ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM IN AUCKLAND

New Zealand Tablet, 23 July 1908, Page 12

ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAM IN AUCKLAND

(From an Occasional Correspondent.) The St. Patrick's College Football Team of nineteen players, under the care of the Very Rev. Father Keogh, S.M. (Rector), and accompanied by Rev. Fathers Graham and Gilbert, of the College staff, arrived at Auckland on July 1. The visitors were met by the members of the St. John's Collegiate School Football Team, and representatives of the clergy, the St. Patrick's College ' Old Boys,' and the Sacred Heart College. The team was the first southern college team to. visit Auckland, and consequently the visit was of more than passing interest to the people of the northern city. As not one of the nineteen members of the touring team had ever been in Auckland before, the tour was quite an event in the boys' lives, and they spent the time left to them after fulfilling their numerous engagements in seeing the various points of interest in and around the city. On Wednesday evening the visitors were present at a lecture by the Rev. Father Edge ; and on Thursday, in the Municipal Council Chambers, Mr. A. M. Myers (Mayor of Auckland) extended to the Rector and boys a public welcome to the city. After the boys had been introduced to his Worship by Mr. M. J. Sheahan (chairman of the Auckland Rugby Union), the Mayor said that it gave him great pleasure to be able to welcome, on behalf of the citizens of Auckland, the Very Rev. Father Keogh and the boys of St. Patrick's College to the city. The Rector was too well known throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion to need any praise from him on the successes that had attended his work in the educational world, but he (Mr. Myers) felt it his duty to congratulate St. Patrick's College at having such a brilliant man at the head of its affairs. The Mayor then went on to show that St. Patrick's, though the home of every branch of pure athletic sport, was shown by the results of the annual examinations to be equally successful in the field of intellectual development. Mr. M. J. Sheahan, on behalf of the Auckland Rugby Union, extended a warm welcome to the visitors. He remarked that while such men as his Worship the Mayor and the Very Rev. Father Keogh took an interest in pure sport, and while the colleges played good football, there was no need to fear that professionalism could ever seriously affect the Rugby game in New Zealand. The Very Rev. the Rector of St. Patrick's, in reply, thanked the Mayor for the very kindly manner in which his boys and himself had been received, and said that their visit had been .rendered all the more enjoyable by the fact that such a wellknown and widely-respected Mayor had spared the time to honor them with a mayoral welcome to the beautiful city of Auckland. 'After referring to the great progress made by Auckland, the Very Rev. Father Keogh concluded by thanking the Mayor for his generous offer of a shooting cup, and promised that the St. Patrick's College Cadet^ Volunteers would do their best to win it- He then called for three cheers for the Mayor, which were vigorously given. His Worship then reiterated his words of .welcome, and expressed the hope that the visitors would have a pleasant stay in Auckland. He then led three cheers for tie respected Rector of St. Patrick's, and with three more for the Auckland Rugby Union the proceedings terminated. On Thursday evening, in St. Benedict's Hall, the ' Old Boys"' of St. Patrick's College now resident in Auckland tendered a welcome conversazione to the representatives of their Alma Mater. There were about 350 persons present, including Professor Seager (of the Auckland University College), Mr. J. W. Tibbs (Auckland Grammar School) and staff, Rev. P. S. Smallfield (St. John's Collegiate School), Rev. Brother Paul (Sacrc-d Heart College), Mr. M. J. Sheahan (Auckland Rugby Union),

and the members -of the 'football teams of the three colleges. The hall was tastefully decorated with greenery, etc., the college colors forming a prominent feature of the decorations. Mr. W. Fallon, on behalf of the Old, Boys, .welcomed the Rector and team to Auckland. He spoke of the great interest in college affairs that was always taken by his fellow Old Boys, and proceeded to give some good advice to the boys as. from ' an elder brother.' > Professor Seager, M.A., said "it gave him very great pleasure to assist in welcoming the St. Patrick's College team on behalf of the University. Besides being the representatives of secondary education, they were the embodiment of pure sport— of football as it should be played,— and he trusted that their visit would be the forerunner of many more of t.he same nature. The Rev. Mr. Smallfield (headmaster St. John's Collegiate School) and Mr. J. W. ! Tibbs (headmaster Auckland Grammar School) also welcomed the visitors. A long programme of musical items was interspersed throughout the evening, amongst those taking part being the Misses _ Knight (2), Kelly, and Amodeo, and Messrs. McElwain, Bagnall, Jackson, and Asberry. A dainty supper was in charge of an energetic ladies' committee. After the supper had been done justice to, the Rector replied to the various speeches of welcome. He said he felt deeply honored by the fact that such a large and representative gathering had assembled that evening to welcome the boys and himself, and he owed a debt of gratitude to the ' Old Boys,' who had prepared such a magnificent entertainment. He concluded by extending an invitation to all present to visit the college whenever they might be passing through Wellington. On Friday evening the team was present by invitation -at a euchre party, held in the Royal Albert Hall in connection with the Marist Brothers' Old Boys' Club. On Saturday afternoon the first match of the tour was played against the St. John's Collegiate School at Alexandra Park as a curtain-raiser to the Auckland-Thames representative fixture. St. Patrick's was represented by the following team : Full back, Baker ; three-quarters— W. Maher, Cullen, Stewart ; five-eights, Devoy (captain) and Ryan ; half, Gallagher ; forwards — Rochford (wing), Burke, Butler, Uutram, Lynch, Cameron, Maher, and Coakley. The ' New Zealand Herald ' contained the following report of the match : — The finished manner in which the students from the Empire City handled and kicked the ball and their clever tactics speak well for the efficient manner in which they are coached. The team came with 4 lengthy record of victories, and they played right up to the traditions of their side. The local team were not a powerful side, and were valiantly defending their line practically the whole of the game., Maher opened up the scoring account of St. Patrick's, and then Cameron, Cullen, Rochford, and Gallagher scored tries before the spell ended. Ryan failed in each instance at the kick at goal. Playing against the wind in the second spell, St. Patrick's were seen to even better advantage, their long line of backs and clever flip passing completely nonplussing St. John's. In this spell tries were scored by Cullen (2), Ryan, and Rochford. The last try was converted by Ryan, and the game ended : St. Patrick's 29 points, St. John's nil. The visitors were, slightly heavier than the local side. Mr. H. Frost made a very efficient referee. At the conclusion of the Thames-Auckland match the two college teams proceeded to St. John's Collegiate School at Onehunga, where they were welcomed by the Rev. P. S. Smallfield, the deservedly popular headmaster. After a visit of inspection around the college, both teams"*sat down to dinner in the dining hall of the college. Rev. Mr.- Smallfield presided, and there were present Very Rev. Father Keogh, Rev. Fathers Graham and Gilbert, and Brother Paul. Very Rev. Father Keogh, in replying to the toast of ' St. Patrick's College,! said it gave him great pleasure to see the friendly manner in which that afternoon's game had been contested. He thanked St. John's for the kindness his team had received "from them ; they were the first to" extend the welcome hand of friendship when the visitors landed at ' Onehunga,' and he would never forget the way in which the teams had fraternised after the match. ' • _ Mr. Mark Devoy, in replying to the toast bf ' St. Patrick's Football Team,' said that only one team could win, and fortune favored his team that day. He hoped— arid the team were of the same opinion — that they would be able to play St: Jfihn's in Wellington on .some future accasion. - ' On Sunday morning the team attended 11 o'clock Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, and in the evening the boys were present at the Sacred Heart Church, Porisonby.

On Monday evening the .team* were present at a .Maori entertainment by the Rev. Bennett's' Maori Mission Choir from Ohinemutu, and the many native customs, dances, and games proved of great interest to the boys. On Tuesday afternoon the Rector and team -visited the Auckland Grammar School, where the whole school (some 400 ' boys) were gathered in the Assembly Hall to welcome them. On entering the hall, after being shown through the school, the visitors received quite an ovation, the applause which greeted their entrance being very loud and prolonged. Mr. J. W. Tibbs, in welcoming the party-to the school, said the fame of St. Patrick's College had preceded the team, and spoke in' terms 'of welcome to the representatives of such a college. Very Rev. Father Keogh, in reply, thanked Mr. Tibbs for the opportunity afforded him of seeing through such a noted school as the Grammar School, which was recognised as the foremost educational establishment in New Zealand. On Wednesday the visiting collegians were entertained at lunch at the Sacred Heart College by the Marist Brothers. After lunch the St. Patrick's team drove to Alexandra Park, to try conclusions with the Auckland Grammar School fifteen, which they succeeded in defeating by 6 points to nil. The ground was in a wretchedly muddy and slippery condition, thus militating against the fast and tricky St. Patrick's backs, and the game resolved itself into a forward tussle. The teams were very even in size, and the slight advantage in' weight was with the local team. The St. Patrick's team consisted of the following : — Full back, McCormack ; three-quarters — Cullen, Baker, W. Maher ; five-eights, Devoy (captain) and Ryan ; half, Gallagher ; forwards — Butler, Mahoney, Outram, M. Maher, Lynch, Cameron, Coakley, Rochford (wing). The ' Auckland Star ' reported the match as follows : — The Grammar School won the toss, and the visitors played" with a dazzling sun in their eyes. The local team set up a hot attack, but failed to score, owing to their backs being unable to put the finishing touches to their work. St. Patrick's were almost entirely on the defensive in the first half, and only on rare occasions did they invade their opponents* territory, the attack on each occasion being short-lived. The spell ended without score on either side. When play was it was at once apparent that Grammar were a beaten team. St. Patrick's got all over their opponents, who appeared to have exhausted themselves by their strenuous play in the earlier stages ; and although they scored two tries, they should have secured several others. Half way through the spell a St. Patrick's player, from a mark; cross-kicked, and Baker securing, ran in and scored amid applause. Ryan's kick at goal failed. Shortly afterwards Gallagher secured from a scrum and whipped out to W. Maher, who ran round on the blind side, and racing down to the full back, swerved past him and scored. The position was not a difficult one, but Coakley failed. St. Patrick's continued to attack, but did not increase their score, and the game ended : St. Patrick's 6 points, Grammar nil. There was a large attendance at the match, every seat on the grandstand being occupied. Mr. H. Frost gave every satisfaction as referee. - During the inter-collegiate matches in -'Auckland the St. Patrick's line was not crossed, nor were they once forced. On Thursday morning the visitors were shown over the Leyland and O'Brien and Kauri Timber Company's mills. The visits proved of great educational va,lae, the- various processes by which a huge kauri tree becomes a collection of planed boards being explained at great length by the company's chief engineer. After the visit to the mills the team were present at St. Mary's Convent at a matinee given in their honor by the convent pupils. A pleasing musical programme was contributed by Misses Jones, Amodeo, Sara, White, Kelly, andTa chorus by the pupils was greatly appreciated. Miss O'Donnell read an address of welcome from the Sisters and pupils of St.' Mary's Convent School to the Rector and students of St. Patrick's. The Rector, on behalf of the -visitors, thanked the Sisters and their pupils for the kindly sentiments expressed ,in the address, and also for the enjoyable musical programme to which they had listened. After the Rector had asked for and obtained a holiday for the convent pupils, the visitors were entertained at luncheon by the Sisters. . 1 After luncheon the college party drove to St. John's Anglican Theological College at Tamaki, some seven miles from town, which was reached a little before 3 o'clock. The Rev. Scott-Moncrieff, Warden of St. John's, welcomed the party, and the students , 7 took charge of the visitors and escorted them around the interesting old buildings. After a visit to ' The

Glen,'- a beautiful piece of natural native bush in the grounds, afternoon tea was served in'the hall. - The Rector, in thanking Mr. Moncrieff and the students for their invitation to St. John's, spoke of the great pleasure it gave him when he received an invitation to visit Tamaki. St. John's was connected with many memories of the past, and its historic associations rendered' it the most interesting place the team had visited in Auckland. In the evening the visitors were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Casey at their residence in Ponsonby. Music and games delighted the large number of guests. On Friday morning the team visited the kauri gum stores of the Hon. E. Mitchelson, who presented each member of the party with a piece of kauri gum as a souvenir of the visit. They then journeyed across the harbor to pay a visit of inspection to, the Colonial Sugar Company's Refining Works at Chelsea. In the afternoon they visited Devonport and tried conclusions with the Whaia-a-mua (Ladies' ) Hockey Team on the North Shore Cricket Ground. As none of the visitors had ever before handled a hockey stick, they were fortunate in being defeated by the narrow margin of 5 goals to 4. In the evening the visitors were entertained at a. dinner in the Esplanade Hotel, «Devonport, by Mr. J. J. O'Brien. The kindness of their host was much appreciated by the collegians. Rev. Father Furlong, the popular pastor of Devonport, was also present. After the dinner the visitors were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien at an enjoyable evening at their beautiful residence at Cheltenham Beach, where a choice musical programme contributed to the evening's enjoyment. On the ferry-boat, on the return journey to town, the Very Rev. Father Keogh said that as this was the last occasion on which they would all be together he would take the opportunity of presenting Mr. Paul Kavanagh, their Auckland manager, with a small souvenir of an enjoyable stay in Auckland. He said that it was the unanimous wish of the boys that ' some recognition of the recipient's untiring efforts in their behalf should be made, and he had therefore much pleasure in handing him a pair of gold sleeve-links, suitably inscribed. Mr. Kavanagh in reply said that he was so completely taken by surprise that he was quite at a loss to find words to express his thanks for the handsome present with which the Rector and boys had honored him. His slight services in making their stay as pleasant as possible would have been unavailing only for the magnificent assistance he had received Tfrom every person with whom he came in contact. On Saturday morning, at the earnest wish of the Sisters and pupils of St. Mary's Convent, the postponed hockey match took place at the convent grounds. Though this was the first public appearance of the convent hockey team, they were victorious by the handsome margin of four goals to one. In the afternoon the college team left by the Waikare for Napier, a large crowd of well-wishers being on the wharf to see them off. As the gangway was hauled in the local residents gave three cheers for their parting guests, who replied with cheers for the people of Auckland. And so ended the interesting tour of the first college team to visit the northern city.