Out-door Sports . . and Pastimes.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 58, 10 August 1901, Page 20

Out-door Sports . . and Pastimes.

ELEVEN O'CLOCK on Thursday night we set sail by the Monowai for Christchurch, amid hearty cheering from both the wharf and the steamer. • • • The weather inside the harbour was fine, but outside the Heads a nasty head "jobble" was met with, with the result that the muster at breakfast on Friday morning was very small — only about seven out of the full complement facing the music. • • • Sixteen hours was the length of the trip, the general washed-out appearance of the majority of the team, when Lyttelton wharf was reached, bearing full testimony to the weariness of it. • • • Mr. Asquith, the treasurer of the Canterbury Union, met us on the wharf, and, a special train being placed at the disposal of the passengers, we were soon in Christchurch, and at the Clarendon Hotel (our headquarters), where a hearty welcome awaited us, Messrs. G. H. Mason and H. Frost being the leaders of the receiving party. Personally, I have to thank Mr. W. G. Garrard, the local secretary, for the best of attention. • ♦ • Saturday, the day fixed for the match, broke gloriously fine, and the hope of a fine-weather game was paramount. An hour or two later, however, stormclouds crossed the sky, and rain began to fall. The ground, which gave promise of being in fair condition, soon got heavy and sticky. and any thine like a decent display of back play was rendered nigh impossible. The rain continued till right on to mid-day, when it cleared, and a piercing wind from the South took its place. • * » The game itself is easily described. The Canterbury team won the toss, and, with a fair wind behind them, and keeping the ball on the ground, their dashing forwards made the hearts of the Wellington sunnorters feel very despondent. The Canterbury vanguard attacked right at the beginning, and kept up a very persistent effort, with the result that before ends were changed they had registered two unconverted tries and a penalty goal to nothing. • • • In this half Wellington lost a couple of good opportunities of scoring, Wallace allowing himself to be tackled when a pass to Slattery would have resulted in a certain score. • * ♦ On another occasion, Meredith made a great run, right across the line, but, in falling, he lost the ball, and a forcedown was the result of a grand effort. • • # With the wind, which had moderated, in their favour, the nine points did not appear too much for the Wellington team to wipe off. But the red and black forwards were still persistent, and another try was put on to their credit shortly after the second spell started. » * # Twelve points to nothing remained the tally for some time, and, as "noside" came within hailing distance, nothing but a miracle could save Wellington. A penalty kick, midway between the twenty-five and centre, was given to Wallace, and a beautiful kick registered Wellington's first and only score. • * • Open play was the order of the day, but the blacks got as good as they gave, and nothing but defeat, and a manifestly surprising one at that, of the Empire City's team could be the final result. Time came at last, and the game ended with the score — Canterbury 12, Wellington 3.

Canterbury forwards surprised even their keenest admirers by the immense amount of vigour put into their play. Their pack were much heavier than that of the visiting team, occasionally pushing over the ball when the latter obtained possession in the open. Some of them were rare gallopers, although, perhaps, they showed a tendency to get off-side waiting for chances which generally came, and were taken full advantage of. The backs preferred to act on the defensive, very seldom indulging in offensive tactics. Their instructions appeared to be to let the forwards do the attacking they being there to keen their opponents back.

Wellington's forwards put no life or vim into their play. Their efforts were merely spasmodic. I am convinced they played a long way below correct form. The main reason for this was that before playing the match they had not sufficient time to recover from the effects of the sea trip. If the team is to do itself justice in future, more time must be given to recuperate after their trip before being asked to play. The backs suffered from the same complaint as the forwards, for, although the ground was holding, they could do better than they did on Saturday, the passing being only fair. Wood and Wrigley were the only ones who, with any degree of consistency, stopped the opposing vanguard's rushes. Voyce is a fine stamp of a full-back, his kicking, collaring, and stopping rushes being all well done. Menzies back play was punctured with a great deal of hesitancy. Rice found the line with a great deal of regularity, and Bush played one of those defensive games he was noted for when he captained the Oriental team at Wellington. Here again he made many faulty takes, but generally managed to recover himself splendidly. Phillips and Onnondy were the fiveeighths, the former being the better of the pair. Harvey, the sturdy little half-back, who is now well-known in Wellington, gave a good exhibition. He appeared to play the ball a great deal on the ground, and was very clever in obtaining marks, sometimes getting them off his own men. His work, however, went a long way towards the success of his team. Among the forwards, there were two men who must have a chance of inclusion in the New Zealand team. These are W. Drake (13st 41b) and T. Cross (13st 81b). This dashing pair was in the front at every rush, the former particularly so. Fanning and Cook, another fine pair of forwards, are weighty and fast. The former has great hopes of getting in the colonial team. Frost and Corbett were beaten by their vis-a-vis in front. This fact alone should spoil Harry's chance. Blackwell and Ayres were the remaining forwards. They did not catch the eye much as far as good work was concerned, but Ayres managed to get off-side every kick-off or free-kick. Dealing with Wellington's individual play, Wrigley played a sterling game at rull-back, some of his saves almost reaching the marvellous. He got a nasty knock early in the second spell, but did well nevertheless. Slattery showed improvement in form to his previous displays, and but for a severe crack on the nose would most probably have scored a try in the first spell as a result of a good dash. Short collared him by the foot, and Wallace carried the ball over. Why the try was not given has puzzled me ever since. Wallace had an off day. The sea trip had taken a lot out of him. A bad mull was the outcome of Canterbury's first try, and he lost an almost certain try for his team by not passing to Slattery when he had only the full-back to beat. The ball was knocked out of his hands. His kicking, however, was good. The goal he placed, from a penalty kick, was a beauty. Mclntyre did not have a great deal to do, but showed a marked tendency to get up on the wing forward instead of keeping his place at wing three-quarter. Ho kicked well, but did not find the line too well. By the way, this comment stands good for the whole of the backs. Wood worked with great heart, his work, both in defence and attack, being of a high order. He made one brilliant run half the length of the ground. On another occasion, when the ball crossed the Wellington line, he streaked after it, beating the attack, and sent the ball out with a fine kick at the twenty-five flag. Meredith passed out well, and one occasion crossed the line by a dodgy run, but lost the ball before he could ground it. Kelly had a roving commission, but methinks he would have been better placed as wing-forward. Gallagher was ever prominent, and played a good game. Dodd and Wylie beat their opponents in front for the ball. McAnally, Coady, and Best, the remaining forwards, were only prominent at times. That tired feeling seemed troubling them greatly. That being so, it is hardly fair to criticise their play too severely. Mr. R. T. Evans, the referee, appeared to me to be not nearly strict enough. Playing the ball on the ground was allowed, and the forwards, breaking away from the scrum, got on Meredith before the ball got out, without being penalised. Mr. Evans is, however, a fair and impartial judge of the game and maybe Wellinsrton referees' methods of interpreting rules are too strict.

On the day's play, the better team won. They played a game that suited them best, and on that score alone success was theirs. On account of the races at Christchurch next week, no accommodation can be proem ed ior the team. It has, therefore, with the permission of the Union, been decided to play the match against South Canterbury on Tuesday, the thirteenth. The team arrive in Wellington on Wednesday morning.

The matches in connection with the Volunteer Tournament commenced on Saturday last, in the presence of a fair muster of spectators. A bitterly cold southerly was blowing, and this, no doubt, was the cause of the lack of interest taken in the games. Towards the finish a sharp hailstorm set in. The Garrison Band discoursed some excellent music during the afternoon, which was much appreciated. The game between the Zealandias and City Rifles was perhaps the best exhibition of football, the former eventually winning by twelve points to nil. For the winners, Honour was responsible for several good runs, and he was well backed up by Armstrong. The forwards were about equal, but the maroon backs were superior to their opponents. Manning potted a beautiful goal, in fine style. In the game between the Guards and Kelburnes, the football was of a mediocre sort, consisting chiefly of loose scrambling rushes among the forwards. A large number of the players seemed to have no knowledge of the game whatever, and, consequently, some of the exhibitions were exceedingly ludicrous. Although the Kelburnes played seventeen men, the-" were unable to stave off defeat, their opponents getting home by eleven points to six. For the winners, Carver and Orr showed most prominently, and tor the losers Thompson and Douglas. The Civil Service were too good for the Highlanders, and left the field, after a very close game, victors by the narrow margin of six to nil. Claridge and Phmmer crossed the line for the winners, but the attempts to enhance the score were very feeb.e. The game between the College and Post and Telegraph was very close, and resulted in a win for the former by three points to nil. The College had a better team of forwards than the black and whites, and time after time they broke away from the line-out with the bail at their toes. Several good chances were missed through over-eager-ness, but they gave a better ail-round exhibition than their opponents. Pollock was responsible tor a lot of work for the winners, his try being wellmented. Jacobs stood out as the best back on the ground in the Otago-Southland match, and his late club mates at Petone are very jubilant. They always had a good word to say for him, and consider his chances of inclusion in the New Zealand team second to none. Duncan was as active as of yore, and put in a tremendous lot. of work, but the greasy state of the ground was against him. "Jimmy" always plays a good game, but on a dry ground he is brilliant. The set-to between Wood and Duncan as five-eighths on Saturday next will be well worth seeing. The Southerners swear by Jimmy, but there are a fewunbiassed ones who think that "Morry" Wood will prove a match for him. The following team has been selected to tour New Zealand by the New South Wales Union: — Full back, Maund ; three-quarters, McMahon, White, Wickham, Hughe9, Barton, Lindsay; halves, Finley, Harris. W. Shortland; forwards, C. Shortland, Harrison, Beaumont. Costello, Burden. Judd, Avern, Lamb, Seehitze, Ferner, Wright. The team leaves Sydney next Saturday. Thus "Harrier," in the Auckland "Observer" — "Gerrard is settling down, and was the mainstay of the North Shore backs in their match against City on Saturday last." The same writer says Cunningham's position in the New Zealand representative team is practically established. My congratulations to Grafton on their success in winning the Auckland Championship. They have worked hard right through the season, and well deserve their win.