AN AMUSING LETTER ON THE MANGAWHARE – ARATAPU FOOTBALL MATCH.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XV, Issue 2294, 15 June 1888, Page 1

AN AMUSING LETTER ON THE MANGAWHARE - ARATAPU FOOTBALL MATCH.

(Northern Advertiser.) A Spanish gen tit man was at Mangawhare during the recent match and a day after the battle he panned tho following amusing letter and addressed it to a friend at Home : — Dargaville, June 4th, 1888. " Dear Don Ramon,— You remember how much I loved our national recreation the bull fight, and you cau imagine how much I have missed it in my travels. But here I have found amusement wMch almost recouciles me to the loss of Spain's beloved pastime. Here thry have no bull fights, but they have the next best thing to it — the football fight, or match, as they call it. Let me explain this diversion of the New Zealanders to you. The object of football ia to see which side will kill the football first and in endeavouring to do this, the combatants freely try to kill one another, but they must not strike one another with the fist — though they sometimes do — but they may maul, throw or smother one another. I did not get close enough examine the football- -because all the beßt places are taken and held by very small boys — but I could see the football was a email animal, not nearly as large as a bull's head; but tough— carambo! my friend, that football beast is tough.

At a signal the two parties, (black and blue and red and black) face one another in the centre of the arena. One man holds the little animal, the football. Presently he runs a little arid gives the thing a might kick, ,and the football, frightened and hurt, but silent, soars into the air. The other side try to catch it so as to kick it again. Some of the playert, when the football is in the air, stand with their hands outstretched and their mouth open, waiting either to swallow the football, seizt it with their teeth, or catch it, other players have different duties. One man on each side is to lie down upon the tough little beast, and roll on it in the mud and filth. Then, whildhe squeezes the football, all the fighters gather round and kick' him. .;* He is called the 'Mandown.* When he* has been kicked . enough ■* he gets up and then all try to kick the ball. One mandown, trying to smother the little beast, had his ear half kicked off. Then I began really to enjoy myself ; it was so like our own Madrid when a matador is ripped open by a bull Of course there was not bo much blood, still it was fair, very fair for those uuexcitable New Zealander*'. I noticed the Senpritas, like our own Spanish ladies, looked at the ruby fluid quite calmly. As I have described, some of the fighters stand with their mouths open waiting to bite the football. It is then the duty of one of the opposing side to charge him at top speed, aud force him to .•■ the ground like a bull. If this is scientifically done the man is killed, or at least stunned. We had one instance at this. One man, the Mangawhare Captain, was charged at and overthrown. He lay quite motionless. I experienced a thrill of splendid pleasurable excitement, hoping he was dead. But no ! after a few minutes he get up, much injured, but not dead. Many of the spectators of course go hoping to see some of the players killed, and sometimes they are gratified, at others the players die after a few days' agony, having been hurt internally. Of course when people have gone to see the sport, 1 they prefer to see the combatants die at once, but you cannot have everything* and the players are perfectly honest and do their best to kill one another. When a man is thrown fair on his back he is called a 'Full Back iO! when only partiaUy thrown on his back he is called a 'Three-quarter Back' or 'ffalkback;' as the case may be. When he is thrown on his face he is called a 'Forward.' At the tournament which I have been describing no one was killed. The wounded were.— One man lost half an ear, one man had his skull. split open, one was thrown with tremendous violence and injured internally. Besides these several men were sprained, and had pieces bitten out of their faces by the football, but these trifles do not count. After two hours' fighting the football was killed, and the victorious side carried it off the field, and a reporter for the local paptr told me they would have the football soaked in WalfcerV whisky at Raynes' Hotel and fried for supper."— I am, &c., CAESAB AItVJLBAIiOS.

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