FOOTBALL AND FISTS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13727, 17 August 1908, Page 8

FOOTBALL AND FISTS.

A MELBOURNE MATCH.

Melbourne football is sometimes, like tJie tootball of the comic pacers If anyone doubts the truth of tho compar/son. Jet him read the Ar R us report ?> £'m ™ atclv on August Ist between Port Melbourne and Brighton. Almost horn the first ill-feeling was displayed, and towards the close it culminated in a not: The' team which appears to have been responsible for most of the trouble, was m a hopeless position in the competition, so thorn was not even the pica of anxiety to win to be advanced A few minutes before time, James the Brighton rovor> was the viei ir \-i ™ *,c, co ?*rMy attack. He has a habit of boring through a crowd with Jus head down; but when he attempted Jus favourite manoeuvre he was met by two upper-cuts," one on the right jaw and one- on- the left, which stretched Him helpless on the ground 1 . The ümP*. re ** once stopped play and .took the oi fender's name. No sooner had play boon resumed, tliaji Robinson, a bi^ JJri«litp/i player, was seized round the t:?ek.. knocked down, assaulted on the Kiound. flnd strunk- again whpn ho got on }>»«} foot, fn tho scuffle that ensued many "barrackers" # j6inedjf one of whom, having divested himself of his* ooat, vest, and shirt, stood chaJJcnpinc any Br jgl^twn man to fight. W. Robinson, the captain of'thb local team, rushed from the Half-forward line to his nrothor * assistanre. and spissiniJ! two of tho latter's assailants with either hand prevented them doing auything further. As the umpire left the ground, a tlemomtniUon was made against him. Port Melbourne barrackers— we need

hardly, saj' Port Melbourne lost — urging their friends to "get to him" and "settle him." But for the protection of the police and some of the Brighton players, something serious might have happened. The umpire went first into the Brighton dressing-room to take the names of players, and then said he would go to the Port Melbdurne room for a similar purpose. The secretary and president of the Brighton club, fearing that he might be molested, went with him. It was well that they did so, for no sooner had they entered- the room than the umpire was struck a violent blow on the left cheek, and dropped unconscious to/the floor. Half-a-dozen men wanted to put the party out by force, and • others Were giving them encouragement. The president of the Brighton club described the match as the wqrse he had ever seen. We hoj>e it was.