FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 54

FOOTBALL.

KOTES ȴ FILL BACK.

The annual meetings of several of the /ocal football clubs will be held next month. W. Begg, a Union forward of tho early nineties, returned to Dunedin lasl week after a nine months' trip to England. During his stay he saw several first-grade matches in 'London, but was not at all impressed with the football showm, and bcaru out the etateI [meats made by another recently-returned I'Kew Zealander, that in the game of Rugby, l Jthe players in London have a great deal *•> learn. j Arthur O'Brien (London Irish and Guys j Hospital), brother of J. O'Brien, the onertime sueedy Canterbury three-quartea: back, scared "the" only try in the match Guy's ■(Hospital v. Richmond, played on Saturday, •{Pecember 19. f P. F. Al'Evedy (New Zealand), London Irieli and Guy"s Hospital (London), wing played for tho Rest of England against tbe champion Rugby county, •'Durham, on December 19. ■fVf. T. Ritchie (New Zealand, three-quarter •tack of Cambridge University, was eel-eeted 'to play in tho three- quarter line of the jAnglo-Scots against South of Scotland on "W&mißiry 2. Cambridge University, on tour in Scot>&£iad, -met and defeated West of Scotland 'on December 21, by three tries to one goal Tand one try. The smart work of the CamJbridge back division won them the game. !' In the Rugby match between Oxford and [Dublin Universities, played in Dublin on (Peceanber 21, in the presence of 3000 spectators, the latter won by 15 points to three points. f The big Rugby match which serves as a Jferial preparatory to the final selection of sth© International team— Rest of flEngland v. Durham (champion county) — jfcook place at Hartlepool on December IS, Wd was won .by the Rest of England by four goals and one try to a goal. Much surprise is expressed by experts in England at the Jion-inclusion of the two New Zealanders, P. F. Ai'Evedy and AB. O'Brien, in the English international team to ine-et "Wales. The first International Fifteen to represent England against Wales was chosen ■when the mail left: Full back. H. T. Oamlin; three-quarters, T. S'mpsom, A. T. Brettargh, E. W. Dillon, E. J. Vivyan; lialf backs, P. S. Handcock and W. V. Butcher; forwards, J. Daniell. F. AI. Stout, ,"B. A. Hill. V. H. Cartwright, P. F. Hardwick, N. Moore, J. G. Milton, G. H. {Keeton. There are amongst the team frve .who have won their International caps for the first time — Dillon, Xeeton, Handcock, 3iJoor& and Milton

Edinburgh University, without th-e servioee of Nolan Fell in the three-quarter line, were defeated by Cambridge University -on December 19, by two goals and one itry to one goal. A New Zealander in the person of W. T. Ritchie, playing for Cambridge University against Edinburgh University in Scotland on . December 19, scored two tries for his •ide.

Dncusaittg the selection of the English International team to met Wales, an English writer shows his appreciation of the splay of the two New Zealandcrs — P. ■M'Evedy and A. O'Brien: — "It must have ibeen over the three-quarter lino that the Seduction Committee had its most ticklish joB. It had the -four players now selected, /with A. B. O'Brien and P. F. M'Evedy, to choose from. Ala-ny will affirm — and, I ifehink, correctly too — that these Anglo-Bibernian-oolonials are, taken together, th® finest right tying of tihe three-quarter line, but they had both to be Eolectecl or both left out.' 7 Following on this the same writer cays it will be mte-resiinsj vow to see whether A. B. O'Brien and P. F. M'Evedy *ill be asked to play in the lii-h trial jnatoh.es.

After beating Edinburgh Wanderers, Edinburgh University, and West of Scotland, Cambridge University contested the utiffest engagement of their Scottish tour at Edinburgh, on December 23, when they itiet the Academicals. The match ended in a draw, with three points each. W. T. Ritchie, the New Zealander, scored the try for the Light Blues.

An interesting item bearing out the statements recently made in this column that the English Rugby Union were making airangements for an English representative team to tour Australia durir.g ths ppproae l!ing season: — "At a meeting of ths Yorkshire Rugby Union it was stated that the English Union woidd be glad to receive the names of likely players "to take part in the proposed trip to Australia next Alay. The committee decided to ask clubs connected .with tho Yorkshire Union to send the names of players desirous of going." In a paper which armed by the latest English mail, an American writer -uni* up a football match, played in the laud of ithe Stars and Stripes, in the following manner: — "The game was not very exciting, feeing too one-sided, but the supporteis of either force, and ladies especially, were present in large numbers, dressed in tho rolours of their respective champions. No one was killed, and only one player knock" d out, and he came to that paine over ing, so the game amounted to little -or nothing." Of the two kinds of football the Rugby game cannot be said to have perceptibly increased its dominion (says the Field), though at is fallacious to base an estimate of progress on the mere reckoning of the attendance of spectators at matches, which largely depends en the success or failure of local clubs in their matches. The tactics of the Rugby game in places like South Wales, ■where the players are disciplined to as high a pitch as if they were professional, continue to develop in variety and fines&e, and, unfortunately for the majority of schoolboys, speed in running becomes yearly a more valuable qualification. The passing of the ball from hand to hand has perhaps reached its climax as an efficient plan of attack, and in future probably more will foe seen of such tactics as, under the restriction of the off-eide rule. hu\e hitherto been peculiar to the Association game. In the international comests of jast spring the Scottish fifteen by strong forward play was always victorious, but tho English players, though never victorious, began to show some recovery of their old ability to hold their own. The taste of ibe populace for professional football has &hown nc de-eline, md Association ehibs are everywhere springing up to meet the demand. At present v.yen the London Football Association is contemplating the necessity of admitting professionalism, and burdening lt^rlf with the control of organisation;; whose raison d'etre is the furnishing of entertainment V> mere onlookers. .Something has been /lone to keep a section of the am.it our clubs together by the establishment of a new oup

[ competition for <he old boy? of public schools. The Corinthian E.G. has hard-y made such a figure in the footboll world as in former ye-ars, and has appp.ie.ntly be«*n cbliged to content itself with engagements of loss interest than it wa<3 formerly able to command.