FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2211, 16 July 1896, Page 35

FOOTBALL.

NOTES BY FORWiJBD.

•;• The season of senior icter-clab football fcer« minated on Saturday, when unfortunately, «* the effect of tho heavy and oeassless rain ot tha previous nights, the grounds for which ths senior matches bad been 'arranged wer« in suoh a condition that it was impossible .that »uy,ot them should be played. The positions of the senior olubs consequently remain the same as last week— viz. : —

• . • Tho O.R.F.U. trial matches in view of the forthcoming fixtures will commence next Saturday, when the unbea'en Kaikor&f team will play » fifteen from the other clubs, chosen by the Rugby Union's Match Committee. This match will be played on the Calodoniaa ground, and as it ia being promoted for the purpose of implementing the union's funds, on which the expensss of the northern tour will make a serious inroad, it is intended to clurge li for admission. It cannot be suppored that, bearing in mind the objecb of the match, the publio will grudge the small contribution which is being indirectly asked from them. • . ■ A strong team has been selected to do duty for " Otago," and I shall be surprised if the Kaikorai, notwithstanding that they may display superior combination, are not defeated by a substantial majority. The Kaikorai forwards cannot be expected to hold their own against the powerful pack oppoted to them, and the back division oa the " Ofcago " side i« ako sufficiently formidable. •. ' Of Borne 10 Otago pltytrs whose claims for inclusion in the New Zealand team were considerod sufficient to warrant their being approached as to whether they could proceed to Wellington, if ohoscn, to ttkd part in the match between Queensland and New Zeajand, I believe that only two of these, both members of the Dunedin Club— G. Stephenson and A . Mason —are available if necessary. The explanation, is obvious : players do not wiih to siowfic* th«U chimce of fcoing north with the Ota«»

team in order to play in the New Zealand team in one match at Wellington. %. 'Elsewhere is to be found a number of the rulings agreed npon nfc the Referees' Conferecce hold in Wellington In May last and since approved of by the Appeal CcmmiMeo of the New Zealand Rugby Union. When the rulings were first published I expreesad my intention of having something to say about a few of them at a future date — that future date feeing after they bad been eubmitted to the "Appeal Committee— but upon comparing the grenent set of readings with those resolved upon At the Rfcfereeu' Conference I find that the meet objectionable »nd those to which I should liavo directed porntej attention — tboFe being readings in conflict with the cisc law of the English Union, by which that union must necessarily abide—have disappeared,' having apparently been rejected by the Appeal Committee. Ido not see that any reasonable fault is to be found with the readings that are published in this itrcue.

' * . * A Sydney cablegram states that the New South Wales Rugby Union have decided to iorgo their claim of £37 10 j against tbe New Zealand Rugby Union. * .' ' The iNew Zealand Rogl*y Union have decided that the match Queensland v. New Zealand is to be played at Wellington, * . • The WolHngton Rugby Union will send » team north in; the middle of next month, playing Auckland on the 22nd. They will also play Taraaaki and Hawke's Bay. ".' i The' representative inatoh T&ran&ki v. Menawatu, which wai arranged, to have been played at Hawera l»«t week, fell through, the Sldcawatu Union pleading that nine of tbeir piayerf had " backed out." *.-. * In a- northern paper I read that "Df Luther, one of' ifisS years^rißh loternation*l forwards, is 1 playing well in Brisbane' this mason and may visit New Zealand with the Qaecmlaud team."" No person of tbe name of Luther played for Ireland last year, or in the joar before lsst for the matter of tbat. • . • The team to represent New Zealand in Ihe match ag*inst Queensland will be cho3en at WelliDgtcn on August 8.

• . * The demise of the Warehousemen Club is reported. It is very singular that the winner and runner-up in last year's Junior Flag competition should both have ceased to exist this year. It is evident that it is not invariably the case that " nothing succeeds like suooess."

• . • A gem from tbe repori of tbe last meeting of the Management Committee of the Pfew Zealand Union : "In regard to the OtogoDaecnftland match it w&s decided that it be left to the discretion of the Otago Union as to which ground — Cari»brook or Caledonian— the match ba played on." Thii xmcession must, I suppose, be regarded as an '♦ict. of gracious condescension. I presume the Otago Union is also to be allowed the privilege 'of scleoMng tbe gatemen, but that is noteta^d, and it may be as well to have it clearly stated that tbe Otago Union has a right to elect its Dwn officers.

* . • At a meeting of the Management Committee ofttbe New Zealsnd Union last we^k it «ra« decided "that the New Zealand Union \ bake tbe whole of the, receipts in conucction with the matches." That aeans the provincial unions with which the I l»nders nre. to play matches .are to havo all the trouble in connection /with thess. contests and arc f to Strive iso benefit from them. On the con- j Irwy it' will prob*b!y be foun.d that they will | .be 'expected to themselves bt-a,r the cost of entertaining the visitors. Really the question may be wked of those who are believers in tbe new order of things, " Is life wcrth living under the" New Zealand Union ? " I have not yet Been It fctated nnyrrhere what the terms are npon which the Queen&lauders are visiting this colony. It would be interesting to have some Information on that point. It seems clear to me' that with tbe extinguishment of any hope of securing pecuniary benefit from the Queensiftnders' match in Dnnedin, tbe O.R.F.U. Committee niußt abandon whatever hops they may have had of sending a te^m round the gold* fields this se&son, for the simple reason that tbeir funds will not permit of it. '

••. ' The weekly mesting of ths committee of fcbe Otftgo Rugby Union, hfM on Moaday, was ettended by Messrs Gal'away (president), Campbell, Duncan, Ejquilant, Montgomery, M'F»rlane, Stroog, Torrance, and Hetshisou. A player named A. Jardine was reported by the -referee (Mr W. H. Haydon) for misconduct in a reocnt match between the O*mara and Athletic Clubs. Jardine' having failed to offer an explanation wten called upon to do so, the committee decided to suspend htm during their .pleasure. The case of tbe Caversham Club's Seoond Fifteen, who bad been reported by the referee (Mr N. Cooper) for misconduct in their jnafccli with, tbe Bnirersity Second, was considered at great length, and it was. resolved . that r while in the opinion of the committee the' referee '"w^b justified in reporting the Caversbam .Second for mif conduct, tHe committee,' in ', the -abatnee of a " specifio . complaint against any member of the team, did not feel juotlficd in tnkicg further "aotion iv the matter. A letter was received from the University Club" vrith regard to last S&tetrday'B match bat ween the. Second . Fifteens .of the .Univecsity. and. Kiikorai Clubs, ar.d it was decided to communicate with the -Isttsr on the cubject. A Ic-tfter was read from the Star Club, asking whether members, of the defunct Warehousemen Club could complete the ce»son by playing for the fprrmr club, and it was resolved to reply lhafc the committee had no official intimation of the Warehousemen haviug. disbanded, and that that club could not disband until it had paid its dues. *.'• The captain of the University Second vrriles to state that the' information supplied re the junior match University Second v, Kaikorai Seoond was incorrect, inasmuch as it made it appear thtt neither club had its Junior Fifteen . in the field, and consequently the junior fixture was cried of! and x a mitch between mixfed tsams substituted. As a matter of fact, he stages the University were quite willing to play &bonafide Second Fifteen had tbe Kaikorai not p'rststed in playing Ronald, WipgQeld, and Fountain. O'Shea wrs' included in the University to counterbalance this advantage, and the Kaikorai retaliated by playing their premier First Fifteen forward M'Laren. It was, howEver, understood that, notwithstanding the inclusion of the above-named peoiors, the match should be counted as a Second Fifteen fixture, and no mention of mixed teams was made until after the Kaikorai bad been beaten— a fact which the referee can doubtless bear out.

• . • That great interest was taken in the match Kaikorai Second v. 'Varsity Second was shown by the fact that a large number of spectators Pothered at Bif hopscourt on Saturday. Uufor- > innately', ( as neither team was fully represented, Sit was necessary io " cry off " the fixture, and substitute a match between .mixed teams. After a very enjoyable and evenly-contested game, the 'Varsity were returned the victors by 11 points (one gcal and two tries) to 8 points (one goal and one try). For the winners, O'Shea, M'Aia, Miller, fil'Farland, and Sutherland were most conspicuous; while for tbe Icseri, M'Laren (2), Ronald, Wingfield, and Fountain worked hard to avert defeat. Mr Foster made i satisfactory referee. \ • .Alhambra and Dunedjn Second Fifteens

met at Opoho, the matoh resulting in a win for the Alhambra by 11 points (two tries and one goal) to nothing. V A matoh High School v. Zingari-Richmond Second' was played at the Asylum ground. The ground was far too wet and muddy to allow of any. good football, still, though they had to pUy with five of their second teim, the Sohool won by 14 points to 8. For the Sohool, M'Keuzla 6cbred twice, the other two tries being gained among the forwards.

' . ' At 'Cbjiattburch- on Saturday Linwood deftafcd Kai&poi by 8 points to 3, acd won the Senior CbaaapioDship for the season. The Chmiehurch Club beat Merivale by 10 points to 6, and tie with Kaiapoi for second place.

* . • At Wellingion in the Senior football matches la'.t Saturday the Wellington and Athletics drew with no score. The Melrose beat Petone by 19 points to nothing, • . • A WaDgauui telegram states that the representative football match Mauawa'u v. Wang&nui resulted in a win for the httor by 32 points to nothing.

Matches. Poi intß. Club. 1 I { 8 4 5 4 4 3 1 | i 107 39 41 37 36 21 7 10 Kaikorai Union ... r . t •>• Diinedin Pirates University Zingari-Richmond ... Cavecßham Alhambra 8 7 8 8 9 7 6 7 _ 2 3 4 4 4 5 6 - 1 h 1 7 23 31 65 61 3k 38 39 1 1 -