FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2103, 14 June 1894, Page 32

FOOTBALL.

NOTES BY FORWARD.

The South Canterbury Union speak of sending a team north — as far as Auckland, if you please — during July or August.

George Stephenson, the "paralysing" threequarter back, may, I believe, be expected back in Dunedin at no very distant date.

The Wellington Post says: — "Obago footballers are following the lead of the New Zealand Union in forming a local Referees' Association." The Post is as incorrect as its statements respecting the Otago Union usually are. Otago footballers do not follow the lead of the New Zealand Union in anything, and they have nob done so in this instance. The initiabory sbeps towards bhe formation of the Otago Referees' Association were taken bafore any move was made in a similar direction by the New Zealand Union.

The consideration of the charges made by the Nelson Union against the Wellington representatives who visited Sleepy Hollow last year was again deferred lasb week by the New Zealand Union's Management Committee, for the reason that "the communication which it was understood the Wellington Union was to send had not come to hand." Seeing that tho charges will be considered by a committee composed entirely of Wellington persons tho Nolson Union need not look for much satisfaction.

The meeting of tho Management Committee of the New Zealand Union, at which the Canterbury Union's application for permission to play Otago was refused, was attended by eight persons, all resident in Wellington — viz., Messrs G. F. C. Campbell, A. T. Bate, G. W. C. Morris, J. Wesney, H. M'Cardell, A. De Costa, J. Card, and E. D. Hoben.

Never before in its history has the Alhambra suffered such a crushing defeat as that inflicted on it last Saturday by the Kaikorai, and my firm impression is thab had the ground been in good order and the ball dry bhe labber would have run up a much bigger score, for the Kaikorai backs would, I believe, have simply waltzed round the weak back team opposed to them.

A fortnight ago I hinted that it was probable that the Southland Rugby Union would secede from the New Zealand Union, bub ab thab bime I hardly imagined bbc secession would come about so very soon. The Southland Union affiliated with the New Zealand Union blindly and without any notion thab it would be harassed, as it has been ab every burn, by a commibtee of persons in Wellington. The Southland Union has, as one of its committee put ib to me the other day, derived no benefit from joining the New Zealand Union, and as it recognises that its interests are most closely linked with those of Otago, it has adopted a sensible as well as a laudable course in unhesitatingly and unanimously cutting itself free from the state of bondage into which it had unwittingly committed itself.

There is rather a rich sentence in the Post's report of the lasb meeting of the Wellington coterie who form the Management Committee of the New Zealand Union, relative bo the Invercargill Club's telegram that it would play the Dunodin Club whether permission was granted from Wellington or not. It is this : "16 was understood, from letters forwarded to bhe Southland delegate, that the club had acted without consulting its union." It is, however, bhe converse of this that is true. The Invercargill Club had no intention of asking permission to play the mateh — it intended bo send its team to D,unedin and play the match without saying "by your leave" to the committee in Wellington — and ib was the Southland Rugby Union which, without consulting bbc Invercargill, Club " acted " in the direction of requesting permission for the match. Great anxiety was shown lasb week to get W. Elder into the Alhambra Club for the match with the Kaikorai, and after the O.R. F.U. committee had ab bhe beginning of the week decided thab bhe player in question belonged to the Taieri, an application whs made by h'm for a transfer from the Taieri to the Alhambra Club,. The applicant supported his request by the statement that he was now working and residing at Port Chalmera, and thub sbatemenb was confirmed by a certificate that he was living in a hot* 1 ab the Port, bub the union committee resolved — " That, as there is insufficient evidence before the committee that Elder has permanently changed his place of residence, the previous resolution on the subject be adhered to."

The Canterbury Rugby Union have appointed a commitbee to inquire into the feasibility of the formation of district club 3.

A match at Milton last Thursday between the Milton and Waitahuna Clubs was won by the former by 17 points to nothing. The winning team had bhe advanbage all through, but their opponents displayed capital powers of defence.

The Clubha team have defeated Kaitangata at Balclutha by 17 points to nothing. J. B. Thomson pub in some really brilliant play for the losing team, of which he is the captain.

At the meeting of the Southland Rugby Union last Friday night, Mr Martin, a Gore delegate, suggested that Otago and Canterbury should be communicated with, with the object of forming a South Island Union, but the matter was allowed to stand over till a future date. lam not enamoured of the idea, and would prefer an, interprovincial council which should meet alternately in each centre. Many footballers in Ofcago will regret to hear that " Jumbo" Walker, who was a member of both the New South Wales team's that have visited this colony, is at present an inmate of one of the Sydney hospitals. H>s last few years' experiences have (says the Referee) haen very gad, as, apart from the wrecking of a grand constitution, he Las undergone great mental suffering.

The second match of the season at Inveroargill between the Invercargill and Star Clubs was played last week and was won by the latter by 29 pointß to nil. The two Invercargill half backs were injured in the game, and the winners' play is said to have been not of a brilliant kind, the backs not taking the ball well, while their forwards did not play with the combination which they usually exhibit.

According to the Sydney Referee, W. Cobb, bhe Centennial (Newcastle) full back, says if chosen he will be able to go to New Zealand, and also take parb in the representative matches against Queensland. The secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union has been receiving a rap over the knuckles from the Wellington Evening Press, which says :—": — " The secretary cf tho New Zealand Rugby Union is a reporter on the staff of our evening contemporary, and as such is anxious to get ahead of the rival newspaper, ourselves, in news items. This very creditable ambition, however, has, on several occasions, led him into the commission of a discourtesy to

us, and, through us, to our readers, far from creditable to himself and anything bub to tha advanbage of the body of which he is the nominal mouthpiece. He forgets that we are £vibe as much entitled as his own newspaper to items of news which he, as secretary, gives to himself as reporter, and thab he abuses his position as secretary when he gives any preference."

At a meeting of the delegates to the Southland Union last Friday night it was resolved that, in view of tho resolution passed by the New Zealand Rugby Union to the effect that no matches with unaffiliated clubs be allowed, the interests of the Southland Rugby Football Union will be best served by seceding from the New Zealand Rugby Union. There had been some doubts as to the attitude of the country clubs of the union, but' it was found that these were very strong against the dictum of tho New Zealand Union, and the motion was carried unanimously.

In the last issue of tho New Zealand Mail, " Half Back," the football contribubor to that paper, devotes a good deal of space to comments upon my narrative of the events in connection with tho attempted prohibition of the Christchurch - Pirates and , luvercargillDunedin matches and the New Zealand Union's humiliating act of backing-down bhereanenb, and applies bo myself such terms as "jaundiced" and " abrabiliouß," speaks of "the feeling of contempt we have had for him all along" being "replaced by one of pity," stigmatises my statements as " spiteful and unwarranted insinuations," and asserts that ' ' with characteristic unscrupulousness " I arrived ab the conclusions I had formed " by the usual amount of misrepresentation." Tho quoted expressions will afford some indication of the character of the notes contained in the Nsw Zealand Mail, the writer apparently revelling in coarse personal abuse. I have no intention of replying to any statements written in such a grossly offensive spirit as marks the whole of toe references of the writer mentioned, for if a person canuot discuss a question without getting coarsely and personally abu3ive. it is better nob bo enter into a discussiou with him.

There is, however, one matter which it ia desirable bhab I should mention. The writer to whom I have alluded declares in as objectionable a manner as ib is possible to make tho declaration that ib was nob until after the New Zealand Union bad granted permission for the Queen's Birthday matches thab ib was known in Wellingbon bhab the matches would benlayed whether permission were granted or not. News travels quickly now and it was not unnatural to suppose that what was known in Dunodin at the beginning of a week would bo known in Wellington by the Friday night, but I accept the denial of the assumptions I had made. Ib really does nob mabter much either way — the matches would have been played even if the New Zealand Union had persisted in its refusal to permit them. One other quotation I desire bo make from the New Zealand Mail, and I make it for bhe benefit of bhe Canterbury footballers who otherwise might not have the opportunity of seeing ib. It is this : " The New Zealand Union's existence does not depend upon the support of Southland, or Obago, or Canterbury either, for the matter of thab."

In the course of the match bebween the Dunedin and Taieri Clubs last Saturday, the referee had occasion bo caution one of the Taieri backs for, with apparent deliberateuess, tripping M'Kenzie. The Taieri player denied that he had tripped M'Kenzie. " I saw you do it," said Mr Torrance, who held the whistle. The player again protested his innocence, saying that though he had done the thing complained of on the previous Saturday he had nob had occasion to do ib that afternoon.

A football match Kaitangata v. Owaka was played at Owaka on Saturday last in wet weather, the former winning by two goals one try (13 points) bob wo tries (6 "points).

The Duuedin correspondent of the Christchurch Press declares that " had affiliation been carried the Kaikorai would certainly have toured the colony at the end of the season." I do not believe such an idea ever entered the heads of the Kaikorai team — it is to be regretted if it did, for club touring is by no means a good thing — but, whether ib did or not, the decision of the Otago Union on bhe affiliation question cannot prevent them travelling as far north as th9y like.

Thefirsb round for bhe Senior Championship in Chri?.tchurch was concluded on Saturday afternoon, when Lin wood beat Kaiapoi by 8 points to 7 poinbs, Christchurch beab Canterbury College by 14 points to 4 points, and Sydendani suffered defeat by East Christchurch 11 poinbs to 8 points. The Merivale have now 5 poinba in bhe championship contest, Kaiapoi, Christchurch and Liuwood 4 each, Canterbury College and East Chrifetchurcb. 2 each, and Sydenham none.

Lasb Saburday's Wellington Post says : — " The secession of the Southland Union will save the officers of the New Zealand Union a considerable amount of trouble in arranging the programme of the forthcoming New South Wales tour, Ib was intended to send that team from Timaru bo Invercargill, bub to do this would mean a considerable loss of time and much travelling, which will now be saved for games elsewhere. The team, to reach Invercargill, would have had to come back over the same ground so as to get back to Wellington en route for Sydney. Now, if the team is sent down the West Coast and then across to Canterbury and South Canterbury, it will be breaking new ground all the time. Southland, is so peculiarly situated and so completely out, off by Otago that its secession is nob surprising, though it is very short-sighted policy. The New Zoaland Union did not seek tho allegiance of it or. any other union, and will nob bo affected by the seoession. There is every indication that next year the players of Otago will sweep the bjard for affiliation, when Southland will find itself once more in a position ofc isolation, and will have to again apply for admission. Owing to the position of Southland it was difficult to send teams to it while Otago still stood out, though this would of course have been done as a matter of policy ani principle." It is certainly news down here thab bhe players of Obago will next year "sweep the board for affiliation," whatever thab means.

A matoh was played at Invercargill on Saturday bebween the Star and Otaufcau teams. The game was stubbornly contested, and although at the finish bhe Sbar beam had scored 20 poinbs againsb Otaubau's nil, bhe labter showed bhat they understood the fine points of the game, and considering it is only occasionally that they have the chance of practising together they made a very credibable sband. The Milbon footballers defeated Waibahuna by 17 points to nothing.