NOTES BY FORWARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1795, 17 April 1886, Page 22

NOTES BY FORWARD.

Tiere was perhaps never so large a number of footbailero at work in Dunedin as on .Saturday last. The day was fine, too fine for football, but Mo-t of the clubs buckled to with a will, and, desp te the overcrowded arenas, there was some very good play. The Pirates had no fewer than 60 pi lyers in the field, and tho Union and Dunedin clubs had also very large musters. A few new players of some promise, and some old ones who have been out of harness for a while, were brought to light ; but it would be premature as yet to venture any opinion as to the position likely to be taksu up by the various clubs. Numbers do not necessarily mean strength, A football club was started the other day by a few uuthusiasts in an inland town more than 100 miles from Dunedin. An advertisement was written out and one of the enthusiasts fixed up a nice litblo paragraph calling attention to the meeting for insertion in the columns of the local paper. The writer prided himself on the composition of that paragraph. His periods were well turned, and the concluding sentences were enough to make any intelligent young man plunge straightway into the mysteries of the noble game of football. The youthful scribe waited patiently for the next issue of that newspaper. It was noticed one Friday morning that he was down at S o'clock for breakfast, which was of itself surprising, seeing that he was a bank clerk. It was also noticed that a wide smile of satisfaction began to spread over his youthful countenance as he seated himself at the table, and neglected his porridge for his morning paper. Suddenly the smile f.:ave place to a frown as deep as the width of the smile, and the young man — albeit he was a respectable citiz"a and a member of the Church — used an adjective that would have done- credit to the gallant captain of the Pinafore. The editor certainly had put in his local calling attention to the. meeting, but instead of the flowery panegyric on'the benefits of the game, attention was called to an article " on our fourth page," in which was Svjt forth under a large type heading, " Tlffe Danger* of Football," and an account of a man killed hi the " brutal game !"' That young mau ami the, editor had an interview soon afterwards. Tho meeting, however, was a deoided success notwithstanding, .and now a football club is an established fact in the district.

I hoar that Braddon is coming over to New Zealand on a holiday. Tho Invercargillites will endeavour to secure his services in their mutch against the Dunedin Club.

A football club has been formed at Queenstown with every prospect of success. Gibb, fornvrly of the Union Club, and Kevin, another Duneilin player, with Halliwell, formerly ot P.dineihton, are among the playing members.

Tin Otago Rugby Football Aunual will shortly be issued. Among tho improvements in Mr Chapman's little work there will this year bo a photograph of the Otago Interprovincial football team. Inquiries have already been made for the Annual from all parts of the Colony, and even from places outside Now Zealand.

A report of the annual meeting of the Olago Rugby Union, which was held on Saturday last appears below. The report, which is a most satisfactory one, is a credit to all concerned.

On every hand I hear of the progress of the Rugby game. New clubs have been started in several up-country towns, and .several nev/ clubs have, joined the Union this year.

Mr J. Brown, late hon. secretary to the Llanelly Football Club, Wales, has written a letrei' to the Daily Times regarding the visit of a New Zealand Rugby team to England and Scotland. He h:is a good opinion of the New Zealand players, and thinks that by taking threefourths of the gate-money they would make £8000. The tiip would, lam sure, be a very expensive one, but I h;tve no doubt that before long it will be an accomplished fact.

The Pirates have written to the Poneke Club, stating that they are not prepaiecl to play them at Easter. The Dunedin Club hearing of this, have sent the Ponekes a challenge to piny on tbe Caledonian Ground.

Owing to the bicycle sports there will be no football on the Dunedin ground on Saturday The Union Club very generonsly offered to welcome D.F C. members to their match, and Ihe Pirates have offered their ground from 4 o'clock. This good feeling between the clubs is raattei for congratulation. The Pirate Club's offer has been accepted.

At a meeting of the East Christchurch club on Saturday evening, the secretary stated that matches had been arranged with the Poneke and Athletic clubs to take place on April 24 and Queen's Birthday respectively; and also with an United Bays' team (Banks Peninsula) on a date yet to be arranged. He also said that as it was evident the fifteen required more practice if they wished to prove successful on the 24th, members, especially those who have been playing for the first fifteen, Avere requested to attend at Lancaster Park on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as soon after 5 as possible. There were good musters on the Christchurch grounds on Saturday, and some good play was shown. The Merivale club are also going into practice for the Poneke men.

The second English international match of the present season took place in Dublin in February, when England v. Ireland was played at Lansdowne road before a very big gate, fully 7000 being present. England won by a try to nothing. Taken all round, it was the best team ever put in the field by Ireland, and certainly a better fifteen has never been sent over to the Emerald Isle by the English Rugby Union. Although the result of the match would make the game appear to have been a very even contest., as a matter of fact England had decidedly tho best of the play, and were rather unlucky not to have scored at least three tries For three parts of the game the English were all round the Irish goal, and ought decidedly to have got in. The tackling of the Irishmen, however, was one of the features of tho play. Tristram and E. T. Gurdon were prevented from playing for England, and their places were taken by A. S. Taylor and P. F. Hancock, from Blackheath and Somersetshire respectively. Ireland, too, had a disappointment; but, on the whole, the sides were remarkably strong, and the anticipations entertained in Dublin of a close game were fully realised. Excellent arrangements had been made for tho game, and the only drawbacks resulted from the weather, which was very dull and foggy in the morning, and which turned

out cold and raw in the afternoon. Despite the atmospherical coudition~, the attendance wes one of the largest c-ver seen m Dublin, the gathering at tho Lansdowne road ground being graced by the presence of many hwliw. It may lie mentioned that the first international match between the two countries wa-» the outcome oi a challenge from Ireland in 1875, a time whun tbe game was played 20 aside. 'Him uioeting took place in London, and the Irishmen, who»»' ideas of the game proved mo->t elementary, suffered defeat by two goals and a try. In the following year tbe. Irishmen made a capital fight on the Leinster grounds ar, Rathmines, but the result was a victory for England by a goal and a try. The game was played 15 a-sicle in 1877, and the efforts of Ireland^ whose chief strength lay forward, wero considerably retarded. Tor the next three spasons the Englishmen had matters very much their own way, but in 1830 Ireland had, if anything, the best of the game, and only suffered defeat by a bare majority. In the following season England beat a weak team of_ Ireland at Manchester by two goals and two tries, aud the succeeding year &aw a draw — two goals each The Irishmen were beaten bj r a goal and three tries to a try in 1883, several points claimed by them being disallowed. England won, after a very keen game, in 1884 ; and last year, as will be readily remembered, the victory of England was only by two tries to one. The Irishmen played this year in coloured jerseys, unlilre last scison. The forward play on both sides w.is the feature of the match, England fully making up for their slackness so very noticeable against Wales in January. Perhaps the most important result of the Ireland v. England matehwas asnbsequentmeeting of delegates from tho four Rugby Unions, held at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, on Saturday, when an international board was agreed upon. Mr Rowland Hill, on behalf of the English Rugby Union, would not bind his union in the meantime to extend the jurisdiction of the board beyond international disputes. The representatives of the other three unions were of opinion that the board should regulate laws and deal uith every matter connected with the game. These views will be laid by Mr Hill before the committee of his Rugby Union, Scotland having agreed, on the recommendation of th«» Irish and Welsh Unions, to give up its claim to the last match with England (in March, 18SA). The latter has consented to the match at Itaebum place, Edinburgh, on March G. So there will be an England v. Scotland match, after nil (says Land and Water). Bravo England ! Through good and evil report j'ou have -.teadily maintained the finality of a referee's )ecision, and you have at last gained your point. The principle. U a sacred one in all sport, and certainly at football should be maintained at all hazards. On public form England will have all their work to prevent the Scots scoring a win on March (?.

Yorkshire v. Cheshire drew together a crowd of 4000 spectators. The Yorkshiremen got two gaols within five minutes of the start, and e.ventually won by three goals, a try, and a touch down t > a touch down.