ALMOST A RIOT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 184, 4 August 1913, Page 7

ALMOST A RIOT.

FOOTBALL CUOWD INIXAMED

A SATURDAY AT -POTTER'S."

WEEK-END SKKSATIONS

Football follower, who went on Saturday to Alexandra Park (better known to old-time Aucklanders as Potter's Paddock) for their week-end excitement got their emotions stirred beyond their expectations, and the last of'the senior games to finish, the City-Marist Bros.' match, ended in a climax of i>p|in<r which was only saved by tho level-headed I action of two officials from becoming a I downright riot. \ THE CAUSE 1-OR EXCITEITEXT. It is r.irely that a crowd, or, indeed, any" New Zealand* crowd, of : spoTts partisans. lor.cc itiS control to I such extent as was witnessed on Saturjday, and to understand the temper of i the spectators ii is necessary to point out the contributing cauee to such an unusual exhibition. The games were end-of-the-season matches for the district championship, .and the positions of the teams in the competition were such I that the season's championship might or I might not bq decided by the re-sulls of jibe rnivereity-Ponsonby aiid tbe City. IMariat Bros.' <rames. nnd Ponsonby, |i\Tarist. Bros.', and University were in the running, while City were ouft as a epoiling factor. Both games were played within view of the grandstand, on No. 1 -and 2 jrroimds, almost side by side. As the maichee progressed it looked as if each would end in a draw. nobody having scored. Tben Ponsonby pot in thTee points against 'Varsity, from a field goal, and maintained the advantage to tbe end. I A .VTT'K-OR-N'OTHIXn GA.MK. ! ■"Meantime. Marist Rro=. and City were I fighting on, a particularly stubborn frame, which looked like a draw, and a draw meant tlrat Ponsonby wonld win the championship over la.st year's champions, Marist Tiros. When the game <>n No. 1 ground was finished, Ponsonby having won. there was an immediate rush t-o the side-li Dcs of So. - ground, where tbe game had sLill some minutes to pro. At that stage tbe "Marists b-ad got ?lifrhtly tlie upper hand, and were desperately for the win that meant all or nothing to them, while City were meeting them equally sternly, to pet the draw, which would give P"n-son-by the championship, or. hotter still, a win. which would add tbe personal sa-Usfartion of having beaten a team thai had all the season bp.ra nominated 191:5 champions by a large section of Rugby enthusiasts. A win for the ilarists meant a play-off with. Ponsonby. OVER THE SIDE LINES. Those last eight minutes of play on Xo. 2 ground. between two forward tram.- on a wet slippery ground, was as reckless a game a< one conlil wish ■ to see. the players bring urged on to dare-devil deeds by the .-sensation-smit-ten barrackers who crowded the sidelines and encroached on the field at all poin-ts. This ground i= unroped and unfenceri. Only the carth-lilled trench delimiting the playing area tapn to others than players—only that and the spectators' sense of fairplay interposed to keep tho crowd back, and in those mumcnU of delirions excitement when, with only two miruite? to go. the Marists swarmed on the City-'s rroal-line. it wa-s not enoiish. Tbe bamckprs encroached over the sideline and close behind the goal-line. CLIMAX OF THK SEASON. Then came a sensational finish- From a scrum almost on the City line, the ball came out at the side., and a City forward. kicking hard, -ent it well up the fif-ld of play. Little, the .Marists" full-back. tieJded and kicked high, centring to the City goal. Moffitt. the. opposing fullback, took the ball in front of his own line and only a few yards out. lie kicked for the side-line, Vint did not get the ball fairly, and it we.nt low acros? the. field fOT the side-line, whrre tbe crowd wae. Tho spectators made a movement to clear a way for the- ball. It passed two of them on the bounce, and had almost reached the line, when a jerseyod onlooker, who was standing at the sideline with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, rushed on into play, and fielding the ball just before it reached the. sid-e-lrno. carried it over the goal-line la couple of yards away), and scored, the cigarette still in his mouth. THE LUCKIEST OF TRIES. Tho scorer was Pp.nnehy. a MarUt forward, who had retired to the .side-line with an njured shoulder, just two or three minutes before, and he was watching the game. when the opportunity came that he took. It was the acme of fluky tries, for it so happens that so long as he is onsidp when he plays the hall there is nothing in the rules of the game to prevent a temporarily disabled playrr from flashing again inco play at a moment opportune to his side.' There am cases on record of players having previously done this to aj«ist their side from disaster nt a critical moment. but, it i= doubtful it enthusiast* oaa recall any instance of an ininrod player scoring the winning try in this most an- ■ orthodox manner. AN UGLY MOMENT. There was an immediate, uproar trnni thf spectators a.nd partisans who surrounded the players and referee, shouting and arguing. '"No try" was the burden of the di.Tbonance: that Hie-baJl had Mt a spectator, that it had gone out of bounds, that the player was off-side, and that tho match had been played overtime, being the arguments shouted by dissentins partisans, who in their wild excite- j mint were in ugly mood and spp.med prepared to support their words with blows. THE SITUATION , SAVED. It w;i~ i<. ticklish, moment when the Mnrists tiruujrht the ball out to place it for a kick at goal. Mr C. P. Stichbury I a member of the Rugby Union) and Mr (■. Katterns (the referee) showed commendable presence of mind wh-en they intimated that the kick was disallowed.. The crowd was nonplussed, not knowing what to make of the situation, being uncertain whether or not the try was allowed, and while the referee went away to his dressing-room the various knots of partisans were beating tbe wind with their arguments as to whether or not a try had been allowed. By the time the news filtered back to them that it was a try and a win for the Marists, many of them had gone, including players and referee, and thus the ugly mood went and the crisis passed without the storm of frelinc breaking into actual riot. ANOTHER TNCfDENT. There whs, however, another incident to the match to follow. During the course of the game, when thp ball went to the. sideline, a remark made caused one of City's forwaxds to strike-tikeline-nnipire. . A imminent, bttkby tile time referee..got from the infield, end dLUbe

line there were friends between the two men, and the incident had apparently blown over. When tin , game was over, however, the line umpire sought out the player in the dressing-rooms, and the incident was renewed on the spot. A number of blows were exchanged before Mr M. ,T. Sheahan. president of tbe union, oame on the seme. and brought a-bont a temporary cessation of hostilities, thongh there appeared to be an understanding that the armistice would not- hold uood outsule the bounds of Rugby Union jurisdiction.