FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 1000, 6 May 1909, Page 11

FOOTBALL.

DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW.

The following is the draw for the first round of all grades of the Auckland Rugby Union district championships, which commence next Saturday. The second round follows in the same order: — SENIOR GRADE. May 8: Ponsonby v. Grafton, North Shore v. City, Newton v. University, Parnell a bye. May 15: Ponsonby v. North Shore, Newton v. City, Parnell v. University. Grafton a bye. May 22: Ponsonby v. Newton, Grafton v. North Shore. Parnell v. City, Universi tv a bye. May 29: Ponsonby v. Parnell, Grafton v. Newton, University v. City, North Shore a bye. June 5: Ponsonby v. University, Gratton v. Parnell, North Shore v. Newton, City a bye. June 12: Ponsonby v. City, Grafton v. University, North Shore v. Parnell, Newton a bye. June 19: Grafton v. City, North Shore v. University, Newton v. Parnell, Ponsonby a bye. SECOND GRADE. May 8: University v. City, Parnell v. Grafton, Ponsonby v. North Shore, Marist Brothers v. Newton. May 15: University v. Parnell, City v. Newton, Ponsonby v. Grafton, Marist Brothers v. North Shore. May 22: University v. Ponsonby, City v. Parnell, Marist Brothers v. Grafton, North Shore v. Newton. May 29: University v. Marist Brothers, City v. Ponsonby, Parnell v. Newton, North Shore v. Grafton. June 5: University v. North Shore, City v. Marist Brothers, Parnell v. Ponsonby, Grafton v. Newton. June 12: University v. Grafton, City v. North Shore, Parnell v. Marist Brothers. Ponsonby v. Newton. June 19: University v. Newton, City v. Grafton, Parnell v. North Shore, Ponsonby v. Marist Brothers. THIRD GRADE. May 8: Marist Brothers v. City, Newton B v. North Shore B, Manukau v. North Shore A, Newton A v. Ponsonby, Parnell a bye. May 15: Marist Brothers v. Newton B, Manukau v. North Shore B, Newton A v. North Shore A, Parnell v. Ponsonby. City a bye. May 22: Marist Brothers v. Manukau, City v. Newton B, Newton A v. North Shore B, Parnell v. North Shore A, Ponsonby a bye. May 29: Marist Brothers v. Newton A, City v. Manukau, Parnell v. North Shore B, Ponsonby v. North Shore A, Newton B a bye. June 5: Marist Brothers v. Parnell, City v. Newton A, Newton B v. Manukau, Ponsonby v. North Shore B, North Shore A a bye. June 12: Marist Brothers v. Ponsonby, City v. Parnell, Newton B v. Newton A, North Shore A v. North Shore B, Manukau a bye. June 19: Marist Brothers v. North Shore A, City v Ponsonby, Newton B v. Parnell, Manukau v. Newton A, North Shore B a bye. June 26: Marist Brothers v. North Shore B, North Shore A v. City, Newton B v. Ponsonby, Manukau v. Parnell, Newton A a bye. July 3: City v. North Shore B, Newton B v. North Shq/e A, Manukau v. Ponsonby, Newton A v. Parnell, Marist Brothers a bye. FOURTH GRADE. May 8: Clarence v. Chelsea, Newton v. North Shore, Grafton A v. Parnell, St. Patrick’s v. Ponsonby, City a bye. May 15: Clarence v. Newton, Chelsea v. Ponsonby, Grafton A v. North Shore, City v. Parnell, St. Patrck’s a bye. May 22: Clarence v. Grafton A, Chelsea v. Newton, City v. North Shore, St. Patrick’s v. Parnell, Ponsonby a bye. May 29: Clarence v. City, Chelsea v. Grafton A, Newton v. Ponsonby, St. Patrick’s v. North Shore, Parnell a bye. June 5: Clarence v. St. Patrick’s, Chelsea v. City, Newton v. Grafton A, Parnell v. Ponsonby, North Shore a bye. June 12: Chelsea v. St. Patrick’s, Newton v. City, Grafton A v. Ponsonby, Parnell v. North Shore, Clarence a bye. June 19: Clarence v. Parnell, Newton v. St. Patrick’s, Grafton A v. City, North Shore v. Ponsonby, Chelsea a bye. June 26: Clarence v. North Shore, Chelsea v. Parnell, Grafton A v. St. Patrick’s, City v. Ponsonby, Newton a bye. July 3: Clarence v. Ponsonby, Chelsea v. North Shore, Newton v. Parnell, City v. St. Patrick’s, Grafton A a bye.

THE GAME IN THE SOUTH.

Saturday’s games in the South resulted as follows: —Palmerston 23, v. Old Boys 3; Feilding 7, v. Kaitoa (Palmerston) 6. Wellington: Oriental 25, v. Victoria College 0; Petone 25, v. Melrose 6; Poneke 23, v. Wellington 0; St. James 8, v. Old Boys 0; Athletic 29, v. Southern 10. In Canterbury: Old Boys 8, v. Sydenham 6; Christchurch 8, v. Albion 8; Canterbury College 3, v. Linwood 3. In Otago: Dunedin 22, v. University 8; Southern 36, v. Kaikorai 0; Alhambra 4, v. Port Chalmers 0; Zin-gara-Richmond 3, v. Taieri-Rovers 3; Union 0, v. Pirates 0; Amongst the “ other ” matches played locally on Saturday. Clarence defeated Richmond by 14 points to 0 and Ivanhoe after a strenuous game, beat Onehunga by 4 points to 3. * * * * The football season was opened at Paeroa on Saturday last, the minor grade match, West v. East resulting

in a win for the former by 11 points to 3. For the winners, tries were obtained by Goldsworthy, Shaw and Casley one being convicted by GordonDufty scored East’s only try.

The Auckland Football Association opened their season on Saturday, and the form shown on the various grounds must be considered highly satisfactory. In the senior grade Caledonian defeated Ponsonby one one goal to nil, scored from a penalty kick. Corinthians never gave the Gordon eleven a chance, and won by seven goals to nil. At Devonport a very fast game between North Shore and W.Y.M.I. resulted in a draw, each side scoring two goals.

Next Saturday the football season opens in real earnest, when the district championship matches are to be commenced at Alexandra Park- With (he exception of the Parnell senior fifteen, which has a bye, the other teams in the first-grade division will all be engaged in matches, and a good attendance of enthusiasts should be present both at Epsom and at the North Shore grounds.

The final practice matches were held by the various clubs on Saturday, and, judging by the excellent musters obtained in nearly all cases, players are as enthusiastic as ever. Parnell, Newton, Grafton and University held practices among themselves, the first fifteens playing the first juniors, the latter being given several extra men in order to make the games even. The City team played a scratch match with North Shore, and had no difficulty in winning by 18 points to 6. The Ponsonby senior team practised at Victoria Park, a team of eighteen picked from the juniors being their opponents.

The cup matches promoted by the Waihi Rugby Union were commenced on Saturday, but the slippery state of the ground made attractive football out of the question. In the senior grade City defeated West by three points to nil, while in the second grade West beat Suburbs by 15 points to 3. In the third grade Suburbs defeated West by 5 points to nil.

An amusing scene was witnessed on the football ground of the 2nd Cheshire Regiment—an old Salford corps—at Secunderabad recently. The ball rolled in close proximity to a cow and calf which were grazing near. As one of the Cheshires went to get the ball the cow charged him and knocked him down. With great presence of mind the soldier seized the two horns of the cow and prevented it from attempting any further tricks, but the struggles of the brute in its attempt to get away and the. antics of the soldier, who hung on like grim death, produced a spectacle most ludicrous, and the remainder of the footballers and spectators as they rushed to the man’s assistance were convulsed with laughter.

An international match between G'ermany and England, on English ground, is something of a novelty, and there was a fine crowd of lookers-on at Oxford when a fairly representative home team received a visit from a Teutonic combination. The match, which was played under association rules, resulted in the anticipated easy defeat —by 9 goals to nil, as a matter of fact- —of the foreigners, who played with plenty of vigour and zest, but were all at sea in the finer points of the game.

The annual meeting of the Wednesday Rugby Union will be held this evening, when the report and balancesheet, which shows a small credit balance, will be presented.

Under Rugby rules, Wales, at Swansea, and in the presence of over 30,000 spectators, beat Ireland after an astonishing game, by 18 points (3 goals, 1 try) to 5 (1 goal). For the first half neither side could score, the Irish forwards carrying dismay into the ranks of the Welsh would-be attackers, although the Hibernians own backs kept failing to take advantage of the many openings made for them. But after the interval the Welshmen quickly set to work to pile up a score, and barring one cleverly-gained try for the Irishmen, which was admirably converted, the wearers of the leek had pretty well all the play. Twenty-four matches have now been played between the two countries, of which Wales has won 15, Ireland 8, one has been drawn. This completes a record for Wales, who have this season beaten Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland, and France.

While the reporters in the shed called the press-box were watching the practice match on the football ground, a red-whiskered stranger entered in a condition just ripe for argument, and asked, “Is there any old footballers among you gents?” Nobody claimed the honour, but he went on, “ Then, can any of you tell me truly whether the game’s got any faster than it used to be ? It’s to settle a bet between me and a friend.” Then a reporter who knows football and football management “ from the inside” looked at him sadly, and replied, " Tell your friend that football is so blooming fast nowadays that it has growfn to be like the Mississippi steamboats in America. If it goes much faster it will bust itself!”

The Rugby football coach of the University of California, James R. Schaeffer, will leave San Francisco for Australia and New Zealand about Ist May to study the game as played here. He will spend about a month or so in New South Wales and Queensland before crossing to New Zealand.

The following inscription has been approved of for the late Robert Deans’ memorial tablet to be placed in the Christchurch Boys’ High School:--”In memoriam R. G. Deans, alumni 1897-1901, scholae principis, ludorum omnium duels, mortui 1908, qui viribus et moribus, constantia et pietate, omnibus pueris unicum exemplum dedit, hoc monumentum posuerunt aequales et amici.” The following is the interpretation:—‘“To the memory of R. G. Deans, pupil from 1897-1901, senior monitor, and leader in all games, died 1908, who by his strength and character, firmness and dutifulness, has given a unique example to all boys; this monument his contemporaries and friends have raised.”

W. Glenn, the one-time Taranaki and New Zealand representative forward, has been appointed sole selector of Wanganui senior representative teams during the coming season.