FOOTBALL.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2642, 25 September 1882, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

THE SYDNEY FOOTBALL TEAM. Thh Otaoo Match, |HUUa AiIOOIAXIOM TSLaSSAM.J DUNEDIN, September 2i. Saturday wai not at all a> fa-itb&ll day. All the morning thera was a huavy wind, ii;.d onoe a sniari, tshoner oeoiim<d. For the afternoon the wind romain»>d, but happily tho rain kept off. The wind wn* utiong, cold, and gusty, consequently football could o-aly be played at a disadvantage. However, in spite of the unpleasant weather, about 2500 spectators found ihsir by train to Mosgiel, on thti Taieri plain, ab:uc ten miles from Dunedi >, where the match, New South-Wnlaa v Of age, came off. 'J ho New South' Wu'->is toam is now Well enough known. The Otago team w:is thus composed : Full baok, Bosa ; three-quarto* backs, Orawshaw and Murray ; htlf baoke, W.Allan »'d Taiaroa; forwards, Jas. Allen {captain), X*». AlUn, AtHiin, Brown, Chapaian, .Fowlec, F.;x, Hicar, Nicoll, and Wyinks. Mr Le'vio, of Ohristohuvch, umpired for Sydney, end Mr Eobertaon for 0:ago, and Mr Dixon acted a> referee. • The g»me was played in two spoils of forty-five. minutes eaoh. The Dar.edin captain set tho ball rolling, and for a while the game was very fast. Taiaroa at occe went to work with a run clo-ae to the Sydney goal, but Flynn collared him, and soon scrimmaging reunited, from which Otago came off decidedly best. Murray for Otago next did an excellent charge, and was only stopped by tha Sydney "full back, Wilkc-r. In spite of attempts by Baylies and Graham for Sydney to get away, Oingo kppt the ball right up to the Sydney Koal, and presently it was driven over with Jumss Allan after it, and ho claimed <* touch down, bat it was not allowed, the ball being returned. Otago ouiokly had it back ag«in t Chapman and Xaiaroa distinguishing themselves, and after some work on the goal line Hamer and James Allan carried it aoross, and another touch down w«s claimed, but, after considerable consul'ation, was disallowed. Strong opinions were expressed about the decision. However play proceeded, never leaving the 'Sydney quarters. Taiaroa mada some brilliant rushes through the for wards, _ but Baylies and Mann, who were both playing a grand game, stopped him. Bayliss eventually panted the ball well down to the centre of the ground, and after loose eori umagee, in which the Otago forwards were always viotorioni, Fljnn got it away and made a couple of good runs, the latter of which looked dangerous, but Crawshaw collared him beautifully. For some time then the play was pretty even, Baper doing some •xoellenfe work in the looee fights, and G-rahain behind Doing particularly noticeable ; bnt the Otago forwards soon rallied, and onoe more carried the leather right down to the opposite goal. Taiaroa and Orawshaw made desperate efforts to get it across, and after a grand rush by tho format, who patting his head down puihed his way through irresistibly. Crawshaw got it aoross amidst loud cheering. The kiok was a difficult one, right in the teeth ol the breczo. Taiaroa tried it but failed, and only a try (two pcints) was scored to Otago. Ho sooner was the ball in pi <co aga<n than it vii driven baok on to Sydney's line by the Otago forwards, and Sydn»y had to force down, direotly after which time was called. The first spell thus ended with a score of one try to nil in favor of Otago. The local men had all the, best of the play. For about ton minutes iu the centre of the ground the Sydney forwards had held their own fairly, but the greater part of the time the ball had boon in Sydney's quarters, and although one try had only been sooxed two others had been claimed, and B.tduuy had been foroed down at least three times. The second spoil gave Otago the benefit of the wind to some extent. Still it wub blowing nearly aoross the ground. After the kick off for a few minutes there was little advantage either way, bat the Otago forwards were not long in asserting themselves, and a series of struggles occurred in Sydney's twenty-five, Chapman nearly getting it across, and Taiaroa actually doing »•>, oaly in the latter case there had been a dispute on the ground that a Sydney player had, taken, the b*ll out of scrimmage with his hand, and the umpire had oalled to stop the game.: The play being set going again Sydney had all the worst of it, and had to force down again. From this time the game was very unsatisfactory. Aided by . the wind the Sydney men continually got the _, ball beyond the boundary, and the umpires' ruling was asked, time after time whether or Sydney could claim tho throw in. In this tvay time was put off until the spectators became very impatient. The sort of thing tnat wrs going en may be shown by two instances. The ball having been thrown in the umpire was appealed to, and called it back. Meantime Murray, for Otago, had got it, and, knowing nothing of the appeal, made for the Sydney goal, while all the field stood looking on and the Sydney backs had a lively time .of it, doing some grand play all for nothing, for when the wind allowed the roars of tho others to ranch them they had to punt the ball back. Just in the same way Baper, the Sydney captain, did an u: challenged run into Otago's goal. This kind of play eniioi Sydney admirably, for time was flying whilst the play was in erruptcd, but Otago set themselves to keep the bill iu play, and, having it well down all the time at Sydney's end, there can bo no question that but for the wind they would havo scored rapidly, Some good play was shown in the endeavor to work the bail towards Sydney's goal pssts, and when the Otago men could claim a thrown in from boundary they put the ball well into tha oentre. From one of these throws Fowler, of Otago, secured tho ball, aud ran clean iu between the posts. There could be no dispute aud Niooll quiokly converted the try into a goal. The wind had now gone down a little, and there was a proipeot ol better play. Baper having sot the leather into play Murray did a grand run for Otago, and onoe more it was on Sydney's line, resulting in a force down. During the next few minutes this wea repeated more than once, W. Allan and Taiaroa giving the Sydney baoks a lot of trouble to prevent them getting across, until Taiaroa made a triumphant rush and touched down close on the boundary. Being a long kick from an awkward angle he himself was eutru3tod with it. He made a grand attempt, which just failed striking the post a fooi above the bar. The score now stood Otago one try, one goal, and one try to nothing. Sydney now made a last effort, and by the only bit of real good combined play they had shown during the n court spell their forwards rushed the leather well up the ground, amid loud oheers from the spectators, who to do them justice had encouraged Sydney most heartily, although they had shown no littla impatience at the frequent appeals and calling back of tho ball by the umpires. Nothing else worthy of cote resulted till time wss oalled, when the ball was in its old ceighborhood, namely within the Sydney tweatyfive, and on the leeward boundary line. Otago thus won by nina points to nothing. The play as a whole was most undoubtedly altogether in favor of Otago, who kept the bail at Sydney's end all day, and almost constantly down on the goal line. The Sydney men did not play tho free giye and take game that Canterbury did a month or so ago, oipeeially in the seoond spall, when they hud fully discovered O'ago's superiority; Their appeals to the umpire were constant, and grievous delays were thus effected. The Otago forwards completely carried the packed and loose scrimmages, taking the ball np the field time after timo in a wuy delightful to see. The Sydney backs, whose passing haß been ao highly spoken of, lost ground almost always when they had[recourec to it, as the opposing forwards were on them at onoe. Crawshaw played a rattling game for Otago as three quarter back, returning the ball from the Sydney drop kicks time after time. Taiaroa, W. Allan and Murray also greatly distinguished themselves. For Sydney, Mann j and Eaper played perhaps the most dashing game, whilst Flynn, Graham and Bayliis were also prominent. The wind spoilt the play greatly. Very little kicking could be indulged in by either side, and it was extremely ...diffioult, almost; impossible, to keep the ball in a line with the goal posts. Had the day been calm, Otago wo aid have certainly placed another goal or two to her i oredit. Aa it was, with one goal, two tries at i goal, and two claims for touch downs, she J won a moat convincing victory. j In the evenng the visiting team was i entertained at dinner. Mr Baper, the Sydney J captain, expressed a strong desire to see a t jjTew Zealand team over in New South Wales i ■rt year, and hoped that in such a case a 1 Be satisfactory game might result than the 1 ■of Saturday. A ball ia ictended to ba j t ■fctotho entertainment of the visitors i

on Tuesday r.isrht, and to-morrow they will bs driven about the vioinity. They go North on Wtunesciitj. WELLINGTON v NEW SOUIH WALES TEAM. TBv Tbjuhgbath.J WELLINGTON, September 24. The tsatn to repreeent Wellington in tho return football matoh with New Bouth Waleu is—Forwards: Roberts, Gihbes, Pent, J. rhompson, Oonnol, King, Webb, and Balton. Quarter Backs : Dumbell, Brown, and Kirk. Half-backs: Gt. H. Smith and A. Thornton. Pall Baofce: Firth and MoGregor. The tesm, which ia liab'e to reorganisation, will meet for j-Taotica every afternoon till the matoh takes plaoe. The matob 0.8 O. v TJ.B.C. was playod on Saturday on Oianmcr rquare, and was witnessed by a large number of spectators. The 0.8 O. men had the advantage in the first half, and scored a try, tho boll striking one of Beds, aud bounding baok, and Pratt followed ud and touched it down. The last spell the U.B O. (Blue) b'.d pretty well all their own way, forcing their opponents down right and left, but were unable to score, as time was oalled, tha 0.8.0. thus winning the first matoh by 1 try. Each team was greatly weakened by four of their belt men being absent.