FOOTBALL.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 1004, 24 September 1903, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

THE AUCKLAND TEAM. The members of Auckand representative football team were through passengers by the North boat yesterday. Though they lost tho three first matches of their tour against Taranaki, Wellington, and Southland, they succeeded in defeating Otago, Canterbury, and Hawke’s Bay by substantial margins. In conversation with a Times representative yestorday, the captain of the team (Mr K. McGregor) attributed tho want of success in the early matches of the town mainly to the fact that the members of the team who had been in Australia with the New Zealand representatives were stale after their long tour, Kfornan, who played half-back for the New Zealand team in Australia, was unable to take part in auy of the matches for Auckland on the present tour. He recoived an injury the day before the team sailed which prevented him taking the field while the team was on, tour. The forwards generally had, the advantage, but, strangely enough, the backs seemed unable to get going in the earlier matches. Asher, who scored no less than 17 tries for the New Zealand team in Australia, did not succeed in crossing the line once during the presont tour. The defence was good, as only two tries were scored against the Aucklanders, one by Taranaki and the other by Southland, marks and penalty goals being the scoring points which defeated the Northerners in the first throe games. The members of the team generally expressed regret that the Auckland Itugby Union had not included a match against Poverty Bay in the present tour, and stated they should have been only too pleased to have met the local representatives. Persistent efforts were made by the local Union to induce the Auckland Union to allow their representative team to play here when the tour was being arranged. The refusal of the Auckland Union to grant the request occasioned groat disappointment here, and their action in allowing the Auckland team to pass Gisborne yesterday, particularly as they have owtd Poverty Bay a return visit since 1896, caused a good deal of adverse criticism. Mr L. F. Williams, hon. secretary of the local Union, went out to the Te Anau aud extended the greetings of his Union to the Auckland team. “ Barney ” Eaton, one of the forwards and the place-kick of the team, remained in Gisborne.