FOOTBALL.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8363, 30 July 1920, Page 1

FOOTBALL.

(Notes by “Scrum”)

The third round of the Waipawa Sub-union’s fixtures will be started to-morrow, when the Onga Onga and Waipawa seniors try conclusions on the former’s ground and , Tikokino and Otane meet at Otane. In the junior grade Waipawa meet Onga Onga at Waipawa and Otane play Tikokino on the latter’s ground. Both Waipukurau teams have a bye.

Following is the position of the teams:—

The third round is scheduled to finish on the last Saturday in August, and in view of theMiact that this will leave fully a month’s playing time, some endeavor should be made either by the Sub-union or clubs to secure games with outside talent. This, apart from, any pecuniary advantage that might result, would also be of great advantage to the younger players in giving them an opportunity of seeing the methods adopted by other players.

Tile game which has been arranged between the Te Aute College and Waipawa, which is to be played at Waipawa on Wednesday next, should draw a large attendance. The play of the Te Aute boys is always good to watch, and if they can open up the game they will provide spectators with plenty of excitement. Waipawa, on the other hand, have a hefty forward line which should keep the opposing pack moving.

As a curtain-raiser to the junior fixture at Waipawa to-morrow a Ransom Cup match will he played, when the Waipawa High School will try conclusions with Te Aute College thirds. On the last occasion these teams met the College boys secured a win by 12 to 3, and the local lads are hopeful of turning the tables tomorrow.

The following alterations have been made in Rugby rules: —ln Rule 11, where the player does not immediately place the ball in the scrum a free kick will be awarded; in Rule 22, where a scrum is given for a breach inside the twenty-five, if the breach is within ten yards of the touch line, tbe scrum takes place ten yards away; in Rule 25, after a successful try, the kick-off shall be from half-way, and when a fair catch is made, the catcher must take the kick.

Two senior games were played last Saturday, the results of which were given in Monday’s' issue. Otane put up a good fight against Waipawa but the latter’s pack, with the advantage of better combination, were the means of securing another two points in the Shield competition. One or two alterations were made in the positions of players on the winners’ side, Anstis going up to half and Wynn taking up the position of goal-keeper. Both players’ displays were of some merit. Benson put in some good work and had hard luck in not scoring after a fine run. Harman, Rose and King bore the brunt of the forward play. Page, for the losers, played one of his best games this season, and had he been adequately supported a score might have come his way. Graham lent valuable aid. Of the forwards Summarsell, Pilcher and Irwin were prominent.

At a meeting of the Waipawa Subunion on Tuesday night, Mr Maher, referee in the Otane-Waipawa match, reported a Waipawa player for using obscene language. After discussion the player was ordered to stand down for the remainder of the season. « RANSOM CUP. Waipawa v. Napier High School. The Waipawa High School played their third match in the Ransom Cup contest at Napier on Tuesday against Napier High School. The game was played on Nelson Park, and in the first three minutes Napier registered an unconverted try. This put the Waipawa boys on their mettle and from then on they carried play to Napier’s twenty-five. From a forward rush the ball went over the Napier line. Anstis rushed but had the misfortune to slip and before he bad completely recovered the ball had been forced down. For the rest of the first spell play continued very even, Waipawa’s tackling, kicking and following up being first class. When the whistle blew the scores were— Napier 3, Waipawa 0. On resuming Waipawa attacked hotly and looked' like scoring on many occasions. The passing of their backs was specially noticeable, but they suffered in the line-out through being up against a far heavier set of forwards. Nevertheless they more than held their own for thirty minutes, but ten minutes before the game ended and at a time when it appeared that Waipawa had scored, the Napier left wing got the ball, and running the whole length of the field, scored between the posts. The try was easily converted. Napier 8, Waipawa 0. Nothing daunted Waipawa made persistent efforts to score, but just before the whistle went Napier scored from a forward rush. The try was converted, and the game ended —Napier 13, Wai-

pawa 0. The game was very fast from beginning to end, and if the teams had been in any way evenly matched as regards weight, Waipawa could not have lost. Their tackling, passing and kicking were of a far higher order than that of their opponents. Every Waipawa boy played a rattling good game and to mention names would necessitate the mentioning of the whole team; but they had too much weight against them, and in a match of that nature weight had to tell.

“Scrum” has been making inquiries into the conditions regulating the Ransom Cup contests, and has come to the conclusion that' these contests are going the right way to discourage Rugby in tbe smaller country schools. He finds that Waipawa D.H.S. has 25 boys on its roll, Hastings D.H.S. has 27, Te Aute has 80 and Napier D.H.S. lias over 200. The conditions are that Waipawa and Hastings play their first team, that means the only teams they can manage to scrape together. Te Aute used to have to play a fourth team, but now they are allowed to play a third

RANFURLY SHIELD. WELLINGTON BEATS HAWKE’S BAY. ■ Two rivals of long standing, Hawke’s Bay and Wellington, met in competition for the Ranfurly Shield at Wellington on Wednesday. The match was played under ideal conditions. The home team’s superiority was again made manifest. They finished up with a score of 20 points to their opponents’ tally of 5., but their backs seemed badly out of gear and they did not begin to score freely until twenty minutes before the call of time. The forwards did most of the work. Wellington led by six points to nil in the first spell, both tries being obtained by forwards. The backs had been afforded plenty of opportunities, but they were not capable of turning them to good account. Hawke’s Bay were aggressive in the opening stages of the second half, but the Wellington forwards kept them in their place. The game lagged until J. Ryan scored a try, which M. Nicholls converted. Hawke’s Bay began to tire, and their defence cracked up before a series of punishing attacks on the part of the home backs. SWEEPING VICTORY. (Electric Telegraph.—Copyright). SYDNEY, July 28. The New Zealand footballers defeated the Northern Rivers team at Taree by 70 points to 9.—(A. & N.Z.) because they say they are unable to find a fourth. Napier also plays a third and yet with 200 boys from which to pick three teams they found it necessary to play two boys who are now in Palmerston acting as reserves for Napier’s second team. It.seems to show an absolute lack of sportsmanship. Te Aute say that Napier packed the team used against them and Napier say that Te Aute packed their team. This may be all right with schools of that size, hut Waipawa and Hastings cannot do it, so it is obvious that an inquiry should he made with the object of putting this contest on a more equitable footing. TEAMS FOR TO-MORROW. Waipawa Seniors v. Onga Onga.— Backs, Colquhoun, Hutana, Rathbone, Whyman, Benson, Sebley, Anstis; forwards, Allen, King, Davis, Rose, Harman, Whyman, Nielsen, Ireland. Bus leaves Mr Maher’s shop at 1.45 sharp.

SENIORS. P. W. L. D. Pts. W aipawa 8 7 0 1 15 Waipukurau .... 8 5 2 •1 11 Tikokino 8 2 5 1 5 Onga Onga 8 3 5 0 6 Otane .... 8 1 JUNIORS. 6 1 3 P. W. L. D. Pts. Waipawa . 2 0 12 Waipukurau 7 4 1 2 10 Onga Onga 8 3* 4 2 8 Tikokino 8 3 5 0 6 Otane 5 0 4 *One game against Otane protest. won on