FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 76, 1 April 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOOTBALL.

The annual meeting of the Ponsonby District Football Club is advertised to take place next Friday evening-, the 7th inst., at the Ponsonby Club Hotel. When the proposed new by-laws came up for discussion at the Wellington Rugby Union's meeting last week, the clause involving the proposed amalgamation of all the unions in the Wellington Province for the purpose of interprovineial contests was strongly opposed by a section of the meeting. .Mr Botirke argued that it was better that Wellington should defend her own honour in the field without calling in outside assistance. Such a cry for amalgamation had never ijeen raised until "Wellington's defeat last season, and in the interests of young and rising players it was inadvisable to pass such a rule. Messrs D. McKenzie and Murphy supported Mrßourke's views. The chairman said he was in sympathy with Mr Bourke on the question' He thought it was a misnomer to call the matches engaged in. by Wellington interprovincial contests —they should be designated interunion games. Ultimately the clause was struck out.

At the annual meeting' of the Sydney Club, W. Hardeastie, the ex-New Zealander, was re-elected captain. .1. Carson, who was a member of the. New South Wales team- that • toured ■ New Zealand in 1894, was re-elected caplain of the Pirates Club, Sydney.

The Nonconformist conscience m Xorth Wales has been greatly agitated recently concerning football playing, and an accident in the Wrexham district has just caused considerable comment and indignation. Some years ago the Wrexham and District Schools Football League was formed to encourage a love of the game. among elementary schools, the president being Her Majesty's inspector of schools. The Penygelle Board School joined the league, but the opposition of the local Nonconformist ministry has now resulted in their withdrawal. The headmaster, in making this announcement, stated, 'You have no conception of the intense feeling there is in the neighbourhood against footballing.'

The annual Tlugby match .between England and Ireland was played at Dublin on February 4th, when the latter won by a penalty goal and a try to nothing. It is the- fourth consecutive victory of Ireland against England. Brvne, Stout, Foolces, and Dudgeon played for England; their names have been cabled "out as those of members of the English team to visit Australia. .. .