RETURN MATCH WITH WELLINGTON.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 114, 15 May 1888, Page 3

RETURN MATCH WITH WELLINGTON.

j ENGLISHMEN VICTORIOUS,

(BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.1)

Wellington, Monday, fe second game with the Englishmen *m played this afternoon. The Wellington Kas telegraphed, was not selected by 'to Union, and consequently the balance , clproceeds above expenses will be divided the. City Council, who control the Reserve, and the Hospital. There "ere between two and three thousand "pectators, the small number being due to * fact that a southerly drizzle fell all day densely as almost to be a fog. The grass wet, but the groundremained

JJ c Englishmen changed their fullback, Wing Paul forward, and Burnett in his «i but after the first try the former litf! -8 old position. Brooks made .1-7 appearance in the colony, playing *de, the scrummage. Hack gton team' who wore red and Sabri 6. re Coll3idered nearly as good as taM y-S) and' as ifc was known a web ball ™a cripple the English passing, a close ST as anticipated, and so no doubt it Hiikn tI ien but for a mosfc unfortunate kI H. c local team swept the strangers itSfk at the ?tarfc> and secured a try tit 2l ■ ,ten minutes. Dribbling versus jjW«J>;the damp ground showed up a tt !f .r. til'1 -the Englishmen, who were all ten °? , c raPid Allowing and fine 'nbbll»g of their opponents.

.. FIRST SPELL. tentfff kA ck-°UI;'the b^ll was at once ?; ? In S Peakman's hands. WhatWard from Wairarapa, and Wsnlni ln the colony'rushed afc himH X f raan stooped before the charge', 5»««& aDl falline headlong over the tleantu w' ana PPed fais left leg above able to v Poss»kle blame was attribut'Slvrp™ t ??llshmen» a«d nope more therathp,? r * • ls accidenfc, especially after been ml^ air Way in which they had %S res P°nsible for the whole of .tajured li^° U"h Pky- Dr. Gillon set the °ff l he sP°fc' and Whatman Hen to a v ■ c on a gate, and S one , ? 05-? tal The fracfc«i-e was a S the P °V Vi U heal readily- After his **«*hib «Ri , men had the advantage oa fte w' P l)- 11 UP a s^'ies °f assaults 'S and I gton line- Resistance was >1 bJbS? h c^ itiD^ P% WitSpidfnii • c de t;erlnined rusheß and Mgofthe reds transferred c? nehereof fc? eJ round- Another misforlilOttlderhSf m> Thomson having his

AttK o ? » SECONr> smi" th en ln, Wb the ground "I 1/ a qiesblon of how ■ ?m would win by Wellington

playing thirteen men against fifteen. Nothing but defeat could be expected, but no one was prepared for the splendid defence and determined play exhibited by Wellington. The collaring was perfect, and time after time Sim " brought clown the house " by the accurate way in which he floored Haslam and Anderton when on the eve of scoring. This player was considered the weak spot of Saturday's team, and was displaced at the last moment in favour of Warbrick, Whatever may have been the reason for the action of the Committee, hi 3 play to-day was of the finest description, and, since the days of Braddon, no better has been seen. Still the powerful attack of the red, white, and blue was bound to tell its tale in the end. With only two threequarters a gap was left through which the active Englishmen poured again and again, and at length from the turow-oub Eagles scrambled over the line, upsetting the corner iiag as he did so. After a little hesitation, the referee awarded a try, bufc no goal was kicked. Dissatisfied with one poor try as the result of 20 minutes' play, the visitors threw all their energy into the match, and showed more of their true form. So eager ware they, that they constantly lost ground by oil-side play and throwing in, and it was really owing to a player being oil-side that they at length topped the score. Fairbrother mulled the ball in front of the goal, and Eagles, who was yards in front of tho man who kicked it, being thus placed on-side by accident, made good use of the opening. Even then Fairbrother could have easily saved the game by kicking tho ball to tho boundary a few yards away, but he tried to touch the slippery ball down, missed it, and Eagles easily secured it. The try was between the posts, and Paul lucked the goal, making the score four to one. After this nothing further was recorded. Noways disheartened, the Wellington team, though clearly overmatched and pressed sorely by the Englishmen, kept up their defence wonderfully, and not only prevented their opponents getting through them again, but more than once bursfc into the English 25. Once a beautiful charge carried them past everyone but the full back ; Paul, usually very accurate, failud to get the ball, bub kept cool, and with an expiring eii'ort managed to direct the ball into touch near his own corner ilag. The game ended in a victory for the visitors by a goal and try to a try, the latter obtained by Ellison ; but all who witnessed the game felt that it was a nominal victory only, and but for the handicap of losing two men, the tables would have been turned.

The game was much more interesting than Saturday's, being of a more open character, and free Jrom the constant appeals and delays that characterised the first match. The Englishmen played a harder game, and lasted better than before, but their passing was crippled by the state of the ground. Their forward play was not equal to their opponents', whose looae rushes and dribbling carried all before them till their ranks were thinned ; but tho splendid running of Haslam, Speakman, and Anderton was a conspicuous feature of the game. The collaring on both sides was of the finest description, Sim standing out in bold relief from beginning to end of the game. Moore, Roberts, and Gage also played capitally for their side. Tho Englishmen leave to-morrow for New Plymouth.