INTERPROVINCIAL FOOTBALL MATCH.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 2770, 9 August 1883, Page 7

INTERPROVINCIAL FOOTBALL MATCH.

CANTERBURY V. OTAQO,

(PER PBES3 ABSOOIATION.)

Christciioech, July 21,

Extreme was the disappointment and disgust m the athletic community to find a regular tou'-wester blowing this morning, containing bail, rain and a little snow, with brief intervals of sunshine. It was at once seen that the match must bo spoilt, but a visit to Lancaster Park proving that the ground was not actually under wjter, it was determined to play wet or dry. The match would probably havo been put off till the return of tbo two teams on Saturday from Wellington, but it was found that the Otago men were not all coming back together, so that settled the matter. The same sort of weather continued all day, but, wonderful to Bay, close upon a thousand people found courage enough to stand on the wet terraces and watch tha play. Order was extremely well kept, and the crowd was very impartial. Ihey found plenty to amuse them, as there were some large pools m parts of the ground and spills were the order of the day. The game was completely spoiled by tbe untoward rain, but had it been dry it would only have shown the Otago men off to (till better advantage, and probably enabled them to repeat their heavy score of last year. The game was chiefly noticeable for tbe dribbling, and the absecca of picking up by the forwards on both sides, each playing tho same dribbling game. The backs could not expect to show to advantage with a ball that it was almost impossible to pick up, aud a turf like grease, but tho Otsgo men did quite enough to show that on dry ground tboy could run rings round the Canterbury backs, as the saying is. The visitors played extremely well together, and the command they bad over the slippery ball was quite wonderful. The Canterbury men seemed -unable to get hold of it at all, though for this they were hardly to bo blamed. Messrs Ollirier and Sleigh, both old Interprovincial players, umpired.

The game was commencod punctually at 3 p.m., and played m two spells of 45 minutes eaob. Millton won the toss, and kicked with the southerly breez?. The game started well for Canterbury, as Cottorill returned tho kick off with a capital punt, and the red uniforms were quickly seen at the opposite end of the ground, driving the ball towards the Otigo goal line. Xho blues for a little while bad rather the worst of it, but as they warmed up to their work, their ever-pmhing dribbling game told on their opponents. The ball got into a sloppy part on the couth aide of the ground, out of which the men seemed unable to extrioato it for some minutes, apd the spectators were highly amused aa one player after another got upset into the .slush. The.varigated stripes on the Canterbury jerseys soon assumed a leaden hue-, and anon it was ioipoisiblo to tell one Otago man from another, as their muddy faces and dull blue uniforms reduced them all to the same dead level. At last a more than usually vigorous kick sent the ball towards D'Auvergne (Canterbury). He fumbled it, and trying to pass to another man, I. Allen leaped upon it, and with a bound was off m the direction of the goal. He got unpleasantly close before be was collared, and tbo. blues having once got the ball near the other touch-line, evinced no inclination to let it away again. Tho reds were driven nearer the line, all by loose dribbling, so that the backß got no show to clear their goal, and at last it went over. Helmore fell on it, but it slipped away, Bobertson falling on top of it. The latter, however, gave it up, the umpire deciding that Helmore had touched it sufficiently dead to satisfy the rules. It was touch and go, »nd the blues kept the game Tory oloie to the goal line, more than one of them, coming -within a foot of it. Heloiore played very smartly m these .loose scrimmage?, and to him his side were more than once indebted for -saving their go»l. Who the Otago men were who played bo well m ths front it was impossiblo to distinguish, but I fancied I caught a glimpse of O'Donnell and Bobertson once. The ball was dreadfully wet by tbis time, and the Canterbury men, not accustomed to " standing m slippery places," cut some ridiculous figures m attempting to pick it up. One of these, indeed, proved fatal. Tho ball was kicked out m the middle of the ground towards A. Anderson, the fast eat rnnner m the fifteen, and, under ordinary circumstances he would probably have gained a good deal of ground, as thoro was no one ' immediately m front of him. The ball spun round and round, and Anderson made three diitinct failures to get hold of it as it wriggled about m the mud. Then, just as he looked like succeeding, Qalbraith charged, upiet his foe, and picking the ball up without any apparent effort, made a dash at goal. Tha Invercargill captain is a heavy, finely-built young fellow, and I don't think anyone but a vsry good rnun would h»ic t'td much ohance of stopping the rush be made, when he taw the way was pretty clear to the goal. As it happened, no one was backing Anderson up, and B. Cotterill, the goal-Vesper, was left alone to atop him. He slipped, and Galbraith charged straight at him, and cheers immediately told that the 'Otago man had run m without any further trouble. Galbraith took the. -try himself, but missed the goal. It was still come time before the reds were able to shift the blues away from their quarter*, even aided as they wore by wind and rain, for just at this moment a shower of sleet came down. They had several narrow squeaks, and the Allans, behind the scrimmages, punted and pursued so smartly that the rushes of the forwards were nullified. The game shifted over eventually to the south side, into the puddle mentioned before, from which a combined charge of three, or four blues brought it out. The backs as usual were nowhere, and but for Farr another try would have been scored. He made a supreme effort, and just managed to throw himself m a sitting posture on the ball. The man next to him could not stop himself, and fell into Farr with such force that the two slid along the turf fifteen or twenty feet ; m fact, to within a few feet of the goat line. Farr's quickneat, however, saved the goal for the time. In fact, without him and Helmore, the Canterbury men would limply have been Crushed. The next incident, and one which created roars of laughter, was ab accident to Galbraitb, ' who was m the act of running when Helmore collared him. The latter could not get bold of his man by the body, and m default grabbed at bis knickerbockers, and behold one leg came off m his hands and left the poor fellow shivering m the cold amid much laughter, of course at Cralbraith'e expense He took it good-naturedly, and played the rest of the game minus hit due amount of clothing, which, considering the etate of the weather, was extremely heroio on

his part. I never have thought much of serge or ilinnel for football wear. Good stout tweed is the stuff for me. Aftor this them was nothing but a lot of scrambling m the mud on tho south side, which can hardly to dignified by the name of scrimmaging, till time was called.

The ball was kicked off again without any delay, and, as m tho first epell, tha Canterbury men played more vigorously, or, perhaps I Bhould siy, with more success. Just at tho start a capital piece of dribbling by Archer and Blanchard, principally tbe former, brought them nearer the blues' goal lino than they had ever been, and forced the Otago men down for the first time. When kickod cut, the Southoroers made a spurt up tho ground, and Braddon had a pot at the goal without success. Galbraitb, however, immediately imitated his example, and wilh a fine kick sent the ball clean ovor the bar, a feat which anyono would have considered, an impossibility under the circumstances. For this he was loudly cheered and deservedly congratulated. Million and his forward?, upon whom most of the work devolved all through the game, worked hard to retrieve thetasslves, and made Borne excellent rushes, whioh, aa tho Otago backs now begun to find thn ball tio greasy even fur them to hold, wero not without their duo effect. Braddon made a capital run, successfully palling many of his opponents, and I. Allan was particularly commended for his fine dribbling. Wherever the fonv-irda wero driving the ball before them this player was invariably to bo found among them. One of these rushes brought the gamo m front of tho Canterbury goal, where somebody flung the ball book to Murray. Tho Otago men, by-tho-bye, constantly showed- the confidence Ihey pluo.'d m their backs by throwing the bolt back lorg distances, net and slippery ob it woi. " That's football," emphatically eaid an Olago partisan, as ho saw that by this move Murray had a chance of running m, but at.i.l the laltor would nob have succeeded but for his unequalled fending powers. Six or seven men tried to collar, but Murrny is immensely string m his arms and pushing them all off ho struggled on sufficiently far to rush the goal line and drop across it. Galbraith made a fine Bhot at. goal, but the ball fell a little m front. It was now closo on time, but Canterbury wero doomod to bo thrust still further ia tho mire. They only escaped a touchdown by the fact of one of the blues being slightly off side, and two minutes boforo the end of the game Leith and Mills dribbled the ball over the line, Cotterill having missed his kick. The try, again at a difficult angle, was given to Galbraith, and he mads a still finer kick than before. The ball was too heavy, and just (ell it the side of the post. Tho game than ended, a decisive victory for Otago by one goal and three tries to nil. Tho blues rlayod excellently, the forwards dribbling with precision, and backing one another up well, but passing was altogether out of tbe question on such a day, and very little was tried. As I said before, the mud with which they were covered made it impossible to distinguish them very well, but it •truck mo that I. Allan was the quickest of thoir forwards tq-day, and he certainly dribbled uncommonly well. The tamo may be said, too, . of Archer, on the other side. Gilbrailh did most of tho work as half-back, and tha Allans played capitally behind tbo scrimmages, punting wilh great precision, if or the Canterbury men Farr and Helmore did a lot of work, m foot as far as I could sep, nearly all of it behind the ecrimma^oi. Xho forwards plsyed a very fair gamo, but they wero clearly not m as- gooi training as thoir opponents, and did not follow up so well. The match on a dry ground would evidently have been a very different affair from to-duy's. The Otago backs were at a great disadvantage, and save Galbraitli's kick at goal, and on: or two by Cotterill, there was not a drop kick all day worth the name. Undoubtedly the same cause operated with ill-luck on tho Canterbury backs too, for unskilfully as some of them played, they would have done a deal better on dry ground. . Anderson, for instance, who played m splendid form m the Sydney match, was never seen during tbe whole game, except when he let Galbrnitb pus him and get his try. But granted Sue weather at Wellington, if the footballers there have not much improved on their predecessors at the Oh'istchurch tournament, the Otago men will, I think, wipe out their defeat with very litt le difficulty.