OTAGO NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1307, 13 May 1915, Page 20

OTAGO NOTES.

(From Our Dunedin Correspondent.)

On the eve of the opening of the season it now possible to give some particulars of the senior teams. Let it be said at the outset that two of last year’s senior teams have ceased to exist owing to the number of players who have gone to the front. These are the Pirates and Taieri Rovers, who have now entered for the junior grade. The senior teams left in are Alhambra, Kaikorai, University, Union, Zingari-Richmond Dunedin, Southern and Port Chalmers.

Many well known faces and figures will be missed frcm. the Varitv team which has a splendid roll of honour of players at the seat of war and in training in Egypt and elsewhere for the fighting line. Particularly will the absence be noted from the royal blue ranks eff euch famil’ar figures as Scannel, the full-back. Dr. Withers, wing three-quarter: Jock Cuthill, centre and the worthy caotain of last year; Childs, five eighths; Fisher. F. Denniston, Nisbet, Hutchison, Pilling and others among the forwards. All these have dropped the royal blue jersey to don the khaki, and no fewer than 14 placers who took part in senior football for ’Varsity in the season of 1914 are in this year of grace fighting for the Empire. It is mentioned elsewhere that 54 members of the ’Varsity Club are serving their country in various capacities with the colours. Their’s is a proud record, and those who remain to keep the royal blue colours flying are doing so from a sense of duties and responsibilities that will not admit of tbe’r going to the front. The spirit is there all the same. The ’Varsity team, men that will line out in the opening engagement on Saturday will include a number of players new to senior honours in addition to one or two of last year’s men- —notably Harris, wing three-quarter; Wilson, five - eighths; Burtenshaw, fiveeighths: and Blundell, half. Bob Black, late of Pirates and member of the New Zealand team of last season. who, now that Pirates is unable to place a senior team in the fieM. has joined ’Varsity, and will assist, materially to keen up the reputation of the ’Varsity back team. In the forwards the best known nlavers of last season’s team who will be playing again this year is Widd. a fine forward. The majority of the other members of the pack will be new to the public. Altogether, 'Varsity may be expected to place a fairly good side in the field, and what is most pleasing is that the traditions of ’Varsity fobtball will be main tained.

As thev carry off the honours on the football field so on the field of battle ’Varsitv boys have been doing things. In the Dardanelles fighting —strenuous fighting it must have been too from all accounts —two of last year’s ’Varsity fifteen were wounded in action —Childs, the five-eighths, and Tom Nisbet, the forward. Childs was the best half-back in Otago last year, and the fact that he was in eluded in the wounded in the Dardanelles fighting has created many expressions of regret. Nisbet, too, was deservedly popular in the ’Varsity team last season. It is to be hoped that both players will recover from their wounds. Pirates state with feelings of pride that their senior fifteen of last season is «,t the front and that their roll of honour, exclusive of old members, numbers 60. Other clubs have splendid war records, but Pirates tops the list. Efforts were made to get a number of old players out of retirement to assist the all blacks to place a senior team in the field, but without success

Although the well-known Southern team is not largely represented at the front, it has lost a number of players through various causes. Jim Graham, the big New Zealand forward, has retired, his club mate, Irvine, lock forward in the New Zealand team in Australia, has been transferred to the West Coast. Paddy Sheehan, the old Southern skipper, is in Auckland, Charlie Williams, of the Maori team, has gone to the country, and Steve Casey retired last year. Less than half a dozen of the senior fifteen of 1914 remain, including Eckhold. five-eighths, Andrews and Reidy, three quarters; Atkinson, Brown and Douglas, forwards.

Well up in the list of war honours is the old Dunedin Club with 40 players in the troops in Egypt, the Dardanelles and in training. Such numbers cannot depart without leaving a b’g breach in a club’s resources and Dunedin is only able to place a senior and a fifth grade team in the grade competitions. All who remain of last year’s first fifteen are Skinner, the ex-Wellington forward: Fortune, Aitcheson, Cooper and Haynes —the rest are serving their country in various capacities—some actually engaged in the war, some preparing for it, and others assisting at home. One or two new players have joined since last year, notably Hannan, a wing three-quarter, from Invercargill, Clarke, also a wing three quarter, who is said to have reuresented Auckland. Unfortunately the Aucklander in the final practice last Saturday severely injured one of his knees, and so severely that it is anticipated he will be unable to nlav again this season. Another loss Dunedin has sustained is in the departure of Hanan, a brother of the wing three-auarter, who was a Southland representative hooker. Still, with a 1! their losses and misfortunes the dark blues will “pull through.” The Zingari-Richmond Club has not been free from losses since last season, and its war record, though below that of several of the other clubs, is still very good. Of the more prominent nlayers of last vear's senior team who have joined the colours J. Russell and A. Collie, fiveeighths, McDonald. three-quarter. Marks. - half, and Kennellv, forward are best known. These plavers will be sorely missed from the “colours” team, and as there are other losses to be made good Zingari will not be the even quality side of last year. There is still some doubt about Patterson being able to secure leave to play this season, but efforts are being made to secure the ex-New Zealand forward’s release at week-ends. Zingari has sent a number of its juniors to the front, and its second grade team has dropped out altogether.