FOOTBALL AT OAMARU.

Otago Witness, Issue 2258, 10 June 1897, Page 36

FOOTBALL AT OAMARU.

June s.— Since the Birthday matches, which, . by the way, had the usual result, with the exception of tho local Oamaru-Union match, which the home^eam bad the good luck to make a draw of, football has been rather at a atandfitill. Bub the announcement o£ the Record Reign matches in Dunedin has had a stimu- j latins effect, and the firsb test gam« will be [ played on the North Road ground on Thursday > first, when the Oamaru and Athletic Fir3t play j their second game of the season. The verdict > is in favour of the Oamara again putting down the Colours, bub I fancy it will take them all their time. Anyhow, it is to be hoped that the spectators will bo treated to a much better display of football than, was - the case in tha last match, whicb, as I mentioned in my last notes, was of a very moderate character. While many are opposed j to the inclusion of a member of a junior club in the North Obago representatives, I am equally convinced that, if a player is possessed of the ability which is necessary to include him in the North Otago district team, he should be included, no matter whether he is a member of a senior or a junior fifteen. At least, taking the circumstances of laok of men in a town the size of Oamaru into consideration, a player Bhould not be debarred from gaining district honours simply because he is a junior player. In Dunedin ths casa is quite different. There it is who to leave out of the seniors when choosing a representative team. Here ib is the other way about. If a man is good enough to be a representative player, his belonging to a junior club should not be a deterrent to his becoming euch, but he should be ohosen without any objection being raised as to his status as a club player. I should like to see fche Excelsior able to pub a man from their ranks in the North Otago representatives, as it would give them increased impe'm as a club, and lead their players to emulate his example. With regard to the rumpus in the train by the footballers returning from Dunedin after the Birthday matches, I may say that I think the matter has been greatly exaggerated — not that ungentlemanly conduct did not occur, but not to such an extent as most outsiders are led to suppose. I made it my business to carefully inquire into the matter, and I find that as many outsiders a? members of the teams implicated were as rowdy as the footballers, who aro blamed for causing the disturbance. It ie to be hoped the publicity given the matter will lead to r. discontinuance of such conduct, which i 9 anything but conducive to elevate football as a winter pastime in the eyes of the Oamaru people. Last Thursday the first junior match of the season was played between the Second Fifteens of the two senior clubs, and after a most uninteresting and unscientific game ended in a draw, neither side scoring. The appeal were too numerous, infringements more so, play exceptionally slow, and no combined play of any nature whatever was ever attempted during the progress of the game. Many of the players want to digest (in the proper sense of the term) j a book of the rules.