ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 557, 12 July 1909, Page 7

ASSOCIATION.

THE BROWN CHALLENGE SHIELD. WELLINGTON V. TARANAKI. Wellington 5 goals Taranaki 2 goals ■ A few drops of rain sufficed (according to Victor Hugo) to accomplish the discomfiture of Napoleon at Waterloo. On a very much less important occasion, namely, the Association football match, Wellington v. Taranaki,

which was played -at- Newtown Park on Saturday; the ram of tho.previous days contributed materially to the decisive defeat—s goals to 2—sustained by the . Taranaki men. The match was tho : first of tho scries of interprovincial contests for the Brown Challenge Shield, at present held by Wellington. This shield isMo "soccer" players what the Bollinger Belt- is to riflemen. Tho contestant teams_ represent. the crome-do-la-cremo of. Association football players in the ..challenging provinces, and the, "soccer" game is judged and accepted or rejected on the standard of, play in tho Brown : Shield matches. That is .the theory, of ;tho matter, and tho public, which constructs its anticipations on theories, expected to: see a first-class Association football, niatch at Newtown Park on ! Saturday. For its disappointment, it' must not; be too bitter on players, but circumstances quite beyond, their, control operated strongly. ;'•; '.-./:.■. . . : . ': First ofnll, Newtown Park, is no place for . football. Most .'-certainly it is no place for first-class football. *. It is so situated that its basin receives a maximum of moisture, with a minimum .of; sunlight. On Saturday,' the ' ground was as bad- as it could .be. It was ' spongy,' for during, tho previous days of 1 ..the.week rain Jbad fallen with more or less - frequency. ;.The: goal-posts ..were pitched; north and south, and. .when the players took thojiield,: a chill southerly was' blowing with enough, strength in it. to tako tho isnap out of the forwards who had to race against it, ; The ■ spin'; of the. coin . gave Wellington the wind,;'and the teams lined.out as follow:— : . Wellington.—Goal, Oldnall; backs, . Cross, ' Hall; half-backs. Kirschberg, Taylor, Bcthell; forwards. Smallbonej' Scott, Gibson, Timperfoy,, Beady. y:\\, : : ,'" : .:' ■.-.'',•'. 'Taranaki.—Goal, 'Stapleton; backs, Bodle, Collihgwbod;' half-backs, >'M'lnnes, Nickolls, Hocken: forwards, Gwifiem, Eggleston, Schofield, Elliot, Carncross. , ' ' ■j : ' ;.' ; : .;. Tho Came./'■'•' ■"■ - I.'ln'view. of about. 10CO'spectators,; Schofield (Taranaki) tipped the ball to his inside left', and the game began. The advantage gained by Taranaki from- the initial possessidn';,bf the ball had lasted barely'two minutosSvhen the tall.' form .of Gibson, Wellington's centre forward, shot out from the ruck and sped down the field,-the ball at-his feet and bis wings swooping along the flanks.: For 'the next quarter of. an hour Stapleton (the ' Taranaki: goalkeeper) had no chance of getting' cold feet;. Desperately' defending,' the Taranaki men swarmed in front of their goal, struggled 1 this way and that, and -filially kicked the .ball over ,their own goal-line. A corner kick was 1 given to the enemy. Stapleton threw out in the nick of time, and the ball was carried Out of the danger zone. '• It was back again in the space of about fivo; seconds, this timeon cbargo of Timperley and Beddy (right wings); two very energetic and dashing'forwards: ; Timperley-,. secured the ball; and easily eluding his opponents, drove hard for the'net, but the ball'missed .by about "two' feet.- -' The' leather, had no sooner ' been I kicked out into the 'field than. it*.was back again, and out of ; a regular melee about : Taranaki's inner, defences another corner was '< given. Stapleton, however, was on tho alert, and cleverly; punched the bailout.' Another attack was initiated by 'tho, Wellington right i flank, and Bcthell (right half) tried for the- i posts, but missed. The Taranakr men then pulled themselves together,-and raided the i enemy's ground, Gwiilein "(outside left) lead- ; ing a Spirited' attack on''Wellington's fight ] wing. '■'. The Wellington halves''were' ready, i however, and Taranaki was driven back-by a ' determnied: rush ,by''tho; enemy's forwards. .1 Gibson, having received the ball [ from the : halves", passed to .his: stronger flank (held by' 1 Beddy and .Timperloy), 'wliich'Cmade'.a dead < set. on tho Taranaki: goal..''Aided'by the i wjnd,,. Timperloy, ?with. Jteddy >at his elbow, 1 flow down the field,. dodged the: backs,■■and f scored the'first goal for Wellington', A tem- 1 pora*y '!rot'' now set in/and'Beddy and Tim- ' perley appeared to .be'able to play with their 1 .opponents.,'. Wellington's second goal 'came' soon after,' being' hustled through' by Timper r ley. ..Goal.number:'..tnieeV" nearly. ; . went. ; to i Bothell's, credit. ..-,■.:..-He. saw his chance, and drove hard.for- %' net. .But the ball struck :the' post, rebounded into the. melee 1 in front; and'- was promptly appropriated .by, Timporley, who neatly scored—^Wellington; 3, Taranaki, 'nil.-It was: drawing, near, to half-time'when. Taranaki, suddenly became aggressive,.'.ancj. .their; forwards : andr.halves. streamed' over' the centre.'line,;.broke., through :.the' enemy'ls advance • and : second lines of fences; ■: - and , then ' collapsed. Hall, steady and imperturbable, who was rarely out-manoeuvred during the game; took the ball from the "advancing forwards, and, with a-strorig clean kick,: sent the leather sailing oyer; the heads of :the enemy.- Taranaki was once more.on the .defensive. They made another spurt soon.after, and this time secured '» corner;.;but: nothing practical was accomplished Jrom..that advantage, 'and the.'first s J>ell ended witfi Wellington three goals to' the/good.'. ,' ,"■'■; :.-'/f '■:■'■■".■■■■;'■ ■ Wellington superior. V' :_on ; "tlie general the game so.far,' Wellington'was .superior in organisation.. The lino was dashing, ..clever, and 'daring. .The Taranaki-forwards.were' dashing. and clever,- but not" daring. , In pace they were inferior,:to.-thoir. opponents; in dribbling,; slightly .superior, .and this superiority gave them frequent.chances of successful re:sults, but .these -chsno.es wore' lost through; their lack of daring.;..; Opportunities for scoring .were, not made use of.:, Onq was irresistibly reminded,..when studying the partial successes of the Taranaki forwards, of the maxim which teaches that, "He who hesitates is :lost."- The, Taranaki "men,,as often' as - they hesitated—and : .thoy hesitated frequently—lost their ohance of scoring; 'Only one other:thing, could account for'theso collapses .; on the ;vory. verge'. of success—that' the. wind, the spongy ground, and the race -up- tho' held (the Park slopes slightly from north to south) had ('done them- up" at the cntica] .moment.: It ; :was also certain .that ■ithejY at times, lacked good combination,'but iit had to bo remembered that owing to an injury sustained by one of their number while' practising at Miramar on Friday, the dispostion of .their.forces, had to be materially altered. ' '.-.-; -.-. '•; . ; ■

' The> Socontl Spall. / ■ 1 , Tho anticipation that tho Taranaki men, with the wind and tho slopo of tho ground in their favour, would show their teeth dur--1 ing the second spell, was to somo extent justified. Taranaki scored twice, but Wellington also scored twice, leaving the odds of victory unchanged, and proving beyond question that Wellington was tho better team. Eggleston, Taranaki's clever, but rather selfish, forward, drow blood for liis side after about ten minutes of energetic play, but Wellington retaliated almost immediately. A mole© occurred in fionfc of tho Taranaki goal, and Scott (Wellington's inside-right) securing the ball, -drovo it through. Taranaki again attacked, tho forwards dribbling with gieat neatness, and Eggloston had another shot for goal—and struck tho bar. Gwillem, shortly after, tried to score, but . his shot flew wide. Wellington then attacked with an overwhelming rush, outmanoeuvred their opponents, and Scott drove the ball home—Wellington, 5; Taranaki, 1. Time was getting on, and the yella of tho barrackers became moro intense, as Taranaki evinced signs of making a determined attempt to shorten tho odds. They swept down tho field, and when about twenty-five yards from the goal, Schofield saw a clear opening. Had he hesitated for a second the chance would have been swept away into tho dull ocean of "might-have-beens." But lie acted; ho drove tho ball hard in. It went through, a magnificent shot, and tho bariackers vociferated themselves hoarse. Tainnaki had several chances later, but al\va\s collapsed at tho critical moment. 'Hie onl}' .fcaturo of the remainder of tho spell was the oxocedingly clover work of M'lnnes, uhos,o presence of mind and fertility of resource at lrequent hot moments, undoubtedly saved . the Taranaki team from further reverses. On > the Wellington rido, the work of tho for- ■ wards, particularly the contre and loft-wing was excellent. Tho halves were good in parts, and gavo honest support to tho for- ! wards. Betliell was particularly good. Tho full-backs (Hall and Cross) woro eminently safe, and plavcd a sound game. Mr. W. Wood refcrced. i Dinner After tho Match. The Wellington and Taranaki teams wore entertained after tho game at dinner at tho' Y.M.C.A. by Mr. H. N. Holmes, ohairman of the Wellington Football Association, At tho conclusion, a short programme of toasts nas arranged, tho list being as follows:— "Taranaki Football Association," proposed by Mr. Holmes, and replied to by Messrs. Si dark (manager) and V, Stapktan. (cap.

tain); ■'■'■Wellington Football Association,' - proposed by. Mr. C. M. Carncrpas and responded to by Messrs. A. Williams and W. J. Taylor (captain); "New Zealand Footfall Association," proposed by Mr. H. M'Keowen and responded to by Messrs. B. L. Salmon and J. J.''Roberts.'

r Mr. S. Clark, replying to the toast of the Taranaki Association, made some interostihg remarks relative to the difficulties which country • associations . had to contend with. Ho stated that, in Taranaki, players bad often, to travel a distance of some .thirty or forty miles to take part ini a game, and it said a good deal for their enthusiasm in thus keeping the game going. The speaker aJso humorously referred to Iris first experiences in .starting the "soccer" game in New Plymouth. He had been' told that ho would only be able to get old women to play. After a few weeks, he managed: to persuade some leading Rugby players to play a round of Association rules, but his hopes were rudely dashed to the ground by an edict of the Taranaki, Rugby authorities to the effect that, any Rugby players taking part in the Association game would not be eligible for representative honours.