NOTES BY FORWARD.
What with cup matches and professionalism the Association clubs at Home seem to be having a lively time of it.
The first thing a club thrown out of a cup tie asks itself is, "Can you protest?" Those not sharp enough to discover any infringement by their opponents are considered sportsmanlike, and those who are get classed amongst the " champion protestors." I have heard it stated, says a brother scribe, that Accrington have a serious protest in hand, and that is a charge of veiled professionalism. It is said that Townley is the amateur-pro., and with the Ever ton case in view, along with ©thers that have not yet seen daylight, it seems as if the professional rules would stand some alteration. It strikes me they will be revised before this time next year, and certainly, as pointed out in an article in these columns a month or two ago, they are very arbitrary and unjust. Our Scottish friends have determined to stop professionialism, and their first step is characterised as being a good one, and certain to expose any erring club, but, for my part, I should think it will do nothing of the sort. Some years ago the Football Association asked certain clubs to produce their books, and they gladly aoceeded to the request. A most minute examination was made, but they discovered — nothingj and so it will be with the Scotchmen, if they are as shrewd as they are generally said to be. It the Scotch F. A. is really in earnest, they should set a thief to catch a thief, and engage a couple of managers of Lancashire clubs to investigate ; but if their first move is indicative of the future mode of action, Scotland will still be pure and undefiled.
In a match between Pudsey and Hunslet, a player named Carr made his mark and placed the ball for Greenwood, who, instead of kicking a goal, stood out of the way and Jet the Pudsey forward take the kick for him. Otago players witnessed a similar piece of play in an important match on the Carisbrook ground last year.
I have often seen balls burst by a kick, but never heard of one coming to grief through meeting with a player's head, but in a Lancashire match in December Harper's cranium was sufficient to ruin the bladder, and it went off like an explosion of dynamite. The Rawtenstall spectators were much amused that Harper seemed to be unsettled for the moment as to whether his head or the ball had exploded.
There was a great gathering of the clans at the Hull station to welcome home the Britannia Club, who had won the Yorkshire Temperance Challenge Shield. Crowds of people thronged the station,and every club in the town and district was represented by past and present players, who, with a brass band playing " See the conquering hero comes," marched in procession through the principal streets of the town, traffic in some parts being suspended. Opposite the office of the local paper the procession halted, and was addressed from the window by Mr F. B. Gootrian, M.P., who, in a short and witty speech, complimented the club on the first appearance of any Yorkshire trophy in the town, and publicly thanked the Leeds people for their hearty hospitality to the Britannia team, amid enthusiasm such as has not been seen in the town for some time. If this is the sort of thing Hull are guilty of when a junior football shield is brought to the town, we wonder (says an exchange) what the seapor b would be like if the Hull Club should happen to win the Yorkshire Cup. Truth doesn't often disguise itself in the form of a football umpire. To wit (overheard at a recent Midland match). Irate player (who doubts the fairness of the referee) : " Who is that referee, umpire?" Umpire: "Don't know, I'm sure ; perfect stranger to me ; never set my blessed eyes on him afore." Same umpire to referee, a few minutes afterwards : " Freedy, Freedy, keep yer eye on that bloke on the left ; he's off-side." (Astonishment of irate player; and no wonder.) Up to December 12, North End had scored 36 goals to nil in the English Cup ties, and yet a lot of people say little Addison is not a good goal-keeper. Of course he had Ross in front of him.
If the story that comes across from Farnworth is true it deserves recording en passant. Asking in a Sunday school "Who were the Corinthians?" a clergyman was astonished to elicit the reply, "Them chaps that beat Blackburn Rovers by six to one ! " The defeat of Clapham Rovers by Blackheath was a foregone conclusion. The " Club " put one of their strongest teams into the field, and the poor Rovers had a very hot time of it, and werebeaten by two goals and five tries to nil. Save for a short time during the second half, when a bit of weak playlet the Rovers' forwards break away, the game was entirely carried on in the visitors' quarters. Jimmy Budd had not taken his place in the Blackheath ranks, which, however, included a couple of Oxonians—P. Coles (last year's captain) and E. C. North. The Middlesex Wanderers had to put up with a reverse at the hands of the Old Leysians, who beat them easily by a goal and two tries, while the Harlequins, after a very tough fight, worsted the Old Cheltonians by two goals to a try. Staffordshire will again be able to claim the county championship at Association football if she can keep up her form, " Pa " Jackson's boys being the last victims, and the score a record as far as county matches go, as there were no less than fourteen goals scored, though only eleven were allowed— still, quite sufficient to teach the Londoners ajesson in the art of choosing representative elevens to do battle for them. As originally chosen the Cockney eleven looked strong, though had Bailey turned up the result would have been very little different. No blame can be attached to Florence in goal for the heavy score, and without doubt A. M. Walters and A. O. Davies did all in their power to stem the tide, but without avail, as the Staffordshire forwards, under the splendid captaincy of Bennett (Stoke), simply played a perfect game. To single out any player would be unfair to the
others, all being so equal on the home aide, » result more due to Bennett than anyone, as he, Devey, and Shaw ' worked like machinery together. Of the Londoners, Walters and Davies played like demons, but could not withstand the attack, whilst Squire put in a lot of work. The forwards were only a moderate lot. Richmond beat Blackheath after a hard struggle by one try, but Richmond had a lot of ill luck in not scoring heavier. Their forwards certainly,played grandlyj but, with the exception of Rotherham and Fagan> their backs were not up to the mark. The passing was indifferent and the picking up slovenly. Fleming played & capital game for Blackheath, while Fox did so well that if Mason Scott does not play " half " for the South his selection is certain. Johnstone was a fraud, not playing anything like so well as was the case 12 months ago. A goal-kicking competition tfas instituted by the Owens College Football Cldb with the result that the first pri2e fell to H. J. Dreschfjeld, the captain of the team, who scored 24 points out of 30. A. P. Montgomery, the Oxford University high jumper, took second place by scoring 20 points out of a possible 30. The Halifax team had a high old time of it in crossing to Ireland from Holyhead. The only county forward lost so much weight that he was reduced to a mere shadow of his former self. Even ".the doctor," after manfully struggling for some time to keep up the appearance that he was superior to that sort of thing, you know, was compelled at last to come down from his pedestal. He afterwards emphatically observed that the wood is not yet grown that shall carry him to Ireland again. Another player was fain to make a doormat of himself at the top of the saloou steps, being afraid to penetrate into the mysteries of the scenes below. A more lank and miserable-looking procession than that which emerged from the lower depths of the Banshee, when she dretf up alongside the landing-stage at Dublin, it would be impossible to find in a day'fl march.
A rather singular case was brought before the Lancashire F. A. by one of the members. It seems a man named Cardus played \*ith Burnley Union Star, and he was born at Kettlewell, in Yorkshire. He commenced to reside in Burnley last August, and came from Rawtenatall, just over six miles. Cardus is, +.o all intents and purposes, a Lancastrian, for his parents are Lancashire people, and with the exception of the first month of his life, he has resided in the country. It will be hard lines if the match has to bo replayed. One of the greatest surprises of the season at Home was the boating of Halifax by Broughton and the treatment received by the latter after the match. The Halifax team themselves were in no way responsible for the unpleasant demonstration. Towards the finish of the game, when Broughton, though a goal ahead, were being severely pressed, one of the backs of the visiting team got the ball, turned deliberately round on the players, and kicked the leather right over the heads of the spectators and also the boundary wall. It was said that the ball was well on its way into the town of Halifax before it could be stopped and brought back, the referee taking time off for the delay thus caused. This procedure, though not nice, has been more than once resorted to in the past, but even Yorkshiremen should not let their angry passions rise to such an extent that a team have to go in fear of bodily injury. The London Scottish rose to the occasion in their match with Richmond, and instead of being trampled on by them, as everybody expected they would be, they made an even draw of it with the unbeaten Southerners.
Lovers of football in this year of our Lord little imagine how much the smooth progress of a. game is owing to thai; boss of the field, the referee. The few hundred spoctators at Cleckheaton at a match in December had, however, the usefulness of the referee very clearly demonstrated. Mr Gill, the arbiter appointed, failed to appear at the proper time, and for 10 minutes the game proceeded without him. Before his arrival, however, a Wortley three-quarter kicked the ball into his own 25, and a Cleckheaton forward charged it, followed up, and gained a fair try. A most unseemly wrangle followed, during which the Wortley players were told to " goa hoom." Referee Gill then stepped into the field, and the Wortleyites coolly suggested that they should begin again— the try to be disallowed, of course ! And they began. It is clear from this incident that the referee is still a very useful institution, by no means played out. The Hon. M. B. Hawke immediately on receipt of the news of his father's sudden death left Australia for England. The captain of the Yorkshire cricket team was the eldest con, and succeeds to the title of Baron Hawke. The Edinburgh High School boys are a jovial lot. During their recent trip into England they brought a piper and one or two sets of kilts with them, and the combination of pipes and kilts appears to have created some astonishment in Halifax.
" We'll play you on your ground first ; bring your ball with you ; ours is bunted? So ran a challenge to a Bolton juvenile club. A Home writer, discussing the chances of the rival teams in the Inter-Varsity match, says :■— "It is many years since the chances of success of each of the 'rival blues' appeared as evenly balanced. When the season opened, the Cantabs were generally thought to have the better Bide, but their defeat at the hands of the Old Leysians and Harlequins |respectively did not indicate that they were little, if anything, above second-class form. Since that time, however, the Cambridge Fifteen gradually played on, and their victories over Blackheath, London Scottish, and Dublin University stamp them as being little, if anything, below average university form. Behind the scrummage they are undoubtedly stronger than their rivals. They have a couple of really good half-backs, Scott, and Leake; while both Duncan and Morrison at three-quarter are above the average. I have not seen Alderson play, but if he is better than M'Gregor, who did some real good work for the London Scottish, the Light Blue backs must be a very formidable division. Forward, however, they are not so strong, although in Thomas, Methuen, '.Robinson, Wynne, and one or two others, they are by no means weak in this department." I have just received word that Cambridge won the 'Varsity match by one goal two tries and four minors to nil; the largest majority ever obtained by them in this series of matches. Barrett, the Castjeford half, who lately gained county honours did a rare feat recently. At the kick-off the ball went into touch, and from the line out he took the oval, and dropped a beautiful goal (the only major point scored) before the game was a minute old. BRADFORD V. WAKBFIELD. I suppose (says an Athletic News reporter) it may go without saying that the result was a great disappointment to the Bradford people, especially that portion of them who put their opinions into long odds. On " paper form " the chances seemed greatly in Bradford's favour, for Wakefield had been showing wretched form. The unreliability of this paper form was again demonstrated. Wakefield, for the first time for several weeks, whipped together their best team, and, as in the great majority of previous matches, succeeded in onoe more assorting their
superiority at the style of play which was adopted. It is useless inquiring the why or the wherefore of it, but it iB certainly a fact that the matches between Wakefield and Bradford in recent years have degenerated into exhibitions of brute force, and an utter disregard of either gentlemanly or honest football. The game on Saturday was on the cup tie principle of winnning anyhow, and if it is to be regarded as a specimen of good football between two' of the most prominent clubs in Yorkshire, then the sooner such matches become extinct the better. I believe the betting element is at.tbe bottom of it all, for certainly the ruling spirit of the meetings of the clubs appears to be " win at any price." This was the motif of Saturday's game, and 'the result was a most unsightly exhibition of rough play and off-side tactics on both sides. To witness the exhibition of Latham on the one side and Nelson on the other, " playing " at off -side wing work after the fashion of two Kilkenny cats was alone enough to make anyone disgusted with sueha "football match." Latham, to do him credit, completely beat is opponent at the job, but he is, unlike Nelson, en old hand at it, and has for some time been regarded as the champion off-side player of the county — a worthy successor to Evans, of Thornes and Dewsbury notoriety, who really introduced this style of " play" in the first instance. This wing playing is, I believe, more at the bottom of rough and unpleasant tactics in football than anything else. I know that there is a growing feeling against it, and I hope the time will come when all clubs of respectability will resolutely I boycott such offensive, aggravating, and un- [ scrupulous tactics.
THE BEST MATCH IN LONDON THIS SEASON.
Very few people (says an English scribe) would have given the London Scottish Fifteen the credit of being able to make the grand fight they did with Richmond, and neither did they expect to ccc such a " gate," not quite equal to that of the previous Saturday, certainly, but quite large enough to convince our country cousins that we do work up a bit of excitement about football sometimes. No teams being published in the sporting papers, too, detracted somewhat from the interest ; but a whisper got abroad that the Scotchmen were raising heaven and earth to get a big team together, so evidently many came down pr« pared to see a good match. I counted six new hands in the Scotch Fifteen— M'Gregor (Cambridge University) at back, Sutherland (R.1.E.C.) at half, while the front lot were strengthened by the assistance of D. Huckie, L, E.- Stevenson, W. Anderson, and J, D. Boswell. On the other hand, Richmond were without Key and Lefanu. The latter is a good man, but I think Key is a bit over-rated, and that Ot. Watkin, who took his place, is quite his equal. It seems rather an anomaly to say that a forward game is a good one, but such was the case on Saturday. It was nearly all forward play, though scrummages were few and far between. The Scotchmen were the lighter team, and they did their level best to keep the ball loose, and did so. There wr.s very little back play, and for a good reason — the tackling on both sides was so smart that the halves had very little chance of getting the ball away. Rotherham was most carefully watched ; hence the threequarters had few opportunities. During the first half the Scotchmen, who went off at a terrific pace, certainly had the best of the play, though on one occasion, after the only decent passing run of the day, Mitchell repeated his performance of the previous week, getting over and then slipping and losing the ball— a bit of bad luck for Richmond. Just before half-past 2 Lindsay, who has not played so long for along time, made a brilliant run, but was charged into touch-in-goal before he could make his try. Changing over, Richmond, for the most part, kept the ball in the Scottish half, but the defence was so good that a score was impossible, though once or twice the ball got too close to the Scotch line to be pleasant. Darkness was coming on fast before the whistle sounded, but the interest was unabated until the close. During the last five minutes the Scotchmen made desperate efforts to clear their lines, Sutherland especially putting in some grand work. Still they could get no further than the centre, near which the ball was when the signal to cease play sounded. Taken altogether, Richmond played a stricter game than their rivals, who were very apt to get off-side. It is almost needless to say that the good show made by the Scottish has given increased confidence to the friends of Cambridge.
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Otago Witness, Issue 1890, 10 February 1888, Page 27
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3,182NOTES BY FORWARD. Otago Witness, Issue 1890, 10 February 1888, Page 27
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