Rugby Football.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 92, 5 April 1902, Page 5

Rugby Football.

THE prclnmnaiy openmg ot the tootball season took place last Satuiday as far as Wellington is concerned, the annual match between the Christchurch and Wellington Clubs being played on the Athletic Paik that afternoon. • » ■* The game A\as contested under Aery favourable conditions, and resulted m a ■win tor the local team b\ 28 points to o — the first occasion during the la.?t eight seasons in which they have come out on top m thpse annual encounters between the two clubs. Tries were scored for the winning team by Baird, A. Wilson, J. S. Wilson (2), Mclntyie. Meredith, Jacob, and Manson, Fell and J. S. Wilson converting two of them into goals. Craddock scored for the a isitors, Harper with a fine kick registering the two extra poants. The game was interesting, and now and agaan there were splashes of good play such as one hardly expects to see so soon after the cricket season has ended, and before football has really commenced. • • • The visiting team was, comparatively speaking, a new one from that which visated Wellington from the same club two seasons ago, and it is easy to believe, as one of them told me, that it was almost entirely composed of last year's juniors. The Wellington fifteen has a lot of new blood in it — the pi avers in this match that repiesented the club in its last season's engagements being Lovatt, Mclntyre, Meiedith, Manson, Gallagher, Burnett, Wilson, and Leversedge. • > « The other seven arc nearly all new tc local football and, as thev are likelv to be fixtures in the Wellington Club's team, the following particulars about them may be inteiesting.

Jacob is well known a.% the New Zealand repie&entatne tlner - (juartcr, Southland and Wellington lepiesentati\e, and Petonc playei , of last season J S "Wilson I hrst met m the Fortynnle Bush, where, placing among the sc-hoolbo\s at Mangatainoka at cricket .ind football, he gave promise of de- \ eloping into something above the ordinal. His father — a schoolmaster by piofe^saon — obtained an appointment in the cutv, and brought his family hither, and "Scott" — to give him the name by w Inch lie is known among his friends — joined the Athletic Club, and, with some fine place-kicking, contributed greatlv to the winning of the championship by that club's junior fifteen the A-ear he played for it. The war fever caught young Wilson within its embrace-, and, as a member of the Fourth Contingent, lie saw service, and came back in, the Tagus a fullgrown man. and is now as fine a. stamp of footballer as there is m the city. Mc-Minn is an ex-Haw ke's Bay representative, and is an honest grafter in the front rank. He learnt his football in Palmerston Noith. Baard comes fiom Dunedin, and did good service for the Southern Club in that city His place is the lock, and from his show ing on Saturday he ought to be of great assistance to the Wellington pack. Fell is an old boy of the Nelson College, and brother to the Scottish international, and ex-Otago representative player. He played five-eighth on Saturday, but he did not give a good exposition of the game in that position. He showed a decided tendency to hug the ball too much, and if he is to retain that place in the Wellington team he should learn the knack of when to make the pass. Murray is a,n ex-Wanganui Collegiate School boy, but is not yet class enough for a senior forward team. Full of life a.nd energy, and with plenty of go, he makes the mistake of putting too much of his energy into his dribbling , so much so that he generally manages to beat himself and his team for the baJJ. A \eiar in the jumois should be a goo<l schooling for him. These are the new players in the Wellington team, and in my opinion the forwards should be stronger than last year. If Meredith continues playing the backs will not be much weaker, though the a acancies left bv W 7 ood, Row, and Burr will take a lot of filliDg.

A yam with Caretaker Murphy let me into all the secrets of the improvement schemes. The comfort of the patrons of the game is being well studied, and those who journey to the Athletic Park will haidly know themselves when they find seats piowded for them right round the ground, to be occupied by them if they w ish tree gratis and for nothing. The playing area — Mr. Murphy's own especial care— is in rattling condition, the turf being solid and full of body. One or two brown patches — remembrances from the cricket season returfed — w ere showing, but in a week or two, when the new grass grows over these places, the ground will be a picture in green. The players' comfort is apparently the last consideration with the Athletic Park Company. It should not be, though, for it must not be forgotten that they are the providers of the income. This remark is suggested by the fact that a start 'has not yet been made with the new dressing-room, and, if what I hear is correct, the site even has not been decided on. The diessing-room should have been the first improvement proceeded with by the Park Companj 7 , for it is nothing less than a shame that sixty men, after battling for ninety minutes at the Rugby game, should have to dress in the paltry shed now provided for them. Hearing so much of what is being done on the Park, the first thing I looked for was the dressing-room, and my surprise can be imagined when I found the old "rookery" still doing service. Seeing an imposing brick edifice in course of construction, I thought that must be the room, but, on closer inspection it turned out to be a sta.ble and tool shed. Of course, everything cannot be done at one and the same time, yet that dressing-room ought not to be the last thing on the list. * • * Alex. Campbell was pressed into service at the last moment to referee on Saturday and, on the whole, did fairly well. There is one point, however, he was not strict enough on, and the fact that a voung player asked me if the rule had been altered, is the reason for referring to it here. Mr. Campbell allowed players after they had been tackled and brought down to pass the ball. Of course, as is natural, he was purposely missing a lot of things, for too much whistle generally spoils these inter-club games. However, in case a mistaken idea should get abroad, let me

say that a player, having been tackled, and brought to the ground with the ball in his possession — the ball and ground coming into contact in the fall— cannot pass the ball. It is dead, and out of play until played with the foot. * ♦ ♦ The Otago Rugby Union has a credit balance of £629. The Canterbury Rugby Union has a ciecht balance of £143 4s 3d. Mr. F. H. Campbell has been, re-elect-ed secretary of the Otago Rugby Union. Mr. James Hutchison lias been elected president of the Otago Rugby Union for the ensuing twelve months. It is reported that one of the first duties of the Management Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union for the new season will be the inquiring into a charge of professionalism that is beine formulated. A beaten team in England recently protested on thei ground that the goal posts were an inch and a quarter shorter than the prescribed height. This reminds one of another English team which some years ago lodged a protest to the effect that the ground was three inches short in breadth. At the annual meeting of the Canter- |? ur y -Rugby Union,, on Tuesday week, Mr. F. E. Asquith was re-elected honorary treasurer for the ninth year in succession, and Mr. W. G. Garrard honorary secretary for the seventh time. This must be a record for these positions, and is a strong testimony to the value of the officers. During the holidays I gravitated to the Wairarapa, and had a chat with Mr. W. MoKenzie. He is in splendid health — so much so that on the Saturday he was kicking the ball about on the Carterton Recreation Ground. He feels elated with his restoration to health, and lias many good words and good wishes for his numerous Wellington friends. He hopes to have a run down to the city during the incoming football season. The sports bill-of-fare at Christchurch at Easter time : —Inter-Collegi-ate tournament (tennis, debating, athletic sports), Wellington and Christchurch hardware football match, Wel-hngton-Otago Association football St John's v St. Paul's (Rugby); senior football matches — Southern (Dunedin) v. Albion, Alhambra (Dunedin) v. Merirale, Union (Dunedin) v. Linwood ; Pe^ (Continued on paqe 6.)

tone Woikshops \. Addington \\oikshiops. Cncket Wellington v. Chustchurch haidwaie, Duneclm v. Chnstohurch chemists. Bicycle races, Good Friday afternoon and night— gate £6W. Two days' trotting meeting. Gieat Autumn and Great Easter Handicaps Monday and Tuesday, and G. G. Steads big racing sale on Wednesday. As mv correspondent says If that is not enough provision for spoits pations tell mo what ls wanting.