FOOTBALL GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 8554, 29 June 1891, Page 2

FOOTBALL GOSSIP.

Very 'general regret was felt in athletic circles on Saturday evening that Otago's most popular three-quarter-should have met with an accident which will probably necessitate his retirement from play for the rest of the season, worse luck ! Not many of the spectators were aware that Lynch was playing for the greater part of the game with a broken collar bone. His display under the circumstances waß simply wonderful. Well done, Zingari! Everything comes to him that waits, and after a season of defeat victory has crowned your efforts. Many of your former comrades 'will doubtless be glad to hear that there's a prospect of a turn of the tide that has been so steadily ebbing for the past two years. Taltersall makes a good captain, and signalised his temporary command of the Union team on Saturday by scoring three tries. The 'Varsity forwards, although playing pluckily throughout the game, could make no headway againßt their weighty and powerful opponents. The Union thr;equarter division appears to be improving a little, and if the constitution of the team is kept as at present the return contests with the victors in the first round should prove more than ordinarily interesting. Mendelsohn's performance at threequarters for the Light Slues was a surprise to those who had not Been him since last season, and was far superior to that of any three-quarter on the ground. Fie ! Dunedin Second. Bid the attractions of the First Fifteen's encounter prove too stroDg to resist, or was it the fear of a drubbing that caused you to let the match with the Alhambra Second go by default? Depend upon it such tactics will not do yourselves or your club any good. Oh, for some of the martial spirit that animated the Blues in days gone by. The Pirates were considerably handicapped by the loss of Hume, but notwithstanding this disadvantage tbey disputed every inch of ground with their equally determined opponents. Muoh annoyance was caused to both sides by the persistency with which the spectators kept on the goallines.

Fordyce, though a mere youngster comparatively, plays a capital game at half, and only wants to practise passing out more rapidly to put himself into the front rank. As I predicted Caversham and the Port had a very tough encounter, neither side scoring. Hunter, as usual, was to the fore, running and kicking in brilliant style.

I hear that the Southland forwards are as powerful as ever this season, and that we may expect a warm team up from that quarter early in September. Country clubs are beginning to discuss the prospects of the coming Town v. Country matches, and on all sides there seems to be a desire to see a really first-class team-sent round the goldfields. I fancy I he»r the exclamation of a good many players : "What would I not give to, be there !"

I hope to see the Rugby Union send a team, selected from junior, clubs, to do battle in one or other of the matches, and would suggest that as the Match Committee proper will have their hands full to select the interprovincial team, a sub-committee should be appointed to select a team from the juniors ; that is to say, if the Union's Committee look favorable on the motion carried at the last annual meeting. . Everyone who wishes. to see football preserved from the attacks of its worst foesrowdy and foul-mouthed players—will rejoice that the Canterbury Union have promptly "sat on" the crew.who so disgraced themselves in the Sydenham-East Christchurch match. A little more of the same wholesome discipline will do much good. A good many people appear to think that the second round, of the inter-club matches will not be played. I don't know what hag given rise to the rumor, but J'm pretty certain that it is a mistake. As far as I can hear no intimation of Wellington's intentiang few yet been officially received here, and, unless the Northerners intends to surprise -us in July, where's the need of trial matches so early, Cannot the Union team obtain the services of a good plaoe-kick ? They gained seven tries on Saturday, and only succeeded in placing two goals. For a team who have brought out such place-kicks as Nichol and Bee this is anything bnt satisfactory, I think it would pay some of the team, 60 practise this department of the game,

Thomas Fonyth, who last year played with the Union Club, baa been picked to play for Wellington against Hawke's Bay, It was generally expected that Dunedin would, after the good form they showed in recent matches, have been able to have made a good fight of it with the all-conquer-ing Red-and-Blacks, but they were hardly ever in the hunt with the latter. The fact is that the Alhambra are trained to the hoar; they are as hard as nails, their combination is about perfect; and they are ably led. These are factors that have already told their own tale, and will continue to do so throughout the season. I venture to offer my humble opinion that M'Cleary'a merry men are to-day capable of " downing " any club team in the colony, and could go from end to end of the colony without meeting with a single check. The game was the hardest I have seen this season, but good-tempered withal. I don'c think Dowries ever played a finer game; he was in great form and worked like a Troj*n. Unquestionably Reatieaux is the placekick par excellence, of Otago, and he gave cnmistakeable evidence of how reliable he is. Cuff made a remarkably good attempt from a penalty kick, and would have scored had the ball risen a little higher. It was admirably judged. It was hard luck that the Blues should have had Downea's first pot registered against them, for the ball actually went wide, but no one questions the referee's bona fides. In the second spell the Blues at times pressed their opponents very tightly more than once, and if they had backed up anything like decently they ought to have broken the egg. As usual, of their forwards, Isaacs (who was watched by no less than three of his opponents), Beck, and Turton were very prominent; Cuff, as half, will yet be heard of; and Sullivan is rapidly coming to the front. The full-back is simply awful, and should be at once retired. Taiaroa was certainly the hero of the afternoon, and the supporters of tbe northern club were as hearty in applauding his fine runs as his own supporters. He is uncommonly fast when he gets underway. The Red-and Blacks were all round points ahead of their last week's form, and being about cherry ripe now their meeting witn the Kaikorai on Saturday week should be worth a pilgrimage to witness. If the weather is at all fine that afternoon I reckon that there will be a gate. I was sorry to hear some " barrackers " making offensive reference to some "dinner" that was to have come off on Saturday night if a certain contingency had come off. Instead of being ridiculed the gentleman, who ia one of the best supporters of athletics we have in Dunedin, whose only desire was to encourage his own team, should be commended for his liberal offer. I prefer to hear of encouragement of that kind to specu lative offers that have the flavor of the betting ring. Zingari-Richmond had the best of their game all through on Saturday. Before getting the try from ieiilch the goal ts-t-a kicked they claimed two tries, whioh v.ere not allowed.

An esteemed correspondent sends me the following:—" Probably the best and most evenly contested game yet played in Palrr.erston took place on Saturday afternoon, when a team from Naseby met the local men. The play was of the ding-dong order from kickoff till time, and it was only within the last quarter of an hour that H. Porteous, from a scrum near the goal, got acroes the line and scored the only try of the game. The Naseby team is composed of first-class material, and Marshall and Fish are threequarters of whom any team might be proud. Marshall is a player of Lytca's stamp, fast runner, good kick and collarer, and picks up cleanly. Fish is, in build, like Dowries, kicks well with either foot and travels at a great rate. Pickett and C <nn were the best men in the local back division, although Porteous (half) was not farbehiua. The forwards, of whom Emerson and Leonard were the pick, were a very evenly matched lot, and strained every nerve to outdo each other. The most noticeable defect in their play was an inordinate desire to hug the ball after being collared ; but a free kick or two awarded by way of caution soon remedied this evil, and after the first twenty minutes the backs got their full share of work, the play consequently being much more open. The best possible spirit was shown, not a dispute of aDy kind arising to mar the enjoyment of what was admittedly an excellent game." The first round of the senior matches having now been concluded, the subjoined table shows how the clubs stand in regard to this season's premiership : Hatches Point! l . Club. Played. Wins. Loseea. Draws. For. Asst. Alhambra.. 6 6 0 0 41 5 Ki-lkorai ..7 6 1 0 53 15 Dunedin ..7 4 3 0 IS 2-2 Union ..7 3 4 0 2(5 CI Ta-.eri .. 6 2 4 0 15 i!S Pirates ..7 2 5 0 18 i.7 Ziijrari ..6 1 4 1 9 2? "Vaißity .. C 1 4 1 10 4i Referee.