AN INCIDENT OF THE WELLINGTON-MELR0SE MATCH.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 110, 9 August 1902, Page 19

AN INCIDENT OF THE WELLINGTON-ME LROSE MATCH.

Wellington and Auckland play in Auckland on Saturday next, and the nuatoh seems to be a foregone conclusion — Auckland first, Wellington nowhere. Football is, however, always a game of surprises', and the wearers of the black jersey may disappoint even their friends. The seventeen players finally sent to Auckland were. — G. Spencer, Roberts, Slattery, Wallace, Mclntyre, Johnson, S. Wilson, Meredith, Manson, Watkins, Dodd, McMinn, Joyce, Skilton, Adams, A. Wilson, and Sweeney. Talking a line through the CanterburyWellington and Canterbury-Auckland matches, our players 1 do not seem to ha.ye a possible ohance, yet the cleverness of our front-rankers incline me to the opinion that they will give the Aucklanders a> good run for their money. At the time of writing there is a probability that Roberts will not be able to play owing to an old injury to his leg causing him trouble, but the presence of S. Wilson should enable the sele" tors of the team to put a good back division in the field by, say, placing Johnson five-eighth, and Mclntyre, Wallace, and Wilison in the threequarter line. Though it may be presumptuous to expect a win. I am hoping that the game may result in our favour. * ■« » "Harrier" says that Peter Gerrard has not received fair treatment at the hands of the Auckland selector, or he would have secured the five-eighth position in the Northern representative team. The "Times J) made a slight error on Monday in coupling MoMinn and Dodd as the front-rankers in the Wellington sorummjage. Dodd plays for the Old Boys and, although, Wai Spencer and his mate did "hook" well, they cannot be given th& credit of beating McMinn and Dodld. « » # If "Off-side Mae" is only a looker-on at football matches now adays, there are plenty of tflhe same family worthy of places in the Wairarapa representative team. In the fifteen to play against Oanterburv, Ted, Jack, and Bert — three brothers of the long fellow — have secured places and the younger one is the tallest of the four. He has been described to me as the finest line-player ir> the Wairarapa.

Charlie Failing and Georgie Devoe. erstwhile of Drx's, are bound for Boerland. Both husband and wife are certain to be heard wherever they go. *■ * /■ Miss Maud Beatty, who has been going the London rounds, looking for work, is to play principal "boy" for George Edwardes, at London Gaiety. *■ <■ * Reported that Mr. John Geigei, who was here but a week since, with his marvellous violin, was married to Misb Modlie Bentley, at Dunedin, on July 30th. jt -<• * Advance America! The Yankees are instituting theatres entirely managed by women. Brooklyn, in which city the idea originated, made a success of it, and business women of other American cities are following suit ■* * Not before a, huge crowd had gathered m front of Melbourne Town Hall last Sunday week, did they discover tihat Madame Dolores, who was billed to sing, was indisposed. The latest from Australia is that the great singer is recovering. * - * Wafted from South that Pollards played "The Messenger Boy" for one night in Oamaru. Tom Pollard, while in Dunedin, received a wire from Oamaru "Bring 'Florodora' perfume with you, poultry show been held here."* And it was even so. jf. * **• "The Wickedest Woman in London" i 9 causing an influx of long-coated Stigginses with gimlet eyes to occupy front seats' at Melbourne Royal. The wickedist woman is not half as naughty on the stage as she is cracked up to be on the bill, and Stiggins and Co. are disappointed. Wallace King, the tuneful coloured tenor, will sing, alas, no more. He is suffering from paralysis of the brain, and cannot now remember a single lino of any song he used to charm us with Even his old favourite, "Sally Homer," he cannot remember a word of Mr. Dix has subscription lists at each of his theatres to aid him. * * * Albeit Chevalier hits the "problem" of religious plays hard • "If blase individuals, with jaded palates, want spice, let them wallow in it, but let the pruri-ent-minded have a hall to themselves. Call it the Obscenity, and make it punishable at law for anyone to encroach on the prerogative o f those engaged in pandering to the tastes of the dirty and diepraved." * * * An American Entertainment Company, which is at present doing Tasmania, when it has sufficiently done it will meander hither for Percy Dix. It look© pretty strong on paper, consisting as it dofe® of Bunth and Rudd, the Ferrari Duo, Allan Shaw, Flatt and Sutherland, Mddle. Nillson, St. Onge Bros., MddJe. Anoion, Violet Elliott, and juggler Salerno. * * * "Pasquin" tells a yarn about a wellknown comedian, who is generally "resting." He was in Sydney during the plague scare. He breasted the counter at the Town Hall one day feeling anyhow. "B'leve you're living 6d a head for rats? Give half-a-crown for me. I'm full of 'em'" Again, the derelict, when the price of rodents had sank to 4d. found a "beauty" in the gutter. "Here," he said, breasting the nearest bar, "give me a beer, and you owe me Id."