FOOTBALL FRICTION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 624, 29 September 1909, Page 8

FOOTBALL FRICTION.

— . LEAGUE . MEN FORCIBLY TAKE BALL: .FROM AMATEURS. " .<■ (By' Tclcffraph-Spcctal'Cor.rcssoniicni.l ■. . Auckland," September 2". The .calm of. North Shore at the iirtseut time is being disturbed ; by rival football .-factions,• a great-many players-havin'g'sece<kd,from'the 'Rugby: game and joincd'.'tho .Northern' Union' League.' A club has been formed by thq men. to , play under'itho new . code,.. and they call• themselves ; tho North. Shore -Albions,; being , mostly composed..-of North, Shore residents. They applied to: the .Borough .Council' for' a . playing. ground', ' casting. their riiit, mbre 'paraculany .for the. fqotball'.ground'which has . been occupied for years by . the North,'Shoro District 'Football Club. Several deputations' have waited on tlio council in' ; regard to ground matters, representatives from both.parties,par- . ticipating, but the council refused to interfere. . ~, , • - , ■ j. '. . 1 Ilia Rugby club; being in- possession, strbngly resent, any encroachment on their ground; therefore, tho Deyonport Fire Brigade applied to.the Auckland Rugby Union, for the Use of the-ground, on September 25;. and were, graritbd; permission. The officers.of the.district. club then inferred that the fire; brigade would', play ; . a match' against their ' team.. The. brigade,' however, entered-into. negotiations .-with -the '■■■ North Shore,Albionc, but.it was not''uhtil'th* : .teams-were published that'tile, fun',began. \-Th|r North Shore District Club officials then 1 awok* ' with' a start, and announcements were; mad«. that thofirebrigado'would play ateam of.ah' ' comers, under Rugby Union 1 rules. ' .The; posi., tion.. was ■ interesting when tho' firobrigade team and .tlio North Shore. Albions ;iii 'i'ancj dreSs assembled at" the brigade' station; t and marched'-to■''Victoria 1 Wharf,-and thenco to 1 the. Domain. '/, .'v On-' arrival ■at ' the playing area they found a team in occupancy; kicking a ball - about. ' These . players wanted, the firo- brigado' team :to play ° them,- and thus savo' several members fromlosing.their Rugby Union status. The brigade, howeveiy decided to play the match with the Albions, but they had' no ball.', and nil over- ' tares, to<. district, players,.'for the .'.loan. of 'their ball, failed to. sccure .thai article. • * , ■' Proceedings had become fhroical, and- heated .arguments between rival officials only added to the hilarity ;of affairs. , v Finally, folding peaceful methods of securinj the ball n failure, the-'Northern Union players resorted to force, and a member of'tile district team,- who ob* stiuntely refused, to part .with ,the leather, was roughly handled '.by a,"couple of'.players, ,\vho eventually dragged the ball awav. from, .the' -.determined clutches.of > the;local; one.:iu\d car-•. 'ried. it '.off., amid ''threats' of legal .jiroceediuCT . 1 froui : tho fectfrctary'. of the" district' cliib. a '•