NOTES BY FORWARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 35

NOTES BY FORWARD.

* . ' It may be taken for granted that ths Otago representative team will visit the North this season, and, though I have no authority for making the statement, I think It will bo found, when the programme is arranged, that those who will be fortunate to be chosen will leave Dunedin about the last week of July. This will enable the team to be in the north Island about the time at which the Queensland - team if expected, but I think the Otago Union will arrange Jhafc its representatives play tbc representativeOf tb.e' northern unions before the latter meet the players from Bananaland. • . ' It will be remembered that at the annual meeting of the O.R F.U. a resolution was paised recommending the oommittee to tend teams to North Otago and ' South Otago during the «e»son. It will probably turn out, I fancy, that the ifir*t,parli of that recommendation will have effect given > to it by the team being aenfc away a. day earlier than would otherwise be the case, with a view to their playing a match in Oamara against a team of North Otago. I take it that the first match of the tour Will ba against Canterbury, and if I am correot in supposing that the Mam will leave Dunedin in the latter part of next month, that match may ba played on July 25. , • , • In the North Island it will be necessary for the team te play matches against Auckland, Hawke's Bay, and Wellington, visits beinf owing from Otago to tho onions to those due

(riots. Then the claims of Taranski to a match ofttmot be ignored, more especially as I understand that the Taranaki Union promises, in the event of the Otago team playing there, Jthat it will repay the visit in a season or two, and it is possible that the team will take advautsge of the stopping of . the steamer at Gisborne, on on the way up to Auckland or on the return voyage, to play the Poverty Bay team. The" match at Auckland may ba played on the Saturday following the Canterbury match' and that tt Wellington a week later. • . • If that be the programme, the matoh pgainst Wellington will fall to be played on iLflgust B— a few days, before the Queensland team play there,, and * week before the date )tet down for the match between Queensland .and New Zealand at Wellington. The advantage of- having the Otago Union's programme pf matches in the north exhausted by the playing of the matoh at Wellington will be sufficiently obvious. Before the team would leave Wellington for the south the team to represent Now Zealand would have been chosen, and those members of the team chosen to play for the colony would be enabled to remain in Wellington, enjoying a week's rest before that fixture came off. / ' .' It is because' its funds are not at present sufficient to enable it to tend the interprovinoial .team .north that the Otago Rugby Union has decided to appeal to the public by promoting a costume' match. A similar match in 1877, prior to the despatching . of the Otago team north, realised' over £80, and I have no doubt that when the., object of the match' this season is Understood by the public, there will be a very generous response on their part, and that the result of the_effort will be the supplementing of the fundaof the O.R F.U. to a vtry subs f anfcial degree. I have been requested to state that the secretary of the union will be glad to receive the names of persons who are will'ng to take par'; in such a match. ; . vln the course of last season I had occasion to point out the disregard manifested by the New Zealand Union for its own by-laws, and I believe the Otago Union protested agaze st the action of the body in Wellington altering one of its by-laws without notice, when acother by-law provides for' a month's notice being given of- the intention to propose such an alteration. That protest from the O.R.F.U. does not seem to have had much effect, beoause I notjoe that at the meeting of (fee New Zealand Union on the 30th 'nit. the,by-law providing for its. adoption of the English Union's rules of football was, without notice, amended by the addition of the words " and rules as to profes- ' sionaliwrj." It is a small matter, but it illustrates the spirit of contempt with which the onion regards its own . miserably-drawn bylaws. It was a^genieless and unnecessary 'alteration, moreover, -for the by-laws of the English' Union provide that the organisations affiliated to it— as the New' Zealand Union is— Shall be bound by its by-laws, laws of the game, and rules as to professionalism. \.' By' an oversight I omitted -last week to acknowledge the receipt of the Southland Rugby Union's Annual, which has been produced under the editorial supervision of Mr G. R. George, upon whom it. reflects great credit. 111 1 am pleased to find the Southland Union fulling istio line with the larger, unions of the colony by f iasning an annual that is replete with information. - - ■ ■ --• • • ' * .'-The members of the Star Club who were vejforted for misconduct by Mr P. H. Campbell, referee in>the match Star v. High fiohobl on tko ,30$h ult,,' were leniently dealt with by the committee of the Rugby Union, the reason for the leniency bring that tbe case waB t the first that had occurred under a clause whioh was only inserted in the union's by-laws at the last annual meeting. , : . • A special meeting of tbe committee of the Otago Rugby Union was held on the 4th to^ consider tbe charges of misconduct brought against tho Fir»j> Fifteen of the Star Club and two players, Rowlatt and Heiley in particular, by the referee, in the match on May 30 between the Star and High School Clubs. The meeting was attended" by Messrs Gallaway (prtrident), Montgomery, Strong, Torrance, . aai3 Hutohison. After taking a considerable amount of evidence, it was agreed to caution the Star Cub as to their manner of treating teferees in the future, to severely caution Healey, and to suspend Rowlatt for a month. • . * The weekl j meetiDg of the Otago Football Association was held at the olub rooms on the 4th, and attended by Mesirs Kemnitz (president, in the chair), Cleland, Uoncrieff, Spraggon, •nd Campbell (secretary). Corrzspondence was received from the secretary of the New Zealand Association and from the secretary of (he Dun- . eclin Club. Mr Brown, a suspended player, appeared before the committee for the purpole of explaining himself in reference tot violating certain rales. After fully going into the ease and hearing Mr Brown's evidence, it was tmaflimonsly decided that "this committee after hearing the 'explanation ..of .Mr JBrown and believing him to be labouring under a' misapprehension as to certain rules, the suspension standing against him be removed, and that he be allowed to join any club he may choose for the remainder of thejeason." It was decided, that the letter from the Rangers anfl Zealandia Clubs, explaining their position re having plaj ed Brown, be-accepted as satisfactory. 4 . * The, weekly meeting of the , Committee of' the Otago Rugby Union, held on Monday, was attended by Messrs Gajlaway. (president), Campbell, Esquilant, M'Farlane, Montgomery,, Strong, and Hutchison. . A transfer to J. MaxwelPfrom ttie Athletic, Club to the Dunedin Club was granted.' Communications were received from the Taranaki and Welling-ton-Union*, requesting information as to the intentions of ' the Okago Union respecting a northern tour this scasoD, and it was agreed fej finally settle tbe matter at the next weekly meeting. * The Cavereham Club submitted the' •object of its dispute with the Alhambra Club, •s to th» ground on which the fixture between the two clubs on the 30th of May should have been played, with' a request for a decision of onion on the question ; bub the committee ■greed to point out that if it was desired to refer the dispute to them, the process laid down in 'by-law 25 must be followed. A letter was read from the Warehousemen's Club complaining that the Port Chalmers Club had not kept its , engagement with it on Saturday last,' and the' committee decided that they had it. In serious contemplation to seek power from the delegates to deal seriously with cases of nojleot by clubs to fulfil their engagements. ' . * In the senior matches at Ohristchurch on Saturday the Cbristchurch Club beat Merivale by 11 points to nothing, Kaiapoi defeated Albion by 15 point* to nothing, and Sydenham were beaten by N'tu Ahuriri by 14 points to nothing. The mnlcb East Christchurch v. Panterbury College *ent to the former by default. • . ' At Wellington on Saturday the Poneke defeated Wellington by 13 points to nothing, and the Athletic beat Petone by 6 points to nothing. - * , ' Like Diogenes of old, the captain of the Kaikorai -Club w« on Saturday afternoon engaged in searching for a man. There was this difference, however, that whereas Diogenes looked for wx boaeri m»o Duncan occupied him*

■elf, in the intervals between the sooting of tries by- bis side, In looking for a place-kicker. Toe want of a player who oan direct the ball with a fair amount of accuracy from a place kiok has been folf for sometime in the Kaikorai Club, but it is hoped. that Saturday's investigations, in which Duncan was assisted by advice freely given from spectators along the line of rope out 1 side tbe touchline, have unearthed a member, of the - fifteen who may, with practice,' prove fairly reliable. Murphy had four kicks entrusted to him.. His first effort waa acoarate as to direction, though he shaped like a novice in taking it, and the second was not an improvement ; but, profiting by the suggestion from an old stager in J. Torranoa to " give it plenty of boot," Murphy, having previously removed a blade of grass from the toe of his dexter boot, managed to successfully negotiateithe third and fourth links. The Kaikorai touch judge, who was as keenly interested in the searoh as were the rank and file of the spectator*, exclaimed with an utter disregard of the credit due to Duncan in the matter, "We've found him," and was, it waa evident, perfectly pleased at the discovery. The University team held their own very well in the first spell against their formidable opponents, but they' played "downhill until half time. In the second spell the Ktikorai got early to work, and as the University players became disorganised - and dispirited the former became, almost iireaisbible. The backs played almost like clockwork, and they might fairly have dispensed with the objectionable aud unfafr "blocking" to whioh they occasionally resorted. The operation of the ruling of the Referees' Association as to the penalty for a free kiok being imposed in caee of an offside pl*yf-r receiving a pass forward, told against the Kaikorai somewhat in the first spell, but there was no instance of the occurrence of the breach in the second spell. M'Laren and Canning were among tbe mo&t prominent of the Kaikorai forwards, and O'Neill and G. Sale were the most noteworthy on the other side, but thess two played on the wing and had tha opportunities. O'Shea was, all rouid, the pick of the University b\ck<, though Neil was fairly safe. Cran worked hard at first, and Stephens kicked well, but Macdonald did not sufficiently mark the threJ- quarter back opposite him. Duncan was, as usual, the mainstay of tbe Kaikorai backs, but Davis and Armit both appeared to exceptional advantage. ' . ' The Duoedin team, as was generally ex pected, put the Zingari-Kichmond through in the match on the Caledonian ground on Saturday. During the first spell a prei t.y fast game was played, and the Z'ngari got much the worst of it. In the second spell, however, the Colours appeared .to much better advantage and put their opponents a good deal on tho defensive.' The combination was not so good on the part of the Zingari as on the side of the winners; but both sides are still deficient in that respect. On tbe Dunedin sido, Mason played a fine dashing game, but >-hr>*red a disinclination to keep to his proper place; Mackenzie was also in very good form, and rendered excellent service to bis side, while Johustone, Stohr, Stephenson, and Pollock were likewise prominent among the Dunedin team; On {she Zingari-Bichmond side M'lWaua was tha moet conspicuous, and did some very good work. Smith, Marks^ Hobba, and Fordjce also played well. " ' J "-."• In the match between the"" Pirates and Caversham ,at, St. Clair Low for the latter showed a marked improvement in his play, the half-mile champion being about the best of the Cavereham three-quarter backs. Simpson and Burgess, at half baok, stopped rushes well, but were weak in passing and collaring, and want to practice tackling a man v low instead of round his ghoulderß or neck. There was not sufficient combination on the part of the forwards. Probably the pick of them were Cavanagb, Clark, Coxon, and Stalker. Lawry was very safe at full back, and saved his side on several occasions. His long kicking was a feature of the game. There was a very noticeable improvement in the play of the Pirates team, especially among the backs. Macaithur at full back played very safely, but was rather slow in taking his kick. Sband and Gregg on the wings played very well, and without m'stakes. Shand made some fine runs, but Gregg had few opportunities given him of using his pace and dodging powers. Matheson at centre showed sound defence, and handled his team well, but should always endeavour to pass underhand imt;ad of over his head and put his kicks into touch.' Hay at half back ran, kicked, and passed splendidly, and made some fine openings ; while Simion, as sorum half baok, combined good kicking with sound defence. Piiest played another fine forward game for his team, and Martin was of great service in the open, while M'Leod, Farqnharson, Salmond, and Moller worked hard in the pack. , *"> / '.• The .initating frequency with which the, Union-Alhambra game on Saturday was stopped for infringements of the " knockon" rule had the effect of rendering what at first promised to be an interesting game a distinctly tiresome affair. The blaßts from the referee's whistle were heard at intervals of about a minute, more or less, all the afternoon, with the result that neither side appeared to be able to get up steam, and the game was hardly anything but a redundancy of scrums. MrTorrance's interpretation of the rule is that which the Conference of Referees recently agreed upon in Wellinggton, but I question its accuracy, and its policy is undoubtedly mischievous, for it is not to be expaoted that psople will do a "frecza" standing on a football field during a winter's afternoon to witch a ' game made up almost entirely of scrums. I ' . * The Union forwards, who are this season in indisputable nick, played a very fine game, and quite outclassed tbe opposing forwards. Still ttiey did not play with their usual dash, and only odco or twice did they attempt to get up any of their passing rushes, and on no occasion did they gain any advantage by these. Lumb as full back played a. capital game for tha winners, and the others who distinguished themselves in the service of- the Maroons were Dredge, M'Lennan, Armstrong, Harris, and* Minn. It was due to the indecition of Bdss, the Alhambra full back, that the Uriion secured the try from whioh a goal was kicked. While' he was hesitating with the ball, instead of returning at once, Minn foli lowed up quiokly and secured the ball, and once the latter was past the full back there was, of coune, nothing to prevent a (core. Apart from this, however, Boss did good service to his side. All the backs, in fact, .worked consistently, while Given in the forwards was very prominent. M'Ko wen was also conspicuous once or twioe. The conclusion of . the matoh was played in the da«k. Ib would be advisable if the match's* could be arranged to commence at an' earlier hour,. peeing that now the evenings are drawing in.