FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XVIII, 1 May 1897, Page 543

FOOTBALL.

Between forty and fifty persons were present at a meeting held at Hastings recently for the purpose of forming a football club. Mr Cashion took the chair. It was decided that a Club, to be known as the City Club, should be formed, with a first and second fifteen, and that it should be affiliated to the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union. The following delegates were chosen : —Messrs Murfitt, Cullen, and C. Caulton. Mr Mcßae was elected secretary and Messrs Sutherland, Humphries, Cullen, and Stubs were placed on the Committee. The members of the Albion Football Club, of Christ church, received quite a sudden and unpleasant shock when one of their players, Ernest Merritt, died suddenly while sitting and conversing with two of his comrades on board the s.s. ‘ Talune ’ on her passage from Lyttelton to Wellington, where the Albion Club were proceeding to play the Poneke junior team at Easter. Needless to say the match did not eventuate. Merritt was 25 years of age, and a well known and popular athlete in Christchurch. He was married about a year ago to a daughter of Mr H. Sutherland, of Wellington. At the inquest held on the deceased the jury found that death had been caused owing to weakness of heart caused through sea-sickness. I hear on reliable authority that Alf Bayly, the crack Taranaki three quarter, will don the amber and black jersey again this season. The Championship matches in Auckland will commence on Saturday. May Bth. The Auckland Rugby Union has arranged a programme of matches for the various primary schools in Auckland, and the contests will be played under the auspices of the A.R.U., who will also provide trophies for the winning team. It is expected that the New Zealand team will leave Wellington for Sydney at the end of June. The match North v. South Island, will most likely be played in Wellington prior to the departure of the New Zealand team. Football promises to be more interesting in Napier this season. The Hawke's Bay Rugby Union intend to endeavonr to send a team to play Wellington, Taranaki and Auckland during the coming season. A. Mason, the little but good crack Dunedin halfback, has taken up his residence in Wellington.

A. E. White, the well-known Canterbury half, has unfortunately had bis collar bone broken again, and has decided to give the game best. NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION. The fifth annual general meeting of the Council of New Zealand Rugby Union was held last Saturday evening. Mr Campbell (Wellington), vice-president, was elected chairman. The following delegates were present:—Messrs Bate and Fache (Wellington), F. W. Mitchell, MacKenzie, Bee and Wilkinson (Otago), Lawreason (Poverty Bay), Wesney (Southland), Firth (Nelson), Ronaldson (Taranaki), McCardle (Canterbury), Whiffen (Manawatu), Gibbons (Auckland), Morrison (Hawke’s Bay), Batchelor (West Coast), Hyams (Wanganui), Lewis (South Canterbury), and M. De Costa (bon. secretary). The chairman moved the adoption of the annual report and balance - sheet, stating that the Union was now in good heart, and fulfilling the duties which it undertook when it was inaugurated. It was doing good work, and he was certain that it would continue to do so. It was a matter for congratulation that it was discharging its functions without causing any friction, while at the same time it was able to undertake the management of teams and settle disputes of various kinds. It was decided that the delegates of the South Canterbury and Marlborough Unions should not exercise their votes as those Unions were in arrears. The treasnrer explained that 33 per cent, of the gross takings of the Queensland matches in Wellington was given to the Athletic Park Company. The motion for the adoption of the report and balance-sheet was agreed to. The Council resolved to ask the Earl of Ranfurly, the new Governor, to accept office as patron. Mr Gellawey (Otago) was elected president. The remaining officers were elected as follows : —Vice-presidents, Messrs Devore (Auckland), Rees (Poverty Bay), Logan (Hawke’s Bay), Walker (bush districts), Hankins (Manawatu). Empson (Wanganui), Bayly (Taranaki), Whatman (Wairarapa), Littlejohn (Nelson), Mills, M.H.R. (Marlborough), Harden (Buller), Boyd (West Coast), Rhodes (Canterbury), Jonas (South Canterbury), George (Southland) ; Otago has yet to nominate a vice-presi-dent; hon. sec., A. M. DeCosta (re-elected): hon. Association sec., Mr E. Batchelor (re-elected) ; hon. treasnrer, Mr J. Hyams (re-elected) ; management committee, Messrs Bate (Wellington), Bee (Otago;, Wesney (Sonthland), Morrison (Hawke’s Bay), Gibbons (Auckland), Lawrenson (Poverty Bay), McCardle (Canterbury), with officers ex officio ; auditor, Mr Couplaud (Wellington); appeal committee, Messrs Henderson (Auckland), Fache (Wellington), Cotterill (South Canterbury), Firth (Nelson), Logan (Hawke’s Bay). A number of football matches were played at Dunedin during the Easter holidays. The Britannia Club, of Invercargill, visited Dunedin and played the Dunedin Club. The latter team proved victorious by 11 points to S. Britannia were the first to score, Hill gaining a try, which Purdie converted, and shortly afterwards the latter kicked a goal from a free kick. Towards the close of the game Turton, for Dunedin, kicked a goal from a penalty kick, and Eagle and MacKenzie scored tries one of which was converted into a goal by Turton. The Linwood (Christchurch) Club played the Union on the Caledonian ground, Dunedin, on Easter Saturday. Although Linwood was the first to score, the Union Club, chiefly through the fine play of their forwards, gained an easy victory by nineteen points to five. For Linwood, J. O’Brien scored a try which F. O’Brien converted, while for the winners tries were gained by Armstrong (two), Thomson and Stewart, and Ritchie converted two into goals, and also kicked a goal from a free kick. The match between Merivale (Christchurch) and Alhambra (Dunedin), played at Dunedin, attracted considerable interest, and after an interesting game resulted in a draw, neither side scoring. The annual match between the second fifteens of the Linwood (Christchurch) and Union (Dunedin) Clubs was played at Dunedin, and resulted in a win for the Linwood team by four tries (12 points) to nil. Tries were scored by Ormandy (two), O’Brien and Adams. The East Christchurch Club, which has been in existence for fifteen years, recently disbanded. The Club was formed on April 17th, 1882, on the proposition of Mr F. D. Kesteven, and strange to say, it was this gentleman who proposed that the Club be disbanded.

The two Wellington teams, Melrose and Wellington, had a very rough passage in the s.s. ‘ Rotomahana ' to Lyttelton, and this fast steamer occupied 74 hours of the journey. The Melrose team, despite their rough and long passage, defeated Sydenham (Christchurch) by 8 points to 3 For the winners, Hardcastle scored two tries, one of which Mason converted, while S. Halliday gained a try for Sydenham. The Wellington Club’s Reps were defeated by the Christchurch Club at the Christ's College Ground by 22 points to 5. The match between the North and South of England was played at Dewsbury on Saturday. February 27th and contrary to general expectation was won by the North by thirteen points to five. The Southern men played against a strong breeze throughout the first spell, and held their own well all through, but after changing over, and with the wind behind them, they collapsed altogether, the forwards especially being beaten badly. The South backs were, as a whole, superior to the Northern brigade, and the result of the game goes to again prove how a fine, dashing, straight-ahead set of forwards can annihilate nearly all the work of good backs.