FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 418, 17 May 1902, Page 1

FOOTBALL.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. |By “ The Whistle.” | Tho 1902 JRugby football season has opened, and the great winter pastime is the all-absorbing topic of conversation on the street, in the club rooms, and round the domestic fireside. Shipping combines may combine, volcanoes burst, airships explode, and thrones totter to their fall, but what recks tho Gisborne public of these light matters compared to tho weighty fact that West End has to meet Kaiti-City on Saturday. Everyone concerned must have felt gratified at the satisfactory attendance of the public at tho opening of the season and Victoria Domain on Saturday last. There is no doubt tho new ground is a good one, and few cities can boast of a playing-field in so central a site as Victoria Domain.

The Poverty Bay Rugby Union is certainly a live body. A great man once said: “ Point out to mo the President and Secretary of a public body, and I shall at once tell you whether it be in a flourishing condition or not.” Presidents are useful things. Some are of service because their names look well at the lop of the list of office-bearers; others because they can preside with dignity at the council board ; but commend me to the VicePresident of the Poverty Bay Rugby Union, who, while possessing all theso essential qualifications, can take off his coat, roll up his sleeves, and dig a hole for a goal-post, or whitewash a distancemurk like Tom Sawyer. Last woek, many of the officials of the Rugby Union, including a Vice-President (Mr W. Miller] and the Secretary (Mr W. S. McCredio), put in some solid work at the Domain, and had the ground in tiptop order for the opening day. The Gisborne public will be glad to hear that the local Union has been made a most generous offer by four masterbuilders to assist them to provide seating accommodation at tho Domain. The four builders offer to erect gratuitously a permanent structure of terraced scats ; providing the Union supplies tho requisite quantity 7 of first-class timber. The otter is a most generous one, and the U uion will not be slow in meeting it. A grandstand would greatly benefit all branches of sport which use the Domain, and the public should support the Union by every means in their power to enable that body to raise the necessary funds to carry out such improvements. It may not be known to all footballers that there is an Old Man Miuah who lives high up among the boughs of the pinus insignus opposite Victoria Domain. The old bird has been there for years, and takes the keenest interest in athletio sports. Ho is well up in crickot and hookey, and nearly went frantic with delight when he saw the large crowd pour into the Domain on Saturday. He thought he was about to witness a cricket match, and settled himself with a sigh of content on his favorite bough. When the game started, the Old Man looked surprised, an ( d as it eyes grew wider and-wufer. lie'had never seen Rugby football before, and was completely carried away by the strife of the gladiators. When Mr Rees sounded “no side ” on the whistle, the Old Man Minah was on the topmost bough of bis tree, chautiDg Kipling’s “Hymn Before Action.’" “ Jehovah of the Thunders, Lord God of Battles, hear 1 ” shrieked the Old Man in the lull which followed the cessation of hostilities. He wants to know when the next battle takes place. The game on Saturday might have been made much more attractive had West End let the bail out. Their policy last year, when they had no backs, was to keep the play tight, but no such tactics were required on Saturday. They had fair backs, and might have made more nse of them.

The local backs require instruction as to what distance they should take up their position from the pack. Sevoral times on Saturday, the halves looked round in vain for the centre-tbreequarter, who was usually too far away. The men should try and cultivate the short, smart, low pass. Some of the passes on Saturday wero twenty yards long. The backs on Saturday showed the old fault of running for the touch-lines. Run straight, lads; and give the wing man some scoring room.

Some of the most interested spectators at Saturday’s match were among the players of the contesting sides. Burns was about the only man on the field on Saturday who could not see that he was taking a kick at goal too close to the opposing forwards. L. B. Sherriff, the West End captain, did not show up so prominently as usual last Saturday. He was suffering from the effects of a cold ; but his generalship was of service.

Skeet is a useful man. He has pace, and, when he learns to use his head more, will be a first-class player. Over-eager-ness is his great fault. He lost many chances on Saturday through over-running and failing to take the ball cleanly. A capital game should be witnessed on the Domain this afternoon, when West End and liaiti City meet. The collaboration is putting a strong team in the field. They are reported to have a clever half in Hay, and good forwards in Miles, White, and Bathgate. The backs are a good set, including Witty, Baker, Glennie, Porter, and G. Reynolds. West End will be represented by their full strength, and an interesting exhibition of Rugby football should be witnessed.

Collins, who is highly spoken of as a forward, will be prevented from taking the field for the coalition to-day-by the effects of an accident.

Kaiti-City are said to have an exKaikorai (Dunedin) forward, and a wellknown ex-Tbames wing-forward, on thenside to day. Reiwai is a prophet, and unlike most seers hath honor in his own country. He went about the West End last week telling his friends that he was going to score the first try of the season. And, lo! it came to pass. The first junior match of the season will be played on No. 2 ground (which has been prepared during the week), at Victoria Domain to-day, commencing at 3 o’clock sharp, when Huia and West End try conclusions. A coincidence about tho match between West End and Huia on Saturday was that West End defeated Huia by exactly, the same number of points—lß to nil as Huia scored against West End when these clubs met in the first match last season.