FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 437, 9 June 1902, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

WEST END v. lIUIA, Perfect weather prevailed on Saturday afternoon, and a iarge crowd of spectators assembled at Victoria Domain at 3 o'clock to witness the commencement of the second -round of senior fixtures arranged by the Poverty Bay Rugby Union. The ladies were strongly represented and took a keen interest in tiie play. Rest End and Iluia were the competing Clubs. At 3 o’clock West End had a full team on the field, but Huia were several men short, and tiie officers of (he country team had to d aw largely on the second fifteen, who were to ha-ve played tiie Haiti Citv Juniors on the second ground. Eventually atull side was made up, and at 3.30 the following teams took the field : West End (black) : Hepburn, Waitai, Nolan, Brown, Poananga, Sheet, Miller, Wells, Davitt, Williams, DeLautour, Sherriff, Bennett. Watene, and Hewimii.

Huia (blue and black): Shaw, K. Thomson, Te Reinga, Ball, H. Gibson, Driller, Swann, Tapu, Sherratt, Richardson, Osborne, D. Scott, McGruther. McCullough, and Here. The Huia team included no less than nine juniors, and it was expected that West End would have matters all their own way, but the result upset all these calculations. Iluia played with great dash and determination, and the

match was by a long way tiie fastest and most exciting seen this season. Huia won the toss, and W’aitai kicked off for West End, who defended the town goal, and Thomson took the ball nicely, and sent it out near the centre with a good kick. The play throughout the first spell was characterised by fast and open play. The hall travelled up and down tiie field at a rare pace. The Huia men played with fine dash, and their fast following up and sudden tackling appeared to quite nonplus the West Enders, who up till this match had matters pretty much their own way. As the play progressed, West End discovered they had at last met a side equal if not superior to their own, and settled down to theii work in grim earnest. The spectators were roused to great enthusiasm at times, and heartily cheered the dashing rushes of the Huia forwards, and the answering charges of the blacks To give a detailed report of the pip would require 'a couple of colum'

space, as the first spell was surprisingly fast and open, and the exhibition came as a complete and welcome surprise to the spectators after the many disappointing matches they had witnessed this season. West End were stronger behind the pack than Huia, but the suddenness with which the Hu a forwards pounced down on the blacKs’ rearguard quite counterbalanced’ this advantage. The forwards on both sides worked splendidly, aud no one could have wished to see a more willing “go." Poananga played cleverly at half for West End, and some good passing was done by this player and Brown and Watene, but Waitai on a couple of occasions threw away the chances by mulling badly. Waitai just missed placing a goal for West End with a fine kick, which passed a foot outside the upright, and shortly afterwards Here, for Huia, made a fine attempt to place a goal, also from a mark. We never wish to see a better game than the first spell provided. One minute, the West End would be hotly attacking the Huia goal, and five minutes afterwards the fight would be raging hotly on the West End line, and the blacks would be working like Trojans to stall off the dashing rushes of the Huia men. Te Reinga and Ball played finely on the three-quarter line tor Huia, while Driller, Gibson, and Thomson also put in good work. Towards the close of the spell, the Huia men got on a rush, in which Scott, McGruther, Sherratt, McCullough, Here, Gibson, Te Teinga, and Ball swept the ball from one end of the ground to the other. This was as fine a bit of combined footwork and passing as one could’ wish to see, and the (spectators cheered to the echo. The fiirst spell ended without either side having scored, and when the whistle sounded half-time both teams were going as strongly as when they started Here kicked off for Huia in the second spell, and Nolan failing to take the ball, the Huia men were on him like a flash, and the ball was rushed out at the West End corner flag. De Lautour broke away from the line, but McGruther regained the ground, and the ball travelled smartly right across the ground, where Te Reinga, Gibson, and Ball made desperate efforts to cross the line. Play was forced right on to the West End line, and excitement was intense for a time, but eventually the blacks got out of the tight place by, forcing. On resuming, Waitai and Te Reinga exchanged kicks, and Ball soon, afterwards finely fielded the ball from the ground while travelling at top speed, and made a grand rum Then he passed to McCullough on the line, but the latter lost possession on being tackled by Ponanga and Sherriff, and

West End were again forced. The play was fast, and furious on resuming. From a scrum, Driller made a pass to Gibson, but Te Reinga then mulled, and Shaw kicked out at me centre. West End now took a turn at attacking, and chiefly through the exertions of Poananga, Watene, Sherriff. and Skeet, the ball was worked to Huia territory. The free kicks- were plentiful at this stage, the over-eager-ness of the players mostly bringing about the penalties. A bit of good passing between Poananga, Brown, and Watene took play r glit on to the Huia line, and the latter were twice forced. Ball and Te Reinga were playing beautifully for Huia, and frequently. called up cheers for their fine defensive work. The former wpuld have got on even better had he discarded the cigarette that he was smoking at this stage. West End kept up a hot attack,/and eventually a njee transfer from Watene to Skeet let the latter in near the corner, amidst great cheering. Williams failed with the Kick. From this out to the call of time, neither side had the advantage, and one of the evenest and most exciting games ever seen in -this dis•listrict ended in a victory for West End by a try (3 points) to nil. Wepiha was absent from the West End side, but the loss was more than made up by the inclusion of two good men in Hugh Miller and Wells, who wero valuable acquisitions. Two 35-minute spells were played, and the game was controlled by Mr R.Cole, whilst Messrs A. W. Rees and W. Paltridge acted as touch-judges. By their win in this match, West End placed their ninth consecutive victory to their credit, a record which any team in tije colony might justly be proud of.