WITH THE "ALL BLACKS."

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14842, 6 December 1913, Page 5

WITH THE "ALL BLACKS."

SUCCESS AFTER SUCCESS. BAD PLAYING GROUNDS. (By our Special Corresi>ondent with the Team.) SAN FRANCISCO, November 5. With the conclusion of the Portola Festival, on tho 2oth October, the city quietened down considerably, and the large number of visitors took their departure in all directions. On the morning of Tuesday, October 28th, the members of the team, on the invitation of the Commander, visited tho United States battleship, Pittsburg, which lying at anchor in San Francisco Bay. We were taken off to the ship in tyro pinuaces ; and ivera received on the quarter deck by tho Commander and his officers, the ship's ban»l playing "God Save the King." After partaking of refreshments in tho gunroom we were shown all over tho vessel, everyone on board doing his best to make our visit r an enjoyable one and succeeding admirl.ably. After further hospitality our manager conveyed to the Commander and hie staff the thanks of the New Zealanders for their kindness, and ; after an exchange of compliments we left the ship to tho accompaniment of lusty cheers from tho assembled crew. On our return to the city we accepted an invitation to lunch at the St. Francis Hotel with Mr W. Cairns Harper, a Melbourne gentleman, who was a fellow passenger with us on the Willochra, and has been in constant touch with the boys since our arrival here. That evening wo left for Reno by the night express, arriving there t in time for breakfast at the Riverside Hotel, where wo were quartered. Tho University of Nevada provided automobiles and we were taken for a drive to the University and for a few miles into the country. We visited Moana Springs where Jeffries trained for his fight with Jack Johnson, whose training quarters we also called at. AGAINST NEVADA UNIVERSITY. In the aftornoon we took the field against a team from the University of Nevada on the Mackay field, a pretty ground within the University precincts, with a good grass sward. In spite of strong protestations by tho manager and captain we could not get our opponents to play longer than 25 minute spells, the shortest that we have yet played. It may t have been only a coincidence but we learned later that tho coach of tne team had wagered that the New Zealanders would' not put up more points against them than they had scored against Stanford! Tho game was not very interesting, for, although the ' Varsity men held us for the first ten minutes, our fellows then monopolised tho play, and before the end of the game had put up a score of 55 points to nil. Tries were scored by Douglas (3), Stohr (2), Murray (2), Graham, Cain, Downing, Mitchmson, Wylie and Mackenzie, while Graham converted seven tries and Stohr one. Fifty-five points in fifty minutes' play is fairly rapid scoring and speaks very little for the defensive powers of the Nevadans. OVER THE SIERRAS. We lofb Reno next morning at 9 o'clock, and greatly enjojed the day's ride over tho Sierras. The enormous engines which draw the trains up the steep grades greatly interested us, and the steady crawl up to the height of over 7000 feet, " together with the grand scenery of the canyons wore a source of wonderment and interest. San Francisco was reached at about 8.15 p.m., and very soon after we were again in our old quarters at the Hotel Manx. Our stay, however, was a very brief one, as on the following day "we left for Berkeley, where we were scheduled to play our third game against the Uni-_ versity of California. The long spejl" of dry weather which had been experienced in' California broke during the day, and it rained steadily all night. When we arose next morning it had subsided into a wretched driazle, which boded ill for our game on the dirt field. The teams put in an appearance at the training quarters at tne scheduled time, but upon inspection the ground was found to be in a dreadful condition, and, after a consultation between the respective authorities,., it was decided to postpone the game until tho following Monday, when, it was- to be played wet or fine. IN THE MUD. Next day, Sunday, brought no improvement in the weather, but on Monday morning the eun broke through for a while, and the prospects for our game brightened a little. Play was fixed to commence at 4 p.m., at which hour some hundreds of students and a sprinkling of visitors had arrived at the ground, which was still in a dreadful state, and quite unfit to play upon. The dirt had become thick, oozy mud, which was at least six inches deep, and the condition of the playing area after a few minutes' use is 6in>ply indescribable, and was worse than the dirtiest stockyard in the back blocks of New Zealand. The players sank to. their boot tops, and the ball was soon a shapeless mass of mud, with a football in the middle of it. The men were not distinguishable, all being "Blacks,' , and their features wore hidden in mud. To put up a score of thirty-three points on such a ground was a great performance and our fellows certainly earned every try that they got. ! Mr W. W. Hill, who camo over from Sydney to referee in the Inter-Colle-i giate game, refereed in this match. Tries were scored by McDonald (4), R. Roberts (2), Murray (2), McGregor, Lynch, and Cuthill, but conversion was quite out of the question, and was not attempted. The ehort spells insisted upon in California have been a eource of irritation to our fellows, but I did I not hear any complaint against only j playing thirty minute epelle on this momorable occasion.' BACK IN SAN FRANCISCO.

On the night of the match we were entertained at dinner at tho Mint Inn by some of the British, residents of San Francisco, and a very pleasant evening was spent. The chair was taken by Dr. Wilson Shiels, an old Scottish Rugby player, and an accomplished toast mastar, and Ihe boys voted the evening aa one of the most delightful tour. We were scheduled to play St. Mary's College at Oakland on the but a continuation of the wet weather rendered their ground unplayable, while the University field at Berkeley was quite out of the question. This rendered a return to the city necessary, and we hoped that the fixture would be set down for the grass field at the Stadium, in Golden Gate Park, where we met the Santa Clara team during Portola Week. The stern necessity of money for tlie team's travelling expenses, however, entered into the question, and it was decided to play the match on St. Ignatius ground, the dirt field on which we played our first game. The change of. venne turned ont anything but wise, for the ! condition of the ground was little, if i any, better than the University ground, and only a handful of spectators put in an appearance. Two heavy . mud scrambles in three days was more than a \ joke, and qur fellows were loud in their ! condemnation of the grounds provided here for Rugby football. The game was not worth detailed description, the heavy mixture of soil and day renderingrunning almost an impossibility. Thirty-minute spells were played, and during the hour's play our team scored 26 points, their opponents being unable to register any score. Our scorers were E. Roberts (2 tries), Donglaa (2), Cuthill (2), R. Roberts and Loveridge. The ball was so heavy with, its coating of mud that only once did the scorers attempt a place kick at goal. TJiii was once when Douglas touched

down between the posts,.- end Dick Roberta managed to get sufficient force into his kick to lift the oval.over the crossbar. , During the game the referee ordered one of the St. Mary's College players off the field for striking Jim Graham, the burly, Otago forward. November 10th. On. Thursday morning (6th inst.), we left for Los Angeles, by steamer, at 11 a.m. the Californian Rugby Union having- decided, principally from financial reasons I understand, not to send us overland as originally arranged. Considerable dissatisfaction was felt by tho team at this sudden change ac the train would have taken us to our destination much quicker, and we should not have been so rushed to get off. However twenty of us embarked on the a.c. Queen, an old and slow tub, being assured that we should reach our destination about 9 a.m. the following day. At 11 a.m. on Friday, when we were told before leaving that we should be at our destination, we had only reached Santa Barbara where wo wasted i hours, and it was after 7 p.m. when wo reached Redondo, the nearest port to Los Angeles, where we were met by representatives from the Southern, University, and driven in automobiles to Los Angeles. ; Early in the morning » stnng of motor-cars drew up at the hotel and we were taken for a very pleasant drive through the city and around the adjacent country. The Cawston Ostrich Farm was first visited, and a most interesting hour was spent in inspecting the large flocks of birds there and listening to the information volunteered us by tho manager. . From there we drove through the lovely avenues and past the splendid residences of the millionaire residents to Pasadena and to the magnificent park and gardens which have been thrown open to the public by the late Adolph Busch. After a call at the Hotel Maryland for refreshments we returned to the city in time for early lunch, as the game was set down for 2.30 p.m. r ,

We were driven {to the convincing ground in the motor-cars, and on arrival found that a goodly number- of people had already arrived and taken their seats on the bleachers, as the stands here are called. The ground, known as the Bovard field (after President Bovard), is nicely situated in the University Grounds, and is the best dirt field that we have yet played on, so far as the surface is concerned, but it is very narrow, only 60 yards wide, while the goal-lines are very close to the building at one end and the fence at the other. Our line up was different to any previously played, the team being as fol-lows:—Full-back, Cuthill; three-quar-ters, Lynch, Mitchinson (centre), and •McGregor; five-eighths, Loveridge and McKeiurie: half, E. Roberts; forwards, Sellars, Williams, Atkinson, Downing, Graham, Cain, and Douglas; wing-for-ward, Murray. A local referee, Mr H. Elliott, controlled the game to the full satisfaction of both teams. From the kick-off, it was quite evident that the coach of the local team, Pat Higgins, the ex-Australian, had put in a lot of good work with his team, and had been using to the full, the points that he had gathered during the several of our games which he had witnessed. Our score at half-time was 19 to 0, consisting of five tries, two of which were converted. In the second half 21 points were scored, five tries being gained, of which three were converted. The scorers were: —Downing (2 tries), McGregor (2), E. Roberta, Douglas. Mitchinson, Loveridge, Lynch, and JbfcKenzie (1 try each). Graham, who is noTT recognised as our best short-distance place-kicker, converted five trieSjOur total score being 40 points to nil. The spells were one of 35 mimitea and one of 30 minutes. Our aggregate score .has now reached 42-1 points, as against 3 points scored against us. After dinner we were entertained at a smoke concert, at the Burbank Ball,

by the Sons of St. George, a society formed of British residents in * Los Angeles. A very pleasant couple of hours were spent, and, it being a lovely warm moonlight night, yre were driven out to Venice, a.popular seaside resort about 15 miles from the city. We were all delighted with Los Angeles and with the great kindness and hospitality shown us by our hosts, and general regret was felt at our only having one day there. The kindness and attention shown us by Host "Mitchell, of the, Hoi-" lenbeck Hotel, Mr Boyard, of the University, Coach' Higgins, Mr Huddleston and others will long he remembered. Taylor and Murray, with the consent of the manager, stayed behind and returned to San Francisco by train, leaving Los Angeles on the Tuesday morn ing. News of Stanford's victory by 13 to 8 over California University in tho "big gam©*' reached Los Angeles about 6 o'clock on Saturday evening, and was received with great enthusiasm by the Cardinal supporters in that ' city. The result came as a surprise to most people, as it was generally expected that the California team would prove the stronger combination.