Door Sports

Observer, Volume XVIII, Issue 1025, 20 August 1898, Page 11

Door Sports

By ' Harrier.'

Auckland footballers have this season had a most extraordinary ran of bad lnok in the matter of weather. Three interprovincial matches have been played in Auckland on successive Saturdays, and on each occasion the conditions have been untoward in the extreme. Last Saturday was, I think, the worst day of the lot. No rain fell until about two o'clock, but from that time forward it came down steadily, and the ground, previously saturated, was speedily converted into a veritable sea of mud. Despite all this, however, the attendance at Potter's was far and away the largest of the season, there being considerably over 5000 people present when the Auckland and Taranaki teams filed out of the pavilion.

It was the general impression that the Taranaki boys would prove the toughest opponents the local players had yet met ; and such indeed proved to be the case. From end to end the game was most stubbornly contested, and, taking into consideration the state of the ground and of the ball, the exhibition of football on both sides was nothing short of brilliant. Flay throughout was fast and exciting, first one side and then the other holding a temporary advantage ; but so evenly balanced were the teams, that, up to the call of no side, neither had been able to score a single point, and the game fittingly terminated in a bloodless draw.

Taking the play as a whole, the impression left on my mind was that the local team played the more consistently open game. Except when penned near their own line, they rarely attempted to keep the ball clobo, bat opened out with a view to attack on every conceivable opportunity. In the matter of kicking, also, they indulged chiefly in high punts down the centre of the ground, but the accurate taking of the opposing backs nullified ail attempts to start a forward rush by this means. On the other hand, Taranaki played safety almost throughout. Only when in a favourable position did they attempt passing tactics. At other times the backs made full use of their undoubtedly fine kicking powers, and by a judicious use of the touchline repeatedly gained considerable ground, and at the same time saved their forwards an unnecessary lot of work.

Humphries at half was undoubtedly the best back on the ground, his clever work all round being the theme of general admiration. The Auckland forwards displayed slightly better form in the line-out play than in their previous games, 'Jock ' McGregor in particular showing up really well in this respect. To my mind, Hay, at centre-half, played the best game he has yet shown us in representative football. He was a bit patchy in the first spell, but in the Becond half put in a lot of good work all round. The Auckland three - quarters, Absolum, McGregor, and Harrison, all played "sound games, displaying considerable skill both in attack and defence ; the kicking of the two last named was not, however, so reliable as usual. Taranaki's three-quarters, Jacobs, Bayley, and Carroll, proved themselves an exceptionally fine trio of players. All kicked and tackled remarkably well, and their taking of the greasy ball was simply perfect. Consequent upon the positions taken up by the Auckland three-quarters, — they being all the time in attacking formation— a great amount of work fell to the lot of H. Smith, at full-back, and it must be conceded that he came out of the ordeal with flyinp colours. He ' took ' cleanly, kicked weil and judiciously, and tackled safely. The Auckland, pack forwards all played hard and well. In the scrums they were hardly ao successful in securing possession as I anticipated, neither was their heeling-out sufficiently well accomplished. In the open, however, they rather more than held their own, their strong points being fast following up.and Bound tackling

Hunter, the Taranaki full-back, kicked well, and generally played a fairly sate game. Eiley, at five-eighths, tackled in great style, and generally displayed considerable dash. His taking, however, was scarcely as clean as usual. It is difficult to single out any one of the visiting forwards for special mention, but perhaps the best of a very hard-work-ing lot was the evergreen Watson. Allan fully maintained his reputation as a clever, tricky five-eighths, and, like the rest of the Taranaki backs, his defensive work was of the soundest description. Mills proved the more . dashing of Taranaki's pair of wings, but was frequently penalised for getting in front of the ball in his eagerness to smother Hay. Laing and S. McGregor, the Auckland wing forwards, both displayed conspicuously good form. The former, although not playing a strictly wing game, did a lot of effective smothering.

The N.Z. Amateur Athletic Association has decided to allot the 1899 Championship meeting to Dunedin. There appears to be a strong likelihood of a system of local football being introduced in Sydney next season. The Spring carnival of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club will be held on Saturday, 19th November. The motion to remove the headquarters of the N.Z. Cyclist Alliance to Wellington will receive the support of the Auckland A.A. and C. Club. M. Bosingrave, the Sydney hurdler, and Arthur Holder of Wanganui, ate to be invited to compete at the Spring carnival of the Auckland A. A. and 0. Clnb. On Saturday next, Auckland will place two representative football teams in the field— one against Hawke's Bay, and the other against Northern Wairoa at Aratapu. On Saturday, the Canterbury football team join issue with the representatives of the Empire City at Wellington, and, judging by recent form, the match is likeiy to produce a very close contest. Personally, however, I fancy the chance of the Wellingtonians.

Up to date, three matches have been played between Auckland and Hawke's Bay, of which Auckland won two and one was drawn. Only once previously have the Napierites visited this city, viz., in 1894, when a team captained by G. Garadus gave us a big go, the game ending without score on either side.

It appears that the Hawke's Bay Union have decided at the last moment not to send their representative team North this season, the reason adduced being inability to get a sufficiently strong team away. At the time of writing nothing had been arranged in lieu of the Hawke's Bay match for Saturday, and it is probable that the 20th will be an off day at Potter's.

Our Wade correspondent writes: ' The Alberta played the Wade here yesterday in beavy rain, and were beaten. They acored one try (converted), the Wade three (none converted). I quite expected the home team to get a proper doing, as they have only 18 players to pick from, bat with the wet ball to play Alberta went to pieces quickly, oar fellows forcing them repeatedly. I think, the visitors held this team too cheaply, for they brought their banner to nnfnrl when they had won, bat it was not needed.