OUT DOOR SPORTS.

Observer, Volume XXII, Issue 51, 6 September 1902, Page 10

OUT DOOR SPORTS.

By Harrier,

Football Fixtures,

Sept. 6— Canterbury v. Southland, at Christ church. Sept. 6— Otago v. Wellington, at Wellington. Sept. IS- North v. South Island, at WellingtonSept. 17— Otago v. Southland, at Invercargill.

The evergreen Duncan is captaining the Otago team on its Northern tour. Southland play the last match of their Northern tour against Canterbury at Lancaster Park. Waihi hai their revenge on Thames on Saturday, winning by 3 points to mil Thames threw numerous opportunities away of scoring. What promises to be a good game is that to be played on Saturday between Otago and Wellington. The The latter team ought to win. Rev. C. Harper, of Palmerston North, has agreed to act as referee in the North and South Island mutch to be played at Wellington on Sept. 13. The City F.C. meet a team from Rotorua on Saturday at Alexandra Park. The country team have earned a good reputation this season, so a good game should be the result. McGregor, the Canterbury threequarter, is still keeping up his reputation as a scoring man. Playing against South Canterbury on Aug. 23, he scored three tries and on Saturday against Otago he obtained Canterbury's only try. He has scored in every rep. match this season. Close on 10,000 spectators were present to see the go between the two leading Sydney teams, University and Glebe. The game was a very fast one, and up to the last few minutes Glebe were in the load by one point, but University came with a rattle and scored a try which gave them victory amidst immense excitement. The sum of £272 Ps was taken at the gates. The team that played for Canterbury against Otago was somewhat different to that played against Auckland, Rice and Harper being in the three-quarter line, and Harvey, behind the scrum. The red and blacks could only make a draw of it. The game was a disappointing one, there being a great amount of scrum work, and the Canterbury forwards were hardly at their best. 11 Poneke " sent the following suggested North Island team to the " Lance " :— Spencer (Wellington), full back ; Asher and Harrison (Auckland) and Wallace (Wellington), threequarters ; McGregor (Auckland), five eighths ; Kiernan (Auckland), half ; H. Kfellv (Wellington) and Laing (Auckland), wings ; Tyler and Brady (Auckland), front row ; Cunningham (Auckland), lock ; O'Dowda (Taranaki), McDuff (Auckland), Udy (Wairarapa), and Spencer (Wellington), forwards. An incident in the return match between Wellington and Wairarapa is well told by " Off-side Mac " in the Carterton " Leader " : "In the forwards the most prominent man was William Adams, who emulated his previous performance in the Wairarapa in all particulars, even to losing his jerseys. In the second spell, Adams ran ' amuck ' amongst the Wairarapa men, who, hungering for the guttapercha'd one's blood, received only his clothes. The crowd howled with delight, when Treasurer Jack Papni was fitting ' Bill ' with his third jersey. The woollen covering was mamifictured for a man of about five inches less than that carried by 'Bill.* and* ultimately Pagni had to obtain. the i services of three muscular men before , the Wellington veteran, who, mean-?' while, was straining like a hound in the leash— was again clothed. Adamsj plays Rugby in a style which, if Jokexactly scientific, is most serviceable for his team."

The Ponsonby P.C. intend welcoming the returned Contingenters who were members of the club at a smoke concert in the training hall on Saturday night. The retirement of Mr F. Murray as selector of the A.R.U. teams is announced. This is to be regretted, seeing how successful Mr Murray has been in the position. But perhaps he will be persuaded to take on the duties again next year. A Masterton writer, commi;m,ing on the recent match between Canterbury and Wairarapa, says :— " In view of the persistency with which E. McKenzie, the Wairarapa skipper, appeals all through a game, it would be well if he were given a roving commission alongside of the referee, instead of being stationed at full back. McKenzie's appeals did not affect the referee for a moment, but on the other hand they did his side a lot of harm by causing players to stop. It was distinctly noticeable that Canterbury played all the time and said little, whilst Wairarapa talked ;i lot and kept stopping." " The Canterbury Province team in their recent tour," says Sydney " Referee," " played 6 matches, won 4, lost 1 and drew 1, so that Auckland's substantial win is one of great merit. In the first half Canterbury led by 5 to nil, and it seems to be generally admitted that there was hardly the difference between the teams the scores indicate. '' The reference to the Canterbury match is a mistake, as the red and blacks did not score till Auckland obtained iis 19 points. The writer must be thinking of the Wellington match when the latter led Auckland at the end of the first spell by 5 points. At time of writing the teams for the North and South Island have not made their appearance, but the selectors' work was not supposed to be due till Sept. 3rd (Wednesday). Speculation has been very rife in Auckland as to the composition of the North Island team, and very nearly all the names of our reps, have been mentioned as likely to get a place. There is not the slightest doubt that Auckland will get a large number of men in this team, and this is quite to be expected seeing how successful we were against the other Southern teams. The match is not played till Saturday week, so I will have an opportunity to say more about it next week. In the Otago-Southland match, the weak spot of the Otago backs was the three-quarter line, says Dunedin " Star," although, perhaps, under more favourable circumstances, they may give a better account of themselves. On the whole, however, the backs made very few mistakes, which, at any rate, are excusable on such a day as Saturday. The place-kicking of the home tejim was poor, they missing a couple of good chances — easy ones, at all events, in comparison with the kick from which Jacobs placed his penalty goal. This is not the first time Otago has thrown away a good chance of winning a match through the want of a decent placekick, and, although this fact has been well known for the last year or two, no effort ever seems to be made to rectify matters. . . . While Otago might easily have added another three points to her total, no one can for a moment say that Southland did not deserve her victory by 6 points to 3. They were the better team all round, and have every reason to feel proud of their win.

Suburbs met a Waiuku team at Alexandra Park on Saturday, when the town team were victors by 14 points to 7. There was not much science about the play, and at times it was very amusing. McPike was an absentee, but the backs played well together, Absolum making some fine runs. Barriball, the Waiuku full back, put in a clever piece of work when he potted the goal from the field. But the feature of the match was the dribbling; rushes of Aldred, an English player. He worked the ball very cleverly with his feet.

Albert Trott is expected bad-: in Napier about October. The Australian Eleven's record to date is : Matches pjayed 34, won 21, lost 2 and drawn 11. At the finish of the Lancashire tfftatch Tromper, Hill, Noble and Dufl Mere , the only members of the- AusTt&U4n Eleven who had obtained over <\\WQ 'TO* B - Four of the others were xfijty jjdLofle, viz.. Darling. 074, Armfttrong Iwß, Hopkins 958 and Gregory 927.

Smith and Simpson should arrive in Wellington about Friday or Saturday. The Australian Eleven are to play six matches in South Africa before returning to Australia. Lord Hawke's team of cricketers to visit New Zealand will leave Enpland in November, and leave New Zealand on their return trip in March. W. G. Grace has completed his thousand runs for the present season. He first scored a thousand runs in a season in 1869, and with two or three exceptions he has done so ever since, says an exchange. l.,ast year he did not reach four figures until his last match of the season, when he made 54 for the Gentlemen against the Players at Hastings. His best season was in 1871, when he scored 2739 runs, and averaged 78.0 mns per innings.

WADE'S WORM FIGS-the Wonderful Worm Woppieps — are alwajs effective. Is. boxes everywhere.