Football Notes.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 475, 3 July 1890, Page 3

Football Notes.

Matters in the football line are now being enthusiastically worked up, the series of contests for Captain Winter’s cup having had a wonderful effect in bringing players forward. The recent matches have gone to prove that four good fifteens can be brought into the field at the same time, while previously it was very difficult to get a sufficient number of players together, out of the whole of the Clubs, to play an ordinary game.

With good games on Saturday afternoon public interest has soon been awakened, and be the weather damp or fine large crowds of spectators have been present since the series of Cup matches began.

The match on Saturday was interesting from many points of view, and particularly was it instructive wh<-n a comparison was made between the teams. Usually the natives are laughably clumsy when they attempt the telling passing tactics, but no one could deny that lheir passing on Saturday was better than that shewn by Gisborne. There were no cool and pretty throws from man to man, no skilful exhibitions deserving the applause of spectators, but there was dogged determination and good judgment— an evident desire to lose no chance, no matter if the look of the thing were utterly disregarded. In one or two instances, after a native had been collared, though not grassed, he would force himself round and some way or other mesa the leather into the hands of one of his own side, while the Gisborne forwards seemed to hesitate to see what was coming next. In the line out, too, the natives seem to be well up to the wrinkles, and knew how to mark their men. This was significantly shown when Rees missed the pass that was sent from Dods. Every man was marked, and Rees had not time to regain his looting when he was charged and the ball swiftly sped along to the other end of the field, when there would certainly have been a splendid touch for the natives had not Dods been equal to the occasion. The Gisborne bad a great advantage in the kicking, Staite’s pretty shots along the liae and the smart way in which be picked up being much admired. Thepakehas, however, showed a great lack of form all through. One thing that they must try and overcome if they expect to have a show against Napier will be the habit of infringing on the rules. There is the temptation when playing with .natives to do as the latter do,infringe the rules as often as they think they can do so with any advantage to themselves, taking the chance that the umpires will |not see the thing. On Saturday both aides muet h%ve sorely tried ths patience of the umpires, but the pakehas were more leniently dealt with than they deserved to be. At more than one point they ought to have been brought up sharply. It may be depended on that in a match with Napier every little slip will be keenly watched, and in a game like that played by the pakehas on Saturday, the Napier men, well trained as they are in all the rules, would stand as good a chance of winning through the freekicks given against their opponents bt they would in a straightforward contest. The Napier team always comprises one or two skilful kickers, and if they happened to get a free kick within any appreciable distance of the crossbar it could be reckoned as a “ dead bird. ” The kicking 1 on Saturday wm sadly off color, and there

were no gusts of wind or anything to account for the poor exhibitions on either t-ide. I Langford has so often scored from more difficult tries that the attempts on Saturday were astonishing to those who have seen what he can do. On the Maori side, too, even a kicker who bad not risen above mediocrity ought to have had no less than three goals on Saturday. Next Saturday the match Probables v. Possibles (for tho representative team) will be played. It is a very bad policy to leave the selection of these teams a matter of doubt until the latter part of the week, They ought to have been known on Monday, so that those selected, or who will possibly be selected, may have a chance to get themselves into form. When the teams are selected at the last moment there is no opportunity for crit cism, and some who would have gone into the thing with enthusiasm have no chance offered them for a week’s previous training. True the weather would have been an obstacle this week, but the selection, committee are not supposed to know beforehand what the weather is to be like. There should be no more chopping and changing in the representative team than can possibly be helped. Gisborne should lay itself out to beat Napier this season.