SPORT AND PASTIME. Football,

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 74, 24 September 1898, Page 3 (Supplement)

SPORT AND PASTIME. Football,

[By Ex-Forwaed.3 Newton, which has this season carried off the Senior Championship of the Auckland Union, met its first and only defeat in the final game of the series last Saturday, its conquerors being the Suburbs team. The Suburbs representatives scored' l2 points as against 9 points credited to Newton. Speaking of the play, 'Lynx' makes the following^ comment: — 'The game was undoubtedly one of the most interesting played under the district scheme this season, fast and stubbornly contested throughout, aud, as even the mott ardent supporters of Newton must admit, was won by the better team ; in fact, the majority of the winning side should have been more pronounced than •was the case, as in the first spell alone at least three good chances of scoring were thrown away. The cup winners were outmatched in all departments of the game. Had the out-district players placed the same team in the field right through the season, they would have gone very close to winning the cup, and it is certainly not to the discredit of the Newton team that they should suffer defeat at the hands of such a sound combination ; neither must it be forgotten that they played a good game, fighting out the issue to the bitter end.' Another attempt to decide the winner of the Wanganui Union Senior Cup for the 1898 season was made at Waverley last Saturday, and for the second Saturday in succession a draw was the result. The competing teams were Kaierau and Waverley, and no -side was called with the score five all. A local scribe consider j that, taken altogether, no pleasanter match has been played this season, for the play, though keen and hard, was quite free from anything approaching ' scrap.' Barney Armit, the Otago three- quarter, is in hot water. Mr. F. H. Campbell, referee in the match between Southland and Otago, reported to the Otago Union that it had been brought under his notice by the Otago touch judge (Mr. H. Harris) at halftime in that match that Armit, of the Otago team, had been guilty of rough play in charging Murphy, the Southland threequarter, on oue occasion after the latter had taken his kick. Asked as to the circumstances, Mr. Harris said that after Murphy had taken his kick Armit, who was three or four yards away at the time of the kick, charged into him, and that Armit need not have run into him with so much force as he did. Mr. Campbell said that if he had seen the occurrence as described he would have stopped the game, and, it being the first offence, cautioned Armit. The Committee, under these circumstances, decided to take no action in the matter. ' Rugby, 'writing to the Star, gives his version, of the affair, from which I take the following extract: — ' I never saw a more intentional injury to a player than he ( Armil) inflicted. The Southland man had kicked the ball some time, but Armit deliberately put his shoulder against the man when he was running at full-speed and the ball" was out. I think Annifc ought to be brought before the Rugby Union and made to explain his conduct. Round where I was standing the spectators properly, hooted Armil. Otago made plenty of noise about Wellington laßt year, but the cause of it was not half so bad as this case.' Extracts from the Dunedin papers on last Saturday's Southland-Ofcago match: — ' There cannot; be the shadow of a doubfc that the team won which, on the day, was decidedly tho stronger. The play of the Otago fifteen was intensely disappointing. It is no explanation of their defeat to say that the changes to the back division had ruined its combination, the plain fact being that if the Otago backs had been ever so strong their strength would have availed them iitlle when the forwards we're beaten. The latter probably missed the encouraging voice of their former experienced capfcuin behind them, but, whatever the cause, they certainly played below form. Such an exhibition 'tis they gave on Saturday was never given in Christchurch or Wellington, or the Otago team could never have won there.' — Otago Daily Times. Writes the i Star: — 'In fact, the whole team (Otago) were all at sea in the mud, for the Cunsbiook ground was in a very bad state, and the men from the Southern capital defeated them iv all departments of the game. Jn the Ecrums they secured the ball time after time, in the loose they held their owu, while the backs practically walked rings round the many young players who represented this province. The feature of the Southland play was undoubtedly the clever way in which the backs handled the W9t ball. The Otago backs' collaring was of the weakest description possible. It was j simply disgusting to see some of the men on Saturday allowing Murphy in particular to wend his way through them by pretendj ing to pass. The visitors kept up a continual string of passing rushes, but on many occasions little ground was obtained | in this way on account of the passing being | straight across the field.' On the subject of wing play, the following resolutions were adopted at a committee meeting of the Nelson Union: — «1. That wing play as now adopted in New Zealand is a menace to good football and should be abolished. That it is derogatory to the game, induces rough and violent play ; tends to rob it of its scientific aim, and is ' gradually bringing football into disrepute. 2. That this Union is of opinion that the time has arrived when a change in such play is desirable, and that if it cannot be effected under the present constitution of mles, that such rules be so amended or altered so as to make wing play prohibitory or of little use to the side adopting it.' The committee also passed a motion expressing its regret that the request of the Otngo Union to the New Zealand body asking the latter to forward home to the English Union facts concerning wing play and its abuseg, so that the opinion of the English authorities could be ascertained, was not acceded to, and also affirming- that it was desirable that the question should be reopened, and that the correspondence at present in the hands of the N.Z.R.U. on the subject should bo forwarded to the English authorities. If tho Appeal Committee cannot see its way to agree with these views it was decided, "That it is not necessary to further deal with the matter.' Few teams in the colony can boast a finer record than that of the Ponsonby second fifteen, winners of tho first junior competition, who thus carry off the coveted honour for the fourth year in succession. Since 1895 the team has phvyed 41 matohes— won 37, drawn four, scored 322 points, and only had 28 points registered against it. A truly wonderful performance) and one hard to beat. Alex. Downes, tfie crack Dunediu bowler, and in his day one of the best three-quarter backs who ever played for Alhambra Club or Otago, filled the position of full-back in the trial game in Dunedin on Saturday week. An Inveroargill writer, commenting on the match between Southland and Canterbury, remarks:—' The result of the match is a repetition of what occurred in the season 1890. Southland beat Otago by 4 points to nil ; Otago then defeated Canterbury by 9 points to 4 ; and on the Southland team playing the latter they were defeated by 6 points to 4.' Truly football is a game of surprises. Look at this season's results: — Thames beat Auckland ; Taranaki beats Wellington , and draws with Auckland, but is beaten by Wanganui, which in turn goes down befoi o Canterbury and Manawatu, while Wellington easily conquers Manawatu, but makes a draw with Canterbury. Then Orago soundly thrashes Wellington and Cantorbury, and Otago puts up with two defeats from Southland, while Southland succumbs to Canterbury, and, to make matters more mixed, South Canterbxuy gota home iv front of Canterbury.