FOOTBALL.

Western Star, Issue 1056, 16 June 1886, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

1 Last Saturday a team representing tho Riverton Football Club drove to Invercargill .to play a match with tho Invercargill Pirates. The game, which was played on the Western reserve, was witnessed by a large number of spectators. Lee winning the toss, chose the northern goal. As tho ground was pretty greasy after the frost, the forwards had the game pretty well in their own hands.(During itho first spell all the scoring was done. Hawke made a shot at goal which missed. [The ball was well followed up by Sproule, Iwho secured tbo first score for the Pirates. (The try at goal was a failure. On the ball being kicked out it was quickly brought into tho Riverton twenty-five, and the ball being heeled out from one of the scrimmages, Hawke potted a neat goal. Riverton now (began to play rather wildly, passing in their own twenty-five, a thing that never should bo done; .the result being that the ball was (dribbled over the line again and another try [secured by the Pirates, which was converted 'into a goal by Burns. Ho further score was made during the game. Cull' during this spell did good work for Riverton. Lee and Brown made good runs, which would have been of groat service had they been followed up. In tho second spell the ball was pretty well confined to tho Riverton territory. Now and again the Blues w r ere relieved by a punt into touch. Several times the Pirate backs hud shots at goal, but they all missed the mark and the ball was forced down by Riverton. The kicking out by the Riverton backs was wretched. Instead of giving their forwards (who had hard work to keep the Blacks from scoring) time to recover themselves) the ball was sent out at once and of course brought back by tho Blacks almost to tho goal lino, and there it was kept until it had to be forced down again. Once near tho call of time tho ball was rushed into the Blacks’ territory and Riverton looked like scoring, but the Blacks were too strong. The ball was being worked down again into its old place when time . was called. For the Pirates, Dunne, Burns and Williams played a splendid game. For Riverton, Cuff (who was always on the ball), Roderique, Jfber and Hunter (forwards) worked hard. Lee and Brown, as three-quarter-backs, made some good runs, but were weak in kicking. Reyling and Robertson tackled well, and often saved their side by falling on the ball. Their chief fault, however, lay in passing when in their own twenty-five. £,Mr 11. Galbraith umJpired for the Pirates, as did Mr R. Howell (for Riverton, and Mr Stead acted as referee. The game throughout was a very friendly one, and in no case was tho decision of the umpire disputed.