FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2559, 21 July 1909, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

TO-MORROW’S MATCHES. Tlio matches to be played under the auspices of the Poverty Bay Rugby Union at Victoria Domain to-morrow are: City v. Gisborne, 1.45 p.m.; Star v. Alhambra, 3 p.m. The team to represent City against, Gisborne at the Domain to-morrow has been picked as follows: Luttrell, Miller, Tocker, Huston, Witty, Puflett, Grmlinton, Stagpoole, O’Neil], Ferguson, Bragge, Gatlaiid, Shepherd, McKenzie, and Roderick. : The following team will represent Gisborne: Full-back, H. Kelly; threequarters, J. Ryan, R. Campbell, W. Neill; five-eighths, J. Pollock and G. Neill; half, H. Henderson; forwards, R. Morse (wing), T. Swain, W. Brown, R. McKenzie, T. Henderson, F. Delaney, J. Lyons, H. Harrison. Emergencies: (Backs), C. Hepburn, R. Flatman, C. Pollock, A. Pirio, A- Luttrell; (forwards),'A. McConnell, F. Seymour, J. Newton, O. Taylor. Each player is requested to come provided with club colors. , , The team to represent Alhambra will be chosen from the following: Stubbs, Anderson, Oman. Pilcher, McLaclilan, Craig, Olsen, V. Somervell, Whitfield, McConnell, Darville, Grades, Carter, A. Newton, Paaka Turei, Williams, Casley. . The team to represent Star against Alhambra on the JJomain tomorrow will be picked from the following: P. Kokin. Per a, P. Te Hau, L. Wiivcmson, Makaore, Kaipara, Nicolas, Bristow'. Beach. Williams, carroll, Ivmg, Ferguson, Jones, R. Wilkinson, Burnside, Smith, Tuhce, and Hargreaves. SATURDAY’S MATCHES. The Rugby football matches for Saturday will be: At Victoria Domain. —At 3 p.m., Town y. Country (representatives) j Juniors, United v. Kaiti-City. At 1.45 p.m., Thirds, Kaiti-City v. High School. At Mr. Witters’ paddock, Makaun. — Juniors, Te Kura. v. Makauri. The following teams have been selected to play in the representative match on Saturday : .. Town : Full-back, C. Hepburn; threequarters, Miller, Tocker, Campbell; five-eighths, Kaioara and Witty ; hair, Flatman; forwards, Stagpoole (wing), Beach. Nicolas, Delaney, Bragge, Shepherd, Paaka Turei, and Winter. Emergencies : Neill, Somervell, E. Luttrell (backs); Grant and Hansen (forwards). Country *. Full-back, Mason; threequarters, Ryan, Halbert, Pita le Hau; five-eighths, Tuhoe and le Remga; half,’ Cole; forwards, Butclier (wing), Ferguson, Swainson, 'Lyons, Hatea, McKenzie, Donnelly, and Kouka. Emergencies: Campbell and Hyland (backs), Witters, King, Higgins, and Simpkins (forwards). ~ , The Country team will be provided with colors on the ground.

(Notes by “Full-back.”) The various competitions are still going on, both on Thursdays and Saturdays, and, especially in the case of the former championship, interest grows apace. The game between Gisborne and Alhambra last Thursday was a very dull affair, and too much onesided to be in the .slightest-Aegree interesting. The- blues’ back division exhibited some fairly decent passing, but the opposition was decidedly weak. J. Pollock was oncp more the shining star, and scored three tries by means of fine individual efforts. Dick Campbell also showed good form, and C. Pollock gave every promise of turning out a good footballer, with a little more experience. The forwards had matters practically all their own way, little distinction being possible between them. Alhambra, who have been battling along so bravely all the season, started tlic' game with ten men. but one or two more came on the field later on. The brothers Somervell showed up well at times, but the team, as a whole, was hopelessly outclassed by its more experienced opponents. Even with several defeats' standing to their account the Alhambra, men do not appear in any way discouraged. Their plucky efforts are deserving of the greatest commendation, and no one will begrudge them their next victory when it comes along. . . The Star-City game, as was anticipated, proved a great ‘‘go,” but the Star men, ably handled by Kaipara, were too good for tlieir opponents, and won comfortably. Earlier in the season Star showed no signs of that clashing form which characterised their displays last year, but latterly they have come on wonderfully well, and although suffering several defeats in the early games, they still have a chance, and no mean one-, of annexing the 'Lysnar banner for the season. On Thursday, Kaipara demonstrated his ability time and again by running clean through the other team, and the futile efforts of several of the City men to tackle him were productive of much amusement amongst the spectators. At. the same time, the best player in the world, is occasionally brought down, and I would like to point out to one or two of the City players, that it is hardly fair, or sportsmanlike, to pay too much attention to a man when he is «n tno ground. There were one or two instances of this sort of thing on Thursday, and when one man did succeed in bringing Kaipara doAvn, there were always at least a couple of others who were ready, a fter the difficult part of the work had been done, to join in the dirty work of endeavoring to make his temporary rest on the ground anything but a comfortable or pleasant one. Such an action is rather a poor way of venting feelings of jealousy, and per- , haps it may only need the attention of the offenders to bo drawn to it-, in order to prevent a repetition of the occurrence. Star have lately l>een’reinforced by several iiew players from the country, and Pera, their wing three-quarters on Thursday played a dashing game all through as well as kicking a fine goal. Makaore continues tp improve and repeatedly .gained a lot of of ground with his feinting runs. Notwithstanding the fact that they were comfortably beaten, City had a /

surprising portion of -the .game in their favor. . .They appeared to rely too much on individual play, and concerted scrambling rushes of the whole team, and when these tactics are pitted against . good combination, the result is obvious. Saturday’s senior game was not by means brilliant, and although there wag a good deal of solid and useful work done, from a spectator's point of view the play was most uninteresting. Kai-. ti-City only iust won after an even game, and the. issue was in doubt right up to the call of time, when United •were looking dangerous. I notice that a number of budding aspirants for representative honors are training nightly, and, no doubt, in view of tiie "fact that several old-timers are attending to coach the.players, the idea will meet with a certain amount of success. At tlio same time, I do not altogether favor the holding of'these practices in a small hall, especially when crowded with men, as the conditions are so entirely different to those obtaining on the actual field of play. It is perfectly likely that the forwards may derive .a great deal of benefit in the matter of packing scrums, heeling the ball out, different formations, etc., but I utterly, fail to see how the back division is going to profit and obtain that most essential element, combination, in such a confined space. Three-quarters- of an hour on the Domain in the late afternoon, is, to my mind, much more likely to be beneficial to them, than two or three hours every night in a close and confined shed. We in Poverty Bay are most unfortunately situated in the fact of the district being such a scattered one, and the probability of the furthermost end containing players worthy of inclusion in the representative team. This, in the opinion of the selectors, of course, moans the postponement of the final selection until a few days prior to th© date on which the team must leave on tour, and as matters now stand it is most improbable' that the touring team will have any opportunity of taking the field together prior to their departure to win laurels for their district in other centres. By this action an opportunity will doubtless be given to the selectors of seeing the best available material, but at the same time, although it will most likely ensuro the inclusion in the team of those who are opined to be the best individual players, it is just possible that it would be a wiser idea to pick the team earlier, and include perhaps very slightly inferior local players, who would eventually be worthy of inclusion, fortified by the combination to be gained by subsequent practice. . However, the die is cast;- and the final selection will bo made on the night of August 7th. The team leaves for Auckland on August lltli, and we can only hope that the rather risky experiment of sending away a team, the members of which have never played together, will not have an upsetting effect on the quality of their football, and that the representatives, whoever they may be, will do honor and credit to Poverty Bay, both on and off the fielc] of play.