Our Letter Box.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 108, 18 August 1892, Page 4

Our Letter Box.

[We do not necessarily identify ourselves with the opinions expressed by our correspondents, though, at the same time, we gladly afford space to all communications on matters of public interest to the sporting community.—Ed. Sporting Review.]

i UCKLAND v. TARANAKI FOOTBALL CONTEST. To the Editor Sporting Review. Sir, —I ask for a little of your valuable space to make a few remarks in connection with the above heading. In the first place I wish to take exception to the very biassed —from an Auckland standpoint—account of the match that was telegraphed throughout the colony by an Auckland Press agent. This account would lead a person who had not witnessed the game to infer that the Northerners had all the best of the struggle, which is contrary to fact, for it is admitted, by all who had the luck to be spectators, that the Taranaki boys had decidedly the best of the game. The accuracy of this chronicler of facts (?) is displayed in giving credit to Frank Bayly for securing the two tries for Taranaki, instead of placing one to the credit of Coutts. The account sent along the wires ends up with an astounding fact, namely, that Jervis had actually a shot at goal towards the close of the game. Who’d have thought it ! Although the contest lasted 90 minutes the agent could get no better feature of the game to telegraph than that Jervis had a shot at goal. I would like to know how many attempts were made by players on both sides to send the oval over the bar. A good few I reckon. Evidently Jervis is “ the white-haired boy ” of the agent, or he never would inform the public of New Zealand that that player had actually the audacity to make a flying kick at the goal. Writers in Auckland should always bear in mind that “ fairplay is bonny play,” especially when they attempt (I use the word “attempt”) to describe a football match. These scribes can throw dust in the people’s eyes as much as they like, but the fact remains that Taranaki was beaten by bad luck and the indifferent form displayed by one of their prominent men ; who that player is I leave my readers to guess. The opinion of the referee is worth that of a dozen scribes built like the one I have referred to, and the opinion of Mr. Nichols is that Taranaki had by far the best of the contest. Apologising, Sir, for trespassing on your space so much,, pre-d i.hankin in anticipation, ~\__ I am, &c., —" Fairplay. s?w Plymouth, August 10. Lin our last issue “Fair Play” will find a fair statement of the balance of luck in the recent Auckland v. Taranaki match. In this week’s “ Poster’s ” remarks on the subject of a suggested new rule are worthy of notice.—Ed. Sporting Review. J