THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9173, 1 October 1888, Page 6

THE ENGLISH FOOTBALLERS.

" DEFEAT OP THE SOUTH ISLAND. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Christchprch, Saturday. Beautiful weather favoured the match, between the Englishmen and a South Island team, which was played this afternoon at Lancaster Park, in the presence of between 3000 and 4000 spectators. The combined team was not so strong as was expected, owing to three of the selected Otago players not being able to be present, while the heat told on the forwards, who played with very little combination. The teams were as follows : — - England: W. Burnett, fullback; Dr. Brooks, Haslam, and Stoddart, threequarters; Speakman and Bumby, halves ; Smith, Eagles, Williams, * Thomas, Paul, Penketh, Stuart, Laing, and R. Burnett, forwards. , XT Canterbury : Thomas, full-back; Harper, Downes, Thompson, three-quarters ; Fuller and Donnelly, halves; Sontag, Hunter, Turnbull. Reilly, Weeks, Simcock, Dow, Plank, and Bean, forwards. , _ Mr. Banks umpired for England, and Mr. Ollivier for South Island; Mr. Heaton was referee. 3 ' The teams took the field at half-past three p.m., after they had been photographed, Fuller captaining the home team, and Stoddart the visitors. The latter won the toss, and elected to defend the eastern goal, from which a slight breeze was blowing. Bean started the spell, and after a few scrums Harper twice in quick- succession dodged the charging English forwards, and sent the ball flying down the field by splendid screw kicks. - It was chiefly due to Haslam that the play went up to the local 25, when he passed to Stoddart, who kicked the ball over the line, Thomas forcing down. The fast play of the English forwards gave Harper and Downes plenty to do, ana they dicl it well, the crowd appreciating their efforts by cheering repeatedly. After the play had been in the English quarters some time, Stuart broke away, ana went down the field at full tilt, until Harper brought him over in grand style. Plant made a dash in reply, and regained all the lost ground, and then Donnelly fave Harper a pass right across the ground y kicking the ball. The Nelsonian dashed for the ball, and gathering it up without a £ause, went straight for the English goal, uckily for the visitors Haslam had a turn of speed that enabled him to overtake his opponent about six yards from the line. Erom the scrum that was formed the ball was thrown to Dowries, who made a hurried pot at goal, but the only result was to force the visitors down. Through Thomson making a mess in not taking the ball from the kick, the play was rushed to the New Zealand 25 flag. It did not remain long there however, as a good rush by the red combined team's forwards swept all opposition till Burnett managed to fall on the ball. This rush was followed by one on the part , of the English, Stuart and Laing taking the ball up to Thomas, who in the contest managed to dodge the former and fender off the latter, and after going about twelve yards kicked the ball out of touch down the field. He was heartily cheered for his performance, and again, immediately after, when he did almost a similar piece of play. He showed great coolness and nerve under circumstances that would have proved fatal to a less cool player, as the charging of the English was fast, fierce, and determined. Thomas's work was the means of driving the English almost on their line, and he wound up his previous performances by taking a long shot at goal, which would have been a marvellous kick had it come off. The ball went a little short, the players of both teams standing and looking at its slow but steady progress against the breeze. Cheers ran round the ground. Burnett took the ball as it fell, and sent it out of touch at the English 25. Soon after a scrum was formed close to the English goal, and Fuller whisked the ball to Downes, who had a shot at goal right in the face of several charging opponents. The ball rose but slightly, fortunately just high enough to clear the heads of those charging, and went over the line with several players in pursuit. It was secured by Dow, but a return for off side was allowed, and a scrum formed within a yard or two of the English line. Burnett got the ball and kicked to Thomas, who fell just as he took it, and Stuart, Laing and Williams, sweeping up, it was only with the greatest difficulty that Harper, who came from the other side of the field, could stop the rush. He did, however, collaring Stuart and snatching the ball off his hand, and kicked it, away down the field before the English could realise what had happened. A piece of bad passing by Dow let the English into the red quarters. All this time Stoddart had had next to nothing to do, but just about now Speakman threw to him, and he made one of his well-known brilliant runs in and out, twisting here and there, and was not stopped till fairly surrounded. It must be admitted that the combined team looked after him well. Directly it was known that Stoddart had the ball a stream of redclad foemen were in pursuit, and the manner in which he evaded many shows what a grand player he is. After making a start he seemed in the humour for more honours, for after the colonials had driven the ball to the half-way, Speakman again throw to his captain, who finished a splendid dodgy run to the red 25, where he was hemmed in. He seemed to grasp the situation in a moment, and stopping dead, make a kick at goal, the ball going just inside the post, ana just high enough over the bar to register a goal. Following the kick both Fuller and Downes pat in some good work, and once the former stole a march on his opponents, who thought the ball out of touch, and belonging to them. Fuller ran up to the fallback who collared him. Penketh and Smith dribbled away, and their rushed play ultimately led to the reds being forced down. Following the kick-out Dow and Turnbull dribbled down the field, the latter giving Dow a pass with his foot which carried the ball past the fullback and to within a yard or two of the goal. A score was saved by Brooks, who, using his hands, pushed Dow over, and kicked the ball over the rails behind his goal. A couple of minutes give-and-take play ensued when half-time was called England having a lead of three points. Paul made a mull of the kick-off, the ball striking one of the red forwards, but the visitors lost nothing by this, as Bumby secured it. A good bit of passing, in which he took part, ensued. Brooks, Stoddayt, and .finally Stuart, took a hand, and it ended in the last-named just missing scoring, , Thomson getting possession, and forcing down before his rival could ground the ball. Stoddart made good progress towards the reds' goal, but Harper came out with a run and kick which took the play up to the half-way flag. The visitors were, however, playing their best game, and only the great efforts of Harper and Downes kept them from effecting a permanent lodging in the reds' quarters; and so a quarter of an hour passed away, the play being fast, combined, and determined on the part of the visitors, and stubborn but disordered on the part of the colonials, who seemed unable to cope with the more skilled play of their antagonists. At last Stoddart got the ball, and, amidst one prolonged roar from the crowd, he passed man after mart . until he got close to the goal line,, where three or four opponents made for him, but their efforts were ill advised, as they spoilt one another in their attempts at, arresting his progress. It was only when Thomas was seen to shoot from his position by the goal-posts straight for the flying Englishman that there seemed a likelihood of a score being arrested. He got his hands on Stoddart] who made one wriggle and fell over the line within a yard or two of the corner flag. Paul took the kick, and a good shot he made at the goal, the ball working its way with slow progress against the wind until just above the bar,' on to which it dropped, falling over. Cheering again broke forth at the splendid kick, renewed a moment later when Bean celebrated the kick-off by landing the ball fairly over the bar, England forcing down. Harper, Haslam, and Downes had an exchange of kicks after. The 1 kick out gained no advantage for either side, the ball finally going out of touch at half way. So far 'the Englishmen had had the best of the spell; now the colonials shook themselves, and made things very merry until the call of time, but the forward play lacked combination, while the men overran the ball shamefully. Appeals were frequent on both sides, and. play was frequently stopped for breaches of rules. Plank put m some splendid dribbling, shining f°rth in a manner that eclipsed the efforts of his

comrades. He was, however, flaying on the'side of the scrum the same as Dr. Smith was for the Englishmen. These two were the most prominent of the forwards. In the fast give-and-take play that ensued Plank was repeatedly cheered for his play, but scarcely a sound was heard on behalf of Smith, who for some reason had made himself unpopular with the crowd. Downes played splendidly m this spell. Once he 'collared Stoddart,' and whipped Brooks on to his back almost before" he had secured the ball from his captain. It was a fine piece of collaring, and deserved the cheers with which it was greeted in rapid succession. Plank made two serviceable dribbles, bub after the second Bumby made a dash, and passing enßued between Williams and Stuart, and lastly Bumby, who was grandly taken by Thomas when a score looked probable. ' Plank and Bean made up lost ground, and then Dowries did another clever, thing.; - Taking ; a pass he punted the ball over Stoddart's head, and .seizing it ran right to .the fullback, close to the line, where for several minutes: the play was of the > fiercest description. Harper got to within a yard of the line, and then Fuller, followed • by Donnelly, Son tag, and Sincock, all of whom wire within an Ace of scoring. Stoddart and Haslam were the means of transferring the ball' to the red's quarters, but again Downes by splendid play carried the game into the English lines; • The enthusiasm of the spectators reached the highest • pitch .of excitement, the rapid changes of the. play and the dash shown by the players causing them to yell as a Canterbury crowd j never yelled before at a football match. Every rush on the part of the colonials was speedily responded to by the Englishmen. At various times Downes, Plank, and Hunter carried the ball to within a short distance of the English line,-'and Smith, Eagles, and Stoddart in turn menaced the colonial goal. At last Downes made a slashing run, and, allowing himself to be collared by Haslam, he threw to Fuller, who, on being tackled by Burnett, passed to Dow. The pass went forward, and the whistle sounded for "throw forward" as Dow went over the line. It was a grand chance foolishly lost by a piece of reckless passing.' There were five colonials against two Englishmen, and only about 10 yards to go to get to the line. It was the best opening the colonials had during the match. A grand passing .rush by Eagles, Penketh, and Paul,- caused the game to travel from the English end of the ground to the other, and just after Son tag's ponderous form emerged from the scrum with the ball at his toe, which he sent out of touch at the half-way flag. The referee's whistle sounded no side, leaving the Englishmen winners by 2 goals (6 points) to nil. The game was magnificently contested despite the heat. The want of combination among the colonial forwards, as well as their poor condition, was the cause of their defeat. They had more openings than the Englishmen. Harper, Downes, and Thomas, played grandly for the colonials, the firstnamed being cheered all the way to the pavilion by the crowd who gathered round him. Stoddart was in brilliant form, which is sufficient to say of him. The other English backs, with the exception of Bumby, who played a good game, were nothing out of the ordinary. Wellington, Saturday. The Cricket Association have endeavoured to get the English Footballers to play a cricket match here but, as they will only arrive from Hawera on Thursday, and the Kaikoura leaves «the same day, Lilly white had to refuse. Sunday. The English football team arrived here from the South this afternoon en route to Hawera, where they play a return match with the Taranaki team.