FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 7961, 30 May 1887, Page 6

FOOTBALL.

SATURDAY'S MATCHES,

GORDON V. FONSONBY. THIS matoh was played at Potter's Field, and attracted the largest crowd of spectators that has yet patronised the ground, there being about 500 present. The game displayed the best football that has yet been shown this season, each team working combinedly ; but the Ponsonby had a good deal the best of the game, and eventually won by 5 points to nil. Messrs. T. Macky and W. Chapman acted as umpires, and Mr. S. Von Stunner as referee. Arneil won the toss for choice of goals, and elected to kick with the wind, which was, however, blowing more across than down the field of play. Crowe started the play by kicking off for Gordon, and the ball was well returned by J. Brauud and for some minutes the backs had the ball to themselves, kicking aud returning, until it went out about Gordon's 25 flag. From the throw in, Wooller and A. Braund did some good dribbling until Lusk got the oval essaying to run but was collared. From the scrum that resulted the ball went again into touch, and Stephenson then made an ineffectual attempt to get away and shortly after a spoilt kick from Lusk sent the leather behind Gordon's goal line with W. George and McConnell in hot pursuit, but it went into touch in goal before they reached it. Lusk kicked out and loose open play resulted, and the ball was sent out. From the throw in a scrum was held, out of which Wooller came with a fine dribble, but was stopped and a pack was made nearly in front of Gordon's goal. The ball coming out A. Brauud passed low to Stephenson but the latter could not reach the ball and it was again out of bounds. Several scrums near the touchline were now held on Gordon's side of the centre flag, Otway coming out with a fine rush from the pack ; but Lindsay and Poland made a strong useful run along the boundary until the latter was well stopped by Whiteside. Strong combined play hy the Gordon forwards, in which H. Po',c,"d, Lees, and Crowe were prominent, carried it up to Ponsonby's 25 flag ; but Arneil and Wooller neutralised the advantage by a fast dribbling rush, taking the leather down to the field to Gordon's 25 line, J. Poland stopping them by falling on the ball. Reed shortly after attempted to get away, but was prevented by Davy, and passing straight back, a rush of the blue and blacks compelled Luik to "save." From the kick-out the ball went into touch, and was passed to Jordan from the throw in, but Davy was too fast, and stopped him. After a

scrum Gould made a useful run for Gordon but a spoilt kick of L. Meldrum'e, smartly followed up by Otway, Arneil, ■. A. Braund, and McConnell, took the oval to Gordon's 25, where stubborn scrums resulted. An attempted pass from the Gordon centre half and a rush of Ponsonby forwards resulted in Gordon forcing down the third time. Lusk started play again with a good kick out, and A. Braund returned to Poland, who mulled his picking up, and Wooller was on him, and by fine feet work took the leather back some yards, Lusk saving ground by falling on it. A scrum was then formed in front of Gordon's goal, of which the defending side gained the advantage, and some fast "->ou play about midway followed. A scr. 'nmage followed, from which Reed threw on a Jordan, who got well away but was brought back by the whistle. Loose play followed, in which L. Meldrum got his kick cleverly from amidst the opposing forwards, but J. Braund, by good play sent the ball along the line in touch. Several scrums near the centre flag were then held with slight advantage to Gordon, for whom H. Poland, Gould, and Moginie were working hard, while Keefe, Hewson, and Johnson were equally good for Ponsonby. From one of backs Lindsay came through, but Arneil took the ball cleverly from him with his feet'. Jordan just now got a good chance, but Stephenson's extra speed was against him, and he did not«gain much ground. From a throw in at centre flag a scrum was made. Gordon carried the oval back a bit, and a pretty pass of Reid while running gave the ball to L, Meldrum, who again got the ball away neatly, and gained some ground. A minute afterward Poland got away, but Stephenson by a quick punt and a smart follow up sent the ball back again. A scrum followed, from which Arneil got clear away with the ball, and took it well down in front of Gordon's goal, where Meldrum fell on it. Hard fought packs were then held until Lusk getting the oval relieved Gordon by a good punt, A. Braund returning with a somewhat shorter one in the touch. A long pass by Stephenson gave Davy an opportunity, but Jordan tackled and held him. A good attempt was made by Jordan to run, aud he passed well to Reed, but Whiteside stopped the latter, and took the ball out of his hands and was off. L. Meldrum made a determined tackle, but the Ponsonby three-quarter managed to shunt him, but fell himself, and the ball went out. From the throw-in McConnell worked it through Gordon's line up, and Reed getting it punted straight into touch. From the line out scrums resulted, and loose play along the boundary, in which Crowe, H. Poland, and Gould did good work for the blacks. More packs followed, in which Ponsonby showed up best, until Meldrum got a clever point, and Gould, Clayton, and W. Meldrum made a good daßh, and Reed getting the oval passed smartly to Jordan, who made a good run, but was brought down by Conway. From the scrum, which came after Jordan's being collared, Baxter, Wooller and others made a splendid rush tor Ponsonby, taking the ball right into Gordon's 25, where Stephenson and A. Braund did good work. H. Davy made a kick across to Whiteside, but the ball was out of his reach and went into touch. Soon after Jordan got it again, and got a short run, the ball coming to Ponaouby's fullback, Braund, who sent it back with a good drop. A fast rush by McConnell, Arneil, and Stephenson was counterpoised by a fine dribble by Lindsay, who however could not take the ball past Whiteside. Scrums again took places, and Smith made a useful kick for Gordon ; but Arneil, by clever feet work, brought

the ball .back, and it wbb dangerously near Gordon's line when a chance was spoiled by a hard kiok from Stephenson. Prom the kick out Arneil, Otway, and M'Oonnell did some good dribbling in company, and a smart pass by A. Braund to Whiteside sent the latter off with a good dash, in which he fended off Jordan in good style, but was held by Poland, and half time was then called. After the usual interval Arneil kicked off and Poland attempting to run instead of returning was tackled. Jordan soon after made a good run and passed neatly to Lindsay, but the heavy weight was well Btopped by Conway, whose tackling throughout was' excellent. Several stubborn packs about half way followed, in which H. Poland, Lees, and Crowe did yeoman service for the blaoks, Keefe. Bewson, and Otway responding well for the stripes. Baxter came through singly with a good rush but a hard kiok by Davy sent the oval into Smith's hands, who made a good run along the boundary. Scrums and fast loose play were again executed, and Ponsonby steadily worked the leather up to Gordon's 25, where A. Braund made a splendid pass to Stephenson, who sent it on to Whiteside, who made a fine dash across the line and touched down between the posts. The place kiok was taken by Wooller, who scored au unmistakeable goal, and the points stood—Ponsonby 5, Gordon nil. The play on resuming was a succession of scrums and fast rushes by the forwards, Ponsonby keeping it well on the Gordon's' side of the half-flag, and frequently well into their 25. Short, nseful runs were made by Whiteside and Stephenson, and It. Luek, and Jordan, and P. Gould made a grand dodgy one, eluding the Ponsonby men one after the other and taking the ball down to Ponsonby's 25, where he was stopped by J. Braund, who prevented what was a probable try by bringing down Jordan within five yards of Ponsouby's line. Play was in"this quarter for a minute'or two, but the blue and blacks grad ally brought it back and retained their advantage till time was called, without further score. Although Gordon was somewhat overmatched in the second spell, the match was a well fought and good football display by both teams, and considering the earliness in the season, every man played well, very few mistakes being made. WAITKMATA V. NORTH SHORE. The above game was played on the North Shore ground before some 300 spectators. Waitemsta having lost the toss, Stone kicked off for Walternata with the sun in his eyes, and Murphy charging the kick, brought the ball into Waitemata's 25, where it remained for some conniderable time, Patarson here doing good work for the Shore, and D. Graham behind the scrum saved an occasional rush by the Shore by falling upon the ball. North Shore having worked the ball in front of Waitemata's goal line, and heeled out to Askew, who made a poor pass to Somerfield, from which Courtney secured the hall and passed to Mackie, who made a smart run aud scored first blood for Waltemata amid applause. Graham took the place, and made a good shot as regards • direction, but the ball fell short. From the kick-out North Shore, playing well together, worked the'leather gradually into Waitematfe's territory, where scrums were held, from one of which the ball came out to Askew, who quickly handed it to W. Wynyard, who punted the leather over the bars From the kick-out Waitetn&ta rallied, and by good, combined fast play,in which Pritchard, Stone, Shed den, and Gillespie were prominent look the ball into North Shore's 25, and it remained between that and centre until halftime was called. During the second spell the dark blues had the advantage, though atone, Stuart, Grey, and Shedden did fine work for their side, while Murphy, Marshall, and Patterson were repeatedly dangerous for the Shore, A couple of good pots at Waiteinata sticks were made by Wynyard and Maude, but they did not alter, the score until Snow got a like chance, which he took all the advantage of by landing a field goal, which put his side ahead. The game was continued, with North Shore having the best, until time was called, without the score being altered. ALBERT V. AUCKLAND. This game was played at Epsom, but was of an uneventful nature, as the latter's team was overmatched from the start. Albert won by 16 points to nil, of which Wilson, Dixon, Miller, Riley, and Whitley each secured a try, while Masefield potted a goal. HUNTLY V. CAMBRIDGE. The football match between Huntly and Cambridge was played on Sidney Square, Hamilton East, on the 24th of May, and resulted, after a hard-fought game, in a draw in favour of Huntly, who had Cambridge on the defence from start to finish. A large crowd attended to witness, the g»me, the day being everything that could be desired, whilst the ground was in first-class condition. Cambridge was captained by N. Hunt, and bluntly by L. Harris. The latter won the toss, and elected to play from the northern end of the ground. Cambridge kicked off, and Harris securing the ball punted into touch at the twentyfive flag, and at the throw in the Huntly forwards worked the ball down into the Cambridge twenty-five, when they heeled out and Ottway making a nice, dodgey run passed to Luke, who was well held by Soutter. The Cambridge forwards now improved their play, and worked the ball to the half flag, but the Huntly forwarde again carried it back Into their twenty-five, and, heeling out, Ottway passed to Stephenson, who again passed to Harris, the latter getting in at the corner flag ; but the try was disallowed. At the kickout Ralph secured the ball for Huntly, and when collared, passed to Luke, who was thrown out at the Cambridge 25 flag. Ottway threw in wide, and Smith securing the ball, passed to Stephenson, who got across the line, the ball, however, being whistled back. When the Borum had been formed, Cambridge worked desperately to make things more equal, and succeeded for a minute or two in keeping the ball about the 50 flag, but the Huntley forwards again playing well, heeled out, and Otway passed to Stephenson, who in his turn passed to Harris, the latter again succeeding in getting across the Cambridge goal line, but the umpire recalled the ball, because of an alleged throw-on by Stephenson, many of those present were of opinion that the ball had been fairly passed. The whistle now blew for half-time, and after changing ends Huntly kicked oil, Porter punting out at the 25 flag. After the throw-out scrummages were the order of the day for a while, till Soutter for Cambridge, securing the ball, made a nice run well into the Huutly's 25 ; but their forwards, working very hard, would not be denied, and pressed the Cambridge forwards back into their 25 The Cambridge men again responding, were well under weigh, with a good rush, but Otway, who was always in the road, dropped on the ball very prettily, all the Cambridge forwards running clean over him. The play from this out was of a give-and-take character, Cambridge being pinned in their 25 till the call of time. For Huntly, Smith and Buchanan on the wing, and Smith, Harris, Bailey, Murray, and Whaugb, forwards, played a good hard game, while the backs all played a splendid game, never missing a collar, and passing very neatly, Hannon, on the wing, for Cambridge was very good; while Graham and McKame, forwards, did good service for their aide. Among the backs, Richardson, behind the scrums, played a good hard game; while Porter and Soutter repeatedly made ground by short dodgy runs, especially the latter, who saved his side time after time. Hunt, full»back, played very safely. rangers v. Hurnkts (Association Rules.) A match between the above clubs took place in the Domain on Saturday last, ended in a victory for the Rangers by four goals to nil. The Rangers were captained by J. Howe and the Hornets by West. This match was well contested throughout, j The Rangers were a much lighter and faster team than their opponents. The goals were obtained by H. Rotherham (2), J. Rowe (1) and Mercer (1) For the winners, Rowe, H. Rotherham, F. Rotherham, Forsyth, MoMuntrie, and Whitely played beat, and for the losers, West (captain) and the two Chamberlains. Judging by the keen contest of the above match and the orderly manner in which the game was played, the association game is likely to become very popular, and great credit is doe to the Rev. J. S. Hill for his efforts ia its introduction. ELLKRSLIS V. AUCKLAND ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL CLUB. This match was played in Mr. Garrett's paddock at Ellerslie, and was a very good match, being closely contested. Neither side had soored when half-time was called, but soon after the change of goals the Ellerslie Club succeeded in obtaining a goal by a piece of very good play. The play was very quick from start to finish. BELWVN V, ROVKKS. These two clubs, who are considered the bast of the 'ore, met in the outer Domain.

and had a tough match, whioh resulted in a draw. WAITEMATA 11, V. NORTH SHORK 11. This match was played at Devonport, and resulted in a victory for the local men by seven points to (our. Tan field and Spraggon secured tries for North Shore, one of which Penalligan converted ; Kirby and Rowe got those gained by Waitemata. Auckland II beat United in the Metropolis tan by 2 points to nil. Ponsonby II beat Gordon II at Epsom by 9 points to nil. Beamish secured a try, from which Laird kicked a goal, and shortly afterwards potted another from the field. The Ponsonby had a lot the best of the game. White Rose Second v. Orient.The former won this match by 6 points to nil (a goal from the field and a try), obtained by Blewdon and Moore vespectively. Native Rose v. Jervois.—Native Rose won this match, after an exciting game, by 4 points. Wright and Turner securing a try each. Waverley v. Waitemata Third.This match was played at on Saturday, and resulted in a victory for the former by 6 points to 2 points. Watkiss (2) and Somerville (1) obtained tries for Waverley. Onebunga beat Waitemata Third by 4 points to 2. Clarence beat Jervois Second by 4 points to nil. The following players will represent the Law to-day in their annual match with the Banks, at Potter's paddock, commencing at three o'clock :—Lusk (2), Reed, Jordan, Moresby, Clayton, Williams, Hammond, Gledhill, Wilson, Staff, Brabant, Sykes, Hanna, and Myers. Emergencies : Tunks, Reeves, and Major. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.]' Curistchukoh, Saturday. The football match Montecillo (Dunedin) v. Bast Christchurch resulted in-a draw, neither side scoring. Wellington, Sunday. In the football match yesterday between the Wellington and Union Clubs for the Senior Cup, the former won by one goal and two tries—s points to nil.