THE FOOTBALL .SEASON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13486, 13 May 1907, Page 8

THE FOOTBALL .SEASON.

? \ » 'M W : i ■: DISTRICT CUP COMPETITIONS. WINS FOR CITY, PONSONBY, AND NEWTON. ■ The eeconcl set of fixtures of tho first round in connection with tho Auckland district cup competitions were played on Saturday, .when tho weather conditions wero inoro favourable than on the oponing day. Rain threatened throughout tho morning, and a -S; shower or two fell in tho early part of the ; ] afternoon, but nob sufficient to have any material effect- on tho ground, which at _ ; Alexandra [Park and North Shore was in good playing condition. The .rain kept-off 1 during tho progress of the matches. -' At J Alexandra Park tho strugglo for victory be- j tweon City and Parnell, on No. 1 ground, ] was witnessed by a large number of .specta- | tors, and though tho result was ft foregone conclusion the match provoked a great deal of interest and enthusiasm. The City team, after giving a splendid exhibition of the game,, triumphed over .their opponents by . 28 points' to nil. A inoro oven contest took plaeo between Newton and Grafton, on No. 2 ground, the match ending in favour of the former by 18 points to 6 points. It. may bo mentioned, however, that Grafton were minus the services of five of their, best players. A largo crowd gathered at North Shore, where an interesting trial of strength was expected to lie witnessed between Ponsonby and the local team. The visitors, however, made certain of - tho result from the commencement of operations, and after giving a vigorous exhibition came out- victorious- by- 24- points to • nil. - - . - •, v . CITY V- PARNELL. SUBURBAN REPRESENTATIVES , • BADLY BEATEN.' ; ;■ (City, 28 points; Parnell,' nil.) - .As...was generally anticipated, City had little or no difficulty- in defeating -Parnell,• • but tho game, notwithstanding this, was an interesting ono to watch, from a spectator's, point of view, there being occasional dashes of fine play. The wearers of the maroon ; jerseys had tho • disadvantage in the first • spell of having to play with the wind against ' them, and , the \Qity rcproseidtJi'tives,' need-, less to say, made tho most of the circum- ' stance. Play for the first 10 minutes was .; ,' of - a ; give-and-take , character, but for tho next quarter of an hour or 20 minutes it ' ' was practically :• confined : to Parnell's terri-; tory, and the defenders were obliged to J:': ' force - on : ' quite -• a - number of occasions. During -loose - play in " the Parnell 25 A: White, on© of the defending team's forwards, received an injury to his leg, which ' put him out of action, and fie was replaced : ,' at a later, stage by Handcock. Prior to i.'l'- the latter's . appearance "City ; made a determined attempt to score, and succeeded in ; doing ' so,- through tho instrumentality . of' Harris, who got over' the line near the cor- > ner. R. Magee' took the kick, but failed : ' City, 3. points; - Parnell, nil. About 1 five minutes'later Herring started si rush, which ended 'in Harris getting the ball again, and tho ball striking tho post.- The City re- •. took 'the kick again, but was unsuccessful, the ball -, striking,;,the j posts. > The City representatives x still continued to make things lively in their "opponents' / quarters. From - the line-out tho oval was secured by a City man,' who passed to G. W. Smith, the famous " All Black" throequarter, who was . playing at his best. Smith , immediately . transferred to Gladding, ; who sco.red in the corner." . S.' Magee j- attempted at goal on this occasion, ; but also failed: City, 9 : points; Parnell,nil. ! Towards .the end, of - the spell City secured a - mark in a favourable position, • and S. Ma.gee, in taking the kick, : succeeded -in placing a nice goal: City, 12 points; Parnell, nil.; _ , 'On changing ends Parnell, with the wind behind them, livened up considerably, and . placed City. on the defensive. The subur<oiban representatives, however, were lacking. • in scoring , ability, - and lost several chances j_. ~ by : allowing tho ball to get beyond 'their "T"'-? control, with the result that it was forced. ; ;' .Parnell at -last began u to tire,»whereupon. :3S 1 their opponents! made "it J warm for ; them. . W. Tyler at i last managed - to ; got: over, the line,.and S. Magoo,' taking the kick, placed . ; another nice goal:' City, 17 points; Parnell, ? -nil. Earfiell,•. in - , reply, . invaded their;! op- -, - 'ponents'" l - -.territory, but were soon driven f' b :. back, , and v again placed ' on ? the defensive. -With, play in front' of "Parnell's goal, . G. T. W. Smith' made a ; brilliant opening, and •'..<* soored , behind the posts. _ % S. Magee, again . converted: City, 22 points; Parnell, nil. Gity returned- to the attack. Gladding, getting possession, made & fine run, and ;• ,- was just about to score"in the corner, when ' > he was collared by Cleave. Herring, fol- ': lowing up smartly, snatched up the leather - ' and scored. - The kick at goal 1 proved a failure: City, 25 points Parnell, nil.; City ' were bent " on further improving their total,V * which s'they did, , W., Tyler scoring a-nice ■ try ; . in . the corner. S. ; Mage© was. again .unsuccessful at goal: City,"2B points; Parnell. nil. The bell then rans. - - NOTES. ; * Though beaten by such,a substantial number ■ of points, 'the 1 IParnell " representatives v? were.- not disgraced," ias they « played gamely -1- right throughout, and never seemed to bo % " disheartened. ' i: ' Where ' they ; were lacking was in making the most of their opportuni- , ties; but this - was -due - to - inexperience,- and thereTs no doubt "that if .they go on show- , ing the same spirit: as they displayed on • " Saturday they 'will prove " harder ; to " beat as' the -.- season progresses. : Twiriame • - ' was the most: prominent among their backs, • .and was < well supported by Smith, : on the wing. > Stuckey and Todd were also re- ' ~ sponsible for some -i good work. Among ' the forwards, Kinder was -the best. • The £ ~ City representatives played a remarkably ' fine game; *' and ' showed Aplenty-';; of dash ■ ) •••;• and combination. Smith,' at centre-three-quarter, was the shining light among the backs, and was seen at his best. Of the forwards, Seeling ►and,- the. two Tylers were : - the most conspicuous. ; ' ' " ' [ -- v ,-■'■* : ' PONSONBY V." NORTH SHORE. • % •' ■ . ... ' ' - ■ \ ' - - ; ' . • - . A WALK-OVER FOR PONSONBY. ; (Ponsonby, , 24, points ; JSortb • % •: s « 56 c 3 tat, ft ft ' st r- *";» a «is- 9 " . PonsOrfßy -bad no-' difficulty -in - winning this fixture,, and they not only succeeded in putting up the creditable. record of , eight tries (none* of 'which,' however,' wero conW' verted), but kept their > defence r impene-, ~$A trable, thus preventing any points , being ' i > registered against them. . Though it would - appear by the decisive victory gained, and the disparity between the merits of the two combinations as indicated, that a one-sided, uninteresting contest resulted,, it. must be ;' ; pointed out that interest attached 'to -the - match at all stage's, excitoment often run- ' ning high, and. tho enthusiastic , supporters :. of either: team, 'not-only indulged 1 in vocal ' demonstrations, but at times encroached on '.: tho line : of ;play, • and obstructed .the progress of tho match. In ' tho'first half' tho S ' blue and blacks had" to contend with the V wind as well as tho sun (when it appeared), : but this ? disadvantage did not prevent them , from making the gamo fast and willing from tho start. Play was immediately rushed ' into North Shore's territory, arid after a sharp • conflict amongst ;the forwards, last•V: ing about five minutes, the ball was kicked over the goal lino through over-eagerness on the part of -tho Ponsonby players. Poneonby continued to press their opponents, > but the latter got temporary relief, and play was near the centre line, when some tricky passing between' Gillett and Nicholson in a C line-out resulted in the first-named getting tM; clear - and putting in a serviceable kick, which he smartly followed up, but D. Miller \ 'got possession of the leather, and booted it out of touch in a trice. . A little later the same player interceded in : an ugly-looking '■ rush, ■ and sent the ball up the field, the if' green and . white forwards pursuing, but ; only to see Murray put in a good; return % ; kick. Ponsonby' were again attacking, but * wore meeting with, determined and con- • V# certed resistance, v although they, were by vi degrees pinning . the ' Shore closer down to 'their' goal line. • There ensued a fierce -five | minutes' . contention • near -tho corner, and '• -• every muscle' was strained. The ball was j kept in, but came out once, and Murray I It'sineatly returned, lodging it out-of touch as jifeiear; in goal as possible.'; Gillett made a K. long thrown in, and Dillimore, who would have had a clear run ' in, {jumped high, but 5-57. wjus upset,, R. Wynyard slipped up smartly, , : and' secured relief for .his team by a splen- , ---. did kick , up the field.': -A little later the " Ponsonby forwards, led by Francs - swept i down the field, but Woodward pluckily took the ball from their feet, and again , centred J *- ■ , x ' • - ■■ - il - ; '

; i, * a* >, ; r -jviYVv . play. At this stage W. Wynyard retired, •having received a bump on tho head, and Gerrard took his place. Up to this tirno Ponsonby wero getting possession of , the leather from - tlio scurnis, but secured' very little good from the advantage. lAt "last Shore's ■■ defence was _ pierced. IPlay - was j proceeding near 'their quarter line, and Francis, emerging from the bunch with the ball, beat- off all opposition,; and - dashed over the line.' He failed to convert: Ponsonby, 3 points; ( North Shore, nil. ' Shore were again defending immediately after the kick out. C. Miller sent the ball : from the corner to the centre of the field, and Nicholson, who was handy, picked it up, - passed to Wilson, who in turn transferred to Gil-' left, and the latter with _ a clear passage placed: the ; ball over the line near the Uprights. Francis missed an easy shot Ponsonby, 6 points:: North Shore, nil. A', few, minutes later Shore wore once more in difficulties. Play had been taken to' Ponsonby's side of tho half line, but Wilson, on. receiving a pass, sped down the field, and: not being supported lie had to let tho ball go when grassed. Gillett - stopped in, and dribbled tho ball to Shore's "territory, and r from a. scramble he gathered : it in, . and passed to Cox, and the latter to Flynn, who darted over the line, between the goal posts. Nicholson took the kick, but just as the. ball was rising R. Wynyard, who rushed forward, jumped up, and turned its course: Ponsonby, 9 points; North Shore, nil.; There was no further change till half time was called. With the wind in their favour. iPonsonby mado things merrier on the resumption of play. . On two successive occasions D. Miller turned off vigorous rushes, and following on this was an exciting bit of play. . Cunningham,. Nicholson, and Francis headed a rush up the field from past half-way, and then , the ball was handled by several playors, both forwards and backs, till Clarke relieved Shore from a dangerous situation by getting in a useful kick. Ponsonby wore being repulsed, when Gilletfc got in a long kick, which Hall 1 raced after, ' and through Miller 'failing to take the catch, got possession of, and though ' tackled by : Marshall on tho , lino notched a try. Cunningham failed with the shot at goal, from a position directly in fron of the uprights: • Ponsonby, 12 points;' Norths Shore,' nil; Some exciting; play, followed, 1 and forward rushes were intorsporsed with good passing runs amongst tho backs. Shore wore kept actively defending- their citadel, but the frequent assaults-were too much for them. Gillett was working his men vigorously, and all the time making openings. From a line-out within Shore's quarter line Clarke broke away, and took play down the field, but almost, as quickly | it was brought back in a passing run beI tween Bator, Francis, and Murray. The ball passed through • other-• hands as. well and, finally, Gillett , snapping ■ it np gave a high pass 'to Dillimore, who ran in at the I corner. Gillott made a fruitless kick at I goal: Ponsonby; 15 points; North - Shore, I nil. Murray was collared on the line im- ! mediately after, but a. passing rush a ' tie later, in which - Dunning, Francis, Cunningham, and Bater took a hand, ended in the lastnamed scoring, tho ball "being placed between the posts.. Murray made a poor effort to convert: . Ponsonby, 18 points; North Shore, nil. Shore i had by this time lost,heart.' From about- the halfline Hall• worked -his way through the opposition with the ball at to©, and again got over the line. Francis was unsuccessful with the kick: Ponsonby, 21 points; North Shore, nil-. '■ In ; continuing to. attack Ponsonby kept matters lively, and Dillimore. who accepted a pass from Gillott, streaked for the line, but was grounded just in time. A force down , resulted. A minute • or two later Hall was responsible for a fine piece play... He .broke, away, from the ruck at the • quarter-line, eluded. tho backs, bowled over the fullback (Miller), and. carried the ball over the line. He was given the kick, and made a, good effort at a long shot, the ball carrying, just outside the post: Ponsonby, . 24 points; North Shore, nil. When time .was called shortly afterwards Shore was still in troubTe. , • , , 1 .. NOTES. . * ' Tho only, alteration in the teams was that on North Shore side, Harrison replaced : Smith. Ponsonby, though slightly • heavier all round, outclassed their opponents in all departments of the game. Their line was hardly once in 'danger of being crossed, and they kept Shore constantly on tho defensive. Their foot work and passing at times was splendid, and forward rushes wefce a feature of the match. There were fcotioeablo one or. two weak spots in Ponsonby's . rear division, J but; otherwise they are a formidable combination. • Shore played up pluckiiy ' against uneven odds, but they scarcely got a show.to.display their quality, ■ except 'in. defensive work. , As a. matter of fact, they' seemed -for the most part to,"be on the ground, as a result of the vigorous play of the wearers of. the blue and 1 black. Ponsonby, however, gave a miserable exhibition of; goal-kicking, not -ono try. out of eight, though several, were easy shots, being converted. Amongst the winners' backs,-Murray, ; Dillimore, Flynn, and Bator put'; in good i work, while Gillett, Francis, Nicholson) Hall, * and , Cunningham were the most'prominent of a strong set of forwards:. :> r Gillett captained . the team," and controlled his men admirably. - Of . the Shore team Woodward was' conspicuously the best in the backs, and was supported by R. Wynyard and the two Millers. Clarke, Todd, ?and Marshall accounted for a 'goodshare ! of the work in . the front >. division." Mr. A. .Campbell made' an impartial referee/ ; - ' GRAFTON V. NEWTON. I v - - (Newton,' 18 . points Grafton, 6.) : . The Grafton v. Newton match was played on No. 2 ground, and evoked little interest. Grafton were unfortunate in not having the services .of Kiernan, Sutherland,: Mcintosh... (who wore all injured in tho match against North Shore), and Davis and Maguire (who were compelled to work). Newton won the toss, and give-and-take play. ensued for s6me time, and then, {' for offside play, Hooper kicked a' penalty goal: Newton, 3 points; Grafton, ' nil. v Grafton now took a £urn Tn attack, and penned the reds in their 25 for some time. The Grafton backs vterV attacking hotly, until Rowe intercepted 1 a pass, and outpacing the Grafton backs scored in a fair position. The major points were not added: Newton, 6' points ; Grafton, nil. The Grafton forwards were playing a'fine game, but were receiving no support from their, backs. - Hero Dean, Eaton,' and MacOormick broke away with the ball at their toe, and tho lastnamed picked up arid transferred to Cornes, . who foil:across tho line, drawing first blood for Grafton. The shot at goal was unsuccessful r Newton, 6 points; Grafton, 3. .The spell ended shortly - afterwards. - . From the kick off Grafton were penalised for ..offside, play by Burroughs, and from the kick Freeman secured, and scored for the reds: Newton, 9 points; Grafton, 3. Wolfgramm-sliortlv afterwards added -another three points, the result of a fine, dashv run. Here : Grafton broke away again, the ball going out a few yards from Newton's, line. From the throw in Poplo secured, drawing second blood for Grafton. The kick at' goal failed: Newton, 12 points; Grafton', 6. Newton returned to tho'attack, and Rowe scored another tryin the corner. Give-and-take play onsued, until Blake missed taking the ball, and ; the Newton forwards.closing round him scoured, and Gray scored in a good position. Hero IPurdio retired with a broken arm. Dean, and Eaton transferred play to the other end of the field with a good dribbling rush, tho former just missing scoring by kicking too bard. Grafton were still attacking' when' I the bell sounded. " > •;7 ; NOTES. * The match, from a spectator's point of view, was not exciting. The Grafton backs gave a wretched exhibition, with the exception of, Marshall . and Poananga.' Their performance on Saturday would not have done credit to a junior team. r The Newton backs were an oven lot. H. Rowe was the mainstay, and - played a fine game, also kicking with judgment. Ho was ably supported by Wolfgramm, Freeman, and Purdie. Farrant got'through a lot of work at half. The Newton forwards were beaten by the Grafton pack, both in the open * and loose. Trevarthen worked' like a Trojan, and he was ably assisted by Hooper, Farrant, and Winters. The Grafton forwards all work; ed hard. Eaton, Dean, and MacCormick wero the pick, but it is hard to individualise. Had they received more support from their backs,,-instead of being run off their logs, by injudicious kicking, the score would not have been so largo. , Mr. George Katterns controlled the game- in an efficient manner.,' - SECOND FIFTEENS.' North Shoro v. Ponsonby: North Shore won by 6 points to nil. ... • -City v. Parnell: Tho former won by 6 points to 3. Newton v. Grafton: Tho former won by 8 points to nil. , .. . : ::

FOURTH FIFTEENS. Pafnell A v. Parncil B: - Parnell - A won by 9 points to 3. "Newton v. Grafton: The former won by 12 points to nil. Ponsonby v. City: Ponsonby won by 8 points to nil. PUBLIC SCHOOLS' COMPETITION. A Grade.—Section 1. , r Devonport v. Normal School: Devonport won by 25 points to 3. Suction* 2. ; Parnell v. Newton East: The former won by 6 points to 3. SUNDAY SCHOOLS' LEAGUE. i-. Surrey Bv. St. Matthew's: ' Surrey won by 6 points to nil. ' Selwyn v. Hobson: ; Selwyn won by. 6' , -points to 3. MATCHES -IN OTHER CENTRES. 1 WAIHI. ' - [BY TELEGRAPH. — CORRESPONDENT.] Waihi, Saturday. The cup competitions under the Waihi Rugby Union were commenced to-day on ♦he Tauranga bridge ground, the opening games being between the . Waitcto and Ma., taura Clubs. »'•- In the senior fixture Mat-aura won the toss, and played with the wind in "the first; half. . For some little time the play was. confined to the forwards, and nothing of note occurred until the ,maroons opened up a bit and let the leather out to the backs. Johnston cut in nicely from a passing rush, getting to within a dozen yards of the blue and white's /goal line, but Darby removed the danger with a useful line kick, arid a rush by the maroon forwards swept the leather over tho line, but WaitOte forced. The ' maroon pack cam© along again, and .then gave the backs a chance* but faulty handling marred their play, and for some minutes the ball was kept on . the • ground, between the 25 . and half-way pegs. . A free kick ,to the Mataura gained, ground, and the .backs getting* possession, Dance, Johnston and Binns were associated in ~ a passing rush, , the lasti named crossing the line and scoring. The shot at goal failed: Mataura, 3; Waitete, nil. On resuming tho .Waitete backs commenced throwing the ball .'about, gaining .useful ground, and the leather was then kicked across from a loose rush, Darby falling on it. The attempt at goal failed: Mataura, 3; Waitete, 3. Half-time followed. Immediately on changing ends, Waitete, making more use of the wind and touch line than their opponents, quickly had the maroons defending, and after 12 minutes' play, with the ball close to the opponents' line, Darby centred nicely, and tho forwards following up smartly carried . tho '.ball. over, and Ryan' dived for 'it,"' and scored a try for the blue and whites. Darby added the extra points: Waitete,8; ' Mataura, 3. Keeping the pressure, on the Waitete backs soon got away with a neat ~ passing rush, and the ball going through the hands of Gilbert, Powdrell, and J. Morpeth, - the latter rpn right round his opponents, and " scored behind the goal posts, showing a lot of pace. The extra points were not added, and the score stood : Waitete, 11; Mataura, 3. . One© or twice Mataura pushed the blue and whites back,but the latter ..came .'again, arid from close work near the line -lie forwards carried the . leather over at toe, - and. Ryan scored again; the kick at goal was without result: Waitete, 14; Mat-aura, 3. A few minutes later Darby got possession between the Mataura 25 and corner flag, fooled several opponents cleverly, and, cutting in, ground-! eel the 'ball under. the posts. Powdrell added j the 'additional points, arid the game ended in favour of Waitete ;by 19 points. to >3. j Mr. S. Garvey was referee, and 'controlled.| the game'in : good style. ' • ~ " ' Juniors illWaitete 11. v. Mataura 11. Waitete won by 6 points to nil. Mataura 111. v. Waitoto lll.—Mataura won by 3 j points to nil. ; • . j _____ -j *' HAMILTON. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] • Hamilton, Saturday. j The season was opened by "the Hamilton Union to-day. .City met Suburbs (last year's winners), and beat them by; 8 points to 3. Prince scored Suburbs', only try. Richardson scored two tries for City, Hughe's converting one. Keley was the best forward on the ground. . Tho City . juniors beat Suburbs East j juniors by 19 to nil.. : i > At Frankton ground, No. 1 beat Suburbs -West by 9 points to nil. Littlewood and Morse scored ' tries, and Castleton kicked a j goal from a free kick. ' r j No. 1 unions beat' Suburbs West juniors j by 6 points to nil. -* PAEROA. I [BYt,TELEGRAPH.—OWN". CORRESPONDENT.]J ■\> .Paf.roa, Saturday. I The football match at Paeroa this >after-:| noon,- between East arid Suburbs, was fairly fast, but not particularly scientific, ' play being . confined , almost entirely to the for-, wards. Th© game resulted in a' win for j East by. 8 points to nil. " T. Pennell scored j .tries, from one of which Hutton kicked a goal. Mr.' A. E. Fielder was. referee. • "■ • ' WHANGAREI. : | [BY TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] j ' 1 ' , Whangarei, Saturday. ' . Meetings of the North Ward" arid South Ward Clubs have been held in preparation for the coming season.. The appointments of the various, officials were made,' and the subscriptions in both instances fixed at -5s for seniors, and 2s 6d for. juniors. ,; • ; ; i ■"" . DUNEDIN. „ [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, Saturday. The senior football matches played to-day resulted, as follows:—Allfanibra beat Kaikorai by 7 points to 3; University 'beat Union by 11 points .to 5; Southern'-beat Zingari Richmond by 9 points to 3; Dun- j edin beat Taieri Rovers by 14 points to 3 and Port Chalmers beat Pirates'by 5 points to 4-.' ' 1 " WELLINGTON. - - [BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS " ASSOCIATION.] - , ' -Wellington, Sunday. / The Rugby championships were continued yesterday in fine weather. The ground was greasy after recent heavy rains. The results are: ..Petprie 'beat Oriental by 10 points (two tries and a potted ..goal) ,to 8. (a goal from a try and \ a penalty goal); St: James'- beat Athletic by 14 points (four ] tries, one converted) to 9 (two tries and a penalty, goal); Poneke beat Old: Boys by 14 (four tries,.one converted) , to nil;'- Wellington beat .'Victoria by 3 points (one try) to nil. ■" ' ' ' ' . '•.- ■■ ■■■'■•'■' -~ ■ | ; X CHRISTCHUR.CH.' r ! v [BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] • V I Chuistchurch,. Saturday.'• ! The fifth round of the various 'competi- I tion matches under, the auspices of the Canterbury Rugby Union, was played today, when tho weather was most favourable for the ~ game. The. scoring in, all of tlio games ' was >; above ./ the average. The , Bhristchurch t and ■ Merrivale . contest ] was the principal attraction, and ] was played on . the ' eastern ground, Christchurch'. winning by 20 points to :3. j Albion defeated Linwood.by 25 points to 13, j and the "Old Boys" scored an easy win j over Canterbury. College by 24 points to. 5. j Tho competition is still very open, Christ- , church, who; so far have -not had a bye, leading by one point from Albion " Old Boys *' and Sydenham, each of whom have j played one gamo less than Christchurch. j

- THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

OPENING OF THE SEASON.

The Auckland Football Association opened their season for .1907 on Saturday vij.ftornoon last. The weather was threatening, but no rain fell. The accommodation at tho new grounds at Point. Chevalier was fully taxed, and the players appeared satisfied with them. The " following are the results of the matches played: —

FIRST GRADE.

EVERTON V. PONSONBY.

(Everton, 3; Ponsonby, 1.

This match was played at Point Chevalier, but with the exoeption of a couple of " socker" ■ players there was no attendance. The game opened very slow, and for several minutes play was centred round tho halfway peg. . Ponsonby then "commenced to have the upper hand, but kicking too hard lost them several ' chances. ; Smith and Baker took the ball into Ponspnby's terri-

Tory, where it remained till Richie transferred to the other end of the field with a long ; kick! From -play near the " Everton goal 'the 'ball as sent to ■; Gould, who ~ succeeded ,in placing' it between the uprights. (Ponsonby 1, Everton 0.) After this Everton attacked, and Baker had a shot which went wide. "Everton were not to be denied and play was kept round the Ponsonby goal, and on the leather being sent to \Valrctt, he succeeded in ; beating the' Ponsonoy j custodian.; (Ponsonby; 1, Everton 1.) Ever- | ton still, continued to have the tipper hand, 1 | and Smith had a shot, which proved unsuccessful, and half-time was called shortly afterwards ' with the scores oven. .. On resuming, Everton at once invaded Ponsonby's. territory,, and Betterson sent in a very hot shot, which the Ponsonby goalkeeper stopped splendidly. From play near half-way Baker got the ball, and after beating a couple of • men, transferred to Maxwell, who with a good shot scored Evertori's second goal. (Everton 2, Ponsonby 1.) Smith .then " got the ball," and passed to Baker, who dribbled down towards the Ponsonby goal, but, hesitating too long, he lost , a good chance. Ponsonby invaded Everton territory, ' but McNair came to the rescuo and the ball was soon back at halfway. Play was uninteresting, and very little passing was indulged in. "When olay was near the Ponsonby goal Harding scored." (Everton 3, Ponsonby 1.) For the remainder of the game play was fairly ©von, ani the whistle sounded with the ball.in neutral territory. Mr. Knight had charge of the whistle and gave every satisfaction - >' Of course, at the opening of the season, one does not expect to see a finished exhibition of " socker,"j" but'the display given in the above match was below what might have been, expected... Very little,passing was indulged • in, and it may be said that neither team showed much combinations Ponsonby were placed at a disadvantage through only playing ten men. On the Ponsonby side [Ritchie, Meldrum; and Bradshaw were most prominent, while for Everton Smith, Maxwell, Baker,.. and McNair played well. t -. .. .

CORINTHIANS V. NORTH SHORE."

v.", (Corinthians, 3; North Shore, 1.) On the Devonport ground, the local team tried conclusions with Corinthians. The ground was in excellent order. ' Corinthians won the toss, and elected to defend the southern goal, with a slight southerly wind in their favour. In the first half , Shore' had somewhat the 'best of the game L. Smith scoring: a well-deserved goal after a smart dribbling run. From this on give-and-take play followed, and the spell ended: North Shore, 1 goal; Corinthians, nil. On resuming play Corinthians soon had North* Shore in difficulty, and from a long kick in from near the corner Berber equalised matters.' A good passing rush, started by Sale, resulted in Corinthians', second score. Give-and-take play followed, and towards , the - close of the . game a penalty ; kick against Shore gave the visitors their ' third * goal, the game ending: Corinthians, 3 goals; North Shore, 1 goal. For Corinthians, the forwards as a whole played well, showing very fair combination.■ Newton; and. Haresnape, in the backs, play-, ed with good judgment. . North Shore's weak-point was undoubtedly their forwards. Harvey and L. Smith played hard games. The backs all played well, . Bullock especially, who showed excellent judgment in his kicking.. Bayly, in goal, filled the position; admirably, stopping several hot shots. Mr. C. Mayall gave every satisfaction with the whistle.: - - ' -. ? - . / SECOND GRADE. ' St. Peter's v. St. John's: St. Peter's won ; by default. y-.' -Tabernacle v. Olympic: Olympic won by 4 goals to 1. Potasonby v. Carlton: Carlton won by 6 > goals to nil. , • < vr • ■ ' > • . North Shore v. W. Y.M.I. B: North Shore won by 1 goal to nil.. ,-i ; V. St. r David's v. Ivanhoe: ' Ivanhoe won by 8 goals to -nil.': ; •' W.Y.M.I. A v. Corinthians': W.Y.M:I. A' won by 4'goals to 1. ■ I < • The. Guild v. Y.M.C.A. : The Guild won, by 5 " goals to 3. " ' » >' „ v ' ! . THE LEAQUE GAME. '[ Tho Austral and Imperial met ! in a trial game on the Domain Cricket Ground on ( Saturday.:. In the early stages of the game. Park, from 'a- free kick, scored a goal forImperial. Inman, by good play, carried the ball into the -Imperial's territory, where Glenister and Birch relieved, and their for-! wards following up the advantage were en- I abled to score another goal,; by the aid of Mclveon. ■ O'Connor missed a very easy.; shot for Austral when only 4yds from the, posts, and immediately after Marshall threwaway an easy chance' of scoring. Wilson, Glenister, and Spence were then *, working j hard for the Imperials, but Strange and Inman were too strong on the back line, and repeatedly got the ball from the danger zone. At half-time the scores were: Imperial, 15 points; Austral, 11. Immediately after ; the change lof ends .. Spence, Park, and-Hemus carried the ball into the Austral half, and McKeon was' enabled to snap a' .neat goal; from a -left-foot "kick. Strange relieved twice," but each time Park marked, and sent the oval back. The Imperial, attacking stfbngly at this stage, added two .minor; points. Austral, livened up, and by means of ' Inman, Marshall, and Cairns forced tho; leather to their oppon-j ents' ' posts, where Murphy, securing a pretty mark close up, neatly scored a goal. Birch,., on the ball, was at this stage prominent for the red and blacks, as was'also Stevenson and Black. Many of the new players were putting in some good work. The last quarter of the game was i a poor display of foot,-., ball,, being little more ' than a scramble,; about half the players being on- .the! ball. The game ended: Imperial, 4 goals 5 behinds; Austral, 2 goals 7 behinds. ;■ Several of : the new players showed good, form. : Chummy" Hemus, for the Imperials, who kicked two goals, • was prominent. The two players < who showed most improvement were Glenister, for the Imperial, and P. Cairns, for the Austral, the former putting in some smart, tricky play, and his tactics are worth copying .by some who aro. slow in" getting to work , when the ball comes their way. ; Murphy, late of Ballarat, put 'in some good work for the Austral. The general all-round play of both sides was below the average, but no doubt in another game or; two. decided improve men will be shown. ; Mr. Claytonmade "a fast and efficient umpire., • .Mr-'-.;

' JUNIOR • MATCH. Grafton v. Austral: ; Austral, 2 goals 6 behinds to 1 goal 8 behinds.