NOTES ON THE TOUR.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13009, 10 January 1908, Page 8

NOTES ON THE TOUR.

(By A. H. Baskerville.)

OLDHAM 8, NEW ZEALAND 7. The Near Zeala-nders invaded the "Gibraltar of tho Northern Union" on Saturday, November 23rd, and by tho narrowest possible margin were defeated again. As e.tat«d by tho "Yorkshire Post,." luck wes against ue. Seven unwilling spectators were Byrne, Lite, Todd, R. Wynyard. McGregor, W. Wynward, and Watkins— all on tho injured list. To soo their comrades a. few points behind at the interval, and attacking, mostly near the homo team's goal lino, about threequarters of the second spoil, must have been galling to them. The "All Black" team wlrich took tho field waa: Turtill, Lavory, Smith, Tyler, Messenger, WrigJey, Kelly, Gilchrist, Pearee, Trevartheii. Cross. Wright, Johnston. -Wo mot with a fino reception on arrival tho night- before the match. That evening wo visited the principal theatre and enjoyed a fino performance. At mid-day on Saturday wo woro welcomed by the Mayor of Oldham and' entertained at lunch, at th:> Town Hell. Unfortunately drenching rain fell all Friday—day and night—and continued on Saturday until relieved by a heavy fall of snow ' and sleet which continued until a few minutes before tiro efort of the game. This interfered with a display of Lancashire passing football, which undoubtedly would have resulted had the weather conditions been favourable, and also had a serious effect on what promised to l>e our record '"gate" of the tour. Notwithstanding tho rain, hail, and snow, 15,000 peoplo attended and contributed nearly £675 to the New* Zealand guarantee fund. Oldham was very suoeossful last year, and this senson' have not yet l>eem beaten. They are at the top of the Northern Union League competition. The- club's following is a large one. and had the weather boon even moderately fino all attendance records would have been easily broken, as nearly £300 worth of tickets wero sold prior to the day of the match. Sudi a defeat is regarded more n the- light of a victory in Northern Uition circles. A section of tlhe Press taxed us with inconsistency, but all gave us credit for a magnificent per-fonro-nec. particularly in tho second part of the game. Tho Cliristchurch players—Tur-tir, Tin very, end Pcarco—were very prominent throughout ti.o game. Tito formrr ulaved nia-gnificerrtly. Only once difl the- bill brat him. T-arery received great praise from al! present. The wet ground s-uited Kelly, who was always in the thick, of tlue fray. It fllso. suited In fact, all the Now Zealand backs did remarkably Are.)!. Smith's unazing effort at the end of the gamo wi!4 long he talked oi»mt in Oldham. Both teams and ft larae r.umVr <>f promiiMMit citizens wore < nUM-toiiied to a magnificent ba n<|net in i\w Town Hall after the match. The Miyor, nn old player, presided Rl-NOORN, 0; NEW ZEALAND, 0. Ty.st arcieon the Runcorn team ended Mγ -with W.r.g cr.e of tho* .Icpdrinfl four in tiie Northern Union League comji-tition. This sen^on. t*o far. they have boon only moderately successful, but, of course, when we ennu , along they came out of their shell—as usual —end surprised even their most sanguine Kupporters. Tho Now Zea.'and team has struck a vein of bad l-;:ck. Severe] times against Runcorn the fatfw wcje against tie- Tho '"Daily Mail ,, stated that "misfortune seems to dog the footsteps of thft 'All B-ltcks* in their mid-week nmtche*. Yesterday (November 27th) they went to Runcorn to meet with defeat yrithout havuig tho consolation of acoriug tjie least poesible podnte. Runcorn. like all the rest of the Northern Union teams, gave nn eadhabition of football far above their ordinary display, and on a ground that wae more Kke a quegmiro than a sports aremi. They revelled in the mud, »ml tltoroujrhly triumphed over then formidable antagonists." Rain fell in torrents from about 1 ft'clock to the time of kick-off. It converted on already bud field into an infinitely worse oue—in tact, made it

practically unployiMo. As Kuncorn is thesmaJlcst to«ni wi> visit, and is n> addition rather isolatccl in Cho&hiro County, wo -were surprised., under tay prcveiLiog cimiineteuccs. to spo jui attemlenco of -oixtut 5000 ikv>j>lo. Bad led; is not i Miffirlont'excuse for the defwt. 11i«- "All Bkcks" should have <k>ne us well in the •s they did on Oldhams wet ground. IJod luck, constantly recurring, axeuinas iv flic lons run th<» appc«rnnc«» of bod manigonient. Tlioy enould !iav* adapted "tliemwJrea to eircunirtanr<«. ne the Rinu-orn mon did. Two j)la>-ers e.tood out nlio%t> s\U others oil •ho field—Lilo and Tiinill. Both, in their different ephorcit, ficoat games. Daring tbe iveek t 2k«ulond tram—.lahu6toJi. Cailam. Roivo.. Ijilo. (ilwvon. Croee, Frafor, Boskervilkv .M:ickrrJl. Trovarthen—nlayed the Jlen. P-hyd-ding (Yoxkshirr> hockey toara, «ud were lx\itcii, after c fino fast by tivo gonls to nil. Bulb. «corfi- CTiiio xoon "her the suirt. before th-c New ZoilancJersi had settled down lo their new game. In the soeoml lipWl, however, wlien tliey picked up =< few Jic<~kcy poinrn, they were continnolly on tlie aiieok. and nnrrowly rtuftod ecoririp: on f»ve.r:»l occasions. Messenger, U!e. Gleeson. ami Cross ployed well. "iW country iround I'kloy on Tiioe 'liy -w-as roverod with frix inches of b>io-u-. Wo had rflJTi fun in it. The members of iho u-a.m arc not taking kindly to the eliinate on the nu-oicv. The majority of them have bud colds. and cannot go out of doors.