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Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 104, 28 June 1902, Page 6

The whole tour of them p layed in capital stn le on Saturday. Me Anally was missed, though in the Poneke \an guard. Used as the> are to has load, the team mass him gieatly, and as an old Rugbian remarked to me on the wav home after tlie matoli — they will miss him in the lepresentative team too >- + * Ro that tiv of the Wellington team At this time of wilting, I hear theie is a great possibility of the Poneke Club entonng a piotest on the ground that the referee made an error of law in not alloy. ing the force-dow n w Inch was obtained bv then team previous to the try being scored The position is this — The scrummage when foimed was partly over the line and partly in the field of play The Poneke front-ran keis obtained possession and heeled the ball to their backrankers who were over the goal-lino, and the ball, before coming out of the formed scrummage was touched down bv the full-back. The lilies provide that a serummaigo ceases to be a scrummage when it is over the goal-line, and, therefore a ball coming out of it in that position cannot be considered to have been heeled out of a scrummage * • • The lesult of this match leaves Wellington leading; for the championshiwith the Poneke and Me I ! rose teams togethei — one point behind > * • The Mehose supporters were in a great state of anxiety on Saturday morning — Wngley was unable to play because of an attack of influenza during the wee!:, and A Claridge had not recovered from the sprained ankle he received in the match against Oriental. Biit they need not have worried, for the Athletic team w ere alw ays a bit behind them on Saturday, and the final score was 11 points to three in Melrose's favour * * * The improvements at. the Athletic Park, which both the Park Company and the Rugby Union told us at the beginning of the season were to add to the comfort, of the spectators, are doing; the opposite thing just new . I understood all the work necessary would have been completed before the championship matches commenced — or, at least, within a week or two afterwards — yet the matches are now more than half through, and the works are still far from completion. I would suggest to the Park Company a cessation of work altogether for a while, so as to cnve the uprooted soil a chance to settle down. And then, what about that dressing shed? In the course of a few weeks we shall have representative teams- from other parts in, Wellington, and the present structure will again have to do dut^ . But that feeling of smallness which must pervade the officers of the Union when they show visiting teams into the dressing-shed is as nothing when compared with the feeling which comes over one when, sixty men, tired and weary, after ninety mmues' playinp in aill sorts of weather hustle against one another in the effort to change their clothes It is a disgrace both to the Park Company a,nd the Rugby Union and if the former will not move in the matter of providing better accommodation, the Ru^bv Union should do so even if it means the raising of a loan. * • * The barracking element was in strong evidence at the Athletic Park on Satuiday, the referee in the WelhnertonPoneke match coming in for the greatest amount of abuse. Generally speaking it is hard to detect thoso who indulge in these ill-natured remarks from the touch-lines, but, if opportunity comes their wa,y, the RucHby Union should ma.ke an example of anyone who may be reported to them, and found guilty of such a breach of British fair play. As for Mr C'ompbell and his decisions, I could not see much wrong with them Theie were one or two marks which I was surprised were not given, and many knocks on were allow ed to go even w hen the offender gained an advantage from his offence. But a referee is only one man, and although he does his best to see all the theie are many incidents he misses Mr Campbell acted in a fair and impartial manner, and deserves the thanks — not the abuse — of both the eomnrting teams and their supporters *■ - * It i= stated that George Stephenson the Dunedin Paialvser." is returning, to New Zealand fiom England George How c was brought out f1 om retirement for the Athletic-Mel rose game and acquitted himself fan X w oil How is this foi a Wellington back team p It is not mv own, but is suggested bv a prominent player — Fullback Wriglev three-quarters Manning (left), Wallace ("centre), and Roberts (right) five-eighth Kelly half Meredith.

The Wanarapa Thiusday Union have suggested the 2nd of August as the date of the minor lcprcsent^tive mat-cli in Wellington ' Smiler," the well-known 'bumpei" of the Native Team, ola-yed in a mnioi match in Napier the other clay and showed fair farm considenno- the tune he had been away from the game. This surprises me — Mr. F. T. Evans had an off-day on Saturday. In addition to bein,q; very slow with the whistle, he was not nearly so correct in his decisions as usual "" — ' Quidnunc " The extract I gave last week from "Off-side Mac's-" notes, re the scrummage being the correct decision after a player tackled with the ball in his nossession comes to the giound, and passes same, is an English Rugby Union decision Tt w ais reimbhshed in the Quee'iftla'id Annual Bangor" Rm\ is doing some good place-kicking in Sydney this season. In a iecen.t match he kicked five goals out of six attempts. His team — Noith Sydney — are leading for the championship and the critics say Row is showing fine defensive work, his Imekicking being especially good. Cunningham, the New Zealand lockfoiward of last season, injured his leg in a recent match, and it is more than probable he. will not be playing again tins season. If the report is correct, Auckland will miss his services, for in form, Cunningham was the finest lockman we have had in this colony. The Linwood team, in Christ chuich are. winning the senior championship theie> but it seems, looking at the results of the last two matches, just as wel lthat the^' got a break on in their earliei matches. Albion and Sydenham have both drawn with the leading team for the championship but still the resiult is not m doubt. The greatest surprise in football circles 111 New Zealand last Saturday was the defeat, of Ponsonby by North Shore, in the Auckland competitions. Up to a fortnight ago, Ponsonby were leading, with City. "for the championship and North Shore had not won a match, vet the latter'^ first win for the season was against Ponsonbv. The 23rd of August was the datei offered Wairarapa for the second of the homeland-home matches tins season. It is just as well to mention this, as one or tw o scribesi have attempted to crack a ioke at the expene of the Wellington Riigbv Union by making out they wanted to play football on a Sunday — viz , the 2ith August Touch" and "Off-side Mac" have been saying some unpleasant things about each other lately. They have both been administering hard knocks, and should cry quits now. Both are endeavouring "to get their thiee meals a day from the use of the pencil, and in football comments it would be better for them to eschew personalities altogether. They are decent fellows both and I should be soiry to know that their writings have engendered badfeehng between them "Blessed is the peacemaker" — let me be that person in this instanc. The Southern papers state that the Otago Rugby Union have asked Mr. F. T Evans to act as referee in the OtagoWellinigton match, and that he has consented to act. The Wellington Union, rt is morally certain, will not raise any objections to "Dutchy" acting, but it would have been courteous on the part of the Otago Union to have approached them before making the request to Mr. Evans. How do I know they haven't been a.«ked? Well, on seeing the paragraph containing the above information, I asked for its confirmation, but the local Union could not give it me.

Is Mariiage a Failure, 01 no 9 To answer is nobody's place, Only time and expeiience will show In each individual case. What's worse than a very bad cold 7 Nothing, we feel pietty sine The best thing to take we .11 c told Is Woods' Great Peitermin r Curf.