FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 147, 22 June 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOOTBALL.

After the moderate "gates" on previous Saturdays it was quite refreshing to see a crowd at Potter's on Saturday—the grand stand full and the fence lined all the way round. The lovely weather and the absence of counter attractions probably accounted for the attendance.

Those who came, however, were not rewarded by any very brilliant football. City had no difficulty in downing Shore, and, as on previous Saturdays, the red and blacks did most of their scoring in the second spell, when they walked over their opponents. Somehow City always seem in better form towards the end of a

game.

Asher's absence father spoilt the City backs' combination, but Smith was as good as usual, and his three tries were cleverly got. Stanaway showed plenty of speed in his new position on the wing of the threequarter line. He plays a hard game, and is a dangerous man on the silly side near the line.

There was plenty of individual dash about the Shore vanguard, but their backs had no opportunities to show their combination. I liked Corner's display at centre. This player is a new man, and should be of great assistance to the blues. Buddie did a lot of work at full back, but he should learn not to go for his man too soon. He did this to Smith on Saturday, and the speedy hurdler jumped him with safety and ran in.

An unpleasant incident happened in the second spell, one of the North Shore players bumping Smith over when the ball was yards away. The spectators vented their feelings freely on the Shore man.

The continual delay in starting the football every Saturday is becoming intolerable. Every senior match this season has been late in starting1, and the consequence is that darkness sets in before the bell rings. I am aware that the North Shore Club have a long way to come, and on Saturday they left the Shore with only eleven men, but they are not the only ofliend-

The Newton-Suburbs contest on No. 2 ground was a better match than the principal fixture. The teams were evenlymatched.and I think Newton had a bit the best of the luck.

Grafton brought up a scratch team against Ponsonby, and got home by the margin of 8 points. As usual, Hay and McKenzie were the mainstays of the black and whites. Grafton were so hard up for men that they had to press Referee Gittos into the service. Gittos was, a few years ago, one of the best forwards in the Grafton team, and has done good service as front-row man in the reps. He was not sorry, though, when the whistle went on Saturday.

City play Grafton on Saturday next, and we are all looking forward to a fairly close match after the"" "walkover" victories that City have had so far. On the form that they have shown this year I cannot say that I fancy Grafton's chances, and they will have to improve greatly if they want to win.

City have so far, in cup matches, scored 121 points against 4, a splendid record for four matches. The red and blacks' line has not yet been crossed.

Suburbs are still trying' to get Meredith and Plugge, of King's College, to play for them. I understand Meredith promised to play on Saturday last, but did not turn up. I saw both him and Plugge on the ground half-way through the match.

Grafton are, I hear, making the greatest efforts to be in perfect trim by next Saturday. They will have the services of Jim Taylor, their fiveeighths, again next week.

Mr. F. J. Ohlson left for Wellington last week to attend the conference of referees at that centre. While in the Windy City he intends, of course, to have.a look at Wellington football, and should be able to give us on returning the "strength" of the probable Wellington rep. team, of which I hear great accounts.

In April last a match was played at Leeds (under th,e auspices of the

Northern Rug-by Union of England), in which a scrummage ten yards from the touch line was substituted for the punt out from touch which is provided for by the union's rules. There I were also two referees, but no touch judges. The experiment is said to have proved a success, though the backs failed to.realise the importance of kicking into touch. jN.S.YV. Rugby representative team, which is expected to leave Sydney about middle of August, will find Maorilandcrs harder to beat than ever this season. More attention to gymnastics is being insisted on in the various centres, result being- "condi- ! tioued" players and fast and furious •raines. Visitors will probably play Auckland, Taranaki, Wellington, Canterbury, Otago, Southland, and an all M.L! team.—"Bulletin." The following facts about the career of Mr A. M. Fell, the famous Edinburgh threeqitarter, are of interest. He went to Edinburgh in 1808 to complete his medical studies. His career aa v footballer when at Nelson College and Dunedin is not yet forgotten, and he was at once included in the Edinburgh 'Varsity Fifteen. In the winter of 1899-1900 he proved himself one of Scotland's most prominent threequarters', but was shut out of the International Team by an unlucky attack of influenza. During the past season, however, he has played -with extraordinary credit. His University team has carried all before it, winning: every match'- played but one, which was drawn, and scoring over 200 points, with only 11 scored against it, Mr Pell having himself, it is said, scored more points in iirst class matches than any other player in the United Kingdom, and being pronoun/ed by prominent papers as the finest tnrequarter that Scotland has ever produced. The University team beat Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and furnished no less than six players to the "Scottish International" (of whom Mr Fell was one), which defeated Wales, Ireland, and finally All England at Blackheath, in the presence of an enormous crowd, proving itself the finest team that Scotland has ever produced. Mr Fell has now been chosen captain of the Edinburgh University team i'or next year. It may also be noted that a fortnight after* the English, match Mr Fell passed his "third medical" with honours in two subjects, thus proving that his brains are in as good order as his body.

Duncan has little or no intention of giving up the game (says an Otag-o paper). The other day he expressed a wish to be sixteen years younger that he might begin his football career over again. This player gets more knocking about than any other playing senior in Duuedin. "Scrumming" Mason was very much in evidence on Saturday in the Zin-gari-Southern match, says the same journal. He has lost none of his old form, and the way he beat the opposing wing forwards and got the ball away from the scrum brought forth rounds of applause from the spectators.

All who have the interest of football at heart will applaud the action of the Rugby Union in suspending Fulljames. of North Shore, and Taylor, of Suburbs, for rough play in the North Shore-Suburbs match, and for ordering off the Union's grounds for the rest of the season a spectator reported by Referee Gittos. * Another spectator is to be dealt with at the next weekly meeting of the Union.

1 understand that Irvine, of the Shore team, is to give the game best. He represented Auckland in 1899 and 1900, and, was a first-rate forward and front-row man. Unfortunately he has an unenviable reputation for rough This promises to be a busy year for Auckland in the matter of interprovincial matches. The home engagej ments will be with New South Wales and Poverty Bay, and the matches away from home will be with Wellington and Taranaki. In addition to these there is the annual combat with the Thames, to be played at the Thames this year, and a match with Northern Wairoa at Auckland.

Rod Macgregor, the popular Grafton forward, attained his majority on Monday last, when he was tendered a smoke concert by a number of his footballing friends. A varied musical programme was gone through, and during the evening the "new man" was presented with a couple of silver-mounted pipes and an inscribed tobacco-pouch.