Rugby Union Ball.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7159, 6 September 1894, Page 3

Rugby Union Ball.

The H. B Kugby Union's annual ball is always one of the most popular and im-port-rat fixtures of the kind of the ssason, additional interest being; generally given to it by the visit of some football team at tha time the ball is held. This year the Now Bouth Wales visitors—vanquished but evidently happy—were the invited guests, *nd altkough not maDy of them availed themselves of the oppc rtunity afforded of testing , the terpsichorean capabilities of the Napier fair Bex, etill a large number of the team spent the greater part of the evening in the ballroom as interested onlookers, having been driven down to the hall ia one of the 'Bus Oo.'s drags. The ball this year was held under especially favorable circumstances, public gatherings of lifce nature having b;en few and far between, and the provincial representative footballers having won golden opinions for their good viotories and stubbornly drawn fights against outside teams. Our reps this season hare proved themselves the best we have had for some time past, and if there is one thing more than another a colonial public adores it ia a crack football team. Therefore it was only to bo expected that the Garrison Hall last night ehould be crowded as it has never been before durins the present season, the company comprising the elite of the districtOur Maori friends, including suoh old-time football warriors as Wi Danoan, Taranaki, and Hiroa, -wich their " ooueins " eisters, and wives, also mastered in unusually strong force, and treated the oompany to the best executed haha ever given within the walls of the Garrison Hall. This item naturally proved a great source of interest to the visitors, who were accorded three cheers by their dusky well-wiahers at the olose of the haka. The ball was intended to be a fancy dress one, but with the exoeption of one or two really staking instances, evening dress predominated; in fact, costume bills seem to be almost things of the past so far as Napier is conoerned. A well arranged programme of seven waltzes, four polkas, two Lanoere, quadrille, two barn dances, d'Alberts, Highland schottiache, schottisohe, and mazurka, besides five extra dances, was gone through with great zest, there still remaining a large assemblage for the concluding item. The floor waa perfect, and the music by Mr Newbould's band first-olass. The extras were played by the Misses Hitohinge (2) and Henn, and Mr Budman. The supper, as is always the oase when left in the oare of the ladies, was all that could be desired. The following were those responsible for oarrying out the ball: —Ladies' committee —Mesdames Logan, Swan, Jago, Moeller, Marshall, Bowen, JTaulknor, J. 0. MoVay, and Hamlin; and Misses Taylor, Cotterill, Rhodes, Jago, McVay, Newton, and Macfeirlane. Stewards—Messrs F. Logan, P. .Franklin, H. Swan, J. Wilson, Eliott, and Taranaki. M.0.-Mr T. W. Beat. Hon. Treasurer—Mr G. Fleming. Bnergetio Mr J. G. Hughes deserves a special word of praise as secretary, that gentleman doing all in his power to" make the ball the Buooess it undoubtedly was. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event, and everybody present must have had a " real good time."