Menawatu Championships.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8105, 4 June 1906, Page 6

Menawatu Championships.

j Senior Competition*. | of First Round* 01<l Bop awl fiia Ton Leiulinir.

[BY FAUJ TKV. 1

Taliinff into eon*»U'ral.»on the large, amount ol' train I but iur.d fallen during m preceding four ©r five day*, the football fi.?ld« on the Bhowgrouad were i n eowpß.vjativelv nixni eondition for the «ohcludittlg:i»af«bM of the first round of the Si'Jijiikiir Clmntpiotuthip of Mannwatu. were played on Saturday. However,! if eo«la only naturally be liite turf waR very sodden and heavy, as the games progressed the ball, too,ibiieaitie greasy, and rendered it trickti iand difficult' to cfßcicotly handle . Tliii! }b»me», which were exceed, fei!, partieiilarry no in the Insti-tute-Old Boy* mau-h, resolved them, no Ires into one continuous sneeession of forward attacks and onsbiughtft, and it was in tl:i< depnrlnient that some methodifai.l and splendid exhibitions of footmwk was witneHtsed—considerably m iidvatiee of atty similar exbibition* seiJti this feJtsoci. With half a dozen except ion n, prtssiug rtuhes amonßst Jibe backs were never attempted, and on three oat of this .number of ii'adest*oiiri» tlie ball sever went further Minn the second man, and. conseijuenty, they invariably resulted m a fruitless termination, either through iuaecurnile passing or the inability of players to receive the greasy ball. Contrary o exp<K!t»tions, n surprise n',ts efTected l y the wily Ivia Ton teaui. who conipletely overwheirneik their oppbnents (Palmerston) in the second; snell. Palmernton, however, did not possess the comnlemeat of pbtyers (hey had when they decisively defeated Oid Boys a fortnight previously, being without the services of two or three of their best backs. The Institute team fought a stubborn battle with the invincible Old Boys — the meeting of these two combinations has always produced a good fight, for supremacy — and Saturday's fixture was uo exception to tho rule. Tbe greciw looked probable winners at half-titoe, when they had a credit of 6 points to the Old Boys' nil, but the superior condition of the latter gradually wore thorn down, and Institute bad to submit to another defeat. Old 3oye, nevertheless, were very lucky in puiliog the pone out of the fire, and were given tlie biggest " go " experienced for some ,'yeara. The attendance of spectators! wis most satisfactory, and, included izk the number, v/tio several ladies, whose presence, considering tho state of the cieujcnta. was a most pleading and graceful tribute to the Union, and a feature much remarked upon. Kia Toa juniors proceeded to Feildiug to keep their engagement with tbeFeilding juniors, and after one of the most disgraceful exhibitions of" football" racorded in the Mauawutu for many years the game ended in a draw. Paiinerston 11. met Old Boys at tho sports ground in the junior competition and some good play was witnessed. In the third class fixtures Palmerston foifeitcd to High School, but Kia Toa and Old Boys fulfilled their fixture.