THE FOOTBALL SEASON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12326, 20 July 1903, Page 3

THE FOOTBALL SEASON.

CUP COMPETITIONS CONTINUED.

WINS FOR CITY, PONSONBY, AND

GRAFTON.

The Rugby Union district cup competitions were continued on Saturday afternoon, but as the first-grade matches at Epsom gave little promise of furnishing interesting contests the attendance of tho publio was unusually, small.. City and Parnoll met on the No. 1 ground, the former winning after a poor display by nine points to nil. On the No. 2: ground Ponsonby beat Suburbs by sis points to three, and at Devonport, whero there was a good number of spectators, Grafton defeated North Shore by 11 points to .three.' '■: '.-">.,.■■■ '.., . .• ;

CITY V. PARNELL.

PARNELL BEATEN AFTER A GAME ■■'■''■.. STRUGGLE. '. • (City, 9; Parnell, 0.)

Mr. Forsyth- had control of this match, which provided but few incidents of sufficient note to call for any display of enthusiasm on the part of the onlookers. City commenced to attack from the kick-off, and, after pressing for five or six minutes the backs began flinging the ball about in the maroons' 25, but Gladdmg-failing to take a pass a food chance of" scoring was' lost. Parnell being penalised just afterwards Scott had a. shot at goal, the kick, though pointless, being a good one, raid City again tried to reach the line by sending th» ball out to their backs. There was, however, too much running across field by the centre men, instead of cutting in, and this, combined with sound tackling on the part of the backs, enabled Parnell to keep the line clear for the best part of twenty minutes, the nearest approach to a score being a dash by Smith, who got to within a few inches of the corner flag before going into touch. The City threequarter's namesake (Smith) brought relief by intercepting a pass among tho red-and-black baoks, and, relieved to the halfway flag with a dash up field, followed by a judicious kick. The City forwards came down again with a, couple of rushes, and after Gladding had made an ineffectual attempt to cross the lineTwiname being the stumbling blockthe attackers were rewarded, W. Tyler getting possession from a throwin, and crossing the lino close to the goalposts. He took the kick himself, the attempt to convert being a poor one: City, 3; Parnell, 0. Rather more than two-thirds of the first spell had now gone, and nothing further to note happened till Geo. Smith marked close to the Parnoll 25 flag, and drop-kicking, went near adding to the points, the effort being a really fine one, only failing in its mission by a few inches, tho leather striking the post, and rebounding into the field of play. L. Shera was instrumental in transferring play to City's quarters, and they had a shot at goal— City player being penalisedbut the leather was rushed down, rhey made another stood attempt to equaliso tho score, Shera again getting away. Ho passed at the right time to Smith, and when tho latter was tackled the forwards, headed by Handcook, came to the rescue, and drib, bled to within a few yards of the City line, before Stevens stemmed tho attack. A free kick relieved City, and they took'play back to tParnell's ground, forcing their opponents just before time was called, but failing to add to tho score.

Tho City forwards played rather more vigorously in the second! half,- and soon had Parnell busy defending. After some ten minutes the maroons relieved pressure with a forward rush, but they wore only a couple of minutes in City's territory, and the latter, taking the upper hand, added another score. This was the outcome of a passing run, in which Magec, Smith, George, and Gladding were associated, tho lastnamed player /being the one to ground the ball. Scott tried to convert without success City, 6; Parnell, 0. Fifteen minutes later, after scrambling about between tho half-way flag. and the • opponents' 25, the City forwards rushed the ball across the Parnell line, and W. Tyler, following up fast, fell on it. Ho made a v very creditable - kick,; but failed to add to the points: City, 9; Parnell, 0. After a couple of unsuccessful shots at goal (penalty kicks), on the part of the wearers of: the red-and-black uniforms, the Parnell backs had the bast of two or three kicks that were exchanged, ; and invaded>City's ground for the second time in the spell. They improved the advantage with a passing rush, but were not allowed to remain long on tho aggressive. City, however, failed to add further to their points, though W. Tyler went close to getting in a few minutes from call of time, and the game ended in their favour by nine points to nil.-' : - NOTES. Tho game was one of the most uninteresting of the; season, arid a casual visitor to the Epsom convincing ground would have left on Saturday with a very poor impression of Auckland football, if informed that the City fifteen held a lead in the championship com-1 petition. The loss of such a formidablo trio as Asher, Nicholson, and Tyler has weakened the team considerably, but after making allowance for the absentees, it must "bo said that the display was a sorry one. The forwards loafed in the pack, while the backs made the fatal mistake of galloping across the field instead of cutting straight in, the chief offender being George, who almost invariably crowded his wings on to the touchline before passing. / Young, at halfback, was long way below his best form, his passing being most erratic. George Smith, who turned out to assist the seniors in . order that the strength of the junior fifteen might not be diminished, seldom got the ball till crowded on to the touchline and surrounded by opponents, but gave his clubmates one or two samples of useful line-kicking that might profitably be emulated. , , On tho other hand, the Parnell team deserve a word of praise for the determined fight they made, the defence among the backs being distinctly creditable. In this department Twiname (threequarter-back) was the chief stumbling block, and throughout played a sound, consistent game. Foster shaped very well at f\Ulbae>c, • and other members of the maroon rearguard played in a manner that left no room for complaint. Handcock was the mainstay of the forward 'division, and though considerably lighter than the City scrummers, the forwards, as a whole, worked willingly and well. Their style of packing in the scrum was, however, decidedly primitive. , ,

SUBURBS V.PONSONBY. ,

PONSONBY SNATCH A VICTORY.

(Ponsonby 6, Suburbs 3.) On No. 2 ground Suburbs met defeat at the hands of Ponsonby after an interesting contest, the winners snatching the victory in tho second spell. Ponsonby were quickly on the aggressive from the kick-off. Suburbs showed a good defence, and the oval was m neutral territory for the first quarter of an hour, with occasional encroachments by either side. Ponsonby's supporters waxed enthusiastic when from a passing run Carlaw all but got over in the corner. For offside play by Suburbs the blue and blacks were awarded a free kick from the 25 flag, Francis making a good but unsuccessful shot at goal. For the next 10 minutes Suburbs had tho best of a stubborn game, " Pat"' Sutherland stopping several rushes and Stuckey showing up wed in the attacking division. Shortly before half-time Digram secured from :■ a scramble near Ponsonby's line, and, running round, passed to Absolum on the wing, the latter dashing in near the corner and drawing- first blood for Suburbs.. Plugge:failed to add the major points :• Suburbs 3, Ponsonby nil. The temporary reverse put Ponsonby on their mettle, and a strong forward rush saw Suburbs', line in danger, Foubister. saving by a timely kick. A penalty kick to Ponsonby in Suburbs' 25 was entrusted 1 to Francis, whose kick was low, and was smothered. , The whistle then sounded halftime. In tho second spell Ponsonby opened with a strong attack, Suburbs forcing from a long kick. The -blue and blacks made repeated efforts to score, a series of serums on Suburbs' line looking dangerous. Suburbs, i however, by determined defence cleared their lines, and a strong forward rally saw the leather in their opponents' 25. Here Stuckoy had a chance of feeding his backs, but found j the lino instead. "Pat" Sutherland gained ground from a penalty kick. Give-and-take play followed, in which Suburbs had most of the advantage. Ponsonby'3 vanguard got to work and reversed the game. A free kick to the blue and blacks was taken by Sellers in a good position, but failed. Shortly afterwards another breach by Suburbs gave Ponsonby a second penalty kick from near half-way. and tliis time Francis took the kick and landed a beauty: Suburbs 3, Ponsonby 3. Suburbs rallied and got into their opponents' 25. A passing ruD by the Suburbs backs saw. Mcintosh nearly in, but through holding oil too long he lost his chance. The blue and " blacks snapped up the advantage and rushed down the field, Doran being prominent. Payne got a mark near the 25 line at midfiedd, Francis' kick being well smothered by Stuckey. Returning to the attack, Ponsonby invaded Suburbs' quarters, where Cowan got the ball from Payne and transferred to LenoVum, who scored cleverly near the corner. Francis failed to convert: Ponsonby 6, Suburbs 3. Suburbs had to force within the next few minutes, Carlaw and Lendrum leading a hot attack. A free , ; kick" to Suburbs gave temporary relief. The

blue and,blacks were still on the aggressive , ■when the bell rang.,,, Mr. Blakey had charge ! of the game. '.-■•. "-'/•*■ 1 : NOTES. , ■ ■{ The losers showed better form, generally, speaking, than the winners, Ponsonby only : getting seriously to business in the second spell. Their forward rushes at the commencement lacked combination, with 'which they must have scored. The blue and blacks also seemed to fail to secure the ball as cleanly j as the Suburbs men, who gave a really pretty display of passing, quite frequently. V For Suburbs "Pat" Sutherland, who played centre threequarter, was a host in himself, stopping rushes with great coolness and again and again kicking with sound judgment. Hia brother Dick, at fullback, made one or two mistakes in defensive work. Absolum proved speedy and reliable on the threequarter wing. Mcintosh, on the other side, put in some good work occasionally. Stuckey, at fiveeighths, played a splendid game on the whole, Dick shaping well behind the pack. The forwards were sound at first, but wont to pieces towards the end. . For. Ponsonby Carlaw, Cowan, and Lendrum, the threequurters, played better individually than in combination, their passing being rather poor. Doran was th© mainstay of the forward division. The game was interesting and willing from the start. GRAFTON V. NORTH SHORE.

A WIN FOR THE VISITORS. (Grafton, 11; North Shore, 3.) ■ That much interest was centred in the match" between. North Shore and Grafton at the former's ground on Saturday was evidenced by the fact that there were from 1500 to 1800, spectators present. The exhibition given by both teams was a fine one from all points of the game.- Shore winning the- toss they (returned the leather and assumed the aggressive for a few minutes, during which Yeoiand made an ineffectual attempt at goal. Grafton touched down. In the scrum that ensued after, play again starting Mays marked, 'but Yeoland's attempt at goal again failed. The ball was taken into touch, whonce it was taken over the line and again forced. From the kick-off Powell marked, without securing any .advantage, the kick wending' its way into touch at centre. The Shore- pack then commenced what might have proved an excellent rush had not Wells got offside, penalising his side. Following up their advantage quickly the Grafton van soon pressed play into the homo team's 25, Laing showing up conspicuously. Rodd got possession and managed to negotiate the lino in the corner. Huddlestone had a shot at converting, but without success : Grafton, 3; North Shore, nil. From midfield play Smith found the lino with a fine kick, ending in a scram from . the line-out play. Grafton then came away and began to look decidedly dan- ; gerous. In front of the posts a Shore back ] sent the oval to midfield. The visitors' back, in returning, just missed the touch-line at the corner, and, the ball going over, was forced down. Kicking was then indulged in for a minuto or two, resulting in Mays putting one into touch at oe-ntre. The Grafton .forwards showed superiority by taking the ball away from neutral territory and setting up a lively attack in Shore's quarters. Being placed on the- defensive the Shore men soon cleared their ' line and turned the tables. With lengthy lucks and good judgment on the part of McKenzie, who was playing a great game, Shore had again to give way to defend another attack. Shore gained but little relief from a kick to centre, as McKenzie took advantage of a splendid opening. A Shore back, however, got in the road, foiling the attempt, which ended in the ball going into touch a yard or two from the corner. : A free kick was here awarded the local men, who, through the services of Yeoiand, again placed play in less dangerous ground. This did not last long, as a couple of attacks were immediately set up, requiring all the sustaining power of the Shoro rearguard. The latter attack proved too much for Shore, the oval being carried over the line, where half-a-dozen members of both teams fell upon it. Mays having gained a lot of ground and the forwards maintaining the same, the Shore backs started to put in some nice passing work. This culminated in a forward one from Pavel!, who was severely tackled. The ball afterwards went to McKenzie, who made a olear run to centre, thence potting well into touch.'■'• Play remained in these quarters until the .whistle blew. _■ Upon resumption Shore followed up their kick ;in good style. Laing,, however, made the effort of no' avail by taking the ball at his feet and dribbling it well down the field. Shore shifted operations back again to .make a good opening, unfortunately ending in; their being: penalised for a knock-on. A complete reversal of; play then took place, Kelly and Laing showing good form. Laing, however, by looking; behind lost his opportunity of scoring. A • rough-and-tumble in front of the posts then ensued in the Shore's corner, until, on the ball being taken oyer the line, MiHer forced down. Grafton immediately set up another and more successful attack, Kelly dashing over tile line from line-out play. Huddlestone failed at goal: Grafton, 6; North Shore, nil. Almost immediately after the kick-off Grafton marked, but their attempt at goal by McKenzie was rushed down* ; Several attacks kept the home j team busy in defence for the next quarter of an hour, the conspicuous players being McOlusky, Wynyard, Mays and ; Gerrard on the Shore side, with Laing, McKenzie and Kelly on the other. The local men here showed bettor form in following up and in line-out play, but in both instances they were outclassed. This resulted in MoKenzie getting flurried in trying to take a lengthy kick, the Shore men baffling him. Being marked, Shore had to give way again, the long kick of McKenzie being of more service than usual in finding the line. Mays here became exceedingly lively and a tower of strength to Shore, .his kicking, running and collaring being excellent. The strength of tho green and whites did not last long, a forward rush by Grafton weighing heavily and with too much effect, as Stead got over and scored in a good position. McKenzie converted: Grafton, 11; North Shore, 0. With a few minutes to go • and looking as though Shore could not make another effort, their forward team came away in .firstclass stylo, ending in Warbrick registering a try" Yeoiand did not 'succeed- in the at-, tempt at goal. The game then stood: Grafton, 11; North Shore, 3. An exciting finish was made by Shore. NOTES. The contest was generally expected to have been a keen one, and that such was the case was evidenced by the amount of. work put in by players. Though it was not anticipated that Grafton would win *by so much, the better team won. The Shore men lacked combination and staying power, which are only to be attained by training. In both divisions they were outclassed in lineout play and in their forwards not following up well enough, thus allowing McKenzie to make good use of his touoh-kickmg. . - The best of the Grafton men included Robinson, King and McKenzie in the backs, with Laing and Kelly in the van. . In the Shore team the most prominent was Mays, who may be styled the best back on the ground, with Gorrard a good second. The pick of the forwards were McUusky, Harp and Wells, all of whom played a sound game. „ ■ ... Mr. Katterns acted as referee.

SECOND FIFTEENS. City beat Paroell by 18 points to ml. I'ansonby won from Suburbs by default. North Shore won from Grafton by default.

THIRD FIFTEENS. '• . City A won from Parnell A by default. City B won from Grafton ,by default. Suburbs won from Parnell B by default.

':-' SECONDARY SCHOOLS' : MATCHES, j St. John's I. boat Grammar -School. I. by 8 points to 4, and are leading for the schools ■> C King's College I. beat Prince Albert College I. by 14' points to ml. V T ", v ::: t t> Grammar . School If 'beat St. John's 11. by 20' points to nil. V ■ ;■'.■' . . , Kind's College 11. beat Prince Albert College 11. by 3 points, to' nil. • These teams only played a few minutes. • ;?:■■ •*<-

v ■ PUBLIC SCHOOLS' MATCHES. , Remuora beat Bayfield by 12 points to 3. . Onehunga • beat Ponsonby by 8 points to Mount Eden beat Napier-street by 6 points "; Weilesloy-street B beat Ellerslie by 12 points to nil. , ■ •> ■ ' , Wclleeley-street A and Newmarket won their matches by default.,'.'.. ~,

AUCKLAND AND SUBURBAN LEAGUE MATCHES. , ' 4 Clarence played Technical School, defeating them bv nine points to throe. For the winners F." Wilson scored a try and kicked a penalty goal, and J. Francis scored a try. For the losers Dadley scored a try. Mr. A. Luing- made an efficient referee. - . Native Fern defeated,': Rovers by eight points to five. For the winners Barker obtained a try, which he converted. 1 he other three points were the result of a try obtained by Saiasbury, after Nolam making a brilliant run from one end of the field to the other, and transferring to Sainsbury ,' just at the right moment. For the losers Jackson scored a try, which A. Blakey converted. Mr. T. Thompson ga*c satisfaction as referee. .. ~' ; ' -•■' '■ ; I OTHER MATCHES. Great Northern Brewery v. Combined Crated Factories: This match was played at Ellerslie, and resulted in a win- for. Great Northern by 10 points to 3. Brewm and

. Co3tar scored tries, and Roy Seccombe kicked t a pretty goal from a mark. •; Eddowes scored j a try for grated Factories. -■■••'..' _ '-■>. \~ J. Gow's Einuloyees v. Invincible*: This , match was played at Otahuhii, and resulted : in a win for Mr. Gow's employees by three points to nil. T. Gow landed a penalty goal from a/difficult angle. - After the match the teams were driven to the residence of Mr. T. Carson, where a most enjoyable even-. ; ing was spent.

THAMES V. WAIHI. WIN FOK THAMES BY 11 POINTS TO NIL. , ,- [FROM our own correspoxdkkt.j :■■'.'■.■■ V * "- ' .Thames, Saturday.:.'i; A large number of spectators journeyed to Parawai this afternoon to witness the first inter-union representative match played here this season, viz., Waihi. v. Thames.; The weather was perfect, and the ground in good order. Waihi won the toss, and played with the sun at their backs. During the first ten minutes play was confined chiefly to the forwards. Thames being penalised for offside play, Power took the kick, Thompson returning to half-way. Thames backs got on a passing run across the field, and, from the throw-in, Autridge got on a good dribbling run, but sent the ball to touch-in-goal. Waihi kicked off, Johnstone returning to Garvey, who marked, and sent the ball out at Thames' 25. McCollum, the Thames wing forward, started a dribbling rush; Waihi kicked hard, i allowing Johnstone to 'mark'between the 25 ! and half-way. Newland took the kick. The attempt was good, but the. ball fell short. Waihi forced. _ One of the Waihi players (McColl) at this point: retired hurt, ; and Joughlin took his place. On play being resumed Thompson kicked into touch at Waihi's 25. From ;'. tho ■ throw-in ;,: a scrum was formed, and Keating, getting possession, maclo a short run and kicked to touch-in-goal. Waihi kicked off, and the Thames forwards, getting on a rush,; carried the ball to within a few feet of Waihi's line, where a scrum was : formed, and A. Houghton, the Thames half, j getting the ball, scored a try. Newland ! took the kick, but was unsuccessful; Waihi ; now rallied, and carried the ball to Thames' ; 25. The Thames forwards, however, got to work, and brought it back to within a few yards of Waihi's goal-line, where a hard Jack sent it to touch-in-goal. In the second spell Waihi kicked off, and an interchange of kicks took place, Houghton marking at half-way. This kick was returned by Powdrell, who sent it out at the half-way peg. Waihi being penalised : for offside play, Thames had a kick for goal, but was unsuccessful. Prom a passing run, initiated by J. Houghton. C. McLean got possession and scored. Newland took the kick from near the touchline, at the 25 peg, and landed a goal. ■ Waihi kicked off from halfway, and from the return Power started a passing run, which Roto spoiled by intercepting. Towards the end of the second spell Autridgegot on a good rush, and, following up, scored. No goal eventuated. At the call of time the scores stood: Thames, 11; "Waihi, nil. ~■:,:;. ■; ■> The Thames forwards proved too good for their "Waihi opponents, tho latter's backs not having much chance to distinguish themselves. Newdick, at. full for Thames, put in a lot of good work with long kicks into touch, while Thompson and J. Houghton made several clever runs. Mr. Angus Campbell gave every satisfaction as referee.

WHANGAREI UNION MATCHES. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] . : ; Whangarei, Saturday. > The Whangarei/Rugby Union championship competitions were: continued to-day. : The senior match, "Vvhangarei South v. Kiripaka, did not come off. The . Horahora school v. Hikurangi school match was played at Kaiho this afternoon, Horahora winning by 14 points to 3.

HAMILTON UNION MATCHES. [BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] /; Hamilton, Saturday. In the Hamilton Union matches to-day City boat Suburbs by 17 to nil. Tries were scored by Pike (two), R. Wright; (two) and P. Innis. H. Wallace converted one. .This match leaves City winners of the senior competition. In the junior match No. 1 beat Suburbs by 11 points to 4. For the winners liarwood scored two tries and McConnell one. Hughes converted one. Goodwin kicked a" goal from the field for Suburbs,

[BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] ' Cojiomandel, Saturday. ; The football match .Coromandel, v. Manaia was played :. in Bates' paddock to-day. The weather was fine and the game proved fairly oven till about half-time, when the natives got ..in, a couple of tries.V Coromandel afterwards, got a try, , and the game eventually ended; in a /win for iManaia by 11 points to CordmahdeT's 6.

PAEROA V. KARANGAHAKE [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] : * Paeboa, Saturday. The annual inter-union "rep.". be-; tween Paeroa and Karangahako took place at Mackaytown this ; afternoon. Beautiful weather prevailed and there was a record attendance of spectators. ; j The game was very fast from beginning to oall of time, and ended in a win for Paeroa by 3 points (a try) to nil. Rockly- captained : the -Ka-' rangahake team and Flynn Paeroa. v In the first spell play was of a very even nature, though Paeroa had the disadvantage of ¥ play-; ing up hill. . On the : whole, however, 1 the r play was interesting, the forwards of both teams making' the pace a merry one. ■:-Thedefence of the ', Karangahake backs was very good, but their combination in passing runs could not compare with that of their opponents. In the early part of the second spell the Karangahako team livened up ,a little, and kept Paeroa penned ;in ; their own <25 for some time, but eventually.- through good; forward play, ; assisted by line-kicking by the back division, brought the play into Karangaha&e's territory. ■ From ;a - sorum ia : front of goal Callaghan secured the oval and neatly transferred to Brennan, who ;in turn passed to Flynn, and the latter |; to; Coote, who crossed the line amidst great excitement. The attempt at goal proved a: failure. From this up to the call of time play was.of a give-and-take nature, but no further score eventuated.- ' For Karangahake Jolly (half), Kirkwood (threequarter) and McLean _ (fullback) \ did most serviceable work, whilst among; the front-rankers the V most conspicuous % were Kneebone (wing), Arns, Shaw, Hughes and Bramble. For Paeroa: Rickitt played a brilliant threequarter -game, 1 the best of the - other backs being Brennan (half) and Vugiar (full). Of the forwards Capill was the best, and Rukutaia, Hamilton and Collins also did good work. Mr. J. McGregor acted" as referee and gave every satisfaction.

SOUTHERN MATCHES. [by TELEGRAPH. —PRESS association.]:;; ;; Wellington, Sunday.'".', Two teams were sent into the country by the Wellington Rugby \ Union yesterday,. one to Wairarapa and the other to Levin. The firstnamed was beaten by eight , points . to three, and the second by 13 points to nine. Chjiistchxtkch, Saturday. ■ The grounds were in good order and the. weather fine for to-day's football. Albion (12 points) beat Old Boys (nil) Linwood (13 points) beat Merivalo (nil); t/hristckurch (35 points) beat Canterbury i College :_ (8: points). Albion loads for the championship with '■-■• 10 j points, Sydenham and Linwood being next with eight and a-half. Merivale have won the junior flag. - - . , ' '. Dvnedin, Saturday. , In the senior ' football matches to-day Al-: hambra and Zingaii-llichmond played a drawn game (3 points each); Pirates (6)' beat jKaikorai (3); Southern (5) boat Dunedra (3);. University (12) beat Union (6)._ '.;' '

DISQUALIFICATION OF AN OTAGO TEAM. I i| ' [BY TELEGRAPH.— CORRESPONDENT.] :(I ;, Chbistchtjbch/ Saturday.;; ;; Truth's Dunedin correspondent writes, stating that great excitement has been caused through the disqualification of the Kaikorai first fifteen for the remainder; of •■ the season; for leaving the ground in their match against Dunedin, when iPorteous was ordered off the ground. The players, however, have only themselves to blame; they took up a defiant attitude, and plainly told the Otago Rugby Football Union Committee that if the same thing happened again they would immediately walk off the field. In view of the stand taken up bv them the committee had no option but to" inflict severe punishment. v The disqualification -or the Kaikorai players is a serious loss to Otago football, which will necessarily be weakened in the forthcoming interprovinciftl matches. , _ ■[

THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

Y.M.C.A. V. NORTH SHORE..;

The Y.M.0.A.-North Shore match, played on the Devonport ground, was* a very fast and interesting game, and although it ended in a draw— side scoring ,'- a > goal— ■ Y.M.C.A. had slightly the best of it. Theirs forward combination was much better than that of their opponents, but the Shore backs; never gave them much show near goal, but; were on to them all the time. ; Shore were the first to score, although Y.M.G.A; had had several good attempts, whiob were splendidly stopped by Bayley in goal for the home team. ; About half-way through the first half a good l pass to G. Dacre enabled hilt) vto beat Dugmore with a real beauty. .;=, . ,» 5 In the second half the town team made desperate efforts to equalise and the game in

consequence became very fast. Said,had several? tries -at goal, f but they lacked power. A corner kick; beautifully placed by Harding, _ made things very dangerous for the Shore, but Smith sabred.?' However, Y.M.0.A., keeping up the pressure, Ashbury sent in a lows shot, and Bayley slipping at a critical mo- . . , merit, he only managed to touch the ball, but not enough to stop it. Several good , rallies. by the Shore forwards put the opposing backs on the defensive, though : for the., most part Y.M.C.A. had possession of the ball, but" could not manage to add to their score. The Shore bacits all worked splondily, Bayley, in goal, being very cool. He saved his side several times from what looked like certain scores. Smith, at full, played a fine v : • ; game in something like his old style, while Moody's kicking and tackling were very sound." The halves had plenty to do, and all acquitted . ; themselves very, well. ; The forwards lacked combination, but got on fairly well and put in plenty of hard work. . On the Y.M.C.A. side Dugmore had not raany hard shots to stop; the one that beat him was very fasft and low. Ritchie played a fine back game, kicking and tackling with , good judgment. Cowan was not as good as usual, but Webster and Yates were in fine form, the latter feeding his forwards in his ; usual accurate style. Among the forwards, j Ashbury and Sale were about the pick, the ; ~ former proving very tricky and passing out to I the others noatly and unselfishly. Clark broke away very often, but found Coatea • rather hard nut to crack.

'■:■' THISTLE V. TABERNACLE. This match was played on the Domain Cricket Ground in. the presence of a large number of spectators, i and the result was : ; a ■ _,•- rather easy win for the Thistle, the score being three goals to one. This was a big surprise for Tabernacle, as they had beaten Grafton, . who lowered Y.M.O.A.'s colours the precede , ing Saturday. During the - first half Thistles' had the best of it, 'J. McDougall and Gillespie ' • putting on a goal each. -In the second spell Gibson scored the .: third goal. Tabernacle had hard luck in not scoring from a penalty, . . S. Clark failing, although the referee allowed' ' him two chances. Towards the end of thegame Webster, who played a great game for his side, scored the only goal obtained by;l the Tabernacle team. , . For Thistles, Edwards, in goal, was per*) ' fectly safe, and made no mistakes, whil« Ritchie and Meldrum, as fullbacks, gave a fine display iof : scientific i football. ■ Gracie put in a lot of useful work, and was well supported by the other halfbacks. J. Mc»., Dougall and , Gillespie, played brilliantly l .; ;■; among the forwards. ■ For Tabernacle, O. and W.'Blackie, Porter, ;V Bellamy, and.Bigelow played with great dasa : and determination; the remainder of' thai team showing but poor form. , ■;,'' JUNIOR MATCH. University beat .Y.M.C.A.-by three goals ' J,i to nil, Smith (2) and Short;scoring the goals*-,v - for the winners. , ■'"'■"" ; ; ; ■——; ~; "; ':■■/' ./;Kjvj