Football.

Southern Cross, Volume 6, Issue 9, 4 June 1898, Page 7

Football.

(By Goal Post.)

Result of Wednesday’s matches; Gore, 6 points ; Britannia, 6 points. Westtern Star, (Orepuki) 5 points; Star 2nd (Invercargill) 3 points. Invercargill, 3 points ; Britannia, nil. Overhead the weather was nice and dry, but the various grounds were very sloppy, especially the Eastern Reserve, where the Western Star, who hail from Orepuki, tried conclusion with the Star juniors. Neither team was fully represented, the Western boys only mustering 13, and the Star, with the assistance of Dick Donaldson, playing with 14 men. The game was not a particularly lively one, although it was fairly fast. At times the Orepuki men were a lot too heavy for the local reps., and shoved all before them, and they beat the Star badly in the loose play, in which a player named Wilson shone out very conspiciously. He is a stamp of a forward, and would be, on Wednesday’s exhibition, a valuable addition to any of our senior teams. Tom Smith, of Mataura fame of long ago, had a roving commission, and played a good all-round game, and his knowledge of the finer points of the game was of great benefit to his team. In each case the tries scored were the result of loose scrambling rushes, and both were scored in nearly the same proximity to the goal posts, but the Western players were the more fortunate in that they possessed a splendid booter in Tom Smith. The local team had several splendid chances to score, but the allround play of their backs was fearful and wonderful to behold —no combination —everybody in one another’s road. In fact, to put it as short as possible, they chucked the game over by their wretched play. Hishon was the exception in the backs’ division. He bad very few chances to do much, but he generally was up to the mark. Perry was a long way the best of the forwards, and although playing in the front rank was always first away in a dribbling rush. Kirton was the mainstay of the Orepuki back division, playing up strongly to the finish. His collaring was first-class. Another player on the wing, Russell, I think, was also very safe, but taken all round the country backs were much superior to the locals. No senior matches were played in town, but the Pirates had a very good practice game. They had a very good muster, and are going in solidly for sound training, so as to •bine out in the second round. Ted Glennie has got a shift to half-back in place of Deiley, who is unaccountably out of form, and I am told the change is a big improvement. The Britannia Ist travelled to Gore with a fairly weak team and got

put down by six points to five—pretty close go evidently ! But the Brits had no Pete Ward this time to play the whole of Gore himself, as he did when the Reds went to Gore last year. The game was well contested, the Brits scoring close to the posts, from which a goal was kicked. Mulvey scored for Gore, and McChesnie won the game by kicking a magnificent penalty goal from between the twenty-five and half way. This was a splendid kick, especially as the ball was heavy and wet. The Reds cannot account for their defeat, as they seem to have had a good deal the beat of the game. Mr Isaac Jenkins acted as referee and gave full satisfaction. The Britannia 2nd were defeated by the Invercargill by 3 points to nil. Oliver scored for the Blues, and with Hay and A. Henderson, were the best backs on the ground. The Brit backs were nothing like up to form, but the forwards were in great buckle, notably Gilooly and McDonald. The Invercargill forwards are a very even lot, but I think Lock was about the best, although Lindsay Hay shone out occasionally. Mr K. Cameron made a very fair referee.