A SUCCESSFUL TOUR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 10 September 1909, Page 1

A SUCCESSFUL TOUR.

Tiie tour of the Nelson Keps this . . iisua wa-: very satisfactory altogether. Even iu the days of liari i-r, one of the best footballers ever produced by Nelson, the rep. team did . not met with the same successes. > ric-mo footba.lers, whose playing days ! have long since ended, may say that ' football has gone back. But the [ general opinion of present-day aui ihorities is that the game ia just as '■loud, if not better; oven that says very little, because, however the game .rogresse.d or deteriorated, it must be "the same everywhere. The" 1 result of the tour works out to 471 ociiuts for and 39 points against. The departure of the team was left fairly ; late iu the season, so as to give the 'up matches time to be worked out, 1 ind to give tho selector an opportunity of sorting out his best players. A word of praise ia due to the selector for the able way in which he carried out his duties, as nearly ail the teams 'ii the Cup matches this year were :nore or less even. Mr Oldershaw's lutics were made all the more ardu ,ms owing to the fact that many eligible players were not able to get ■lie next best men. The team se"eted and able to tour finally left Velson on Wednesday, August 25th. by the s.s. Mapourika, the weather being doubtful, but the sea very calm The voyage, though uneventful, wa; a most enjoyable oue, and after a Viick mn of MV< hours the team landed in Westport, in the best of good health and good spirits. The Bailor Rugby Union met and welcomed the team most cordially. West Coast hospitality is a well-known thing, and the Nelson team received the very best of it. Several old Nelson boys added their welcome to that if the Westport Rugby Union. The few days before the match were taken up in practising and sight-seeing, ■ind although the weather was wet a most enjoyable time was spent. On the Friday night it did not look as 'hough the game would be played at ■ill. as it was raining in torrents; but l n 'unlay -broke clear and fine, though rain fell during the afternoon. The jiateh was played at Cape Foulwind m neount of the Square, tho usual ■laying ground, being under repair "he game was a' disappointment as 'ar as Xe'son 's chances were concerned, as a wet ground and a slippery ball was almost strange to them. Thought beaten by 8 points to 3, Nelson may have done, bettor on a dr\ ground. After the match tho B.R.TL rented the Nelson team to a dinner 't the Empire Hotel, where a most "i.joyablc evening was spent. A trip io the s.s. Tavinui, which stranded 'longsido Westport. and winch is to be refloated in a very short time, was •n~in<jed. the -'opportunity of seeing •vhieh all the members of the team • vailed themselves of. Oreymonth was the next port, and 'he team left Westport early on Monlav morning, and after a very calm -■nssage of four hours lauded in Grey"lontli. The G»ivymoiith Union alike greeted mr men cordially, and promised them "• good time, and they received it in nil! measure. The Reefton match -as arranged for the Wednesday, so Hie team left the same afternoon on -. tt„-„<- v,„„,-»- »■•,.;„ ,;..-..,„„;-. r>„, B „ ind R.C, officials met the visitors, 'lid drove them io their hotel, where Mipy were officially welcomed. En--"rta'ninent was arranged for. The 'earn was driven to and taken over •he Progress battery, where the process of separating the gold from the iiinrtz was seen and appreciated by all. The p'nin quartz was first ■een as it arrived by an aerial system >f buckets, then crushed into powder '•v numerous sets of stampers, where '■■iter was kept constantly flowing on o the crushed metal, and passed over -ers and sets of tables. From these aides the muddy -water — for so it -reined— was run into big vats, and The final treatment, that of the cvauide process, was gone through. 'The guide, Mr Bernstein, later produced a small block of gold in its marketable form, and which nearly every member <>f the team handled longingly, knowing that he was holding several hundred pounds' worth of metal in his hands. The game on the Wednesday was very close, although the score docs not perhaps look it. Inangahua scoring 3 points from a free kick in about the first three mimitoajNclson's 9 points (two tries, unconverted, and a goal from a free kick) beiug played hard for. Thursday morning saw the Nelson Reps, mice more in Grevmonth, preparing to do battle with the West Coast reps on the Saturday. TJie game was the most exciting match of the four, as the scores must indicate to old players and young players alike. The Nelson men knew that they had n tough proposition put before 'them and they set themselves in the best j possible spirit to <?„ for nil t •>(«•'

..new, and at half-time it certainly] .Doited verv promising indeed, even 0 the mos; prssimistic. The second .pell was ph'.yed with the same dash .v Xclson; but more dash by West ."oast, who won the game by one 5 -.oiut, a lucked penalty goal, right on - ,lic call of lime. This game, from .1 I spectators' points of vie*y, was • the best game seen on tho Coast. Af--1 ter the match a dinner, nt which both . teams sat down together, was given j by the Grey Rugby Union. Owing 1 to the train leaving Greymouth at an > early hour of the evening for Hoki- ■ tika, the Nelson team had to leave, j Arriving at Hokitika, every kind--1 less and consideration was shown by s ho officials there, and a boating, ex- : "irsion to Lake "Mahinapua was ar- . ranged, where a voty pleasant and ! interesting day was spent The lake ! and its beautiful scenery, with the r oiirney up the small stream which , -"onus an outlet to the lake, was fully •pprcciated by every member present. ! )n Monday morning a drive to Mt. [ij-.ery was enjoyed very much by the cum. In tho afternoon the Nelson [ I loam met and defeated the Hokitika ,' cam. This game was also a very , close one, and al. one part of the <ame it looked as though Nelson could not win. The first spell ended ■ showing Hokitika 0 points, Nelson ■iii. The hard gamo on the Saturday •reined to be notieud by all the team, f nd it was not until near tho end hat any of their previous form was r '.own; then 14 points were scored in i very short time.. The team then nd to leave, every member being , -ery sorry indeed that the tour had ,' *ome to an end. f A few hours in Greymouth to have , >. final look round, and the boat was lue to leave for Nelson, where the I earn arrived, greatly benefited both , n health and knowledge of the game , if football. The West Coast papers are loud in f 'heir praise of the behaviour of the ' cam. The -'Inangahua Times"-says: 'The visitors are a fine lot of young fellows, and it is safe to say that a bettor behaved lot of footballers 1 never honoured Reefton with a visit." ? "lf all the football teams behaved 1 'liomselves like the West Const and ' Nelson players there would," said ' Mr McAlister, Empire Hotel pro , Tietor, to a "WcstpoTt News" rep- ' resentative on Saturday night, "be ' less cause for complaint against traolling football teams."