All-round Sport

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IV, Issue 162, 31 August 1893, Page 9

All-round Sport

By ‘

“The Hawk.”

Football.

The Auckland v. Hokianga match played at Potter’s Paddock last Saturday proved one of the most interesting matches of the season, not only as a football display, but also from a spectator’s point of view, as they were kept amused the whole time by the different antics of our Northern visitors. The line umpire was a contsant source of fun, the energetic and emphatic manner in which he performed his work showing he was not the ‘ boy’ to be bounced. The visitors, winning the toss, kicked off with the wind in their favour, and for the first ten minutes gave tbe home team a very warm time, and showed that in every sense they were foemen worthy of our steel; but after that they were non-plussed by the ‘ passing ’ game adopted by the town team, and had all their time cut out in defending their lines from the repeated attacks of Elliott, Kissling, Jervis and Co., the latter especially being very much too clever, for he was responsible for every score in the first half by doing all the work from which they eventuated. The first spell ended with Auckland 14 points to nil.

In the second spell, however, the Maoris played with much greater determination. Some of their individual work was really first class, and plainly showed they had learned a good deal in the first spell. They scored no fewer than three tries, but failed to add the major points in each case, and the game resulted in Auckland scoring 26 points to Hokianga’s 6. The visitors taken individually played a really first-class game. They are men of splendid physique, and were evidently in splendid training from the way they lasted out a hard-fought game. They never for one instant gave in, even at the end of the first spell when Auckland were scoring so rapidly, but came up again each time with the greatest determination and pluck. If the team possessed

a knowledge of our passing tactics they would be a warm lot, as each one of the backs showed pace and tackled pluckily, their weak point being their kicking. The clean manner in which they took the ball from a pass or from a long kick was really good, and in this respect they showed a marked contrast to our Wairoa friends, who fumbled very badly at times. In this respect also our own men could with advantage take a lesson from them. Like the Wairoa team, the Hokiangas fell to the passing game better in the second spell, and also showed that they had learnt a good deal from the play in the first spell, notably by the way they attempted the feinting. By coaching in the finer points and practice in passing, the team should become a first-rate one, and should next year, when it comes our turn to visit them, give our men a warm reception. I think there can be no doubt that the Hokianga team would have put down the team that opposed the Wairoa one last week, as that team was not to be compared in any way with the team that played last Saturday in my opinion. The Hokianga team is also a better one than either Waikato or Wairoa. For Auckland Jervis played by far the best game on the ground, and his play came quite as a revelation, and shows what a wonderfully improved man he is. He also collared and kicked beautifully. Masefield at full back was good, but I thought he was off in his collaring. Kissling has seldom played such a miserable game, and seemed totally unable to take a pass. In tackling, however, he was all there. Peace was only fair, his collaring not being good ; whilst Elliott was not at his best. However, he was very closely watched, and the slippery state of the ball no doubt interfered with him. Braund was slightly better than last week, but when the Hokiangas fell to him in the second spell he was nowhere. However, the selection committee seem ‘ married ’ to him, and so men like Edmonds and Caradus —who are very much his superior in all departments have to take a back seat. Our forwards did not to my mind appear to play with combination. They loafed too much, and packed the scrums miserably. Mills on the wing was clever, and is undoubtedly the best wing in Auckland, whilst McMillan, Otway and Green worked hard in the scrum. The Rev. Williams was particularly good on the line out, and fed his backs well, but he does not graft in the scrums. The Selection Committee of the Auckland Rugby Union have selected the following team to represent Auckland against Taranaki: —Fullback, Masefield ; threequarters, Kissling. Peace, Gaudin; halves, Elliott, Braund ; forwards, Mills. Clarkin (wings), Rhodes, McMillan, Murray, Speight, A. Haua, Stone, D. Stewart. Emergencies, Green Edmonds, and Riley. The match is set down for decision on Saturday. The team leave to-day and return on Saturday night.

Auckland v. Taranaki.

My Taranaki correspondent writes under date August 25 : —A great deal of interest is being manifested here in the rep. match between Auckland and Taranaki, which will be played on the sports ground in the Recreation Ground, New Plymouth, on Saturday, September 2nd. In telegraphing the names of the Taranaki reps that were picked against Manawatu, I placed Pearson in the forwards in place of Coffey. As the Manawatu match has been postponed till September 9, the team picked will undoubetly be the one that will represent Taranaki against Auckland. The team is as follows: —Full, Robinson (N.P. Star) ; three-quarters, A. Bayly (Stratford), H. Good and A. Good (Waimate) ; half-back, A. Humphries, (Star); wing forwards, C. Bayly (Stratford) and W. Bayly (Clifton) ; five-eight, Robson (Clifton); forwards, Hughes and Lambie (Waimate), Coffey, Livingstone and Campbell (Hawera), Hawken (Patea) Sangster (Stratford). Emergencies, L. Allen, back (Star); forwards, Ryan and Rutherford (Star), Davis (Stratford). As Campbell was injured recently there is every probability of Ryan taking his place. The team will hold a practice here on Thursday next. The team is a strong one, and the members should give a good account of themselves in the tussle against Auckland. The boy of the team is A. Humphries, who plays a really clever game at centre half.

The Auckland Juniors and Thames Juniors met at Parawai on Saturday, and the game resulted in a draw, neither side

scoring. The return match between Waikato and Franklin came off on Saturday at

Hamilton, Waikato winning by 18 points to nil.

The annual match between Tauranga and Whitianga, also played on Saturday, resulted in Tauranga winning by the large majority of 35 points to nil. The match between Tauranga and Takapuna takes place on Saturday next. The Northern Steamship Co. announce by advertisement in another column that the s.s. ‘ Clansman ’ will leave Auckland for Tauranga to-morrow at 7 p.m., returning from Tauranga at 10 p.m. on Saturday. The return fare is the extremelv moderate one of £l.

The Selection Committee of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club have decided to suggest the undermentioned to the N.Z. Amateur Athletic Association as representatives at the forthcoming Championship Meeting to be held at Melbourne : —C. Weston, 100yds, 250yds, quarter-mile, and half-mile; F. E. N. Gaudin, 100yds, 250yds, quarter-mile. and long jump ; H. G. Buchanan, 100yds and 250yds; G. B. Beere, half-mile, one mile, and three miles. T. B. O’Connor, putting the weight and throwing the hammer.

There was a big roll up at the Northampton County ground on July 1 to witness the twenty-eighth English Amateur Championship Meeting. Although the heat was excessive the sport was of a high-class order, and from all accounts to hand the affair was a big success. The events of the day were the quarter and half, which fell to the famous runner from Ceylon, E. C. Bredin, who had matters his own way in each event. His half-mile time is the best ever done at an English championship meeting, whilst his quarter time ranked second only to the 48 3-ssec of Lou Myers in 1881 for a championship go. The annual general meeting of the North Shore Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club was held at the Masonic Hotel, Devonport. on Tuesday evening. Mr E. W. Alison occupied the chair. The annual report read as follows : —“ In presenting the annual report and balancesheet of the club, your committee have much pleasure in congratulating you on the result of the first season’s operations. As you are aware, the club was at the latter end of the year only spoken of, and after several meetings was eventually formed, and having affiliated with the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, held its first meeting on the 11th of February, and it is gratifying to know that the maiden efforts of your club have resulted in a profit of £9 14s Id. The club must feel proud of their position when it is remembered the strong opposition it had to contend with, and should the success that has attended your first season be continued through the ensuing year it will be hoped that when the time arrives for the next annual meeting a more gratifying result may be laid before you. Your committee recommend that an effort should be made to form a permanent ground, where the club can hold its meetings, and also to consider the advisibility of laying down a cycling track, for with every kind of material suitable near at hand they think it would not be a difficult or expensive matter to deal with. When formed it would not only tend to give better financial results, but also to make your club more popular.” The balance-sheet showed the receipts for the year to be £72 7s 2d, and the expenditure £65 13s Id, leaving a balance in hand of £6 14s Id. The assets of the club were. £9 14s Id. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year :—Patron, His Worship the Major of Devonport (Mr E. W. Alison) ; vice-patrons, Dr Roberts and Mr W. Philcox ; president, Mr W. Buchanan ; vice-presidents, Messrs. J. J. Swinnerton, E. W. Burgess, and A. Harvey; committee, Messrs. R. Logan. 0. Waters, R. Inglis, F. Burgess, H. Campbell, G. S. Johnston, A. G. Harvey, G. B. Beere, R. H. McCallum ; treasurer, Mr H. Boyd ; hon. secretary, Mr R. Wynyard. An unusual incident occurred on July 7 in the course of a cricket match at Lord’s between Middlesex and Sussex. During the innings of the former, a ball from Guttridge rebounded from the hands of Tate, the wicketkeeper, and removed both bails. Tate replaced one bail and C. P. Foley, who was batting, the other, .and for this act Guttridge appealed, the umpire giving the batsman out. So soon as he had ascertained the facts, however, W. L Murdoch, the Sussex captain, went to the pavilion arid requested Foley to continue his innings, and so the incident terminated, Murdoch’s detion meeting with the full Approval of the cricket

opinion assembled in the pavilion. Regarding the incident, The Field says: “ The return of the batsman at the very urgent request of Murdoch, whose attitude in the matter must meet with commendation throughout the cricketing community, after he had been given out by the umpire, is justified on the ground that the laws do not provide for the giving out of a batsman for replacing a bail. An umpire’s fiat is final only when made within the provisions of the rules, otherwise one might have all manner of fancy decisions.” The Cape Times of June 7th contains a full report of the proceedings in the case of Logan v Read and A sh. It rose out of the tour of the Cape team arranged by W. W. Read and E. Ash, and the promoters getting short of cash they asked Mr Logan to join them and plank down Mr Logan provided the but declares he never acted as a partner, and here it is where the difference of opinion arose. Of course, if Mr Logan had been a partner he must have stood the risk of probable loss, but in his evidence he stated it was advanced as a loan and what is more to the point, the Chief Justice of the colony believed him, and gave a verdict against Read and Ash for the amount claimed, together with costs, so that Read and Ash will have to pay. The evidence of W. W. Read and W. L. Murdoch was taken on commission in England, and if the statements in the Cape Times are correct, it shows a peculiar fondness for money on the part of some cricket amateurs. W. W. Read is alleged to have said in his sworn declaration that he had arranged to receive the sum of beyond his expenses, and W. L. Murdoch, although he did not get what he anticipated, actually received in addition to his expenses, Now what does this mean ? asks the Athletic N?ws. If it means anything it is that some of our amateurs are actually being paid for their services in the cricket field, and at a bigger rate than the professionals.