BROWN SHIELD LOST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1819, 4 August 1913, Page 6

BROWN SHIELD LOST.

ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.

CANTERBURY BEATS WEL LINGTON,

WINNERS AND REFEREE HOOTED,

Canterbury (the challengers) defeated Wellington (the holders) in the representative Association match for the Brown Shield by two goals to one on Saturday afternoon, and tho trophy went south by tho Mnraroa that saino evening. Judging by the unseemly demonstration which was made by a large section of tho 1!SOO spectators who witnessed tho match on the Basin Hcservo, the Wellington crowd appeared to bo very poor losers. At the conclusion of a splendid match, contested in good spirit throughout, the referee (a 6tranger from Auckland) «nd the Canterbury team were hooted repeatedly. Wellington's team had been tho subject of much adverso criticism before it tcok the field, an<l play in the first spell offered some justification for it. It had been freely'objected that the ivay tho forward line had been placed was a mistake, and evidently tho selectors realised this becauso when the teams lined out after half-time the vajiguard was seen to have undergone a complete change, and as events proved later, a change for the bettor. Barnett was transferred from inside left to outside right, and Loadsman from outsido right to the inside position, whilst Gibson went across to Barnett's placo and becaino associated with A. Lowe on the left wing. It took the players ..about half an hour to get used to their hew positions, but after that Canterbury, who had had things practically all their own way, wero held in check somewhat. Tho gamo is said to have been the best that has ever been witnessed in Wellington, and exoitement ran high during the whole of tho time that the teams wero on the field. When Wellington looked like scoring the crowd roared itself hoarse, but when Canterbury got within shooting distanco there was hardly a Murmur. During the closing stages of the ,gamo tho air becuino electric. The scores wero one all, when suddenly Canterbury's two left wing men were seen to get away. Wellington stood still and the refereo motioned them to play on. It was too late, liowover, and with only Wellington's two full-backs and tho goal-keeper to stop them, away the southern men went and netted tho winning goal amidst hoots from tho crowd. Why did Wellington' stop playing? The referee did not blow his whistle to discontinue play, and it was while he was consulting watches with a linesman that Wellington stopped playing. Tho referee motioned them to go on, but Can-' terbury played to tho whistle. Wellington apparently were waiting for the whistle to blow. This lost them tho. shield. Over ,£9O was taken at the gates.

First Spell Canterbury's.^ The ground was in perfect condition and Wellington kicked off against a light southerly wind. Canterbury were won on the attack and within a mntite of the commencement a score looked certain but Parsons relieved with a powerful kick. The visitors played with beautiful combination, and for several miiiutes WellinKton. were in sore straits. Norman, the visitors' centro forward, secured, and with excellent judgment dribbled the ball from about the half-way line uast and round half a dozen Wellington men. 111 front of the goal he beat Cross badly and shot into the corner of the net.' Canterbury, 1; Wellington, 0. Canterbury adopted the short passing game, and it told. Wellington could not break up tho splendid dash and combination of the visitors. The remaindor of < tho spell was featured by several promising crises in front of both goals in turn, but tho hopes of the spectators were not realised. The goal-keepers' were wary and alerti and! between prompt saves and reckless shooting the odds against Wellington were unaltered when the whistle blew.

A Sensational Finale. Lively and exciting play characterised the second spell, and at times Canterbury's passing rushes were brilliant pieces of work. At the outset the visitors made the pace warm, and attacked even more strongly than they did in the first half. After a succession of narrow squeaks at either end, Wellington scored. Trom a mediocre pieco of play amongst the forwards, Lowe obtained possession, aad, working the ball prettily forward, just tapped it into the net above Luke's liead. The goalkeeper had been caught napping. Wellington, 1; Canterbury, 1. Excitement ran high when Canterbury again broke away in perfect order. Roots stopped a dangerous rush, however, and pla.v was transferred to the opposite end. Wellington's score had put new life into the game. Amidst lusty exhortations from the crowd, Lowe shot into the goal, and the lwll was returned. ■ Gibson, who was in an offside position, netted it. but the goal was not allowed, and the resulting frSe-kick relieved the pressuro against Canterbury. In the last fifteen minutes of tho play frequent exchanges took place between the teams, culminating in the sonsation of tho day. Canterbury took, a goal-kick, and set the ball in motion. A whistle (not the refereo's) blow somewhere, and the Wellington forwards stood still. Canterbury's left-wing men continued af top speed. Hollis sawtwo determined Red and Blacks coming down the field, lie was nonplussed. A Wellington full-back made a'feeble atr tempt to stop tho onslaught. It was no use, however, and before anybody knew what had actually happened, Taylor had landed the Ixall in the net, literally snatching the Brown Shield from Wellington half-a-mimito before the whistle blew for time. Canterbury, 2; Wellington, 1. Mr. Dawson, of Auckland, was referee, and Messrs. Ramsay (Canterbury) anil Windley (Wellington) were linesmen.

TEAMS ENTERTAINED. Tho Wellington Football Association on Saturday night entertained the Canterbury visitors at a dinner in tho New Zealander Hotel. Mr. J. B. Baton presided. ]Joth representative teams attended in full force, and an excellent spirit of cordiality prevailed. Mr. J. B. Baton proposed the toast ''The Visitors," and handed tho Brown Shield over to Mr. W. Ramsay, tho manager of the Canterbury team. Mr. Paton remarked, inter alia, that it was not altogether an unpleasant duty to hand over the Shield, for, although too was sorry enough to seo Wellington lose the game, the .Shield was too expensive a trophy, financially, to hold; at least it had been to tho Wellington Association.

A CURTAIN-RAISER. WELLINGTON V. CANTERBURY. Tho Brown Shield contest was preceded by a matclubetween tho junior representatives of Wellington and Canterbury. A fairly fast game was provided, though neither team showed a very intimato knowledge of the finer points of tho game. The kicking was at times erratic, and seldom well-judged, while combination, to any extent, was lacking. Tho ground was rough, and inclined to be heavy, and th<j wind, for tho first half, was practically nil. Tho gamo opened somewhat indifforently, each team evidently endeavouring to gauge tho strength of tho other. Wellington's forwards at length got tho ball away, and Rcid and Kirby combined to beat their opposing men. Onco past them, Rcid centred to Fitzgerald, who scored. Wellington, 1; Canterbury, nil. Over-eagerness on the part of Wellington characterised tho ensuing play, and this led to many offsides being given against them. The second half saw a slight breeze in Canterbury's favour, and they became aggressive, and attacked with* vim. Their half-back, Chapman, put in soino good work. From a pass by Flaws, left-back. Thomas, in the Wellington forward lino, centred to Fitzgerald, who netted the ball. Wellington, 2; Canterbury, nil. Ivenby, on tho inside-right, and Fitzgerald combined to secure tho final goal of tho game, the play leading up to it being by no means brilliant. Wellington. 3; Canterbury, nil. Mr. A. F. Newbold controlled tlie game.