Football.

Manawatu Herald, 2 July 1895, Page 2

Football.

FOXTON ?. KIA TOAS (OTAKJt,) ■ This match was played in Mr Eastern's paddock on Satardogftfter* noon last, and attracted a great number of people, who were present in the hope o{ witnessing a stubbornly? contested game. The reputation the Eia Toaß had gained for them wives by annexing the cup at Otaki laafcj season had preceded, them, and th^ Foxton men also held an^nliHWn. rwwd. Tka Yiiitipg team; faow«%n

were superior in some points to the local team, their' passing being the chief feature of the play. The dtaki men were slightly heavier than their oppo&enls, arid this fas noticed in several instances iti the forwards, as they held their ground and got the ball out to their backs. Inoluded in the local team were some who had not played before in a match of the kind, and they acquitt§d_themselves fairly well. The. played a more combined game, and only to this do the Foxton men-owe their defeat. Their smart- • ness^ in ..getting on the ball, good following up, and neat picking, up, was better than the Foxton players. The mulling of some easy chances to Score on the losers' side was plainly noticed. The crowd of onlookers were allowed to wander over the* field at their own. sweet will, which fmpeded the players to some extent, and should not be allowed in future matches. The beating was not a bad one by any'xneana, as both .teams scored twa^tries, and while the victors wer« successful in converting theirs, being right-in front of the goal each time, tbQse/rtOX.Foxton failed in both instance. The penalty kick allowed the Kia Toas, was also a^veiy easy one $o send .over the bar. - Tfce' following were the teams i— Foxton. — Full-back, L. Cole; half-backs, 0. Gardner, FJ Young, and G. Chuck ; three quarters, C. O'Loughlin, Pita Rewita, J. Howard ; wings, H. .Williams, A. Symons ; forw'atds, J). Gardner, A. Shadbolt (captain); A. Demler, W. Wallbutton, P. Williams and F. Thynne. Kia Toas. — Full-back, Uma.; half-backs, Whata, Nicholls } threequarters, F. Cootes, Solomon, Tuhera; wing*, Kiriona, Utiku ; forwards, Patihona, Whare, Clark, Callagan, McCleland (captain), Perm, W. Cootes. '•■•... The game was played in two spells of 45 minutes each, and Foxton winning the,.toss, kicked off. The ball was returned, and the play remained in FoxttirL's "territory for some = time and at last were, forced down. The ball Was' brought out and was taken by some.;gpod play into Otaki ground, and i6me give-and-take play then took place. A good passing rush of the J£ia. Toas changed the state of the gfcs!» and Utiku rushed over the. Jufe,.' and scored first blood for Otaki, and a goal resulted.; Otaki, 5 points,; Foxton nil. The Foxton men rallied a little after this score, and the Otaki men were on the defence, and their backs seemed to be out of their places. A. Shadbolt for Foxton succeeded in getting over the line with several of the Eia Toas hanging on to him, and Howard was not successful in pacing a goal. The spell ended shortly after this, with no increase in Ota'u's foringr score, and Foxton 8 points. "•The second spell was a great change from the first, as a much rougher— ganie was indulged in, which is- to be regretted, and two Otaki men were knocked out for a time, and Foxton 's full-back also received a nasty knock earlier in the game. Patihona secured another' try, which resulted in a goal by Kiriona, and soon afterwards the last rn.entiqn.ed player suooeeded in getting another goal from a penalty kick, making Otaki's total 14 points. Foxton had. a big undertaking to get on even-terms, and the only other wore was a try by Howard, and no coal resulted. This last Bcoro was chiefly through the efforts of A. Sy« mons, who took the ball some distance before being grassed by F, Cootes, and which Howard secured. The game therefore resulted in a win for the visitors by 8 points— the scoring being as follows: Otaki, 14 points ; Foxton, 6. For the winners it is hard to pick out any individual player, as they all played well, but Patihona, Whare, McCleland and Callagan put in a lot of work in the forwards, and the backs "filled their places creditably, with perhaps an exception or two. For *the losers 0. Gardner played splendidly, and his play was by far the bAC on : the ground, his kicking in mafly instances being, applauded,, gs he continually relfeved . his side. The b^W^'Mcks who deserve men* tioning also areHoWard, F. Young, and Pita "Re'wita. Of the forwards Shadbolt.' A. Symons, A. Demler, and D; Gardner also played well. The referee's duties was not at all easy, arid this post Mr Nap Heta filled. The line umpires were Mr H. Blake and a native. Several delays took place during the progress of the game through playerJfMiaputing with the referee, and from other causes, which should not be allowed. However, we believe the game was played in a friendlx jipirit, judging by the lusty A cheers. jpyen at the conclusion of the game. The Foxton Club entertained the visitors in the evening at a dinner at the Post Office Hotel.