The South Wales Daily Post

m 3! ATHLETIC CHAT. 1; SWANSEA. 1 PITHY PARS ABOUT PLAY AND PLAYERS. | The All Whiles were in great form in | tlia hoimaj maicli.cS, and won all three | same.s, running up a total of 51 pointa to | tiU'ee—a i>plcnaid ieat, when it- is cjils-cIcsted | how many Swansea men were hors de oom- « bat tlu'ough ailiexejat rtasone. j. l] iiv;iiiTtsbvjits ii.maLio^ DO mistake m keeping on top of ■ the ciuimpionsbip table, and in their recent matcheis have shown much of their oJd-time dash and skill. s All three holiday cantesiU were much en- joyed by the huge crowds which came to a .see the chainpions perform, and the com- g mittee oertaiiily ehowed much foresight in g isecmuig such good fixtures. Then- efforts to attract were well re- g warded, and it is estimated that close upon oO.Uw spect-atons visited St. Helen s during I the thr&e. matches. ■ Perhaps the best victory was that against | the Watsonians on Saturday, when the a Whites were in magnificent fettle, and | buried the Wateonians record in *no un- 1 certain iaohion, for the margin at the I conclusion was 21 points to nil. I It was thought that the Scotsmen, who I had been doing so brilliantly acro&s the I border, where they bad not been beaten | since the beginning of tire 1908 season, I would have made Swansea go all the way, 8 but they were outclassed in aii departments. 8 but they were outclassed in aii departments. 1; The heavy defeat must have been a big I surprise to the supporters of the atson- | ians, and ix>th fhey and the players in the | visiting team must have a lot of respect for i the capabilities of the Whites. I It might be said that the Scotsmen I I suffered from absenteeism, but then the I fact must also be mentioned that Swansea I were quite as unfortunate in this respect as were the Watsonians, for both sides had II four men away. S Without exception the whole Swansea | side played splendidly, and the game was a 11 capital triumph for the homesters and their a skilful methods. | We have been advocating the utilisation j and encouragement of promising juniors all the season, and that the premier club is rich in reserve talent has ^>een abundantly proved during the recent games. It speaks volumes for the capabilities of Evan Davies, Harry Moulton and George Lande that they have come out of their trials so successfully, and served the cluib ca-pitally in such important matches. The knowledge that there are good re- serves at the disposal of the committee is one of the be^t tonics m the world, and the regular players know they have to keep in tip-top form to prevent changes being made in the side. Not only were the Watsonians beaten in the finer phases, but they were even beaten at their own game. i i One often sees in a report of a Rugby match that the forwards used their feet like Scotsmen, and the forwards from over the border have the reputation of being good I i in the loose. I! But though without some of the most i prominent forwards, the Swansea eight gave I a rattlmg display, and whacked the Watson- | ians, both in the open and in the tight S scrums. I i All Swanseaites welcome the return of Tommy Nicholas, after .some weeks' absence, land it is a pity that he has been out of lithe held so long as he is in champion fettle, and had he been in partnership with Owen I oftener he would have stood a much better i chance of getting his cap. () Nicholas does not often figure amongst the I: scorers. He is content to give all the chances to the other backs, and there is rare merit in his tireless energy. Against the Watsonians the Swansea threes time after time brought off brilliant movements, which pleased the six thousand I spectators immensely. Some of the scores were real gems, and the Scotsmens' defence, good as it was, could not check the lightning movements of I the White. Phil Hopkins had one of his best days on Saturday last, and he seemed to be play- ing under a lucky star, for Phil simply could do nothing wrong, and gave by far j the best display this season. Hit; diopped goal was neatly secured, and the try he scored showed that he is still possessed with quite a useful turn of speed, f Howel Lewis, too, was in great tora. a.nd it is pleasing to note that the County selectors have again chosen him for the match next week. The more one sees of Ivor Morgan the more one is convinced that the Swansea man is absolutely the linest forward expon- ent of Kugby playing at the present time for any club. "The best in the world" is by no mea.ns too great praise for Ivor, who is simply a. host, in himself, a.nd is never out of form. In the matter of the score the game against the Edinburgh University team was a. trifle disappointing, for the Whites only I won by the margin of a penalty goa^, kicked by Bancroft. It is singular that the 'Varsity have not been doing nearly as well in Scotland as the WuleOiiiaus, yet the former side came out- of the Weish tour in mucn more creditable .style Lhan the famous Watsonians. I: the > aivsity played a last bustling game, .j, and the speedy visitors were continually re- spousiolo for checking many promising movements in their inception. Of course it meant a great deal to Swan. sea when they lost tiM services of Harry itiams, owing to injury, and there i6 little reason for doubt that Had Whites been cuuuled to Keep rate tuii complement oi piaycrs on ths ueid the backs would have nau mors opportunities, and consequently wcaid be stun to better advantage. There was a rare duel at hull in this game, and Owen aud Nicholas had' a big n^ndiul in Osier ana M^gtegor, who ga\e nothing away without a snuggle, but were better served bv the Scotch lor wards than were'the Swansea pair. The visiting forwards were largeiy re- sponsible for keeping the score down, and j. ere extremely alert all through. Llarieiiy team were heavily defeated by 24 points to nil, yet the Scarlets had some i-ompoitation in knowing that the splendid sporting spirit in which ihc game was con- testefl was not lest eigut cf by Swanseaites —in whose eves the Scarlets soon became favourites—and also from tne fact that they I' —in whose eves the Scarlets soon became favourites—and also from the fact that they are to share the gate, which was the biggest of the season. The Scarlets were certainly unluchy in losing by such a. lot of points, and they did mucin I.otter than the score indicates, but their weakness in finishing promising efforts i lost them points repeatedly. Occasionally they gave Swansea a hot I time, bat after beating the defence lost their heads at a moment when a little coolness would have resulted in something tangible. I' Evan Davies had very hard lines in run- | nig over the dead ball line after crossing, 1 and he probably aid not know he was over j lha line. Tiiis is the first time, he has played at St. Helen's, and the touch lines and bound- ary lines are often very deceiving t« men who do not know the held, as there is so much spac« on the side of the touch line and oehind the dead ball line. I It is quite amusing to read the remarks and suggestions of some London critics with | reference to the selection of the Welsh j Rugby team to meet England at Swansea next month, and some of them have cer- iamly ailowed their imagination to ran | not, and apparently know little about Itngby in Wales. The half-back difficulty is likely to cause It lie Weish selectors much difficulty, and if tne Swansea pair are not chosen it is by no means certain who will be. There is some talk of Percy Bush coming over from Nantes to partneV W. L. Morgan, but on the Swansea ground the All White a pair would certainly be preferable. 1 J. P. Jones is spoken of as a likely mail 1 for the centre, but if he gets preference over | How el Lewis it will be a crying shame. | Jones has only played a couple of games | this eeason, anu was a failure v.i ? the last English match a.t Twickenham. H. Lewi", on the other hand, has been playing tr.••• "eiitly all the season. I J. L. Williams, W. J. Trew, Howel Lewis and R. A. Gibbs (or Plummer) woukl make a. very serviceable three-quarter line, es- pecially if played behind Owen and Nicholas, with Bancroft as custodian. There is no need for pessimism, and as England have not beaten Wales on Wel-a soil since 1891 the Welsh Union Committee., by a judicious selection, should be able to find a side capable of avenging last season's defeat.

LLANELLY. The holida-y fixtures were not so attractive as usual. Saturday being an open ctate, a practice xoateh. was arranged with the Seconds. This engagement did net dra-w a big crowd. It was rather unfortunate that a more attractive engagement could not have been secured. The Second's did mutch better than antici- pated. Dick Davies, their custodian, was much sater than Leysaion. Emlyn Davies and Stanley Rees both stood down. ms.sett and Hugh Davies did well. Powell, the Felinfcel oentre, was not very safe. W. Williams, the Seconds inside half, was in form. On Monday the iondon Irish were the visi- tors. Llanelly secured a decent lead before the Irishmen properly settled down. In the closing stages the Irishmen hfld quite as much of the game as Llanelly. Some cf their forwards were rea.lly very smart. Brynmawr were the visitors on Tuesday. This match was originally arranged with the first team. Having fixed up am engagement with Bryn- mawr it was decided to leave that match to the Seconds. On the day's form the Reserves were quite the equal of Brynmiawr. The visitors were decidedly lucky to win by a point. The refereeing was absolutely the poorest witnessed at Stradey this season. A feature of the play was the smart scrum- maging of the young Scarlets. Dick Davies did some excellent work as custodian. D. H. Thomas proved the best man in the third line. W. Williams, at half, also created a fa- fourable impression. The visitors were a much heavier lot. Their backs, however, failed to make the best of their opportunities. It had been anticipated that the visitors would have worn easily. As a matter of fa.ct they were fortunate to win. The game between Llanelly and Swansea on Tuesday provided attractive football. It is stated that the attendance exceeded 15.000. Swansea, certainly secured a fine holiday crowd. Llanelly take half the gate This should mean a. substantial gain for the club. Swansea won by a larger soore than anti- cipated. Early in the play the Scarlets did well. They felled to keep it up on account of lack of weight. The inclusion of a few heavy forwards is very necessary. This would be preferable to changing tho backs so frequently. The weakness at present re undoubtedly in front. The Llanelly Oriental Stars created an eoceellent impression in the French football world by their game against the Stade BoT. delais on Boxing Day. "La Petite Gironde," a Bordeaux pamper, speaks most highly of the Llanelly junior team. It points out that they were inferior in weight and ttren,-th to the Frenchmen on the whole—being but juniors—but they more than made up for this by the cleverness and thorough grasp of the game. The forwards are described as irresistible dribblers and excellent at passing. The homesters could not undertand the smartness of the halves, whilst the threes played in a marvellous ma-nner-the Welsh way, as it naively adds. The Stade Bordlelais, too, is congratu- lated upon playing its best game this 6easotn, although they did not open up the game sufficiently, but the paper adds "they under- stood how dangerous this would be with such opponents.'7 The French paper emphasises the pleasant nature of the game, and were vastly amused at the "war-song" of the Llanelly boys, for it seemed that they treated the Bordeaux crowd to "Sospan Fach" before and after the J gamte—much to the hitter's delight. Thomas scored the first try-, while Watts scored the seooml, which was a typical Welsh one, in which all the Threes: participated. This, says "La Gironde," was Wrought about by superbly scientific passing and admirable feinting. H. Eeed scored the third try from a loose rush. Llanelly Seconds played a draw at Dany- j g-raig on Boxing Day The visitors scored a penalty goal to a try. The refereeing throughout was most un- satisfactory. Evan Evans, who was unfortunately in- jured. played a fine gaane for the Seconds. The Tuesday team made a poor fight against the Aibione. The result was a victory for the latter by 23pts to 3. The "shoppers" gave a most disappointing exhibition. Football appea-rs to be looking up in the district. Both the Dafen and Felinfoel clubs are doing well Great rivalry exists between these two vil- las?es. Just, at present Llanel'y appears to be largely roeruiting from the districts. EVan Daivies is a Tumble man.. Eralyn Davies and Stanley RBes hail from Llangenneeh. In the holiday matches James Powell, Fa- linfoel. was tried. There, however, appears to be a great diffi- culty in securing heavy forwards. Most of the men are about lOst. to list. Llanelly are sadly in need of a few heavy men. Kugby seems to have been superseded by Soccer at Ida-nelly. Some of 1..1113 Oriental Stars returned on Thursday from their French tour. The majority of fhe players, however, re- main in Ixmdon until the end of the week. It is said that other Llanelly junior clubs will arrange French trips next season. The facilities for travelling are certainly better than they used to be.

NEATH. One of the most attractive matches ever witnessed in the Gnoll enclosure was that of Saturday. The Edinburgh University fielded a strong side, and their performances against Neath and Swansea cleanly proved there was no holiday :ouch about their tour. In short, that they were out for business. We in Neath had in one sense a very un- pleasant surprise. But how must our friends of Swansea have felt? It was a very near thing. Among most others, I was of opinion that the All Blacks would have had a fairly easy task. Of course, everyone was prepared to see the Scotsmen put up a dashing game. I

H.Y'ARCHER&;r" 'T riY-'i— 1 1 fstfrsisiilo qfOu&Qmce Packed Archer's Idlden Returns s*» r J 1M! 81. ttm IteMRMR. I

I But not a soul in the ancient borough ever thought that they would nearly succeed in defeating the All Blacks and smudging that old and precious ground record of which we are all so justly proud. We had a rude awakening. The 'Varsity men went off with a bang, and this was no flash in the pan. They kept it up and worried the Neath men considerably. In fact, gave them no peace until the final whistle went. And then the men from the North were going just as strongly as at the commence- merit. Their forwards were not on the heavy side, but they were fine athletic men—fast and untiring. And clever with it. It struck me that everv man in the pack knew a great deal more about the dribbling code than any Welsh pack. Their cross-dribbling was at periods really fine. The Neath men are no mean exponents of the same class of play, but they had to play second fiddle on Saturday. The visiting backs too were fast and clever individually. 'u I have never seen men catch and pick up a greasy ball with such accuracy as they did. Where they failed—and therein in my opinion lies the explanation of their defeat— Was in collective cleverness behind. As I have already indicated, the halves and threes were fast and possessed of much individuall cleverness. But the centres were content for the most part to receive and transfer without attempt-, ing to break through. There was one period of the game at which they swarmed like hornets round the Neath goal—just twenty yards out. Attack after attack was made, and al- though the passing was straight across, the aggressors did not show any initiative in breaking through. And the defend ers bowled them over like skittle pins until, a little exhausted by their efforts, the Scotsmen were driven back to mid-field. And the danger was over. Neath's defence was great. In fact the All Blacks shone in defence, but by no means did so in attack. They did attack, and more times than their nimble opponents, but something al- ways went wrong at the right moment, and the tables were quickly turned. Neath owed their victory to the dogged- ness, rather than to the brilliance of their display, and can congratulate themselves upon having gone one better than Swansea. The latter only got home by three points, while the All Blacks won by six. "Shon" Evans, whose return to the fold was heartily welcomed, scored his "patent" try, and Trevor John registered another after a brilliant run half the length of the field. No patron of sport would have desired to witness a finer game. It was brimful of interest from whistle to whistle—clean, vigorous, fast and attractive. Our visitors were so pleased that they gave throe hearty cheers for their conquer- ) ors when they left the iieid of play. Quite a contrast was Monday's game against Brynmawr. This was the most wretched exhibition of football I have ever witnessed. It WPS without a redeeming feature. The visitors—I hope I shall no more of them at the Gnoll—did not try to play football. v J They went wholly and solely for the hash ing game, and with a referee allowing them no end of latitude, play soon degenerated into a scramble, and was a rough and tum- ble right up to the end. I will leave it at that. The game on Tuesday was equally as plea- y I sant as that on Saturdavvalthough the vic- tory of Neath was much more easily gained. The London Irish maintained their repu- tation as fine sportsmen, and notwithstand- ing the fact that eight points were scored against them in as many minutes, there was no addition to the score at the interval. Indeed, at the beginning of the second half they rallied well, and Norton reduced Neath's lead by three points. For some time after the Irishmen waged an almost equal fight, but the superior com- bination of the All Blacks eventually assert- ed itself, and they put on another nine points. Neath therefore won by a clear margin of 14 points. The Irishmen were delighted with their reception and with the game. All the Nea.th players voted them a fine lot of fellows, and as far as the general pub- lic was concerned the one verdict was "We have had a very pleasant afternoon." By the way, I am told that the Rev. A. E. C. Morgan scored the try against Bath, I and not D. H. levies, and that he also re- gistered the "solitary" against Brynmawr, I and not "Shon" EA-ans. This is correct, and I hasten with a full and ample apology to the rev. gentleman, who is nothing if not a thorough-going sport. A. K. Green informed me on Thursday sport. A. K. Green informed me on Thursday that he will not play for Neath any more. It appears that on Tuesday he was not told until he had dressed that his services were not required. Green had put himself to considerable in- convenience. and this, if correct, seems hardly the proper way to treat men. Green further stated that he was told in the forenoon that his services would be re- quired, and that he put himself out of the way to fulfil the engagement. The Mayor of Aeath's observations re the Welsh Union and the "unfriendly" clubs caused a little stir. But, bless you, nothing will come of it. The W.F.U. are not going to dictate to clubs like Newport and Swansea. Not likely.

ABERAVON. ¡ Aberavon's holiday matches ended on Tues- day with a. smart victory over Maesteg. The score was lSpts to nil. All points were scored in the first half. The Aberavou forwarde did splendidly con- sidering they had played two other vigorous gc.nies. Their performance was very creditable. As prophesied last week, the match with I Bridgend on Saturday ended in an esujy win ¡ for the homesters. I The play of the Red and Blacks was splen- lid. After the interval there was only one team in the game. I Ilogerti. the Bridgend half, scored one of his )10,Y fa.mous dropped goals. I Tha Asylum town followers were in good humoar then. But that was the only time during the game that the visitors were dangerous. j The home backs played 4 marvellous game. J Johnoy Davies, at full-back, was the "star i, turn." j Ho was absolutely safe. j Willie Davies (Exeter College), and Itttle ) Jimmy Donovan, were very prominent in the three-quer^er line. At half, Ivor Hopkins aoid Willie Davies quite eclipsod Ocoke and ilogers, who were amoJiigst the best of the Bridgend fifteen. 1 can hardly sny enough about the home forwards. Loth in the pack and the open ¡ they were immeasurably ahead of the visi- ters. This was the reason why the two halves were so often beaten. Cooke is c wonderful little player. At times he risks a great deal for his side. The Bridgend full-back was weak. II On Monday the sa.mc state of things befel Briton Ferry, who filled the breach caused by the non-appearance of the French team. They were a big looking lot of fellows, but were easily beaten by the homesters. Gerwyn Groves, Avon's right wing, played a great game. So did a.ll the backs, but Groves and Don- ovan were exceptionally good. Tuesday's game was with Maesteg. During the first half the visitors were easily beaten at every point. Aberavon scored thirteen points in the first moiety, and the score was no exaggeration of their superiority over the "parish boys." They improved wonderfully in ttue se- cond half. Aberavon were beginning to feel the strain. Only good defensive work prevented Maes- teg from scoring. They played a real losers game though and employed many spoiling tactics. They did most of the pressing in the se- cond half. Had they employed better methods they might hare scored onoe or twice. The referee was a.t times very lax. He ought to have penalised the visitors far oftener than he did. Johnny Davies was like a. wall at full-back. I heard several of the visiting spectators say that Aberavon's back was "fairly sale." The quartette and the half-backs worked wonders. Ivor Hopkins dropped a very-ieat goal. "7d Thompson also tried one, and had hard lines. lines. Can. Evans. who played one of the best games for Maesteg, is the captain of the Aberavon Excels. Maesteg arrived a man short and "Con" filled his place well. He played a particularly smart game. Aberavon's score in the three matches to- t-ailed 49pts against 4pts.

BRITON FERRY. The Briton Ferry Club still retain their cherished ground record, and the game with Skewen last Saturday resulted in a pointless draw. The game was a most uninteresting one, and w,asspoiled by the late start. Skewen oame down with every intent to smash the coveted record, but they could not manage to do it. In fact they were lucky to be let off a^ lightly as they were. The Ferry forwards, although not up to concert pitch, were better than the Skewen lot and they had hard lines on several occa- sions in not scoring. The visitors defence was good. Jack Phillips and Ivor Morris, at half, were in fine form, the latter being much smarter than on the previous Saturday. The home threes did not shine and al- though they had many chances they did not seem to take the advantages given them. -.•Dick D i .-ies. at full-back, was the best man on uus held, his kicking and fielding be- ing grea.t. In their metoh with Abenavon on Boxing Day the Ferry, although beat-en by 19pts to nil, did not really deserve to lose by that margin. The Ferry forwards played a great game and bad their becks played up in anything like form they would have given the Afon players a. gcod game. Briton Ferry were also handicapped by the accident to Jack Phillips, which kept him out bf the game for a good part of the se- cond half.

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"I —— DANYGRAIG. Danygraig sustained one defeat over the holidays, TreAerbert winning by a dropped goal. Yslalyfer-t spectators conducted themizelves very ba-dly last Saturday. If they desire fixtures with clubs they will luave to act differently. Llanelly Seconds a.re a smart team and made Danvgraig go all the way to avert de- feat. It was evident Danygraig were completely üil colour. Wa-rd bid hard lines, a splendid kick of his from half way hitting the cross bar. Althongh the half-backs get the ball the wings would also like to see it. Combination amoaigst the backs can never be cbtained uiwless individualism is done away with. Skipper Poole is a good player and has done well over the holidays. With more opportunities the three-quar- ters would give a good account of them- selves. Bryn Jordan made a welcome reappearance. Will Ashford was the pick of the three- quarters against 1 Janollv 2nd. Will Harris, with a skull cap, is quite un- recognisable. Comrade Myles playe:l with his old time dash. Dauygraig players a-ra swanking about with scarves of the club colours. They are presents from a good old sport.

YSTALYFERA. YstaJyfera were unlucky on Saturday. Danygraig should have been well beaten. The try scored by the visitors ought to have been prevented. Langdon played well and the try notched by him was the result of clever work. Dicky Moore converted with an excellent kick. Danygraig were lucky to make a draw of the giame. Wade Evans was good in .attack," but his defence was weak. Petherick and Tit Davies also played well. a 1 Tom Davies seems to be improving eadl nuatc-h affld will doubtless be seen in better company shortly. I Of the forwards, E Eya.ns and Morgan seemed to be always conspicuous. A match was played on Tuesday between Married ant! Single, the Single team winning by 6pts. Bryn Tho»\a.s, the Pontardawe-cum-Bangor wing", is home for the holidays, and the 1 s- talyfera team would do well to secure his services.

I GOWERTON. j All the Gowert m sides have had quite a II run of success during the holidays. The premiers, who were strengthened by the inclusion of Oswald and Owen Jen- kins, have done great tilings. Mumbles were defeated on Saturday by three points. A very creditable victory, especially at Mumbles. The greatest success, however, was that against Neyland, who were defeated by 8pt&. Ncylajid had a record and they had anti- cipated adding another scalp, but it was not to be. Tenby, on Tuesday, were outclassed in all departments, the game ending in a fifteen point victory for the Gowertonians- With the present men available there is no second class side in Wales to eclipse them. Health and Strength beat Killay on Satur- day by nine points to three. The visitors were not fully represented. They played two men short and a third left in the second half. It was a. fairly fast game, confined chiefly to the forwards. The homesters, by superior numbers, were the most conspicuous. The win was well merited, but what would have resulted with a full side against them is open to conjecture. On Boxing Day the Health played the Non- descripts and were outplayed. Almost up to the final whistle they were three points behind. They managed to equalise in the nick of time. It is rather a pity that this one time clever combination should be falling off so badly. Several of the old players have given the game up and several others have joined the ranks of the premiers. Still there is hope of future greatness, as some promising youths are fast falling into line. Next season a formidable side will be got together and the probability is they will redeem their lost laureia.

GOSSIP FROM THE EAST. Compared with Swansea's narrow win over Edinburgh University, Cardiff's sixteen point victoi-y was a brilliant success. Some of the Swansea, players are said to have stated that the penalty kick which gave them the winning points against the Varsity ought not. to have been allowed. It was the paice and determined tackling of the visiting three-quarters alone which prevented Oardifi piling up a huge total of points. They declined to be deceived by the "dummy." or to be eluded by the most cun- ning swerve. I Clew Lewis's try was the only score made I by orthodox Welsh attack. It is not now expected at Newport that W. P. Geen will be given a plice in the Eng- lish team to play Wales at Swansea on January 21. The statement comes from Newport that Stanley Williams would rather play for Wales than England, but as there is no talk I yet of displacing Jack Bancroft, the New- portonia.n will probably accept a Saxon cap. Some Cardiff people are exacting thalf both the Cardiff halves and all the four three-quarters will be chosen for Wales against England. This would be a club tri- urnyvh with a vengeance, but it is not likely to come off. Indeed most Cardiff people are convinced that R. A. Gibbs, th eskipper, will have the greatest difficulty in the world in getting into the next National team. He has only played three or four gcod games this sea-son, a.nd Howe! Lewis is a-n undoubtedly better I man.

10 ASSOCIATION. SWANSEA AND DISTRICT LEAGUE --a. United are to be complimented upon their excellent display against the for- midable Mond Nickel Works eleven. It was an exhilarating gime, and not a dull moment right through. Swansea. forwards were in fine fettle and combined splendidly. Labbett is the proper man. as the pivot. He's a bustler and no mistake, and can use his head to advantage. The score of two goals to love was a per- fectly fair indioatioii of the trend of the game, as although play in the initial half was evenly divided, during the second moiety the United were the principal ag- greasors. Percy Jones' penalty was a. regular beauty. It flashed past the Mond goalie in a twinkle, Swansea's reir division was a sturdy one. and completely put off the Mondites forward rahk. Turner and Cartev were always on the alert for openings, but the other forwards were ineffective. Fisher gave a rattling display when oalled upon to defend, whilst for Mond, Davidson and netherington were stalwayt defenders. Willie Messer is quite a treasure to the, United. His speed served him in good stead last week, and his dexterous footwork won him unstinted applause, as did his fine cen- rtes. Mond had little consolation last week. They lost their two years' record, and for the first time also during the past two sea- sons failed to mark the scoring sheet. Referee Sambreok was keen and no mis- take. Not a single illegality escaped his no- tice, and the way he spotted Grigsby's "foul," which resulted in Percy Jones netting, clearly indicated that he wa-s well on the alert. Morriston drove the nail into Aberpergwm's coffin in no uncertain fashion last Saturday, for the Senior League Challenge Cup The Villagers had tried conclusions on two occasions before, but last week their number was "up." as the Tinplaters romped home by seven goals to two. And then again, on Boaing morning, the Morristonians ran the famous Ocldstream Guards to a draw before a splendid crowd. Skett.y accounted for St. Catherine's to the tune of three goals to one; whilst May Rose were one up in their game with St Stephens, the finul being 2 to 1. Christ Church Junoirs drew with St Luke's, I but Morriston Juniors triumphed over the R.A.M.C. by 7 goals to love. I Owm Mission secured a win over Sketty Seconds, the fiual reading 3 goals to nil. whilst St Helen's defeated Christ Church by l goal. I

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SKETTY. Sketty worthily sustained their reputation as the premier team in their division of the league over the holidays. Saturday afternoon they defeated St. Ca- therine's et Hendrefoilan in a benefit match by three goals to one. The "wicks, G. Saunders and E. Cox, were sound and resolute. Gordon, the clever little half, bad a very busy afternoon. The centre half, T Anthony, piade many a vigorous charge. The clever footwork of E. Owens wag a feature. Archie Green was oheered again and a,ga-in for his excellent play. He was well m'arked, but managed to Boore a goal Fred Williams, on the wing. made many dashing runs and too fast for some of the visiting team. Two goals were also neatly netted by him. The Satnt3 set up a sterling defence, which Sketty haa .one- tiiHicult.v in piercing. They were saen at their best in the second half. The f-ajne afternoon Skett y C.L.B. beat Sketty II. by two goals to oa». F. Morse and C. Davies scored for the C.L.B. and Heaton for their opponents. The latter's combination was good, but the shooting on the other side wes better. Heaton scored for the Seconds. Haverfordwest entertained Sketty on Mon- day and were defeated after a pleasant game by four goals to two. F. Beor wa.s tried in goal and did fa-irly well. Shaughnesaey played exceptionally well and was ever in the right position at a critical moment. The <nd full-back, T. S. Daviee, played centre half and fed his wings splendidly. Leslie Mears, inside right, was in good form. His passing was good and his long kicks well placed. The margin of goals in homesters' favour is a fair indication of the greater smartnees und cleverness they showed throughout the game. On Tuesday, Sketty took a strong teaJU to St. Thomas to play in a. benefit match for Ivor Mainweriig, injured recently at Sketty. There were many spectators, who had quite an enjoyable usie, as the game was full of exciting- incidents. The attacks on either side were cleverly worked, but in many cases when near goal they failed. The Saints set up a sterling defence and made their opponents task difficult Visiting backs were bound and resolute. T\. F. Browne. full back, was exceptionally brilliant and did a lot of work. Gordon was the nippiest of the halTes and did not allow any scope to visiting forwards. Archie Green was, as usual, a. marked player, but wa.4 in fine fighting form and never seen to better advantage The tricky movements of F. Hammond helped the visitors very much. T. J. Anthony, centre forward, fed bis wings cleverly and was ever in the picture. The whole of the others in the forwards were in ripping form. Johns and F. Wil. liams required much watching.

BRITON FERRY. Neither the Ferry Firsts or Seconds played a match on Saturday. The Firsts were to have gone to Potitardawe, but in consequence of a breakdown they were unable to reach Ponty. On Monday the Seconds played a friendly with Port Talbot Wesleys and beat them by three goals to nil. The Ferry forwards were in great form! and did most of tfhe pressing. Pearso* in w»l, was also in form and saved some hot shots. The Port pJayeri were very good individu- ally. but the team as a whole was not so good as the homesters.

DRAUGHTS. KEEN GAME BETWEEN SKEWEN AND LANDORE. The two rack teams of the Swansea Leas tie-Land ore and Skewen—played a draw aft^» an exciting game, the scores being as Landore. Skewen. 0 A- E. Isaiacs v. W. E. Jenkins i 2 .G. Thomas v. D. Taylor 2 2 .T.M.Da.viesv.W.-R.Raj-ns. 2 14 E- Charles v. S. John 21 1 .W. J. Daniels v. D. J. Ware. 5* 0 .W. Hughes v. T. Lloyd 4 3 F. Dailey v. A. Shaddick 1 "i W. H. Isaacs v. S. Ware j 16~ ~w

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( OPEN LETTER TO THE WELSH RUGBY UNION. [PROSPECTS AND FORECAST OF THS NATIONAL FIFTEEN. "Daily Post," Swansea, Dear Sirs.- Few people will envy your ta-k of selecting the Welsh side to meet England at Swansea on January 21st, for you are faced with many difficulties, and will have to exercise the utmost care in ths choice of the fifteen men to wear the Scarlet jer* say, if the team is to meet with s.iceesa against the Englishmen. Years ago things were different. But times have-, changed. A few masons back anyone with a Q fair football knowledge could practically name the Welsh t'.am be- 1 oi'o the selectors sat. It was a walkover for the majority of the men, end the- only points which caused any disntssi-n were the merits of a coupis of forwards. Those were the times when Welsh Rugby stood in a class by itself and beat all comers. The side wns the price of every Welshman, and secured a long riii u: un-n-i terrupted success. England was the first country to open our eyes to the fact that Wt-ls.i rLug^y was not the unbeatable quant'iy it bad previous- ly been, and that memorable gkine t Twick-f enham will long live in the mines of the Welshmen who 0 witnessed the Cyrrrie den feat. It brought, home to us plainly thai the absence of exponent*; like liabe, Gwyn Nicholls, Llewellyn and Teddy Morgan were lesses which i- would be iratjossi >le to replace, and the retirement of these f ur men at practically the same tame was noU ing less than a disaster to Rugby ,n the Princi- pality. Nature will run its oonr.-t-, and i otfcall cannot keep going lor ever. Time w:!l have its reckoning. ales was SUI Lmate to have the services of four such brilliant three- quarters as the above-named for so long. They did yeomen service for their country, and their names w li ever be associated with Rugby in the land of the Cvmi u. In summing-up the present position one ,ca.nnot but come to the conclusion that the handling code is somewhat deeadent, and there is no Welsh side play- ing such clever Rugby as that of five or six years ago. The stan- dard has certainly fallen away, and vou then had at your disposal better res-rve backs, who ne\ er had their caps, than you now have to choose the coming side from. 1 could go on indefinitely naming players whet barely missed Ineir caps and were briliiant exponents. but had no opportunity oi playing for their country Cll account of the fact that thera were four "recognised" thr.e-quarters whom nothing but injury could keep out of the team. Now Wales would simply jump at the chance of baling men like "Jenny" Gordcn, in his six years ago foim. to în- clude in the side. This fact is one which is an undeniable indication that Rugby is not up to the 0andard of former seasons, for W ales has no three-quarters of the cali- bre of Gordon to place in the field, let alone en the reserve list. A deal has already been written upon the prospects of the match against England, and the merits of many of the players have also been discussed. The only pomts upon which there appears to be unanimity of opinion is that Jack Bancroft should be the custodian, and that Owen and Trew are the best pair of halves. After that there is a gre<-lt-- diversity of opinion. The three-quarter problem will bs your greatest perplexity. Cardiff folk, with their usual greed, would liKe to see their club four operating, but, furtuna ie 1y, th y are likely to be disappointed. One thing ws must have, and that is strong, def. nsive players. The Cardiff centres are weak in this department, and as likely to let the side down badly if the forwards are beaten, as they are to run up points if Wales gets the mastery in front. J. L. Williams is net as fas: as he might be, but he is etill very useful; and Gibbs has been playing in very "so-so" style. In consideration of their past services I rather fancy you will select the Cardiff wings. Assuming that you do not play Trew at outside half—which is only a remote possibility—ycu will certainly give him one of the centre positions, so this will leave you with only one vacancy in the three- quarter line. But ] will presume that Trew plays outside half, so that you have the two centre positions vacant. Howel Lewis and J. P. Jones (if the latter is in. form) are the most likely players I can mention who would fill the position with credit. You have been watching the play of the former all the season, ;<nd he has iVnoroved almost beyond recognition. li s defence has never been questioned, he kicks splen- didly, and his brilliant attacking propensi- t-ies are demonstrated by the fact that he tops the Swansea scoring table. If J. P. Jones could only return to his form dis- played in the recent Scotch match lie would leave little to be desired. The vanguard will also require some thinking about, for out of the eight who played as well a.gainst Ireland last March many have shown but moderate form in club football, and Gronow has gone )ver to the Northern Union. The only ;hree certainties appear to be Ivor Morgan, D. J. Thomas and Tom Evans. I will now endeavour to give a fore ast )f the Welsh side to meet England, and ivonder how far wrong it will be:—Wales: Back, J. Bancroft: three-quarters, R. A. jibbs (.wing), Howell Lewis, J. P. Tones (or L. M. Dyke and D. Sp.ller) (cen- ;resi. and J. L. Williams (wirg) 1 alves, [L Owen and W. J. Trcw for war els. Ivor Morgan. D. J. Thomas, T. Evans, J. Pugs- ey. J. Webb. E. Jenkins. E. Thomas, and Rev. A. Davies or Tom Morgan. You will notice I have included a few Swansea men. bnt this has been done not )n account of my partisan feelings, but. 1 un thoroughly convinced, after close asso- ciation with the Swansea team, that no setter men c vild be found to represent their •ountry. Wolf, h-ere'i luck to Wales in all her In- ernational matches, and may she t'iumrh n all her engagements as in former years. Yours faithfullv. "FREELANCE. > 0

Morristom. CSrurch succumbed to Municipal Secondary by three goals, and Mansel United had to knuckle under to Roseland by three goals. St. Helen's Baptists defeated St. Gabriel's by a couple of goals.