Football News.

Feilding Star, Volume XX, Issue 67, 17 September 1898, Page 2

Football News.

ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT. The Kuahine club, which held the Association shield and the championship of New Zealand last year, was defeated in the first round by Wellington. The first round of the Association football tournament was played on Athletic Park, Wellington, on Wednesday last, under conditions which were distinctly unfavourable to the players and disagreeable to the spectators, who were naturally few. A howling northerly gale, accompanied by showers of sleet, and heavy rain, blew down the field during the game. The teams were as follows: — Rnahine (maroon) — Goal, M A West; backs. E W Andrews, Kinncburg ; halves T C Hare, W B Birch, F S Simcox ; forwards, It D Burrell, C L Daniell, F C Barclay, T Johnston, F E Bannister. Wellington i white) — Goal, C Brixtsen : backs, F T Courtney, H L Godbe ; halves II G. Masters, W Taylor, W Kerr ; forwards, M Fraser, C F Arundell, W Ferkens, A Henderson, F H Williams. The game was won by Wellington by 6 goals to 1. The ground and ball were very slippery and the game was thus robbed of a great deal of its interest. Ruahinc came down two short, their places being taken by two Wellingtonians. The visitors played a stubbornly aggressive game assisted by the wind in the first spell, and sustained a plucky and defensive one in the second. Wellington lost the toss and kicked off against the wind, and the game centred round their goal for the greater portion of the first spell. About half an hour's play took place before Ruahinc scored their first and only goal, Daniell getting possession of the leather and passed to Barclay, who put in a splendid shot and scored the first and ouly goal. The Ruahiocs were continually assailing the whites' goal and their goal keeper was completely beaten by a hard shot put in by Burrell, which unfortunately just struck the bar. Shortly after the whites invaded Ruahine's territory and by some splendid passes were enabled to score, Firkins passing to Henderson and the latter to Arundell, who gave it the finishing touch. With the wind behind them the Wellington men had the visitors penned in their half of the field, Henderson kicking a goal and Arundell was responsible for the remaining four, his last catching the goal keepei napping. Both reams of for wards played well their head and foot work being extremely clever under the circumstances, Of the backs F. G. Masters, the Wellington half, played a brilliant game, while T. C. Hare and F. S. Simccx (halves] though neither playing quite up to theh usual form, were decidedly the pick ol the Huahine backs, their tackling and kicking being very smart at times. A weakness of the full-back was that thej kept too far r.p the field and had not enough pace to get back to their places in case of emergency. Mr Woolridge proved himself a capable referee. On Wednesday next a match will be played at Feilding between the Wauganui Pirates and the Unionists. The Pirates are the winners this year of the Wanganui Junior Championship and are a smart lot of players, so that the local team will have a tough contract to uphold theii reputation, but a geod and interesting game may safely be anticipated. At a committee meeting of the Alhambra Club on Thursday evening, the finances of the club were gone into, whicLi showed a very satisfactory state of affairsi the club emerging through the season's operations with a clean sheet. The rep. match between Manawatu and Horowhenua, which was to be played at Palmerston to-day, did not eventuate, the Manawatu Union being notified that Horowhenua were not coming. Our report of the Manawatu Rugbj Union meeting, held at Palmerston lasi evening, had not arrived up to the time of going to press. Telegraph. Press Association, Copyright. Wellington, September 16. At a meeting of the delegates of the New Zealand Football Association the following resolutions were agreed to : — That a tournament should be held every two years at the different centres in rotation ; that on the intervening years the shield may be challenged for, a match to take place on the ground of the holders, and that in the opinion of this Conference it is the duty of every centre to compete in the tournament.