POLO.

Manawatu Herald, 27 April 1899, Page 3

POLO.

NEW ZEALAND v. A NEW SOUTH WALES TEAM.

The " Sydney Morning Herald " of 1 8th April says : — The New Zealand polo players, who are on a visit to Australia for the purpose of measuring their strength against teams in Victoria and New South Wales, yesterday afternoon met a team of this colony at Kensington Recreation Ground. The local quartet, owing to the difficulty of getting men to journey to Sydney from several parts of the cquntry just for one match, was not as strong as it might have been; nevertheless, the visitors won so easily — by 7 goals to I— that it is hardly likely the best four the colony could produce would have been able to turn the tables on the New Zealanders. The features of the match were the hard and accurate hitting of the visitors and the pace of their ponies. There was a large attendance, the fair sex predominating, the autumn costumes of the ladies giving a very pretty effect to the as semblage. The teams were— New Zealand. Messrs. A. and J. Strang, A. S. Baker, and O. Robinson (back) ; New South Wales. Messrs. A. J. Dodds, Colin Stephen, H. L. Mackellar, and T. Watson (back); while the umpires were Mr S. Williamson and Captain Eckford. On the ball being thrown in Stephen was the first to get moving, and his stroke being well followed up by Dodds and Mackellar, the resuli was an attack on the visitors goal. Some close played followed, and a behind resulted. This partial success sc early in the game led many to think that the visitors would not have matters all their own way ; but in less than a couple of minutes the scene, by means of four solid and successive strokes by Baker and A. Strang, wa? shifted from one end of the ground tc the o^her, and a behind against New South Wales was recorded. Powerful strokes by Watson and Mckellar were returned with interest, for presently J. Strang, leaving the ball in a nice position, A. Strang registered first goal for New Zealand. This success was im mediately followed up by another, the stroke that increased the visitors' score being made by J. Strang. On reopening a slight attack was made by the local men ; but the ball on being returned to midway was taken up splen-

didly by Baker, and then J. Stran^ again came along, and by means of a lofty drive negotiated the third goal. The opening of the second period was marked by some exciting work in front of the Now Zealanders quarters, and for the moment looked as though the advantage held by the visitors would be reduced, but again did Baker cleverly and vigorously relieve, taking the ball by a succession of strokes almost the whole length of the playing area. Some slight defence was shown by the local team, bnt New Zealand again returning to the charge, Robinson advanced the record of his side to 4 goals to nil, and Baker a few minutes later prettily put the ball fairly between the goal posts. New South Wales now rallied very well indeed, Watson being prominent to a run to the opposing quarters, but the local back had the bad luck to miss scoring by a capital though hardly accurate lofty stroke, and this was followed by a similar effort by the same player. The visitors then charged the scene, and just missed scoring. Immediately on entering the final period the New Zealanders scored permediumof J. Strang but from this till a few minutes of closing they were kept mostly upon the defensive. In quick succession behinds were registered, principally as the result of the efforts of Dodds and Watson. At last the luck of the local team changed. Watson with an excellent backhander, put the ball in position for Dodds, who with a good stroke registered the first and only goal for New South Wales. Before play closed, however, the New Zealanders increased their total to 7 goals to 1. the final score being made by Baker, the visitors' captain. Many of those present who had witnessed the Camperdown team play when over here speculated on what would be the result of the meeting of that four and the New Zealanders. The general opinion appeared to be that while the visitors' strokes are weightier than Camperdown they lack the combination of the Victorian quartet.

The New Zealanders' ponies will leave for Melbourne to-night, and the players on Wednesday evening.