FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1900, 3 July 1890, Page 28

FOOTBALL.

NOTES BY FORWARD.

The annual match petween the High School and Christ's College is to be played at Christchurch on Saturday next. Notwithstanding that the College team have been signally unsuccessful in their matches this year, in which they have played as seniors, I see no reason for believing that they will not defeat the School, whoae fifteen is much weakened Binco last year, the absence of Gran, Owen, M'Brearty, Macdonald, and Heenan having made a big hole in it. The University team leave for Christchuroh on the 30th inst, for the purpose of playing their annual matoh with Canterbury College, This will be fought out on the 2nd August. The Zingari-Richmond team were fairly and completely defeated by the Eaikorai on Saturday. It can hardly have been expected that the Zingari-Richmond would gain the victory, but a defeat by 10 points, which might have been increased by four or five additional points with any luck at place kioking, was more decisive than the losing team could have relished. Where the Zingari-Richmond were most clearly deficient was in their passing, neither their backs nor their forwards showing even a respectable degree of proficiency in that feature of the game. Otherwise the team played fairly well, and the forwards were particularly successful with their loose dribbling rushes. The Kaikorai fifteen were not themselves above reproach in some respects. Their baoks, it is true, with the exoeption of Rae, who muffed the passes badly all through, played a rattling game, and Laurenson in particular distinguished himself, being greatly in evidence during the match, and being himself directly accountable for half of the eoore obtained by his aide ; but there were four or five of the forwards— and these players of whom it might reasonably be expected that they Bhould know better— who showed a decided tendency to loaf in the Borumß. The pick of the lot were Duncan and Armit, who were always on the ball. The Alhambra T. .Taieri match waH unusuaKy interesting and iexoiting, and the play was, generally Bpeaking, of that loose, open desoription which commands the deep attention and arouses the enthusiasm of the onlooker. The teams were well matohed, and it was only for about 20 minutes in the second spell that either Bide fairly got the upper hand, this being when the Alhambra made the spirited onslaught on their opponents' lines that gave them the victory,— when their backs and forwards alike played with great dash and combination, and when brilliant passing runs were the order of the day. The stubborn nature of the defance set up by the Taieri, with the uncertainty as to whether the Alhambra would succeed in putting themselves on the right side, made this portion of the game doubly interesting. The Taieri introduced the system of three halfbacks, the .'intention evidently being to check as far as possible the strong combination of the Alhambra behind the scrum, M'Donald, Murdoch, and' Stevenson were the halves, and of them it can be said what it has rarely been possible to say when the three half-back system has previously been brought into vogue here, that they worked together splendidly. The three- quarter backs were not brilliant, but they gained a lot of ground by their good kicking, and also tackled well, as also did Mackie, tne full back, The forwards played their usual serviceable game. Anderson and H. Allen were particularly noticeable as being always on the ball, and the latter also did an immense amount of tackling The Alhambra baoks did not ebow to advantage in the first spell, but with three points against them at its conclus'on and with the hill against them for the rest of game, they entered the field in the second spell with a " never-say-die " look, which their after display fully justified, proving that when put to the test they can play a stern up-hill game. Crawford set the example, and showed distinctly the best form of all the baoks on the ground, while Restieaux Bhowed great improvement, picking up and parsing in good style. Downes also showed improved form, especially after bo potted his longlooked-for goal, which, it iB almost needless to say, was received by the spectators with loud acclaim. Fitchett proved very safe, but Noel did not take the 1 ball bo well" as he usually does. He made, however, some short; sprints which were of good use to his side. Ross, the full back, was very cool for a young player.^ He was not asked to collar a man, but he picked up and kicked splendidly. He made the mistake on one occasion of attempting to run too far, the result being that before he could get his kick he was collared, Robertson, Johnston, and M'Oleary deserve speoial mention among the forwards for their dashing play in the open. With all due respect to the players concerned, the mitch beween the Dunedin and University Oluba on Saturday furnished the poorest display of football that has been seen in interclub matches this year, and it was certainly not the fault of tba old club that the University did not win the game. Montgomery has generally proved himself to be a reliable placekick at almost any distance, and it was therefore all the more surprising that he should have failed to convert the two tries his team Becured — obtained, as they were, right under the posts. Of course the result would have been a draw had these tries been improved, but there were other opportunities which tho University lost of increasing their score, several penalty kicks being awarded to them within euch easy range of the Dunedin goal th&t under ordinary oircumstances the majority of them should have been turned to value. With these, also, Montgomery and Oook, the latter having ono'kick, failed. Thelnearest approach that the 'Varsity got to a goal was within a few minutaa of the commencement of the game, when Anderson potted during a rush down the field and the ball struck the goal posts. Valentine, the crack Swinton three-quarter back, did his fair share of scoring this last season, despite the fact that sicknesß kept him out of several matches. He placed 36 tries in club matches, nine for the county, and eight in scratch games, making a total of 53. The West of Scotland Club, the Rugby champions in the Land o' Cakes of the ISB9 90 Beason, only lost two out of 19 matches, and scored 24 goals and 33 tries, a; againtt three goala and one try, or 159 points to 14— a wonderfully fine record. Though we can occasionally in Otago get the lonftth of disturbances on the football field sufficient to bring a player under the referee's scourge, it iB to bo hoped that it will be many years before wa attftiu to tho state of things that apparently exists on the Easf. Ooa«t of the North Island. I lia'D fom the Gisborne correspondent of ths [Canterbury Times that in a Cup match on June 14 between the Gisborce and Waarenga-a-hika Cluba — the lft'.tor s'oiue; n Native team— ono of the Maori backs cimo on to tho field in the 89cond spall minus jersey, boots, and stockings, hia only covering being a short pair of pants nearly j eaohing his knoea. Tue referee stopped the play, and had him decoutly clothed. Then, it Boeros Ihat about 10 minuted before time both Bides were reduced by one, owing to a pugilißtio

encounter between a Gisborno forward and the Maori full back. The Maori retired owing to injuries, and the pahkea followed at the ref eree'b instigation. This spell, the correspondent adds, was poorer in scientific football than the first was, but was " decidedly more refreshing to the spectators." Are we to infer that the spectators at Gisborne matches glory in '* pugilistic encounters?" Visitors to the North ground on Saturday afternoon were treated to a good exposition of tne fast game in the match between the Union and Pirates clubs, whose teams were not unevenly matched. The Union forwards are a strong contingent without many unevennesses about them, {the whole number being of the steady working stamp. Tattersall, who is keep* ing up the splendid form he exhibited last year, was unquestionably the pick of the lot on Saturday, and Henderson may be said to have l>een next best, but it would be an invidious task to mention any one of the others as excelling his fellows. Behind* the scrum Croxford was the most prominent, and was of immense service to his side. M'Lennan fumbled badly in the first spell, but redeemed himself in the second half— the goal which he potted being a very smart and pretty piece of work. The other backs did useful, if not showy, work. Upon the Pirates' side, Wales, who has picked up considerably since the. beginning of the season, was most noticeable of the forwards ; but many of the other side did yeoman service — amongst them A. Farquharson, until he was rendered useless by a knock he received which compelled him to retire from the field early in the second spell. Cran and Atkinson both did well at half back, and Lang maintained his reputation as a rattling good three-quarter back. Neither Macdonald nor Orbell played up to form ; but Morley, who has improved greatly, did a good deal of work in a sound manner at full back. The second round of Championship matches at Christohurch was continued on Saturday, but nothing eventuated that will alter the positions of the clubs competing. East Christuhurch revenged their defeat in the early part of the season by gaining a one-point victory over Christchurch ; Sydenham defeated Addington, after a very clo3e game, by a try to nil, while Merivale scored 28 points against Obrist's College. The Champion fixture at Wellington on Saturday was between the Poneke and Melrose clubs. The latter entered a protest against the inclusion of D. Gage in the Poneke team, on the ground that, although th&t pl&yer had been in Wellington for two weeks, he was not a lonafide resident. The Managing Committee of the Rugby Union, who, it will be remembered, decided that Gage was ineligible to play for the Poneke Club pgainut the Wellington a fortnight previously (notwithstanding which ho did take part in the game), passed on Friday night the folio wing resolution : — " This committee is still of opinion that D. Gage is not a bona'fide resident of Wellington, and therefore is ineligible to play in the Poneke-Melrose match to-morrow." This decision was communicated to the Poneke Club at a meeting held later on in the evening, and the club then decided to withdraw from the Championship contest, aa they considered they were not being justly treated, and as they preferred to take Gage's word before the decision of the Rugby Union. The committee of the Wellington Rugby Union do some strange things. It will be within the recollection of the readers of this oolumn how, at the beginning of the season, they absolutely shirked their responsibility, and behaved generally in a weak-kneed fashion in dealing with the case of alleged professionalism that came before them, in which Roberts and M'lntyre figured prominently. In the recent question of the eligibility of Gage to take part in championship matches the committee, true to their reputation, have, as I am informed, again acted in a strange way, as they declared Gage did not possess the necessary qualification, without even granting him a hearing. It is settled now that a Wellington team will not visit the South this year. The Canterbury Union wrote up asking when the Wellington representativss might be expected, and it was decided to reply that owing to the want of f unds the union would be unable to send a team South this year, but hoped to be able to do so next season. The following shows the premiership list up to date for 1890 :•-

SATURDAY'S MATCHES. The match Kaikorai v. Zingari-Richtnond, which was played on the former's ground, resulted in an easy win for the home team by 10 points to nil. Rallinshaw Btarted the game, and Laurenson returned the kick off into touch. From the throw in ft loose rush of Kaikorai forwards resulted in Duncan scoring near the corner flng. Torrance made a splendid but ineffectual attempt to register a goal. After some give-and-take play Laurenson scored behind the posts, but Thompson failed miserably with the kick. A few minutes later the performance was repeated, Laurenson again scoring behind the posts and Thompson again failing to enhance. The next thing was that Laurenson, having the ball passed to him by Torrance, potted a neat goal. The Zingari- Richmond then braced themselves together, and Wiutrop made a good attempt to drop a goal for them, the ball passing outside the post?. Before half-time the Kaikorai score was further increased as Wjngfield breaking away from a ecrum and kicking over the line, followed up and got a try, which Thompson improved. In the second spell the ZingariRichmond forwards, headed by Rallinshaw, wh received good support from Esquilant, Dunn, and M'Farlane, made some splendid rushes, but their work was nullified by the good play of the Kaikorai backs. The home team in this spell added a point to their 6core, Armit getting a try which was not enhanced. The Taieri Club visited the Opoho ground to play the return match with the Alhambra. A large concourse of spectators were treated to the best game that has been played by either team this season, resulting in a very creditable win for the Alhambra by 7 points to 4 points. Anderson kicked off, and the game became fast and f iiriout., the ball travelling from one end of the fi=ld to the other. Eventually the Taieri were twic.i forced down, hffcer which some give and take play eceue'i, until the Taieri by a good rush, in which H. Allan, Auderson, and Murdoch were conspicuous located the play in the Reds' quarters. They Ihen got on some neat pnssing among their bacfcfl, the tenlt being that J. EWer with a splendid kick sent the bull find the Taieri by "-mart pi y soon had the flying over the bar M'Clevy kicked off, pky back to tho Reds' territory. The ball was kicked hard over the lino, and W. Elder touched down, but the ball having previously struck a spectator, the score had to be disallowed. After the kick off the Taieri were forced down

from a kick by Restieaux from a mark Some good play was shown by. both team, before half time was called, the Taieri being 3 points to the good and having to play down hill iv the second spell. This being so, things looked rather dismal for the Rods' show of winning. Shortly atter the kiok off, however, Fitchett obtained a olaver mark, and placed the ball near the centre flag and close to tho touch line for .Restieaux, who, with a splendid effort, equalised the scores. From the kick off the Reds soon carried the play back again, and Crawfurd after a smart, dodgy run crossed the line, but endeavouring to get round the post he was caught by a Taieri back, who dragged him out of bounds, a force down resulting. The Reds then made a fierce attack on the Taieri line, and Crawfurd again got across, but this time he did not attempt to run round. The kick at goal was taken by Restieaux, who failed with it. After the kick out, Restieaux, Crawfurd, and Downes exhibited some pretty passing, the latter being well tackled by Mackie when under the goal posts. Tho play here raged for a time in the Tuieri territory, and Downes obtaining possession succeeded with his left foot in dropping his first goal for the season. Allan kicked off, but some good passing by Ternent, M'Oleary, Robertson, Haig, and Johnston took the ball back to the Taieri territory, and Crawfurd obtained a mark. Restieaux took the kick, which was nearly in the same place as the previous one, bub though he made a good attempt, the ball fell short. Shortly afterwards the Taieri had a look in in the Reds' quarters, when Anderson dashed over the line and scored, but the try was not improved upon. There was no further sooring, and the game resulted as stated above. The matoh Union v. Pirates was played on the north ground, and after an even game ended in a win for the former by 4 points to nil. Her.-*, derson kicked off up hill, and the Union (maroon) forwards following up well, 'penned the Pirates (black). The Maroon baoks indulged in some passing but the smart play of Lang and Cran prevented any score. From a throw in the Blacks got on a fine rush, taking the ball ; from their own twenty-five to well within that of the Union, but play was gradually worked up ' the field and the Maroons got a free kick well within range of goal, but M'Lennan failed, the Pirates forcing down. The kick out was well returned and some loose play took place, the Pirates showing to advantage. The Union ob- , tamed another free kick, M'Lennan making a poor attempt at goal. Lang securing the ball ; made a splendid run to within a few yards of the Maroon's line, where be unselfishly, but mistakenly, passed to Macdonald, who failed to get ' possession, and thus an excellent chance of ' scoring was lost. The Union worked the ball back ' only to h«ve it returned by a fine run by Macdonald, who was dangerously near the Maroons' line when Deaker collared him in fine style. Shortly after this half-time was called, neither side having scored. On resuming play the Blacks penned the Union, and Wales would undoubtedly have scored had he dribbled instead / of trying to piok the ball up. A scrum was formed on the Maroons' line, and although the Blacks made strenuous efforts to get through, the Union eventually relieved their lines. From a throw in the Maroon forwards rushed the ball into the Blacks' twenty-five, where a scrum formed, and Croxford obtaining the ball passed to Davis, who ran in. M'Lennan failed with the kick. After some uninteresting play the Blacks made a fine passing rush, and Crosby Morris got over the Maroons' line, but the whistle had sounded for an infringement. A scrum was formed on the line, but the Maroons gradually worked the ball down . After some give-and-take play Forteous made a fine run, but lost the ball when near the Blacks' line. Some hot work in the Pirates' twenty-five ensued, and M'Lennan getting the ball, potted a neat goal. After the kick-off the game was , very fast, the ball travelling up and down the , field. Macdocald got possession, and made a splendid dodgy run right through the Maroons, and was in a good position to run in when he passed, but the ball not being taken the Maroons relieved the pressure After some uninterest- i ing play time was called. : The return match between the Dunedin and University Clubs was played on the Caledonian ground, and resulted in a victory for the former by two goals (6 points) to two tries. For the ', Dunedin Beck soored a try, which Hunter converted, and Haggitt potted a goal. Fitchett and Meudelson scored for the 'Varsity, for whom M'llroy, Anderson, Cook, Fikchett, i Campbell, and Montgomery were conspicuous for their play. The Dunedin tea n did not i play within miles of their form, being evidently suffering from a bad attack of that direful com- ( plaint the " slows." The game was played in a most friendly spirit, the decisions of the officials being accepted without demur The matoh Alhambra Second v. High School resulted in a victory for the former by 4 points to 1 point. The feature of the game was the splendid passing of both teams. Gibson scored for the School, and Skitch and M'Kenzie for the ( Alhambra, the latter's try being converted by C. Restieaux. The match Palmerston v. Caveraham was played at Palmerston, and furnished the most scientific exhibition of the game that has ever been seen at that plane. The teams were very evenly matched, and the visitors showed up prominently with their passing tactics, which in almost every instance gained them lots of ground, whilst the local team were to the fore with their kioking. The game resulted in a win for Palmerston by three tries to two. The tries for the winners were obtained by W. Porteous, A. Dreaver, and D. M'Leod ; whilst Twesdie and < Bryant were successful for Oaversbam. The Pacific First journeyed to Waikouaiti, and j after having been entertained at dinner by the looal team, met and defeated them by 8 points , to nil. In the first spell J. King, W. Kinp, and r J. Watson snored tries, two of which < Watson further enhanced. In the second spell J R. Richardson scored a try, which was not con- \ verted. The Pacific Second met the Alhambr* Third, ( at Tabuna Park, and beat them by 6 points 1 (one goal, a penalty goal, and a try) to 3 ' points (a potted goal). G. Brooks scored both tries for the winners. The match between the Pirates Second and i the Union Second, played on the Carisbrook gronnd, resulted in a win for the former by 3 pointß to 1. The score was all obtained in the first spell, Black securing a try, after a good run, for the Pirates, which Matthewson converted, and M'Lpod scored for the Union. The kick at goal in the case of the Uoion try was charged down, otherwise the scores would probably have been equalised. In the second spell the Union forwards tried hard to score, but their bac 1 "? were inferior to those on the Pirates' side, andj-hey h^d otthe best of the luck t The "match Dunedin Second v. University Second was played at Tahuna Park, and resulted in a draw. The Dunedin bad the best of the first spell, Cooke scoring a try for them, which he converted into a goal. In the second spell the play was mostly in The Dunedin twenty-five. Crawford potted a smart goal for tho 'Varsity. The Kaikorai Second defeated the ZingariRichmond Second by 2 points to nil. The Melrose First defeated the Heriot by 4 . tries to nil,

The match between the Zingari-Riohmond and Union Third Fifteens was won by the former by one goal and one try to one goal The match Imperial v. Belmont was won by the former by 11 points to nil. The match Albion v. Clifton resulted in a win for the former by 1 point to nil.

'on ITS. Clubs, i Won. IDr'n.j [ Lost. For. I Ag'st. Kaikoral (Uhambra Union ... Pirates... Dunedin ... Taierl ... 'Varsity Zingari-Richmond 6 8 3 3 3 1 1 2 - 1 1 4 5 4 5 5 55 55 20 21 36 23 10 3 13 20 9 25 35 31 48 43 2 1 1