FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 199, 20 August 1904, Page 12

FOOTBALL.

AUCKLAND REP. FIXTURES. August 27—V. Taranaki September \t— V. Ota go THE BRITISH TEAM'S AUSTRALIAN TOUS. August 27—AgalMet Combined Country, iv Sydney. August 31—Against Metropolitan Union. September 3—Against New South Wale*. * RUGBY. By the time thrae lines appear before my readers the British team will have played the final match of their tour, that against Auckland, which is being decided at Epsom to-day. Since their defeat by New Zealand last Saturday the visitors have met the combined Taranaki team, the game resulting in a draw, with no score on either side. According to the telegraphed account to hand, Taranaki seem to have had a lot the worst of the luck, going within an ace of scoring on several occasions. The team which is representing Auckland today is to my mind a stronger one than that which took the field against Wellington, and has the advantage of having six of the New Zealand' team (who have already met the Britishers) in its ranks.and who are thus to a great extent conversant with the visitors' style of play. The Auckland team have during the week put in some solid training, and will take the field to-day in splendid condition to do battle for their province against their formidable opponents, and I have every confidence that they will give a good account of themselves. After months of expectation the great test match Britain v. New Zealand was decided last Saturday, and for the first time in their tour of the colonies the Britishers had to acknowledge defeat. The game itself created tremendous excitement, visitors being present from all parts of the color.y and Australia, and the attendance, which is estimated at about 25,000, is easily a record for any game in the history of New Zealand, The result of the match is distinctly gratifying to all New Zealanders, and goes to show that in football we have little (if anything) to learn from the representatives of the Mother Country. The reports of the game to liand show that the victory was no Huke, and that undoubtedly the best team won. Our forwards are credited with contributing largely to the success of the team, and right from the jump kept at their opponents, never giving them a chance to display the wonderful attacking powers which the Australians found so hard to stop. The backs, although perhapi; not as brilliant individually as th« Britishers, must have given a better combined exhibition, as the fact that they scored two tries against their formidable opponents, while they managed to prevent them crossing the New Zealand line, shows. It has been stated by the captain that the British fteam were stale as the result of continual travelling and playing, and no doubt there are reasonable grounds for this statement, but it must also be remembered that the New Zealanders were making their first appearance together, and this, to my mind, would put them to as big a disadvantage as the staleness would the Britishers. However, the Britishers have taken their defeat like true sportsmen, and while we shower our congratulations upon the victors, we ought to compliment the defeated upon the big fight they put up, and that although beaten they have not been disgraced. The -wretched place-kicking of the New Zealand team against Britain, according to those who were in a position to judge,, lost them at least 15 points. Wellington writers class Bush, the British half-back, as a stagey player, who has a decided disinclination to get down to rushes. It is stated by eye-witnesses of the big match that tbe British forwards paid great attention to Seeling, the Auckland forward. W. MeKenzie, better known M "Offside Mac," in reviewing the Britain - New Zealand game, states that the play of Gallagher and Nicholson stamps them as geniuses. H. McGregor, the New Zealand representative full-back, states that he had a splendid view of the great game, his duties being principally that of a spectator. E\. Abbott, who is playing in great form for Taranaki in their representative matches this season, is an Auckland boy, and a son of Mr W. Abbott, Otahuhu. Abbott is looked upon as as good a threo-quarter as has represented Taranaki for some time, and is spoken of as a lik«>ly candidate for New Zealand representative honours. Abbott was a member of two of the New Zealand Contingents which took part in the Boer war. At the last annual meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union the statement of accounts showed a balance in hind of £ 2,461 as compared with £ 3,795 dn the previous* season. The money granted to small clubs amounted to £1260, The visit of the New Zealand Jtugby team to iingland is being prepared for by the English Union, and Mr G. Kjowland Hill, the bon. secretary, has sent out the following communication to the secretaries of the various couaties: —"The New Zealand team will etart playing £n this country early in Septem ber, 190J5, and remain for about five months. We shall very shortly arrange their matches for them. Any dab desiring a fixture must give a guarantee of 70 per cent, of all the receipts from gate, stands, • etc., after deducting ground, printing and advertising expenses, etc, but not dinner, luncheon, or travelling expenses of th« home players; and a minimum guarantee ot £50. My committee will be obliged if you will, by July Iβ, at the latest, inform mc whether you wish for a match with the New Zealand team on ttaeee terms."

McKenzie still keeps up his form, and was easily the best back on the ground in the Thames-Auckland match. Congratulations to Messrs. Murray, Renwick, and Mackrell on their inclusion in the Auckland representative team. There was very little interest taken in Auckland in the return match against the Thames, as although Auckland were considerably weakened by the absence of the six members of the New Zealand team, it was generally considered that the fifteen chosen would have no difficulty in defeating the Thamesites, and as results showed such proved to be the case. The Thames team worked hard to avert defeat, and 'the forwards held their own with the Auckland vanguard, but the back division lacked the combination of the Aucklanders, and were unable to show to advantage in attack. Their defence was fairly sound, and prevented the town team from registering as large a score as they must have done had the defence been at all weak. Murray played a long way below his form in the Auckland Thames match, and there is just a suspicion that he is incK%id to over-rate his value in the field. This is a fault he will do well not to cultivate, as it has ruined a lot of promising young players, and if Murray is wise he will take warning in time. Mackrell, who is included in the Auckland team to-day, is a line dashing forward, and has fully earned his place. It is pleasing to see young players being given an opportunity to make a reputation for themselves. Ward's non-inclusion in the Auckland representative team for to-day's match will come as a big surprise to many. Mr Murray has no doubt a reason for dropping him. Apropos of the recently-deceased member of the New Zealand native team, Harry Lee, the following appeared in an English newspaper after the match jNew Zealand Native Team v. Salford: I —"At the Salford and Maoris' match j one of the spectators made himself ; rather obnoxious by the manner in ] which he praised Jack Anderton, who, he kept on reiterating, was the best three-quarter back in the United Kingdom. At length Lee tackled Anderton, with the result that the Salford man found his head buried in the mud, ani the long-suffering companions of Anderton's admirer asked: 'Where is Anderton now?' Jack himself could scarcely have told." Anderton, it will be remembered, was a member of the famous English team which toured New Zealand in 18S3, and a very aggressive gentleman he was, too. When the famous New Zealand team of 1884 visited New South Wales, J. Taiaroa. who is still alive and well at the Kaik, was the "star" of the combination. Advertising the final match against New South Wales the adv. read, ■"Last great mateh —final appearance of TAIAROA." The washing bill of the New Zealand Native team in England was a tremendously heavy item, likewise the washing itself. The linen used to get a bit mixed at times, and then there was fun. On one occasion the washer-lady struggled into the hotel where the team was staying laden with a huge clothes basket containing some of the things. Dumping the basket down in the middle of the floor, she exclaimed: "Help yourselves." On proceeding to do so some articles of feminine attire were fished out, but as no one claivrd them, and they would not do for knickers, they were passed. Lapsus lingerie. A Sydney writer, commenting on the charges for admission to the British v. New Zealand match, says:—Some days ago it was announced that the New Zealand Rugby Union had decided to charge 5/ fo' admission to the grandstand on the occasion of the match between New Zealand and Great Britain, on the 13th inst. It was also mentioned that many complaints had been made about the increased price; but, according to latest reports, the union has scarcely charged enough, for all the tickets were sold within a few days, and now not one remains. Temporary grandstand accommodation is to be provided. Those who howled about paying the sum must have forgotten that the match is one of a lifetime in this part of the world. It is like hearing Mme. Melba sing, or Paderewski playing. Such things are not to be had every day. Apropos of aggressive play in Rugby football, they tell a story ahout a Cumberland team that came down to play Cambridge on one occasion. Cumberlands had the reputation of not being a "begging-your-pardon sort of team." However, the game with the Cantabs was a great success, and at the dinner following the Cumberland skipper started unburdening himself to one of the Cambridge vice-presidents thusly:—"l was 'alf afeared when we coom down that things would not be very nice, I thowt as how we'd have a lot o' parsons, professors, and such like to play against, and aw did not know haw to take 'em, but soon after we started aw got a hold of one of your men, and when he said. 'Look here! What the are you catching hold of mc for?' well. T was pleased. You can see it sorter put mc easy, and I could see then that everything would go off all right." During the present season the Surrey Football Club played eleven matches, of which nine were won. one lost, and one drawn. The one lost was played at Parnell against the Maori boys, and the one drawn against Newton West Old Boys. R. Henry, S. Munro,.and W. Rankin were prominent in the back division, and Campbell, Wakeum, and Valentine in the forwards.