ASSOCIATION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1765, 2 June 1913, Page 6

ASSOCIATION.

SOMD NECK AND NECK MATCHES,

Porfoct weather prevailed for Saturday « Association games. The grounds were in good condition also. These circumstances were responsible for somo very interesting games. With tho exception of the Co-rinthians-Swifts struggle tho games wero very closo indeed. Four teams played drawn matches, while two games ended in a win by the narrow margin of ono goal to nil. In tho Swifts-Corinthians fixeuro tho lnttor team had a "walk-over to the tune of six goals to o.no. The following aro tho results of matches' played: Corinthians ... 6 Swifts i 1 Thistle 1 Ro«fs ® Hospital 1 Br> iklyn United 0 Y.M.C.A 3 PirtTnonds 3 St. John's 2 Brooklyn 2 DIAMONDS & Y.M.C.A, A fast and, at times, exciting game was witnessed by tho largo crowd of specta-' tors that stood, on the line at. the Basin Reserve on Saturday and followed tho devclopmonts of tnc con lost between Y.M.C.A. ajid Diamonds. True, tho stylo of play was not scientific enough to satisfy fastidious critics, but thoro ivas A vigour and alertness, about each team that put plenty of vim into tho match. Generally speaking the teams were fairly matchcd', although tho ono was strong where the other was weak—l.M.C.A. ex-) celled iu combination, while Diamonds were superior in individual play, j his meeting of unlikos _ really provided tho variety which giivo interest to the match, for afe fast as a Diamond forward spurted it way, tho rear division of the x.m.G.a. dosed up and shut the door in his face, • so td speak. Conversely, tho combUV-Hi. rushes of tho Y.M.C.A. vanguard wero frequently broken up by a piratical manoeuvre on tho part of a fleet winger-, on tho opposite side, whose clover footwork enabled him to slip the ball away nn<l so turn the attack. Y.M.C.A. wero tho first to score, IVithington Heading through a .clover pasa from CtirruUcra,

Diamonds evened matters shortly afterwards, profiting by a free-kick, taken by Ferguson. Up and down play, followed iby some easy-going cut-and-nm tactics in midfield, featured the remainder o£ tho. Bpell, no further score resulting. ■, The second. Spell opened rather tamely, "but a3 the player 3 warmed lip to their work matters became more ' interesting. The first eve*it of importance was Witt ington's failure to soore from a free-kick just outside the Diamonds' penalty area. This was followed, some minutes later, by another penalty-kick for. Y.JI.C.A,— and another miss, tho ball flying over the .bar.. At' this stage Diamonds were having the worse of the game, the Y.M.C.A. men Crowding thq goul-mouth and sending in some hot shots, and from one of these tiro, ball was headed through—two to nil. The ball was no sooner in play apain than tho Y.M.C.A. men again, came down, and Phillips scored their thiTd goal. Diamonds now retaliated, and after some ozciting play A. Lowe lessened the odds with a high dropping shot. Then followed a struggle for a drawn game, as the end of the game was in sight. Jjiyersage made a splendid run up tho wing, cot through, and 600 red for the Blacks with a hard angle' drive—three all. Ani so the game ended. . Mr. J. B. Paton wob the referee. ; CORINTHIANS & SWIF.TB. ; Superior combination on the part •. of . Corinthians was responsible for the downfall of Swifts on Kelburne Park. The Black and Whites beat the Beds all the way and when the wliistl© blew, tho score was: Corinthians, 6; Swifts, 1. Play a® they would Swifts were no match for their opponents on the day. On the few occai 6ions on which the Beds did, manage to get near the enemy's citadel they lacked finishing power. On the other hand Corinthians made every post a winning post. The forwards showed- excellent combination ; in' fact, caoh member of tho team seemed to have a perfect nnderstandinff ■with his fellows. Swifts forwards battled hard, and individually they covered a lot of ground. Had the energies displayed, in this direction been put towards placing tho ball to each other and combining play there might have been a different tale to tell. Tho first score of the match came from tx penalty awarded to Corinthians. It was a doubtful ono, but Ives took the kick and mado no mistake. Again Corinthians came at the attack and playing well, together pressed their opponents. The rcault was a.corner kick and Roberts, cen- • tring ' nicelv, enabled C. O'Shea to l send tho ball along to Ballard who put on the finishing touch. Within a foiv minutes the samo player was again . responsible . for adding another point to his side s total and when half-time was called, Corinthians were three up. On resuming Swifts mado one or two spasmodic attempts to score. On occasions they looked dangerous, but'the Corinthian backs were always handy. Once and once only, did a real chance come, and Mount was quick to take advantago of it. At this stage tho score wa9! Swifts; 1; Corinthians, 3. Shortly afterwards the Black and Whites set to work again and three more goals came in quick succession, Hart (2) and Ballard being responsible for the scores. When the final whistle blew Corinthians were still attacking strongly. Mr, 11. Claughton was tho referee. HOSPITAL & BROOKLYN UNITED, Once again Hospital were sorely tried and this time it was at the ha.nds of the new senior club, Brooklyn United. Last year's champions only managed to beat the new club by ono goal to nil. but it is safe to say that it.'was BrooklynTJnited's goalkeeper, Belhamie, who saved them from a more serious defeat. It was his "day out'" and he played really well. On the day's play ho was equal to any goal-keeper who ha 9 been seen in Wellington during recent years. Time and timo'ogain he saved what appeared to be oertain shots. On one' or two occasions the ball came away like a rocket from, the boot of a Hospital but thero was' Belhamie, as steady as a rook. ' After a. lot 'of _ give-and-take play in which tho'United backs showed up to advantage the first 6pell. ended with, no score on either side. During the second half Hospital had things all their own wAy, but with'one exception they did not manage to got past Belhamie. The only goal of tho match was scored by Skinner. Hughes, Hospital's contre, secured the ball, dud taking it to within six ynrds of Brooklyn United's goal-keeper, banged it in with all his might. Belhamio attempted to sate ,< in brilliant style, but Skinner secured from the rebound and before the agile 'keeper oould get back into position tho ball was dancing about in the net. Hospital. 1; Brooklyn United, 0. The game ended without further score. Mr. B. Wind ley was the referee, THISTLE & ROVERS. After their achievement of the previous Saturday,, when they defeated.tho Hospital men by two to one. Thistles wore expected to inflict a crashing defeat on Bovers at Wakefield Park on Saturday. Instead of that, they had enough to do to save their faces, for Rovers unexpectedly presented l a good solid front, and put their opponents to no end of trouble before being defeated by one goal to nil. Thistles clearly underestimated the enemy's strength, and the match had progressed for some time before that fact dawned upon them. • IVom the kick-off the superiority of the Thistles was quitfe -maniCest, and they had no difficulty in breaking through on frequent occasions, but their attacks failed in front of Rovers' goal-mouth by reason of caroler centring from tho wings, and inacourato Snooting. Tho Blues rook matters easily dining the first spell, evidently intending to their opponents' when .the chance of sidfcs £ave them the advantage, of the strong wind that blew down the field, and when tho whistle blew the scoring account was blank. Immediately on tho change of sides Thistles pressed 'their opponents,, and gave the Kovers' goalkeeper an, opportiin-. lty—of. Which, to his credit, he took—to makis a name for himself. Several, good chances wero simply thrown away by the Thistle forwards, through bad shooting, and it was not hntil within tho last ton ami mites otplay that Loadsman, who had missed badly ij make good ih front -of tho goal-mouth, shot the ball through, and so , won tho match for his side. 1 ST, JOHN'S & BROOKLYN. A drawn game was. the -result of. the oonlest at Mirama-r between St. John's and Brooklyn. For two teams whose performances so far have not provided anything very sensational, tho match proved to hi an interesting tussle between evenlymatched opponents, and Brooklyn gained their first point in the championship ladder, leaving Rovers how on tho bottom rung. St. John's were the first to score, Bryant effecting a smart counter to th'o goal-keeper's retarn. from a -shot by Trevetlnck. Matters were equalised, inadvertently, by one of tho St. John's men a few minutes later heading tho ball through his own goal, and the spell ended 01,0 IT In the second soell botli teams played with znst, quickened by a score for the hillraeri by Davis. St. John's battled for a long time to even the odds, but it "was not until Wear tho end of the gane that Bruce equalisM for his side, and so the frame erxied —two all. Mr. J. Duffy wag the referee.