Out=door Sports ..and Pastimes.

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 65, 28 September 1901, Page 20

Out=door Sports ..and Pastimes.

THI. cvi tain has now been rung down, in so far as the Rugby Union is concerned, on football for this season, and the dead season —that between tho winter and the summer pastimes —is upon us What to wnto about on an occasion like this often puzzles those of us who have from week to week found space too limited to allow us to give full expressions to the doings of each Saturday. a* it passes by.

In Wellington this season the matches played under the auspices of the Rugby Union have been exceeding.y lnteiesting, and the nici eased attendance of tho public week by neck has beonanagieeable featuie in connection with the games.

The repiesentative matches, from a local standpoint, have proved somewhat of a disappointment. The toim displayed in championship matches had led one to behe\e —and enthuse about, too —that the matches with the various unions would prove the best of good things for the Wellington team.

The hrst game—that against Nelson— seemed to point to the realisation of that hope, and it w as further accentuated by the gieat game played against the buily team from acioss the Rimutaka.

"From the sublime to the ridiculous" is a saying not often used by football critics, but a feeling of that description came over mc when Canterbury so handsomely defeated our touring team in its first match on tour. The excuse made —and a good one, too—was that the team had not had sufficient time before playing the match to recover from the ill effects of a sea trip.

With full confidence in this belief the match with Southland was played, but once again the football prophet was astray, for the team in the far South registered its first win in matches against Wellington in the match named.

One of the matches of the \ear —and one which all keen enthusiasts look forwaul te —that against Otago ended in a sensational win for our team right on the call of time by one point. Truth to toll, though, it was a lucky win.

The match with South Cantoibury, on the way home, was just by the way, and was only an exeicise cantei, to use a spotting phrase.

Tho tourists got back from the South in time to see Marlborough defeated by the second lepresentative team, and with just sufficient time to piepaie foi the match against New South Wales on the succeeding Saturday

And what an exciting game it was—l mean that against the New South Wales tc-am. The play was as open and as attractive as the most captious cntic could wish, and a one point victory was, in a way, fortunate foi the local playeis.

Tho Hawke's Bay match followed, but it was a very tame affair, and a good i est before the Taranaki match enabled the "boys m black" to- show some of then* tiue form, and added a keener zest to the match we were all looking foi ward to now, viz., that against Auckland

How we suffeied defeat in this match I told last week, and tho game wo would have liked above all otheis to win—bairing, perhaps, Otago—-was lost, and the ashes that aro now up in Auckland would cover a decent portion of the Athletic Park if spread out there.

Altogether, then, the success we imagined was going to be ours proved a myth in so far as the matches with Auckland, Canterbury, and Southland weie concerned, but the names of Otago, South Canterbiuy, Nelson, Wairarapa, Mailboiough, Hawke's Bay, Horowhenua, and New South Walco have been added to the already long list adorning the Rugb> Union's record of wins on the bannei. •* * * The season's lesults aie as follow —v. Nelson, won by 32 points to ml, v. Wanarapa, won, 14 to 8, v. Canterbiuy, lost, 3 to 12 v Southland, lost, 3 to 8 v Otago, won, 10 to 9, v. South Canterbury, won, 18 to 9, v. Marlborough, won, 18 to 6, v. New South Wales, won, 17 to 16 v Hawke's Bay, won, 12 to 3 v Wairarapa, drawn, 9 to 9, v. Taranaki, won, 20 to 3, v Horow henna, won, 15 to 8, v.

Auckland, lost, 3to 9. The summary leads - -Matches played 13, won 9, lost 3, diawn 1, points for 174, points against 100.

Mr. Henderson, the manager of tho New South Wales team, acted as special conespondent ot the Sydney "Referee," and in that connection he writes ot the Otago match — 'There was nothing but 'whistle' in the closing part ot the game. In line-work, it the ball was not thrown out straight—stop—there being no such thing as allowing play to go on to see which side gained advantage."

Fiom this it would appear that the Sydney-siders do not, as is the case in tms colony, insist on the bail being tin own in at right angles—if a side gains an advantage from a crooked throw-in by its opponents the play should be allowed to go on. For my part, I am convinced that that reading is in the spirit of the law, but the English Union has decided against it, and so we, pei force, must act as the head body decrees. Another argument in favour of secession from the governing body.

Mr. Henderson writes of Otago's skipper —"Duncan played well in Sydney, and we can compare only Warbrick, in his day, with him as regards handling his side. He is the 'Bong of Otago,' and most popular. 'Jimmy' is very bald now, and is looking on the aged side. He tells mc he is a 'has-been,' but as to this he will represent Otago for many years if he so desires —that is, on what I saw of their form. His value to them as a 'general' is boundless."

Of New Zealand football generally he w rites —"In my opinion, on what I have seen so far, New Zealand football generally is not as attractive as our own. This I put down to the fact that they have to suit their style to circumstances. The strong winds necessitate the game being kept close. This has brought about a weakness in attack through lack of opportunities for the backs, of whom, so far, I have seen very few* on a par even with the best in Australia. Of course, their forwards are good, most of them heavy, and fairly fast, and all grafters. The climate allow them to attain that strength which enables them to go right through a game at the one pace, though I am of opinion that on hard grounds, such as our own, we could beat the province

teams, at least. However, they all defend well here."

The Sydney "Referee" says: —"The takings at the New South Wales-Otago match amounted to £269. Of this the New Zealand Rugby Union gets £160 net. The New Zealand record "gate" of £420 was taken at the test match; while £370 was the result of the Auckland match. The New Zealaad Union and its branches have done very well financially out of the tour."

I clip this just to remark that although these were the takings at the matches mentioned, the hiew Zealand Union did not benefit to the extent the figures would indicate —the provincial unions, by the way, with the exception of the Auckland Union, handing over the whole of the net gate to the head body, and receiving no cash benefit themselves from the matches with the New South Wales team. The actual receipts of the New Zealand Union were as follow —Wellington match, £127, Otago, £160; Auckland, £125; Canterbury, £156, New Zealand match, £280.

These amounts, after adding the amounts received in the Southland and Wanganui matches, and deducting the expenses incurred in bringing the New Zealand team to Wellington for the New South Wales match, should provide a fund sufficient to carry the team to and through the Mother State, as Mr. Henderson calls it, in 1903.

Mr. W. McKenzie expects to go to Rotorua early in the summer. He feels quite hopeful that this trip will restore him to good health again, which is the earnest hope of his many friends.

"Mona" Thompson, playing for Auckland's second fifteen against Horowhenua on Saturday week, had the misfortune to break his collarbone. At mid-day on that day he had received one month's leave of absence, and it is sheer hard luck that he has to spend his holiday with his arm in a sling. He is enjoying his leave in Wellington.

A Wairarapa writer makes mc curious to know something. He writes. —"The Wellington Juniors' war cry is a strange medley of Maori and Choctaw, with a splash of the Holstein. and takes live minutes to deliver. In this time there are emitted 1135 distinct sounds with 5000 different meanings. It is not sur-

prising that the genius who originated the war cry is at present located at Porirua, where Jus friends devoutiy hope he will remain." Perhaps "Billy" Queo can give mc the wording of the war-cry that biought forth such a comment, for it must surely be worth printing.

Report has it that W. Warbrick, the well-known member of the -Native team, is dying of consumption in Australia. He is said to have wasted to a shadow, his weight bemg only Sst.

Kelly has done good service for Wellington in its representative matches, but "Lynx," in the 'Auckland Herald," gives him too much credit when he states that "Hen" has played 101 times for Wellington—fifty-two is the correct number.

Since 1897 Auckland has not been defeated in representative matches. The number of matches played, in that period by the Northern province total 17, of which 14 have been won, and three drawn, points scored for, 21b, against, 40. Truly, a good record.