FOOTBALL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13640, 9 July 1906, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

The following table shows the positions of the various teams engaged in the First Grade contest;—

University v. Zingam-Bichmond. The match University v. Zingari-Rich-inontl was played at Tahuna Park under adverse condilions. Rain fell during the greater portion of the first spell, and the weather was cold throughout the game. The ground was in good order. The Zin-gari-Richmond, whoso forwards were playing well together, had a little tho best, of the gamo for a quarter of an hour, but tho Blues gradually forced them back, and placed them on the defensive. Tho University attacked strongly after about 20 minutes' play, and the Zingari-Richmond forced down threo times in quick succession. The Blues maintained tho attack for some time, and Wi Rcpa had a pot at goal, but his kick was a very poor one, and a force down resulted. Tho Zingari-Richmond forwards then made a determined attack on tho University line, but the Blues forced down. The Colours still maintained tho upper hand, and from a free kick for offside play by Macpherson at the Blues' twenty-five Low had an unsuccessful shot at goal. The University were busy defending until nearly half-time, but a few minutes before the spell ended they became aggressive, and Danscy almost scored, as the result of a good passing rush. There was no score at , half-time. The second spell opened with two lino passing bouts by the University backs, and a similar rush a few minutes laler ended by Gilray scoring near the corner, Thomson failing with the kick at goal. The Colours then broke away in consequence of the University backs fumbling badly. Collie, who followed up well, was illegally tackled by Macpherson at the Blues' twenty-live, when tho Zingari-Rich-mond player looked very much like scoring. The referee awarded a try for the infringement, and Low kicked a goal from a fairly easy angle, thus giving the Colours the lead. Almost immediately afterwards a kick by Gilray was badly fumbled by Curtis, but the Colours managed to force down just in time to prevent Gilray from scoring. The rest of the play was full of interest, and speculation was rife in the minds of the spectators as to whether the Colours could keep their opponents from scoring again. Despite several desperate attacks by the Blues, the Zingari-Richmond retained the load until about a quarter of an hour before the end of the game, and on one occasion they nearly added to their own score. The repeated onslaughts of the University brought their reward at last, Macpherson scoring near the corner as the result of a fine bout of passing. Harrison failed to add the major points with his kick at goal. The issue was still in doubt, however, for after some even play Abbott broke away, and was not collared until he got insi'do the University twenty-five. The Blues were hard pressed for a few minutes, but Scannell and Pooto relieved with some fine play, and the Zingari-Richmond were again placed on the defensive, some hot work taking place close to their line. They withstood the attack, however, and there was no further score, the game ending: University 6 points. Zingari-Richmond 5 points. Alhambiu v. Southern-. The Alhambra-Snuthern match was played at Carisbrook in the presence of a fairly largo number of spectators. Owing to the rain that fell shortly after midday', the surface of tho ground was somewhat wet and slippery, and the ball was consequently difficult to handle.

Alhambra won (ho toss and Southern kicked off against a light wind, the rain at that time not having quite cleared off. The game throughout, \ms confined' to the forwards, Alhambra tried a. couple of passing rushes during the afternoon, but, nothing came, of them, the, greasy state of the ball being very much against'successful pas-sing. In the first spell Alhambra did most, of the attacking, but force-downs were iho cnly result of their efforts. Once Bennet got a.wav with the ball at- his toe, and. assisted by Watson, took it. right past the Southern full back to within about half-a-dozen yards of the lino, but Bonnet spoiled his good work by trying to pick the ball tip. the inevitable knock-on resulting. Had Bonnet simply dribbled the ball he, with tiie assistance of Watson, must have scored. This was the only occasion on which cither side looked certain of obtaining a score. The second spell was mainly a repetition of the first, with the difference that Southern bad slightly the better of the p!av and did a. little more attacking than Alhambra, at times pressing the Reds hard. Taking the game right through it was a good contest between the two teams, neither of which could claim to have obtained any distinct advantage. The resub was: Alhambra ... Ml. Southern ... Nil. Union- v. Port Chalmers. Tho "all blacks" were playing on the North Ground on Saturday— at anyrato, that was their colour when they left the field. At tho start their jerseys were either maroon or rcd-and-black" and their pants white, Inrt the mud soon played havoc with them. Every spill afforded more delight to the spectators than a. good piece of play. As a matter of fact, good play was almost out of the question. The ball was greasy and the ground sloppy. Ir, was a big scramble from beginning to end. and neither side could adopt any practised tactics, either on attack or defence. In the first spell J. Thomson, Wyse, and Little scored for the Union, Bond converting one of the tries. Colthorpe and Dougherty wicceeded in crossing the Union line, Cranunond placing a neat goal. In tho second spell, Colthorpe again scored, but; tJio kick at goal was a failure. The play in the second half was rather in favour of the visitors. They ltenvmed the Union down vory closely lime after time, but did not succeed in scoring. At one stage, -uteri tlicy vcte making great;

efforts, liTey compelled the Union to force down live times within 10 minutes. Union then invaded the Port ground, hut again tho visitors returned to the charge, and when the final whistle sounded play was in the vicinity of the Union twenty-five. Score*: Union, 11 points. Port Chalmers. 11 points. SECOND GRADE. The University defeated Port CliaJmcre by 10 points to 6. Dunedin heat, Kaikorai by 18 points io nil. M. Morgan (2), N. Morgan, .\forrison, Scolou, and M'Taggart scored uies. Mr YY. Ross was referee. T.lie match Southern v. Ravonsbnurne resulted in a. draw, neither loam scoring. THIRD GRADF. Southern and Alhambra played a, drawn game—3 points each, Collie scored for tho former. Zingari-Richmond defeated Kaikorai by 5 poiutfi_ to nil. For the winners Pelloe scored, Kavanagh converting Ilie try. Union defcaied Pirates at Forlrory by 15 points- to 6. For the winners Ditthie and Clayton scored, the former converting both tries, and a'lso kicking a penalty goal. FOURTH GRADE. Zingari-Richmond defeated Kaikorai hy 11 points tc 5. For Zingari-Richinond tries were scored by Pelloe (2) and Brcese, Bl'Lauehlnn converting one. Southern claim a win against Union by default. The Port Chalmers defeated the Dunedin B by 38 points to- nil, The losers played with only 10 men. Dunedin A defeated Taieri Rovers by 9 points to 6. Colston and Byrne scored for Dunedin, and Pinder kicked a penally goal. ASSOCIATION. FIRST GRADE. The following table shows the position of the various teams for the First Grade premiership;—

Kaitaxcata V. GIiF.EN" Isr.AND. The Kaitangnta ami Green Island teams triod conelnsions at the Northorn Ground under conditions necessarily unfavourable ana unpleasant nlil;o for players and spectators. Notv/ii h-iaik!imfr. a fair number of lii? latt-er witnessed the game. Kai'iangnta placed a. weak loam in the field, their right vring being obviously inexperienced. Green Island wore also below their . c ircn<rth. although fairly \\:*|l served by their substitute left wing. Kvans. Their other emergency forward w.is oi very doubtful assistance. in spilo of an indiscrimiiia!" use of lii? bauds. The siound was very soft and slippery, and rain was falling during a. portion of lite tjaiiK'. (loml pliy pj. (here. m>re. out, of lh;! question, and a derailed account of Iho game would be a repetition of iniskicks, wide shots, and railed garments. Knicinir.iia. attacked at once, and rcry icon had two gcals in. Ilobertsoii and I!. Oliver securing ""3 oacli. In the second epcll tile Mlno plnycr? repeated ilinir earlier eft oris, each ,vorin<* from a lons r-hol—tho wisx-st plan of campaign under the conditions. Green Island had their innings in the second spoil, and scoird two .sudden goals, in each ease the ball beiufr quickly carried from one end of the field to the other. In the one instance Kvane received a pass, and using his speed and some skill contrived to transfer across Mio goal mouth, the centre forward putting the ball through. Tile other goal wa.s scored in an unusual way, Irvine from full back clashing right through to the ICaitangata. goal and beating I'illinsr. The ball was in such a greasy state that both goalkeepers could 1 bo excused for failing to hold it. Irvine. Grant, and Martin for Green Island, and 'Robertson and Penman for Kaila.ugata wem noticeable throughout. ami Mr \V. 11. Irvine controlled the frame tactfully. 'When the whistle sounded " Time " the scores were: Kaitangala 4 goals. Green Island 2 goals. Sr)l r TIIF,I!X V. MORXIXfITOX. j Southern met Morningfon at Culling Park. and after a fast game .succeeded in j defeating them by 7 goals to 1. About 100 spectators witnessed the ronlcst. The ground was sloppy, but. being of a sandy formation, was not difl'.oult to run on. I Morning!on played a man short, in'the first half. Permission was granted by the Southern captain to plav ajiv euiKtitule, but the Morninglon captain did nbt avail himself of the opportunity. He secured a reliable substitute in Illineworth in (he second half, that player giving a splendid exhibition of goal-keeping. The Southern toolc ehargo of the game from start to finish, and kept their opponents defending nearly all the time, the Mornington forwards relieving with a few charges at intervals. Southern scored two goals in the first spell, A. Peterson and A. Macdotiald' securing ono each. On changing ends 11. Paterson (2), ,T. IMacdonald, Ross, and A. Paterson scored for the Southern, and but for Iho splendid saving of Illingworth, in goal, Ihe total would probably have been larger. Aiiircy scored for Morninglon from a forward rush, and the game ended: Southern ... 7 goals. Morninglon 1 goal. Wavaki v. Battalion*. The Wakari-Battalion fixture took place at Morninglon, and ended in a win for the former by 6 goals to nil. The game calls for no detailed description', being simply a scramble in the mud. to the amusement of the few spectators that were present. Some of the Battalion showed promise, and considering tho state of the ground some good plav was shown by Webster, W. Clyde, and Crimp, whilst Morland also put in some good work. Mr M. Haig, as referee, gave satisfaction. Northeux v. Rosltx, The Jforthern-Roslyn fixture was not played. SECOND GRADE. Mornington A defeated Wakari at Montecjjlo by 5 goals to nil. The scorers were Nelson (21, Gardner (2), and Allen. Mr Hannah controlled, the game in an able manner. Green Island defeated Ravcnsbourne at Green Island by 2 goals to 1. For the, winners, Duncan and Martin scored, while A. Port-man did likewise for Ravcnsbourne. THIRD GRADE. Maori Hill defeated Morninglon D at the Tramshcds by 5 goals to nil. The scorers wero Reynolds (3), Day, and Adamson. f The match Ravensbourno v. Rangers resulted in a draw, each team scoring 1 goal. G. Goodwin scored oft' a penalty for Ravcnsbourne and Winton scored for Rangers. Mr Young gavo every satisfaction as referee, The match Southern A v. Mornington 0 was played on the Asylum Ground, which was in a very tad state. The result wa3 a draw, each sido scoring 1 goal. The goals were scorcd by Austin Southern) and Abcrcrombic (Mornington), Mr Lean mado an efficient referee. NOTES ON THE PLAY. Rugby. The enthusiasts who witnessed tho match between the University and Zingari-Rich-mond were provided with a very interesting game, the contest being one of tho most exciting played this season. The University were severely handicapped owing to the absence of Adams, whose place at centre three-quarter was filled by Scanned; while Zingari-Richtnond were without the services of some of their best players. The Blues had tile best of the play, and fully deserved their victory, but they had a narrow escape from defeat, and their supporters must have had an anxious lime as the second spell wore on, and the Zingari-Rich-mond retained tho lead. Even when the Blues had obtained their second try the issue was in doubt, and for a few minutes near the close of the game the ZingariRichmond appeared likely to have the satisfaction of inflicting the first defeat of the season on their opponents. Tile University backs played well individually, but as a combination they wero often at fault, and several good opportunities were marred cither by players attempting to achieve too much, or by passing at tlie wrong time. Gilray was, however, a notable exception, this player appearing at his best. He played a dashing gamo throughout, and gave an excellent display both on attack and defence, rendering no end of valuable service lo his side. Lornas and Scannell were also conspicuous at, times, but made some rather serious mistakes, which occasionally nullified their good work. Scannell was out of bis place at centre three-quarter, and no doubt lie was severely handicapped in having to fill a position with which he was not familiar. Borrie gave a poor display at. full back, and tho other backs were not seen at their best. Maepherson's mistake in tackling Collie, when the latter did not have the ball, was a very expensive one, and j nearly cost the Blues the match. The ' referee's action in awarding the Zingari- I Richmond a try met with the full approval of the spectators, but the. fad that Borrie was illegally tackled immediately before Collie got away apparently escaped Mr Ballantyne's notice. The University forwards wero not seen at their best,' th^ir deteiite-beiugoceaswualij yerji weak, tkouih

Ihcy »wi> responsible for some clever footwork. Thomson. Footo. and I-larrison were the best. The Zingari-Richmond full hack-, played well. (,'ollie was the best of the other hacks, his plav being smart and sound, and l,o\v also did a good lol* of useful work. The Colours' forwards -rave I heir opponents a lot of trouble. Thev held their own very well in (lip scrums, and some of iheir loose rushes were decidedly effective. Abbot 1 and J.ow won' the most conspicuous. Both teams lacked system, and the University, in particular, lost several g'ood chances in consequence. Mr Hallantyne controlled rlie game in a manner that apparently gave every satisfaction 10 boih players and spectators. _ In the match between the Alhambra and Southern the forwards comprising ihe formor team were good all round, but something was wanting in the scrum lo stiffen it up. Given, Watson, anil Harridge were prominent in the loose, and put ill some good dribbling work. Of the backs Knowles, King, and M'Kewcn stood out. but all the backs were safe. The Southern forwards wore a very solid lot, and invariably got; the ball in the scrum. U. Casey, as'wing forward, played a very fine game, and. both he and Harridge (the Alhambra wing forward) played the ball all the time. Eckhold, in the back division, handled the greasy ball better than any other player on the ground, his marking" being quite a Feature of the game. The line-kicking of both sides was erratic. Mr W. M'Donald refereed satisfactorilv.

The Union and Port Chalmers Clubs met on the North Ground, and a great struggle ill a sea of mud saw tho teams oven at. tho close, each side having secured 11 points. Mr ,J. Williams controlled the game to tho satisfaction of everbody. On (he Port side Dougherty showed to some advantage under difficult conditions. If the ground had been in good order he would undoubtedly have proved a source of trouble to tho Union. (,'oltliorpc put in sonic serviceable work. The forwards gave evidence of being able to play a well-combined game. The Union men were not. up to their usual form. Even on a bad ground, their supporters looked for more from (hem than they got. The Kaikorai-Dnnedin match, to have been played on the Caledonian Ground on Saturday, was abandoned owing to tho treacherous condition of,.the iield, occasioned by the heavy rain of the afternoon. Association - . In the match Southern v. Morningion, the former wore very aggressive, mosll'v in the second spell.. Mornington attacked strongly til limes, bill. Hie halves were inclined lo play with the ball, enabling the Southern forwards (o cut; in and spoil what might have been a more constant attack. A. Paterson excelled himself in forward play, and was easily ilie pick on the ground, while Young was the pick of a good set of backs. The halves essayed some splendid corner kicks. The goal-keepers both saved well. Illiiigworlh, for .Morningion, being especially good.

Our Oamarn correspondent writes: "The Olago Rugby Union having intimated its inability to arrange for the representative, team io play at Oamarn while on tour, the North Olago Sub-Union has decided io ask that as good a second team as possible be scut, to play here."

Our Naseby correspondent telegraphs:— "In the match Naseby v. St. Batlians, Ihe former ivon by 3 points (try) to nil." A Christchurch telegram states that footballers were favoured with fine weather for Saturday's matches, but. the grounds were heavy in conseciuonce of the rain which had fallen earlier in the week. Albion beat Sydenham by 16 points to 3, Merivale defeated Christchurch by 15 points io 3, and Linwood and Old Boys played a draw, each side scoring 6 points.

•2 " fi "O S « n p, cinb - 1 .§' g 211 t iu js i-i n iii &i h University ,...!) S 0 1 77 27 17 Alliainbra .. ,, a G 1 2 53 29 14 Kaikorsi ..... S G 2 0 8fi 26 12 Dunedm .. •. S 5 3 0 CO 47 10 ZingariKielmi'oiul .. 9 4 5 0 4G 43 8 Soutbera .... 'J 3 5 1 35 47 7 Port Chalmers .. 9 2 li 1 61 83 5 Union ....!) 1 6 2 46 81 i Pirates .... 8 0 7 1 12 S3 1

•2 t0 '3 f-i b i4 fi U O 5 Northern ..,,9711 -I!) 11 15 Uoniing'.on ..31 7 <! I» 05 22 14 JVivkari .. .. ■) 7 o ,, «,2 10 U luutanga'ia .. 9 G 2 1 21 1.7 13 Southern .. .. io :, :i a si ig 12 JJosIvn .. „ 9 3 C 0 14 33 G Cicen.Island ., ]n 1 !) 0 21 M 2 Haltaliou .... 9 0 9 0 5 54 0