively strange to the ! ground, there to play a team born and bred, as it were, amid those surroundI mgs.’ The advantage is incalculable. * Furthermore—it is impossible to burk the question—Sunnyside have all the advantage in being able to offer to the i good players who come to the city a chance of playing a lot of good football - and incidentally secure a position as 5 well. It almost savours of profession- : alism. _ . . ... ) As matters stand, the position ) have to be faced at the end of the present season. The other clubs would 1 be quite justified in expressing unwils lingness to plav under the ctrcurn- - stances. The Director of Sunnyside 2 has signified his willingness to allow the Institute team to play matches off their own ground for a cup-tie 6r some t similar occasion. .Such occasions are r few. He also points out that the object i- of the Soccer at Sunnyside is largely e to interest the patients. That is as it -* may be, but the other clubs playing in s the competition are in for the good e of Soccer football generally, g There was a suggestion at a recent r meeting of the executive committee of ;. the C.F.A. that as Sunnyside is playing most of the games on the home ground, they should be bereft of a certain pro portion of the points they compile to « even things tip. That on the face of it * is out of the question. No first-class club, whatever the conditions, will be likely to give up even a few of the

points that its play has brought in. And judging by the size of the Institute team's victory scores the last week or two. just a few points would not materially affect its position relative to that of the weaker teams.

It is creditably reported that Nomads a a saga, or rather lament, of which the refrain runs. "Colin M'Dougall. where art thou?’ The redoubtable forward, the third of the M’Dougall clan, lias gone to Thistle, where there is great rejoicing Nomads thought that with Ives and Purves on the right wing, Norman at centre forward. and Colin M’Dougall supporting Chapman .at inside right weli, they might have a change of beati'-g Villa B.

Matches. Goals. W. IX T.. F. A. Fts Sunny side 2 0 0 15 0 4 Technical O.B. .. 2 0 0 1504 Brighton 2 0 0 10 2 4 Western 2 0 0 « - * Nomads 1. 0 1 • - “ Thistle 1 0 1 l « - Add. Works 10 1 5 2 Lvttelton 0 0 2 1 9 0 Kaiapol 0 0 2 2 14 0 St Albans 0 0 2 1 IS 0 Villa B 0 0 2 0 6 0