NOTES BY FORWARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 35

NOTES BY FORWARD.

A round of Senior matches has now been completed, and the tubulated records o£ the clubs are appended". —

I , ' I am asked to state that the Clutha Football Club is desirous' of obtaining, if possible, matches with town junior clubs or Besond fifteens of senior clnbs. There may be some town teams with a vacant date on, which they may be able to accomodate tho Clutha team.

' . * The first round of senior c'.ub matches in Dunedin has been completed— and a little bib more than completed, for two clubs have twice met — without, mirabile dictu, a single interruption on account of wet weather or bad grounds. Following on an exceptionally dry winter ab Home, we are enjoying an exceptionally dry winter here.

' . ' Some ' exception has, I believe, been taken to the programme adopted by the Otago Union for the northern tour on the ground tbat not sufficient interval is allowed between the Canterbury and Taranaki matches. At the first blush" it might seem that the team, are to be hard wo-kad when, after playing Canterbury on Saturday, they are to reach Auckland on tho following Wednesday and to have played Taranaki in the meantime, but is it really the case ' that this will involve the team in excessive work P They will leave Christchuroh about 10 o'clock on tho Saturday night and reach Wellington at, sty, 1 o'clock oa the next afternoon, and they will spend- bhe night there. On bhe next morning, by which time the team should have regained their land legs, if they ever lose them, they will leave* for Wanganni, where they will arrive between 3 and 4 p.m., and they will stop for .the nighfi there and have, ib is hoped, another good rest. Next day they will be four hours in the train going to Hawera, and they will have a couple of hours there before' playing. Ido notr sea that such travelling at the commencement) of a tour should knock any beam up. If ft were at the end of the tour, it would doubtless be different. The fact that the members of the team have to again take train on the afcernoon of the Taranaki match acd, on arrival at New Plymouth, transfer themselves and their belongings to a steamer might more reasonably, perhaps, be made the subject -of complaint, were jt nob that- ample compensation to the team i» provided in the fnofc that on arrival ab Auckland they will have a stay of five days— three of them before their match there. When the beam return I have no doubt they will agree thab the Otago Union provided them with their longest spell at bhe most attractive place visited by them.

* . * It is probable that (he annu&l match between the Otago High School and Christ's College will be played at Christchurou on the 25bh insb.

*.' At a meeting of the Southland Rugby Union en Satucday night a northern tour was arranged. The. team pUy Wellington on July 29, CanterburyonAugust 1, Timamon Augusts and Obago on August 8. Four players were recommended for, the New -Zealand team, against Queensland, but it was resolved that the union were not prepared to pay expenses. • . • A Wellington telfgram states that in the senior foot bill matches Melrose defeated the Athletics by 11 points to 3, and Pafcone beat the Ponekes by 7 points bo nothing. • . • In view of the match Southland v. Ofcago, to~be payed in Dunedin ou the Bcn> prox, there will be trial matches, on the 18 bh and 25th insb. ■ and Ist prox. The first trial match will take the shape of a contest between the Kaikorai and the other clubs. On August 15 there will be again' a trial match as on August 22 the Ot&go fceain play Queensland, and in the following , week the representatives leave for the north. > • . • The weekly meeting" of the Committee of Management of the Otago Rugby Union, held on Monday, was attended by Messrs Gallaway (president), Campbeli, Duncan, Eequilanb, . M'Farlane, Montgomery, Strong, Torrance, and Hutchison. It was agreed to accept the proposal for a match in Dunedin on August 8, a return match being played in Invercargill later in the season. It was decided bo ask bhe Kaikorfci Club to play a team from the other clubs on July 18 and bo hold two other trial matches before the mutch with Southland. A request from. Oamaru fat an alteration of the date of the match between the Otago representatives and North Obago from the 26th to the 27th August was considered, and it was agreed bo accede bo it if arrangemenbs could' be made for having the majioh pUyed sufficiently early to enable the representatives to leave by the express for Chrjstcliurch on the 27bh. A transfer from the Oamatui Club to the Pirates was granted to J. G. M'Phergon. Mr N. C. Cooper,,xef«ree.on Saturday last in the match University Second v. Cavershata Saoond, wrote repotting the whole of bhe latter team for misconduob,. and a. letter was read from the captain of the. Uni- • versity Fifteen complaining of the conduct of their opponents. The secretary- was instructed' to write fot, further partdcolarfc and to inform

the parties that the committee would invest!* gate bhe matter at their next meeting. The Porb Chalmers Club forwarded its version of the ciroumstances connected wibh the falling through of its match wibh the Taierion June 20, and supported its abatement by correspondence from the latter club. • . • In consequence of the very bad state of the grounds at Christchnrch on Saturday it was found necessary to postpone the football Hutches for the second week in succession.

'.* Our Auokland correspondent wires:— s The second round of the looal football ohatnpionships was opened on Saturday last, when Parnell beat Ponsonby after an uninteresting game by 15 points to nil, the City defeated. North Shore by 20 to nil, and Grafton won the match with bhe Suburbs' by default, the latter nob placing a beam in the field.

• . v Though the winning score in the matoh between the Union and Dunedin Clubs on Saturday was only secured on the call of time, so that a draw was narrowly avoided, tha Dunedin would have esoaped very lnckily indeed if bhey had left the field without a defeat registered against them, for they were on the afternoon very distinctly the inferior team. Their forwards were simply outmatched by the Union, who frequently drove them before them in the loose work and almost invariably tecuted the ball in the scrum. The Union backs, too, when the ball came oub ta them made on the whole good vie of it. Smith and Armstrong each played a rattling game at half back. The former used his head well and puzzled the opposing players, and Armstrong ran strongly and generally got in his pass, which was sometimes, -however, boo low— it is not every player who otn take . a short and quick pus which comes to his knees. M'Lennau flayed in much better form thau on the previous Saturday, but the pick of the three-quarter backs was Gibion, who made several slushing runs. To single oub any of the Union forwards as being better than the rest is a talk which, on account of ita invidiousnesi, one may be excused from attempting. All played well, with a singleness of purpose that was nob noticeable amoog bh* Blues' forwards, of whom Martin, Williams, and Sise were perhaps the pick. Mason in the beginning of the game played with a Bnwtness and olevernets that was almost brilliant, bub in the seoond spell he was rarely seen. Sbohr and Driver both did good defensive work, and Stephenson, barring a tendency to get oub of his place in his eagerness to have a hand in all the work, played exceedingly well, his saving bciog very effective. Drumm was scarcely so safe as uaual— the coldness of the afternoon probably affected him as it affects mosb fall backs,— and Jobnstono-was consistent only in his unreliability.

• . • The Carisbrook ground was in anything bob a good state on Saturday when th«. firsb matoh of the season between the Kiikorai and Alharobra team's was played. Early in tbs game both sides saw the utter facility of attempting to handle the ball, and the order of the day was to kick hard and follow up. There were only two passing rushes (or what could be really dasignated as such) duriog the whole of the afternoon, and these both occurred amongst tha Ktikorai backs. The first one was a really fine- pieoa o? play, the ball being carried from, midfield to within 10 yards of the Alhsmbsa's lines, tho passing being done by Sinclair, DuncMi, D&vie, Cunningham, and Wood. The latter had the misfortune to lose his footing when he bad a i good prospect of crossing the line. -The second rash was. short and sharp, and resulted in tho j try obtained by Duncan. Sinclair whipped tha ball up behind the scrum and passed to Davie, who io turn transferred to Duncan. The opposing backs evidently anticipated a pass to Armib and went for that player, with the resnlb that Duncan wenb "on his own," and crossed amidst cheers. With this reverse the Reds wakened up and carried the ball to their opponents' terribory, where bhey gave the Blues a mercy time of it. In faob for a time Alhambra's oh&nces of scoring seemed very rosy, the for« wards tmed taking the leather to the K»ikorai*» full bacfe. Ib w«s oaljr owing to the plucky play of King that tho danger in each instance was avected. Kinvig had the misfortune to meet with a nasby mishap in the early parb of the game whilst • collaring one of the heaviesb of the opposing forwards. He " grassed " his man, bub iv doing so fell heavily himself, and sustained injuries to his shoulder which compelled him bo sband oub as an exbra wing man. Amongst bhe Knikorai backs Dunoau pUyed a really brilliant game. Armit, Cunningham, and Wood ab three-quarters were a safe trio, while King effected some long* well-judged kicki into touch. In the forward division M'Laren, Wilkinson, and Ballantyne did good work, while Murphy wai prominent in the line oub. Of the Alhambra backs, M'Lennan, Haig, and Crow played up well. Roas was hardly up to his usual form. Of the forwards, Given, Lawry, and Kennedy were tha pick. pub io a lot of good work, but was inclined bo geb' offside. , • . • Whether or not the Pirates in their match wibh the Zingari-Richmondowed their defeat • to want of encouragement, the faob remain* bha6 they' received little or none, while theColours were lustily .cheered throughout the game by the orowd. Tfie match wis a' hardfoughb one, and both sides played well, but the Zingari- Richmond on the whole showed rather better form than their opponents, their forward play being particularly good. It is true that during the latter portion of the fir»t spell they had to play a defensive game, bub their defence was very effective. In the second spell their opponent* also played a good defensive game, the Blacks keeping op as determined a reiistance to the invasion of their lines rs bhe Colours did previously. The want of some means of keeping the crowd from ancroachiog on bhe field of play was severely felt, bhe gamo having to be stopped on more than one occasion on account of the encroachment. \ • In the game between the 'Varsity and Caversham teams Lsiwry ab full back for the Übter put in a lot of good work and got his side oub of difficulties on more than one occasion, but he did not show such good work as he has done previously. Milburn was about bhe besb of the three-quarter backs, but neither Simpson nor Bnrgess showed up well ab half. The Caversham forwards all played well in bhe open, bub several seemed inclined bo shirk the scrum work, and did nob, therefore, geb bie ball as often as they should have done. Stalker was probably bhe pick, and made several fine rum. Clark, Spence, and Olsen also played creditably. .The 'Varsity men did nob exhibit their usual play. Of the backs Cran and O'Shea wero tho pick, both collaring and kioking well. The latter's try was & fine pieoe of football. The f orwardt. pretty well all played a hard game, and were conspicuous in some good rushes. The mosb prominent among them were Focte, O'Neill, Shand, and Bray.

;s. Club. i I 3 M 4 24 23 46 61 34 38 39 * I i i A 83 41 39 34 29 21 7 10 faikorai Junedin ... ... Inion ... ... ... irates... ... ... Jniveraity lingari-Ricbinond... 'aversham .1, ... Jhambra 7 7 7 7 8 7 6 7 7 5 4 4 3 3 i— 2 2 3 4 4 5 6 1 - 1 " 1 1 -