Pirates.

Otago Witness, Issue 1895, 16 March 1888, Page 27

Pirates.

The annual meeting of the Pirates Football Club was held at Wain's Hotel on Saturday night. Mr G. M. Thomson (president) occupied the chair, and there frere about 35 members present.

The following report was submitted to the meeting: — Your committee in presenting their sixth annual report have to congratulate the members on the continued success of the club, and trust that the coming season will prove no exception; Membership.— The numerical strength.of the club is highly satisfactory, there being 88 members (playing and honorary) on the roll. In order to ensure succass during the coming season it is necesaary to maintain this strength, and to do bo your committee would urge all members to take an active interest in obtaining new members. Several well-known faces will be missed from this year's Fifteen, in particular Messrs J. B. Thomson, C. Diamond, H. Buckland, and G. O. Matheson ; but your committee trust to be able to fill their places from the ranks of the club and from new members without seriously weakening the team. Financial— Your committee are pleased to be able to present a very satisfactory balance sheet, there being a cash balance of JEB 10s standing to the credit of the club, with no liabilities. The principal item of expense during the season was ground rent, but thanks to the support afforded to the club by our football-loving communiby, this heavy expenditure was more than met. While on this subject, the committee would remind members that it would considerably lighten the duties of the secretary if they would pay their subscriptions promptly. Matches,— The past season was a fairly successful one in the field. Though not so brilliant as in previous years, the First Fifteen's record is by no means a bad one, and your premier team wound up the season with a really creditable victory, whioh, no doubt, to a large extent compensated for their shortcomings in the earlier part of the season. The forward play still maintains its old dash and brilliancy, but behind the scrum, with the exception of the halfs, the team was weak in comparison with that of former years, a defect which there is every reason to expect will be remedied this season.

In the interprovincial team which made the tour of the colony your club was represented by five players— viz., Messrs R. Fraser, J. B. Thomson, A. B. Drabble, C. Diamond, and A. N. Morris.

The following is a result of the matches played during the season :— First matches : Played 13, won 8, lo3t 5. Points for, 39; points against, 27. Second matches : Played 12, won 4, lost 8. Points for, 37 ; points against, 27. As will be seen from the above, the Second Fifteen's record is a fairly good one, and with ordinary luck they would in all probability have added more victories to their score.

We regret that the record of the Third Fifteen has, unfortunately, been mislaid, but it may be said that they did not succeed in winning a match. The reason of this is largely due to the fact that among the majority of young players there is an undoubted feeling that it is infra dig. to play in the third fifteen, and your committee would impress upon all members that the success of a club does not altogether centre in the record of the first fifteen. Ground.— Your committee are pleased to state that they have again secured the use of the Carisbrook ground for the coming season upon satisfactory terms.

General.- Last year it was noticeable that players did not exhibit that training which was a characteristic of your club's teams of former years. However, a fairly successful attempt was made to constitute Wednesday afternoons as a practice night, though your committee regret to say that many of the players were only conspicuous then by their absence, and they hope that players, one and all, will make an effort this year to attend this weekly practice, especially as a visit will be paid us by the premier club of Canterbury, who defeated your representatives last season by six points to nil.

The following record of matches played by the First Fifteen since the formation of the club in 1882 will no doubt be of interest to members :— Matches played, 62 ; won, 42 ; lost, 13 ; drawn and undecided, 7 ; goals for, 54 ; goals against, 16 ; tries for, 75 ; tries against, 17 ; or scoring by points, 237 against 65. The balance sheet showed the receipts for the year to be £204 15s 2d and the expenditure £196 5s 2d, leaving a credit balance of £8 10s.

On the motion of Mr Hutchison, secoaded by Mr H. Clarke, the report and balance sheet were adopted.

The following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year : — President, Mr G. M. Thomson ; vice-presidents — Messrs Donald Stronach, F. Smith, and J. H. Hosking ; captain, Mr A. B. Drabble; deputy-captain, Mr R. Fraser; secretary and treasurer, Mr J. H. Morris ; committee — Messrs A. W. Morris, B. R. Bowler, J. Russell, and J. Hutchison.

Messrs A. B. Drabble, J. H. Morris, and J. Russell were appointed delegates to the union, and Messrs Drabble, R. Fraser, and J. H. Morris a Match Committee.