FOOTBALL. NOTES BY FORWARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 26

FOOTBALL. NOTES BY FORWARD.

In connection with the offer of the Otago Daily Times and Witness Company, which I referred to in last issue, I have to announce this week that the following scale of the distribution of prizes has been agreed to. The total value of the prizes amounts to £15 10s. Two trophies each of the value of £1 to be presented to the best back and the best forward player in the Ofcago team in the Interprovincial match with Canterbury. The prizes to awarded by the Match Committee of the Otago Rugby Football Union. Two prizes each of the value of 15s to be given for the best back and best forward players during the past season in each of the following clubs : — High Schoel,Kaikorai, Montecillo,'Dunedin, Pirates, Pacific, Taieri, Union, and Zingari. These pnzeß to be awarded by the Match Committees of the clubs mentioned. Committees are requested to send in their decisions addressed ito " Forward " not later than August 28. The names of the prize winners will be | published in the Otago Witness of the following week, and an order on a firm of jewellers for a trophy of the value mentioned will be forwarded to the players in due course. The rain that fell on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday somewhat damped the ardour of footballers; but in consequence of the near •approach of the date for the interprovincial match with Canterbury, the Match Committee of the Otago Rugby Football Union decided to play the trial match of Saturday afternoon, wet or dry. Both the Carisbrook and Caledonian grounds being unavailable, it was resolved to play on the Union Club's ground; and, notwithstanding the wet, a very large and keenly appreciative crowd gathered there towatch the game, which proved thoroughly interesting from start to finish. M'lntyre and Noel were unable to play for the Colours, and their places were taken by Marsh and Pram. J. Allan captained the Blues ; and in the absence of Steele, Morrison did like duty for the Colours, who (losing the toss) defended the south goal. As may be conceived, the ground was the reverse of dry, and mud was not at all scarce. The Colours kicked off, and a roar of laughter immediately afterwards greeted the slide of the' Zingari captain, clothed in spotless white knickers, into the neatest puddle imaginable. Many similar scenes occurred during the afternoon, and if laughter may be taken as a sign of pleasure, the crowd thoroughly enjoyed themselves. What the feelings of the players were deponent sayeth not ; but pleasurable or otherwise, the measuring^of one's length in the mud on Saturday afternoon seemed only to stimulate them to renewed exertions. However, " to come back to our muttons," as the Frenchmen say, the Blues by fine loose rushes — in which J. Allan was particularly conspicuous — took the leather into the Colours' quarters, and the full-back speculating the ball was over the line in a twinkling, but Vallange managed to save the try. The ball was soon in play again, and the Colours warming up took it into their opponents' 25, where Ross secured it, and making the first of several fine runs bywhichhe distinguished himself duringthe afternoon, passed one after another of the Colours backs, and was collared only a few feet from the goal-line. Soon afterwards by a piece of good following up he enabled Fraser to make the first score. Millar took the try, but the ball fell wide. The ball was again sent into, play, and Millar had an unsuccessful shot at goal, and shortly afterwards Bee followed suit. Fast play continued, A. W. Morris and M'Farlane distinguishing themselves by good dribbling, and from a throw out some good passing by Thomson, Millar, and Bee resulted in the latter getting a try. Drabble took the kick and placed a very fine goal. At half-time the places of several players were taken by fcesh men, and fast play continued. The Blues were hard pressed for a while, but at last managed to clear their lines, Ross again being to the fore, and took the leather into the Colours' territory. After some very warm play Bee gqt possession of the ball and dropped agood goal, bringing the Blues' score up to 11 points. The Colours, anxious to score, redoubled their efforts, and A. W. Morris looked like doing it, but R. Inglis safely negotiated him. The Colours continued to press their opponents, and their efforts were at last rewarded by Morrison getting in. Douglas took the try but did not increase the score, and the Blues thus won a most iiteresting game by 11 points to 2. The forward play during the afternoon was particularly good, and clearly showed that in that departin 3nt at any rate a first-class team can be got f>r the 28th. The backs, in consequence of the greasy state of the ball and the ground, could Inrdly get a fair show, but there was a lot of tnpital play nevertheless. • A practice match will be held on Wednesday, itber on the

Caledonian or Carisbrook ground, and all players are requested to appear punctually. I The match considering the nature of the ground was productive of some really first-class play. The Blue forwards in the first spell played a splendid game, their dribbling rushes in which the captain shone more than anyone being really good. The Blues, both forwards and backs, were undoubtedly superior to their opponents. Due allowance should, however, be made for the fact that the Colours backs were at a slight disadvantage in having the weaker team of forwards. Consequently they did not get so Jmany chances. ' Of the forwards Allan, though in the second spell he occasionally took things somewhat easily, was facile princeps. His dribbling and passing, as well as his management of the team, were highly commendable. Of the others M'Farlane shone most in the loose work, though he did not do so much hard work as some of the others in the scrum. Martin and Neill played each an honest straightforward game, being always op the ball. Treseder also showed good form. Drabble suffered from a bad cold, but no fault could be found with his play, and he is almost deserving of a place in the team for his place-kicking, which all through the present season has been excellent. Strong, on the left wing, was always about," and did some really serviceable work ; of the others, Gibson and Henderson were most prominent. On the colours side, Morrison, the captain, though rather slow, played with good judgment and proved himself a likely man to score from a goal-line scrummage. His weight was also marie to tell in the tight play, and he worked well on the line-out. Arthur Morris also did a good share of the work, and on several occasions distinguished himself by some fast dribbling. The style of play which he went in for on Saturday shows his powers to much better advantage than his club play on the wing which [ was beginning to spoil him. He is quite strong | enough to work in the scrum, and if he keeps up last Saturday's standard he is pretty sure of a place in the interprovincial team. Waters and Sontag were the best of the other forwards. Of the backs, Ross especially distinguished himself, and showed what he is capable of doing with good passing. The picking up, too, was better than I have seen it, notwithstanding the difficulty of handling the wet ball. Millar, in the centre, played a safe game, his punting at times being remarkably good. Bee did not exhibit any brilliancy or dash, but played faultlessly, and kept up his reputatiion as a dropkick. Wedderspoon played a capital threequarter game on the other side, and perhaps as there is some difficulty about a full-back, the j match committee would do well to give him a trial in that position next Saturday. His collaring was very good. Fraser was by far the best of the half-backs, Marsh and Thomson coming next in order of merit. Vallange tackled in fine style. Lovegroye was disappointing, and Allan did not distinguish himself in any way. Stephenson, who played in the second spell only, did his work well and stopped a number of dangerous rushes in fine style. Of the full-backs who were triedlnglis,Davy,andß. J.Austin all playedwell. Altogether the match committee have no easy task before them in selecting a fifteen from Saturdays's players. There was really good material in the field and the difficulty will be to tell who to leave out of the team. There is bound to be a good deal of dissatisfaction, and the usual number of letters to the newspapers whatever team is chosen. The matter, however, seems to be in good hands, and the football community should be content to let it rest there. A practice match is to be held on Wednesday, and on Saturday some of the Invercargill. players, and probably Roscoe, from Lawrence, will take part in the game. The Rugby Union Committee have decided that it would not be advisable to establish a precedent by paying the expenses of players from a distance who are desirous of taking part in the trial matches. lam sure that everyone will agree that this is a wise decision. A correspondent gives the following account of a mateh :— The High School Fourth Fifteen journeyed to Palmerston on Saturday, for the purpose of playing the First Fifteen of the local School. Arrived there, they found the ground under six inches of water, and a stalwart array of men with whom they were told they had to do battle. We were afterwards informed, on good authority, that only four of the fifteen opposing heroes were schoolboys. Nothing daunted, our youthful champions stripped and " went forth the foe to fight." The ball was kicked off, and at once the Dunedin boys rushed it to their opponent:^ territory, and within five minutes from the kick-off Hay obtained a try, from which Matheson placed a good goal. The weight, however, of £he Palmerston " men " soon told, and they easily succeeded in pushing their puerile foes, who nevertheless showed them some really scientific play. The 1 Palmerston team scored three times, but their kicking wasn't equal to the occasion, and they thus obtained a far from honourable victory by 6 points to 5. Macbreaty, Glenn, Oran, Macdonald (forwards) and Robertson, Matheson (backs) played well for the Dunedin High School. The Fitzroy Football Club proceeded to Mosgiel on Saturday in a drag to try conclusions with the Factory Second. The game resulted in a win for the Factory team by 2 tries and 4 I disputed tries to nil. The game was anything but an enjoyable one, squabbling being the order of the day, for which the visitors were decidedly | to blame. The umpires' decisions were frequently i set at defiance, the whole ending by the captain of the Fitzroy team withdrawing his men from the ground. A certain amount of excitement may be allowed for in the game, but nothing could justify the language which was freely indulged in on Saturday, and the language addressed to the umpires was disgraceful. For the visitors, Lindsay, Rolley, and Wise (backs), and Hunter and Passmore (forwards) did good service ; whilst Gibson (2) and Turnbull did hard work as forwards, with Elder, Scott, and Bringans as backs for the Factory team. The Auckland Union took £300 at the last interprovincial match. They have now, I understand, a credit balance of £350. They seem to have had very good luck, by all accounts, in winning their match against Wellington. "There is some talk of forming a Southland Rugby Union. The news will, I am sure, be welcomed by all Otago footballers, and I heartily wish our southron friends success in, their venture. If the formation of this union comes about we are likely to haVe an interprovincial match in Dunedin every year. Next year, if things go at all well with our Otago Union, a fifteen will be chosen to make a tour of the colony.

The New South Wales team leaves Sydney for Auckland on the 20th. They will play Auckland about the 29th.

The names of the Auckland team are: — Ryan, Braund, Warbrick, Wniteside, Arneill, Poland, Jordan, Meldrum, Lindsay, O'Connor, Murphy,, Spencer, Lecky, Wells, Moginie. Great interest is being centred in the match. The local team is going in for steady practice. The match between Queensland and a selected northern team attracted about 1500 spectators

to the Newcastle Cricket Ground. The Newcastle men were small and light, and were soon over-matched by the heavy average weight of the Queenslanders, who seemed much better suited for the rough scrimmage work of the Rugby game, with which the Newcastle players are less accustomed. The first two points were scored by the local team, who made a spirited beginning; but the rest of the game was in favour of the visitors, who won by 16 points to the northerners' 2 points. Queensland beat a northern district seventeen by 11 points to 2. They also forced the local team down ten times. The game, as a whole, was not a really first-class exhibition of Rugby football, the scrimmaging element being much too frequent. Lord Carrington was present at the return intercolonial match between Queensland and New South Wales. The football-supporters at South Melbourne are not a very nice lot to deal with. In a recent match as the Hotham visitors left the ground they were not only hooted, but positively stoned. The South Melbourne club and the respectable portion of its patrons are, of course, not responsible for the lawless conduct of a band of ruffians, who can be little better than savages to indulge in such conduct, of which, however, there appears to be no doubt, as the complainant affirms that he was an occupant of one of the cabs .assailed by a continual volley of dirt and stones. Of course, in a case like this, the actual facts of the occurrence may be easily misapprehended, and a molehill magnified into a mountain, but (says Follower, in the Leader ) I can testify to the fact that this is not the first occasion on which visitors leaving the South Melbourne ground have been grossly insulted and stoned, a similar experience suffered by a Melbourne Club cricketing team on the day W. G. Grace landed in Victoria coming forcibly to my recollection. As 1 think that occurred about 13 years ago it would seem that the South Melbourne football and cricket clubs have for a long time including a very objectionable contingent amongst their followers, and as it unfortunately appears that they cannot be exterminated, which would be most desirable, more effective measures for their suppression are demanded, and must be adopted. It is a sorry state of affairs in a country like this that football matches are becoming so notorious for scenes of ruffianism as to seriously endanger the future popularity of the so-called " game." In the case of players bringing disgrace upon their colours, clubs like Carlton and Richmond have peremptorily snuffed out the offenders by expulsion ; and for such prompt action the two clubs mentioned deserve the thanks of all rightminded men. Disorderly and objectionable spectators are, of course harder to reach, though as I have frequently pointed out, they, and not the players, are the cause of nearly all the ruffianism attending the game. The only way to reach these people is by the arm of the law. Football pays better than any other kindred sport- and the public, who pay their money every week, have a right to expect protection. In connection with such a match as that played at South Melbourne on Saturday the receipt were sufficient to justify the employment of 50 policemen, if obtainable; and unless some such step is taken by those in authority, sorry as I should be to see public patronage withdrawn from the popular 'winter sport, I can only anticipate that the general public, from whom alone the clubs derive their revenue, will cease to contribute to the maintenance of a game to which it appears likely men will soon be unable to take their wives and sisters. I commend this warning to the executives of the South Melbourne and other clubs whese " patrons " may require regulating by force. A recent ■umber of Cricket contains a portrait of Mr Stoddart, the well-known English three-quarter-back. It is only within the last two or three yeafs that he learned his cricket. I make the following extract from the biographical sketch which accompanies his portrait: — A keen sportsman, he always plays the game, and is above the average as an all-round cricketer. Of great strength, he plays very hard and when set scores fast, being able to hit well all-round. In addition he is a fair change bowler, and not out of place anywhere in the field, ; being very quick and besides a safe catch. In the football field he has gained the highest honours. Behind the scrummage he has indeed no superiors at the present time among Rugby Union players. This is high praise but thoroughly well deserved. The Football Annual describes him as the " prettiest and most graceful three-quarter-back of the day." In this particular position he has no rival at the present time. Since Mr A. N. Hornby gave up football no one has combined proficiency at the summer and winter games in such a remarkable degree as the subject of this sketch. i 1