FOOTBALL.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 995, 3 September 1877, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

THE DUNEDIN FOOTBALL TEAM.

The football team arrived at Dunedin by the Beautiful Star, and were enthusiastically received by a large number of the Club and friends, and were driven round the Octagon to Watson’s Rooms in a coach and four, kindly lent by Messrs Chaplin and Co., the horses by Mr Taggart, the ribbons being handled by the celebrated whip, Red Devine. They were entertained at dinner at Watson’s on the following evening. The Right Rev Bishop Ncvill presided, and about seventy gentlemen were present. In replying to the toast of the evening, Mr Dixon, captain of the team, gave a short sketch of the trip throughout the colony. The team left Dunedin on Sunday morning, the 6th instant, won the Christchurch match on Wednesday by two touchdowns to nothing; arrived at Taranaki, and offered to play a one hour’s match on Tuesday, the 14th. The offer having been declined, the Auckland match was played on Thursday, the 16th inst., and resulted in a drawn game. The Dunedin team arrived at Nelson on Monday, the 201 li, and won the match by six goals and live touch-downs to nothing; played Wellington on the 26th, and won by four goals and two touch-downs to nothing; played Tcmuka on the 28th and won by one touchdown to nothing, and played Timaru on the 29th and won by two touch-downs to nothing. Their success in the six matches was mainly due to their playing so well together, and (oo much praise could not be bestowed upon the forwards, who had borne the brunt of the battle. They played a thoroughly unselfish game, not playing for the gallery but for each other and for the success of their side. Indeed, it was a general remark at Christchurch and Auckland that the Dunedin team played as members of one family. He was glad to say that, if we could not teach Christchurch a. lesson at cricket, we could do so at football. He wished to explain the Taranaki business clearly. In the first instance, it was arranged that the team should play Taranaki, if practicable, after leaving Auckland. Some of the men were knocked up before leaving Nelson, and it was thought advisable to leave Taranaki out of the programme. However, the team were flooded with telegrams from Taranaki enquiring—“Do you continue Northern tour? If so, you are bound, in honour, to play us.” They had a rough night before reaching Taranaki, but. rather than disappoint the Taranaki team they re-

solved to play them for an hour. The Taranaki team refused the offer and stated that they considered themselves as good as Christchurch and Auckland. [Laughter.] When our men saw the ground, they were glad that they did not play Taranaki, because they would have been knocked up thereby, and lost the Auckland match. He must say that tire Auckland fellows treated them most hospitably. [G-reat applause.] The backplay of the Aucklanders was something grand—that they did not see in any other match throughout the colony. Though the match with Auckland was drawn, yet he would say it was drawn in favour of Dunedin. They were sorry that they could not have stayed a little longer in Auckland. [Applause.] However, the match with Temuka was the hardest-fought match of the whole lot. There was nobody in the whole team that played better than Rose. [Great applause.] He certainly proved “a rose among many thorns,” [Laughter.] The goal posts at Timaru were only ten feet wide, instead of eighteen feet, or further points would have been scored by Dunedin.