Late Football Notes. WELLINGTON V. SOUTHLAND. A RECENT WAIRARAPA WEDDING.

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 114, 6 September 1902, Page 22

Late Football Notes. WELLINGTON Y. SOUTHLAND.

A RECENT WAIRARAPA WEDDING.

(B\ Touchum )

The Southland-Wellington match, played at the Athleuc l J aik on Wednesday, was a fine contest A stift northerly was blowing stiaight up and dow n the field of pla^ , w Inch hampered i lie efforts of the pia>en, considerably. Wallace, who captained the local team, won the toss from Jenkins, and played with the wind behind, him. The hist fifteen minutes of the game was lifeless, the efforts of the Wellington placers to get the ball among the backs being generally fiustiated. At the end of a passing run among the local rearguard, Mclntyre essayed to pot at goal, but the ball rebounded off one of the Southland players, and Taylor, who was handy, but, appaientlv, off-side, snarmed it up, and, from beyond his own twenty-five set sail with a seventy-five yards' run in front of him for the goal-line. He soon left G. Spencer in the rear, but Wallace, who had seven or eight yaids the woist of the start, pluckily pursued him. Tavlor's pace stod him m good stead, foi it was only at, the line that Wallace got near enough to tackle him. He wjs too late, however, for Taylor finished a brilliant run, brought down by Wallace, just over the chalk-line. It was a splendid effort, and w a,s applauded to the echo bv the spectators. A great run through the Wellington team by Stea,d w as the next noticeable feature of the game, but directly the home team, aided by the wind worked the play to the visitois' base Heic they were aw aided a free kick for an infringement of the lulrs and G. Spencer made the scoios e\ en by a rattling kick from outside the twenty-five line Another free kick to Wellington was well taken bv G Spencer, but it dropped short. Then, Spencei put in a punt from full-back with a lot of screw on. it, and Jacobs fumbling a uish of the local vanguard ended in Sweeney falling on the ball over the line An easy chance to convert w r as missed bv G Spencei The first spell ended w ith the scores b — 3 m Wellington's favour, but the chances of a win or anything but a loss seemed very remote. The northerly was blowing as strong as ever, and the lighter Wellington pack appeared to have a tremendous undertaking in front of them. Watkins had got another smack on the eye, and the bandage on it spoilt his vision occasionally. J. Spencer took his place in the front of the scrummage, and McLachlan went into the pack, Watkins playing on the wing. "Defence, not defiance," was the order of the play, and the Wellington team rose to the occasion. Even man, both back and front, did then w ork ably and well, with the result that, after three-quarters of an hour's hard "lav the visitors could only score a pen alt v goal, and make the game a drawn one On one occasion, a rush of Southland forwards looked anything but food to the home team, but, just at the cntical moment, one of them tried to pick the ball up instead of kicking it, and a knock-on ended the 1 suspense. Still again a rally took the sphere

right o\ oi the line, but heio ('land»o sa\ fd smaitly. A hee-luck to the w-itoi 1 - lanrh d ovoi the chalk-line, but underneath tie cross-bai . "Within twehe minutes of the finish the Soutlilandeis lieeled out smail!\ and a passing lush lcsulted The cashing was clean but the collanne, was sine. Every man ri tuin was bioufht down, and the ball finally went to Jacobs This speedy player was soo'i making tracks, but a beautiful tackle by "Wallace picked him right off his feet within a couple of yards of the line and a fiee kick to Wellington for holding the ball brought welcome lehef And so the game ended. The play of the local team in the second spell surprised even their most ardent admiiei*and a deal of credit is due to them one and all. Spencer made no mistakes at fullback, Wallace was very conspicuous and Bu«h did all that came his way m woikmanlike style.

Robeits was not too happy behind the 'ciumraage in the fast half, but m the defensive woik he stood light out X Claudge and Mclntyie did not make many enois, though occasional^ they could lia\e urn into touch instead of kicking In the vanguaid, Dodd played Ins game of the season, overshadow I.l^ every otliei foiuaid on the giound Mann and McLachlan were very noticeable on the wing. The remainder all did well Sweeney, perhaps, being the most noticeable for fine line-work Among the visitors, Murphy's defence was veiv sound in the first snell, his opening piece — the maiking of a high kiek — being particulaih brilliant His handling of the ball in the second spell was equally showy. Stead is as clever a player as of ■> oie and his straight running was much admired. J acobs was distinctly a, back number, his poor foim of the' earlier part of the soason in Wellington being still in hi-

clence. His taking of the ball from high kicks was mediocre, so much so that a remark w a^ riassed on the touchlme that he was pla\mg a good o a me foi Wellington. J. Taylor (the fullback) was uncertain, Alalev had a desne to squeeze the ball out of shape bv much cuddling, and Read had a mission to pot goals, but his effoits were very crude. P. Fraser, at half-back, passed out well, though the opposme wings on a bit too soon for him occasionally. J J Taylor — the New town boy, and a familiar figure at sports meetings on the Basin Reserve — stood alone in the Southland va,nguard. He was always on the bnll, and bothered the Wellington bafk« a'l the time. His run in the first spell, when he scoied, will live in the memory of all who witnessed it for many a day (' Purdue was onh orominent on occasions, and of the balance. I. Jenkins, Fraser, and Hogan were perhaps, the most noticeable.