FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 138, 13 June 1899, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

WAIKATO MATCHES,

HAMILTON, this day,

As already reported the football I match between Ngaruawahia and i Hamilton, played here on Saturday, i resulted in favour of Hamilton. The ! play during the first half of the game I was not of an interesting character. I The visiting forwards simply ran over ! the local vanguard in scrum and line | Avork; but owing to the excellent dej fence offered hy the Hamilton backs ! only one try was registered by the j visitors. The try was obtained by Laing, an unmistakeable goal, was j kicked, aud at the end of the first spell the visi tig contingent was leading by j 5 points to nil. Whether the Delta- [ representatives lacked condition, it is i hard to say. but it certainly appeared j so, for their play in tbe second half was not marked with that dash and I vigour which characterised their I efforts in the opening portion of the | game, and they Avere in difficulties duri ing the greater part of the spell. About half way through Kirk scored for the home team, but the try Avas not converted. Encouraged by their success the local players made frantic efforts to cross the opposing border, but within a few minutes of the close had not succeeded in doing so, and the match looked a foregone conclusion for Ngaruawahia, so much so in fact that your correspondent had no hesitation in handing in a telegram giving the result as Ngaruawahia 5, B_ainilron 0. No sooner had this been done, lioweA'er, than the wild cheering on the opposite side of the street betokened another score, and sure enough this had happened, Hamilton snatching the match out of the fire at the eleventh hour. The try avus not converted nnd the local men were declared the Avinners by C points to 5. A change of telegrams was therefore rendered necessary, and as only a minute or two had elapsed, this Avas managed without difficulty. The position of the teams playing under the Waikato Rugby Union iioav is as folloAvs:—First Round: Cambridge, 2 wins; Hamilton, 1 Avin, 1 loss; Ngaruawahia, 2 losses. Second Round: Hamilton, 1 win; Ngaruawahia, 1 loss. On Saturday next Cambridge and Hamilton meet here, and this is expected to be the game of the season.

To-day the English footballers play the first match of their tour, meeting the New South Wales representatives at Sydney. The team chosen by Messrs J. F. Macmanamey, J. R. Henderson and Dr. L. E F Neiil to represent New South Wales is as folloAvs:—