THE PAHIATUA FOOTBALL TEAM.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XV, Issue XVI, 19 October 1895, Page 475

THE PAHIATUA FOOTBALL TEAM.

WITH this issue we give a reproduction of the Pahiatua Football Club’s senior team. The Pahiatua Football Club is attached to the Bush District Rugby Union, which also embraces the Woodville, Eketahuna, and Tutaekara Clubs. This is a district in which the national game is followed at a disadvantage. In the cities and more fortunatelysituated country districts, expenses and time occupied in travelling to play in inter - club matches are reduced to a minimum ; but in the Bush both are very serious barriers to the progress of the game. The iron horse has not yet traversed the district, consequently all the travelling has to be done by road. But that in itself would be a small matter were the players themselves stationed within easy distance of the township. Many of them, however, are ‘ pioneers of civilization,’ and live far back in the Bush and a day’s ride from the township. To them each match mean the loss of two or three days, and that fact prevents their attendance at any but the most important club fixtures. With the lack of practice, the want of real combination in the club teams is made very apparent. There is a still greater drawback to the complete success of football in the Bush. The townships are difficult of access in reasonable time for outside clubs (I mean more particularly metropolitan clubs), consequently the Bush players seldom have an opportunity of pitting themselves against experienced opponents, and picking up the latest points of the game. Our climate, too, is decidedly moist, and it is rarely indeed that a fine day is secured for a match.

After the men have come in such long distances the idea of postponement is never entertained, and though the rain descends in torrents the match is always played. It would require a very heavy fall to cause the absence of a forty-mile Bush footballer. Notwithstanding all these drawbacks the game has gone ahead ami increased in popularity wonderfully. Spectators always attend in good force, and the ladies support and assist the clubs in many ways. The play, too, is of a higher class than one would expect after considering all the disadvantages. The teams are composed, for the most part, of strong, fast men —players who a few years ago were the mainstays of their school and college teams, and who, having now ‘gone on the land,’ cannot resist the temptation of following the leather. With a very little practice together these Bush teams would lower the colours of many a boastful city combination, and prove themselves worthy opponents of the best clubs. Of course the disabilities are gradually disappearing, and it is only a matter of a year or two when the Bush representatives will be able to pit their strength against that of surrounding unions. The only representative match played this season was against the Waipawa Union, the Bush winning by 11 points to nil. The Bush Senior Championship was won this year bv the Eketahuna team, whose line was not crossed during the season. Pahiatua met them in the final and suffered a defeat by one try. The latter’s record for the season is —matches played 10 ; won 7, lost 3. Points for, 84 ; against, 28. The Junior Cup contest was won by the Pahiatua second fifteen with a record of five wins and one defeat. The Pahiatua Club has a membership of 78.