FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2535, 23 June 1909, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

\ (Notes by ’‘Full-back.”) Increasing interest continues to be tasen in the various competitions, and vi ih it the standard of play appears to ho on the up grade. This applies moio particularly to Saturday football, and the last two games have shown a very decided improvement in form to that displayed in the earlier matches. Unly om of the games played last Ihursday excited any interest, and the City-Star game, was more or less in the nature ! of a farce, norui of the players appearing to take the game seriously. Both sides were very short, and it is just a question if it is worth while playing a match under such circumstances, as it is of no benefit to either players or spectators. The other match, that between, Gisb'orne and Alhambra, was a much better game, and was particularly noticeable on acccount of the vast improvement shewn by Alhambra, who, in the first spell particularly, completely out-. played their more experienced opponents, and scored a well-deserved try. There was something akin to consternation in the ranks of the Gisborne supporters, and the players, for -that club went on in the second spell fillet, with grim determination. Alhambra, although not scoring in the seconc ' spell, had just as much of the play a; their ~opponents j and Gisborne put u'i 8- points. The proper result shouit most undoubtedly have only been L points to 3 as the try awarded t< Neill by the referee was certainly anything but a fair score. He war running for tile line, and had just reached it, when lie was stopped by one of the Alhambra backs. He was near enough, however, to lean over the line, and he did so, bouncing the ball from a height of about two feet on to the ground. Tho ball rolled away in front of Neill, and before it reached the dead-ball line he again secured and fell on it, being awarded a tr}\ It was most clearly a throw forward over the line, and instead of a score being registered the occasion was one for a scrum to bo ordered by the referee. The incident was certainly unfortunate for Alhambra, and is greatly to be deplored, in view of tho great efforts being mado by that team to record, their first victory. Gisborne’s first score was tho result of a fine individual run by Pollock, and Newton kicked a fine goal from a very difficult angle. The lesult, however, did not represent the. play, and at one stage I thought that I was going to have the. pleasure, in the interests of the game, of recording a win for Alhambra. To-morrow’s game between Gisborne and City promises to be exceptionally interesting. Both clubs are putting thei r strongest available fifteens in the field, and if the Gisborne men do not show a decided advance on their form of last week, I am quite prepared to see City victorious. It will be a good “go.” ' ‘ ■ Saturday’s senior game was a good one, / and in the latter stages of it, when United kept their opponents penned on their goal lino for close on ten minutes, the excitement was at fever heat. United put up a gallant fight, but were handicajiped by the loss of two of their players. Had it not been for this misfortune 1 think they would just about have won. Their efforts in tho last ton minutes thoroughly deserved a score, and a drawn game, at least, would have been a fitting termination to the play. A regrettable feature of the game was the ordering off of a United player by the referee, foi« alleged wilful obstruction. All who witnessed the occurrence were convinced that the collision between the two players was purely accidental, and that tbe action of the referee was, to say the least of it, ill-advised. This view was also apparently taken by the members of tho Management Committee, who, after hearing the evidence of the referee and the two colliding players, decided that “no blame was attachable to the United player.” This, to iny mind, was tho only conclusion that could have been arrived at, and it was evident from the commencement that the referee had made a mistake. The members of the Management Committee havo always expressed their determination to uphold their referees, but on this occasion have acted very wisely in realising that they also owe a duty td the player. A very pleasing feature of the occurrence was tlie manly and sportsmanlike conduct of the player whd was supposed to have been obstructed. He disagreed entirely with tho referee’s opinion that the accident was wilful, and without expressing it forcibly, he walked to where his opponent was standing and shook hands, showing that there was not tbe slightest ill-feeling between them over the matter, A great deal of discussion has taken place during tho week on the refereeing of the match as a whole, and many tilings have been said which would have been much better left unsaid. I must confess that to my mind there wore one or two decisions, at least, that were hard to understand, and unfortunately in each case they appeared to favor Kaiti-City. Any suspicion of wilful unfairness or partiality on the part of Mr. Hay can, I think, lie immediately dismissed from tho mind of any person, but I do hold, and hold strongly, that it is most unfair to Mr. •Hay that, be should have been called upon to take this match. It placed him, as an active and prominent member of the Kaiti-City Club, in an invidious and unenviable position, and any small errors of judgment which he may have committed were consequently magnified in the eyes of those who have expressed the opinion that he is inclined to favor Kaiti-City. This opinion I do not hold, but I think that in fairness to Mr. Hay, and to both teams, it would have been wiser had any. other member of the ‘Referees’ Association been appointed for that particular match. v I was very pleased to see that steps are ,teh.be taken by the .Union officials in a body to keep the ground clear of

spectators. Near the grandstand on Saturday they encroached' so badly that play had to be stopped while they wore cleared back behind the fence. The opposite side of the ground also deserves attention, and no distinction should be made in allowing certain people to remain there while others are. removed. That imposing structure known as the press stand was, I understand, originally erected, at considerable expense, for the lise of Rugby Union officials and the press, but week after week there is a collection of persons sittmg on it, talking and “barracking,” and making the lot of the poor pressman a most unenviable one, in endeavoring to follow the game.

At the time of writing tho arrangements for the proposed tour of the local “reps.” are practically complete, and I append a list of the places it is proposed to visit, and the dates: Auckland, at Auckland, August 14. Manawatu, at Palmerston North, August 17. Bush Unions at Dannevirke, August 19. Napier, at Napier, August 21. Hastings, at Hastings, August 23. The match against. Hastings will de- / eide the owenrship of the Lane shield for the next twelve months.

Next week I hope to deal more fully with the question of the representative team,, its selection, and selectors.