OUTDOOR SPORTS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXIII, Issue XI, 10 September 1904, Page 20

OUTDOOR SPORTS.

RESULTS OF SATURDAY’S MATCHES.

INTERPROVINCIAL FOOTBALL.

OTAGO V. AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND WINS—IS TO NIL. The interprovincial fixture. Otago v. Auckland—the last of the season —was played at Alexandra Park on Saturady afternoon. The weather was fine and the wind comparatively light, the conditions on the whole being such as to lead to expectations of a good exhibition of the Rugby game; but the contrary was the fact, as the game was anything but scientific. The ground was fairly fast. The attendance was only fair, between five and six thousand being present. The teams lined out as follows: — Auckland (Blue ana White): Fullback, Phillips; three-quarters, Renwick, Gerrard, McKenzie; five-eights, R. McGregor; half, Kiernan; wing forwards, W. Tyler and Fraser; forwards, G. Tyler, Maekrell, Joyce, CuYminghant, Francis, Seeling, and Hayward. Otago (Navy Blue): Full-back, Kindley; three-quarters, Baxter, Bennett, Dobson; half-backs, Hislop, King, Booth; wing, Porteous; forwards, Casey, Spiers, Mitchell, McDonald, Abbott, Stuart, and Johnstone. Mr. R. Barry, of Christchurch, acted as referee, and gave the best display seen at Epsom this season. The final tally was—Auckland 15. Otago nil, the scorers being W. Tyler, Kiernan, McGregor, and McKenzie, none of the tries being converted. Francis kicked a penalty goal. NOTES ON THE GAME. The game, although interesting from a spectator’s point of view, was anything but a good exhibition of football. The display of the visitors was distinctly disappointing, and on the form shown by them on Saturday they would find a difficulty in beating an ordinary club team. It was too bad to be true. Both back and forward Auckland ran over them, and had the local men taken advantage of all the chances offered, the score would have been considerably larger. The ptago forwards played without any dash, and it never seemed to occur to them that it was necessary to get to the opposing backs. In the serum work they were badly beaten, and the only department in which they seemed to hold their own was iu line-out work. The backs were all at sea, their handling of the ball being very faulty. The line-kicking was also very weak, their strongest point was in getting down to the-Auckland rushes, and in this they made few mistakes. The Auckland team gave a good exhibition on the whole, the forwards especially playing a sound game —their combined rushes were splendid. With the forwards running over the opposition, the backs got plenty of chances, and though it cannot be said that they made the most use of the opportunities that came their way, still on the whole there was no serious fault to be found witli them. Their display was a long wny ahead of that of the previous week against Taranaki. Of the individual players, Kindley, at fullback for Otago, was only ordinary. His kicking was decidedly weak, while his tackling could have been improved upon. Of the threequarters, Dobson was an easy first, and had it not been for him Otago would have fared badly. He got through a tremendous amount of work in a very satisfactory manner. Bennett and Baxter both had a day off, and beyond doing a lot of stopping, were not prominent. The three halves —Hislop, King and Booth—there was nothing to choose between, the trio playing a long way below representative form. Porteous, on the wing, was engaged most of the time scrapping with the opposing wing, and his display was disappointing. The forwards, as a pack, seemed lifeless, and except on very rare occasions were never brilliant; probably Speers, Stuart and Johnston

were the pick. Of the Auckland team, Phillips, at- fullback, was not asked many serious questions, but got through his work in a satisfactory manner; his kicking was especially good. McKenzie was the pick of the threequarters, though Renwick was very little inferior. The pair fielded the ball in good style, and their kicking was also good. Gerrard gave a better exhibition than we looked for. and there was very little to complain of in his play. R. McGregor, the five-eight, played his usual solid game, his tackling and stopping was up to his best form. In his handling of the ball, however, he was not as good as we have seen him. Kiernan, at centre-half, again demonstrated what a brilliant player he is in attack, and his form was equally as good as he showed against the British team. W. Tyler was the most attractive of the two wings, and made no mistakes; his try was the result of a clever piece of work. Fraser played a hard game, and showed flashes of brilliancy—he made one or two good openings for his backs. The forwards again showed what a very even lot they are. and the whole pack played up to their usual standard. Seeling, Francis and Cunningham were .perhaps the most conspicuous in the open. Seeling's tackling was of a very high order. Tn the evening the two teams sat down to dinner at the Royal Hotel, when the usual toasts were honoured. On Sunday they were the guests of the A.R.U. at a harbour excursion, when an enjoyable day was spent. CANTERBURY V. SOUTH CANTERBURY. CANTERBURY WIN EASILY. CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. Owing to a dispute between tbe two primipal chibs affiliated to the Southern Canterbury Rugby Union, tbe Southern Canterbury team, which played against Canterbury ou Saturday were i lthout the services of some of their best Xayers. Canterbury on the other hand did not display anything like their best form. They seemed stale, and unable to get going until comparatively late in the game, when the visitors were played out. and could not. stand up against the heavier forwards of the local team. At their best the visitors’ forwards did good work on the line and in the loose, but the backs had few chances of attacking, and their defensive work was not without fault. The strong wind blowing during the game gave the home team an advantage in the hist spell, but they played far better against it in the second, while the visitors did not make the best possible use of it. The game resulted: — Canterbury 25 points South Canterbury 3 points WELLINGTON V. OTA—. WELLINGTON, Monday. The following players will represent Wellington against. Otago nt Wellington next Saturday:—Spencer. Wallaee. Barker. McGregor. Gray. Roberts, Hardham. Griffiths. Dodd. Watkins, Cross. Wright. Best. Calnnn, Driscoll. Emergency: Sweeney.

GOLDFIELDS RESULTS. WAIHI, Monday. A match was played on the local recreation reserve on Saturday afternoon. The game was fought out in a very determined manner, several men being hurt. Waihl won by 5 points to 3. T. Pennell, a visitor, was rendered unconscious, and carried off the ground. Another Paeroa player was also hurt, and McSporran, one of the local team, received a slight injury. For Waihl, Foster scored a clever try shortly after the game commenced, Landy converting. For the losers, Rickards secured a try. No further score resulted. Mr Knox, of Auckland, gave every satisfaction as referee. In the junior division, Hovers and Silver Stars tried conclusions, the former winning by 8 points to 5. For the winners A. Power secured two tries, Mullins converting one. For the losers, C. CoinpbeH obtained a try. Mr G. Morpeth refereed. THAMES, Mondays The cup matches were continued at Pa raws i on Saturday,when Rovers beat Thames by 11 points to nil. Tries were scored by <’. Hayward, S. Baker, and Keating. Dufty converted one of the tries. COROMANDEL, Monday. The Rugby Cup match, Kennedy Bay Ta Coromandel, was played in Batt’s paddock on .Saturday, and resulted in a Win for Kennedj’ Bay by 8 points to nil. For the winners, tides were obtained by H. McNeil amt M. Alpin. McPike converted one. Mr I. Fernandez was the referee. PAEROA, Monday. The final for the championship cup tooff place at Karangahake on Saturday between the West and Suburbs teams, and resulted in a draw, a try being scored by both sides. Burdett scored for Suburbs and Moran for West. The game was rough. Near the close Kirkwood, one of the West backfe severely wrenched one of his legs, and was carried off the field. WHANGAREI FOOTBALL, WHANGAREI, Monday. An “old boys” team from Auckland played the town team on Saturday, the -game resulting In a win for the latter by 23 points to nil. CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS AT WKIc LINGTON. WELLINGTON, Monday. There were about 3000 spectators at Athletic Park to witness the play-off for the senior championship between Poneke, last season’s champions, and Petone. The game for the most part was fought out between the forwards, the hacks only occasionally showing up. Play In the first spell was generally in favour of Poneke, but their opponents made periodical short-lived incursions into the reds’ quarters. Dining one of these sallies Barber scored for Petone under the posts, McGregor converting. This was the only score in the first half. The second spell saw Petone take the upper hand in a more marked degree than Poneke had done in the first half, but they only added one more try, McGregor ch»sing • slashing run by diving cleverly over the line while three of the opposing backs waited for him to pass. The final for the public schools championship Tret ween Petone 'and Clyde Quay resulted in a victory for the former by 8 points to 5, after an interesting game. The suburban combination made up in cleverness what it lacked in weight. St. Patrick's College easily defeated St.

James’ by 42 to nil tn the final of the fifth fclass championship.

All the championship matches under the •uspices of the Wellington Rugby Union •re- now completed, the respective winners being:—Seniors, Petone; juniors, Petone; third class, St. Patrick’s College: fourth class. Athletic; fifth class, St. Patrick’s College. > OLD BOYS’ MATCH. An open and interesting game took place •t Athletic Park l»e(ween teams representing Christchurch High School Old Boys and Wellington College Old Boys. The visitors had slightly the best of the first spell, leading by 8 points to 5. Guthrie scored a try for the Southerners, and Sheriff converted. The latter also kicked a penalty goal. Dawson touched down for the home team, the major points being added. Ou crossing over the Wellington men assorted themselves, and added two more tries to their credit by the medium of Blacklock and Nilsson. The final tally was: Wellington 11, Christchurch 8. MANAWATU MATCHES. PALMERSTON N.. Monday. Representatives of the firms of Bett and Co. and Browning tried conclusions for the coachbuilderg’ cup, the latter coming uut ou top by 14 to nit. Kia Ora have been declared the winners of the Manawatu R.U. junior championship for the second year in succession. They have an unbeaten record this season. MANAKAU, Monday. The final match for the banner was played on the Weraioa ground, when Wanderers defeated Otaki by 14 to 8. Some 200 spectators witnessed the game, and were Created to a very good exhibition of Rugby. WAIRARAPA FIXTURES. MASTERTON. Monday. The rep. match, Wairarapa v. Bush Union, was played at llamua in pouring rain, and part of the ground was three inches wider water. The rain was punctuated by peals of tliunder and sheets of lightning. In such circumstances it was impossible to handle or kick the ball with any degree of accuracy, and consequently play was altogether very mediocre. Wairarapa won by 6 to nil, Gray and Beard being the try-getters. The visitors had the better of the first spell with the wind and rain at their backs, but bad kicking spoilt several openings. In The second spell the game was fairly even, but the Bush players were unable to take advantage of their opportunities. The following will represent the Wairarapa Union in the match against Otago on Wednesday:—Full-back, E. Mackenzie; three-quarters. Wrigley, O’Leary, and Smart; five-eighths, Rogers; half. Logan; wings, Warner and Gray; forwards. Udy, Cadwallader, Jackson, Johnson, Workman, Beard, and it. McKenzie. HAWKE’S TIAY RESULTS. NAPIER, Monday. The last representative match of the season took place between Manawatu and • local combination on Saturday, victory resting with the visitors by the small margin of two points, the respective scores being Manawatu 8, Hawke’s Bay (I. There was a good attendance, and the weather was fine. Taken all round the teams were evenly matched. Hawke's Bay forwards were the better in the scrum, and their dribbling and following up were better, but Manawatu beat them for pace. The Manawatu back division was faster, and passed with more certainty than the local men, while both were very sound in defence. Infringements were frequent, the visitors particularly distinguishing themselves by offside play. In the first spell Johnson crossed the home team's chalk mark. A. McMinn landing a beautiful goal from an awkward angle. Later on Johnson scored another try for the visitors. Smith smothered the Manawatu full back’s return, and the ball rebounding over the line, Merritt touched down. McVay failed at goal. The scores at half time were: Manawatu 8, Hawke's Bay 3. In the second half the home team attacked strongly, and a passing rush ended with Twohill scoring at the corner. The kick at goal was resultless. On the call of time Tuke put in a splendid run, and passed to -Bishop, who was downed when within a yard of the line. The game ended Manawatu 8, Hawke’s Bay 6. The match between teams representing the Napier and Spit Fire Brigades resulted in a .win for the former by 12 points to 6. The employees of the Napier Gas Compaiiy ’defeated those of Henry Williams and Sons, Ltd., by 16 points to nil. A Napier team, the Hula, journeyed to Puketitirlri, and defeated Tul, a local team, by 10 points. Tries were obtained by Prebble and E. Bissell, both being converted by Rana Walker. The following fifteen have been selected to play against Poverty Bay at Gisborne on Saturday:—Reach. Twohill. McVay. Bishop, Johnston. Bogle. Smith, Fraser. McCarthy. Kaye, Merritt, Petersen, Bailey, Willis and Lang. WANGANUI JUNIORS BEAT MANAWATU. PALMERSTON NORTH, Monday. A fair number of spectators witnessed the Manawatu-Wanganui junior representative match, which resulted in a win for the latter by 14 to 3. The score hardly represented the difference between the two teams. The visitors wore evidently not used to a strict Interpretation of the rules relating to off-side play, and wore accordingly penalised a great deni more than would otherwise have been the case. In the first spell Reid kicked • penalty goal

for Wanganui, and Manawatu scored a try. In the next half Connell scored a try for Wanganui, which Reid converted. Reid also placed a goal from the field.

ASSOCIATION.

On Saturday the Corinthian Club completed its tour, playing a Taranaki representative team at New Plymouth under better conditions than the preceding match, the ground being dry. A hard and fast game resulted, the home forwards, who were heavy and fust, giving the visitors a fair amount of work. Foreshaw scored for the Corinthians, and the game ended —- Corinthians One goal. Taranaki Nil. FROM THE EMPIRE CITY. WELLINGTON. Monday. The first round of the charity competition was commenced at Miramar on Saturday, the strong wind, however, which swept across the field completely spoiling any approach to decent socket*. Diamonds, who had much the best of the struggle with Pearls ultimately won by five goals to nil. Reddy, Roberts, Burbush. and Hathaway weie the scorers. Swifts had the upper hand throughout In their game with Y.M.C.A., the backs especially doing good service. Horn, Coates and Muir notched goals for Swifts, who won by three to nil. Comparatively little interest was taken in the Queen’s Park v. Rovers match, several players being absent. The former team won by 2 to 1. In the semi-finals for the junior challenge cup. Swifts beat Pearls by one to nil, and Ramblers downed Diamond by one to nit. In the latter game an extra 20 minutes was played to decide the bout. This Is the first occasion that Diamonds have been beaten In the junior challeng’e cup since its inauguration in 1.901. Swifts and Ramblers remain to contest the final next Saturday. In the contests for the Henderson Memorial Cup (third league) Kent Terrace defeated Ramblers by five to nil; and Petone and Kalwarra played a draw, the score being one goal each.

AUSTRALIAN GAME.

WELLINGTON FIXTURES. WELLINGTON. Monday. Under the Australian rules Newtown and Petone met on the latter’s ground, and after an exciting game the home team scored a win by one point, the scores being: Newtown 3 behlnds, Petone 2 behiuds. Newtown team so far has played seven matches, winning six and losing one. Federate defeated City, the respective scores being: Federate 2 goals 3 behlnds, City 1 goal 4 behiuds.