Out Door Sports and Pastimes

Free Lance, Volume VI, Issue 268, 19 August 1905, Page 19

Out Door Sports and Pastimes

By Touohline.

DESPITE a keen northerly, the football at the Athletic Park on Saturday last was of the best. There was a good muster of the general public, and the gate was a handsome one, and the accident fund l of tihe Union and the Wellington Hospital will benefit considerably. The former will receive £27 as its share of the proceeds, and, with the Government subsidy of 24s for every £ donated to it, the Hospital's £27 will mean something like £60 for that institution. • • • The St. Patrick's College— Wellington College match was a fine exposition of the Rugby game. It was hard' and willing, but with no features about it that even the most oarpmig critic could find fault with. The wind hampered the play a lot, bait, all the same, th© back play on both sides was a treat to witness. The Wellington College boys, though lighter than their opponents, were the cleverer, and it was just this extra amount of cleverness that placed 1 them ahead at the finish of the game. There was one feature about both teams' play that calls for special comment, and that was the great endeavours made by the boys to play a fair game with an almost entire absence of breaches of the lawsi of the game. In fact, it seemed to me that there would haive been hardly any occasion during th© game for the referee to have blown his whistle if the wind had not prevented the baM being thrown m straight from touch. During the first spell, the. Wellington College team scored two tries. When ends were changed, the St. Patrick's College lads soon placed 1 themselves on equal terms with their opponents by scoring two tries. The Wellington College team, however, were not to be robbed of thear first victory far some seasons against the wearers of the blue and white jerseys, and 1 before the game concluded they put on the slate yet two more tries, both being converted into goals. The game ended — Wellington College 16, St. Patriot's College 6. * • • The Old Boys' team were successful in their challenge match against the winners of the senior championship — Petone — the game at the Athletic Park on Saturday resulting in a win for the ex-Collegians by six points to three (two tries to one try). Both fifteens, seemed to have had the same desire when they took the field, and that was to make the game as open as possible. And, as a result, it was as interesting as it could possibly be. The ball travelled' up andl down the field at a great rate, first one then the other side taking a handl in attacking. Though the Old Boys won, they did not have, by any manner of means, the better of the game, and a fair result would have been a draw. However, the persistency of the Old. Boys was rewarded', and I cannot help remarking that the result of this match proves that their position in the senior championship is not what it should have been. And they have only themselves to blame. They are good enough to have won the championship — Why haven't they? * * * There was not much interest taken in the Athletic — Hokitika match, played at the No. 2 ground, Athletic Park. It was interesting, nevertheless, although the play was ragged most of the time. Th© most remarkable feature of the game were the scores put up by the respective teams : Athletics 20, Hokitika 16. The Coast lads were a long while in getting properly going, the first spell ending with them three points to the 14 recorded by their opponents. But, in the second half — when King Dick honr oured the gam© with his patronage — they showed teir best form, and rattled up 13 points while the Athletics ware making but 6 points, and it seemed 1 just as well that the time ran out when it did' for the Athletic team. * * * Buddie is still a champion at fullback. Times and time' again on Satur day he frustrated £he rushes of th© Petone forwards, and cam© away with the ball in his possession. Matthews's wing three-quarter game was the best he has shown us this

season. He used his pace to advantage, and made some fine kicks to the toucb-liiiie. The Old Boys' backs worked well to gether, and snowed much better in defence than in their previous matches this season. Among the forwards, Dodd, the captain of the ex-Collegians, was the most prominent, and he was well backed up by Gardiner, Hay, and Alexander. "Kick it hard, Petone!" was the warory from the lock of the suburban vanguard, and occasionally some of them did other things but kick tihe ball. There was one occasion where a burly suburbanite hit out at an© of the Old Boys' forwards' — I know not whether he was struck on this occasion or next. The referee noticed the act, and oonisidened a caution sufficient enough to meet the offence. Opinions differ, of course. In mane a caution was not enough — the player in question ought to have been retired. Driscoll does his best, to back up the high opinion I have of bis play. On Saturday he was in front of every rush, and kept going for balf-an-hour after he received; a knock on tlhe ribs which caused him much pain. Driscoll retired a quarter of an hour before the game endled, and I have a good tale to tell a propos. It was tihe knock just referred to that caused him to leave the field. As Drisooll was going through the exit gate firom tlhe playing area, an enthusiast said : "Are you going off?" "Yes, and I ougjhit to have been off balf-an-hour ago." The next remark staggered I>rieGo3l : "The referee must have been pretty good l to you, then." With' reference to tihe -accident, I am pleased to say that it only caused Driscoll some slight inidonveniienoe for a day or two, and he will be found in his place against the Australian team tomorrow, at the Athletic Park. Fraser, Wright, and 1 Warner were the other Petone forwards who vied with Driscoll in olaying a good 1 game for their side. The only weak spot in the Pletone back division was Barber, the eemtre three-quarter. Time and again some fine attacks by the suburban rearguard were spoiled by the persistency with which the representative centre threetquarter hung to the ball. This phiaise of Barber's play is unpardonable in a player of hie experience. • • » The outstanding feature of the College match was the beautiful- way the Wellington College boys worked t!h<» eorum. Even, when the St. Pat's obtained possession a flanking movement by the blacks would upset them, and an opposing forward rush result therefromi. Otterson, the College half, showed much resource and cleverness at halfback. He got two tries, the second one being a masterpiece. The ball came to him from the scrummage, and out went the opposition to stop the passes. As quick as thought he out in between the wing-forwards and the scrummage, and from fully thirty yards out actually crossed tlhe goal-line without am opponent touching him. As Otterson belongs to Wellington, more maiybe heard from him in local football in, the future. Groodibehere's pace is very useful, and the last try of the match was the result of 'his pace alone. None of the other College boys struck me as being better than his oomiradies, though Rose did some clever work on the line-out. The St. Patrick's; College five-eighths and centre three-quiarter were very strong; runner®, and had much weight, and it appeared to me that if the ball bad come their way oftener there would have been perhaps a different taJe to tell. It was dangerous for the Wellington College every tamie the centre got the ball, for on two of them he beat them all off, and scored fine tries. The five-eighth, Walsh, who also captained tihe team, tried to get a try on his own in the firsit spell, when a pass would have made things interesting for his sidte. He ran too far, and was brought down within a few yards of the goal. I could not pick out any of the forwards as playing better than their comrades, though Seymour was much in evidence. This annual match of the two Colleges is pleasing, if only from the fact that good, football is shown, on both sides, and the game is played m its true spirit. * * * "What we have we'll hold!" This quotation describes the position of tht Wellington Rugby Union after the Ranfurly Shield challenge match, on the Athletic Park, on Wednesday last. The display of football was spoilt entirely by the state of the ground. The rain on Tuesday night had been much heavier than most people imagined, for there were pools of water in many places, and the elect of the Waira-rapa and Wellington Unions had not been

long chasing the leather before the convincing area looked more like a cattleyard than a sports' ground. The Wairarapa men. had the advantage of a fairly, strong southerly wind, in the nrst half of the game, and, but for a few incursions into their territory by the Welrngton team, they had much the better of the game. They only euooeedled in crossing the opposing goal-line on one occasion, however^ Spaokman scoring the try, which Beard made a poor effort to convert. Directly ends were changed, the Wellington playeirs commenced an attack which ended in Hardham soring a try, G - Spencer making a good' attempt to add the two extra points. From thi* point onward the town players had much the better of the game., but all their efforts to increase their score were met by sturdy defence by the men from beyond the Rimutakas. Occasionally the visitors turned' the babies, and once, but for a brilliant tackle by Ryan, who crossed from the left wing three-quarter to the right, the Rainfurly Shield 1 would have departed henoe. The excitement in the last ten minutes of thle game was as keen as mustard, the "Wellington men making strenuous efforts to add to their total. But it was not to be, and' the gam© ended in a draw — 3 points each. It was hardly a fair day to .judge o f the capabilities of the respective back do/visions. WrigJey, however, stood right out by himself on the Wairarapa sidle, his work being marked by soundness and 1 head/mess. J. P. O'Leary Was not nearly so prominent as in the Wellington, — New Zealand! matdh. P. Roger® was solid, if not brilliant, and Lagan went dbwn to the opposing; forward ruisihes like a tradesman. C. "Williams and' P. O'Leary did nothing startling. Spademan, H. McKenzie, and 1 Workman were tine most noticeable in a fine set of forwards. Dodld was the best forward on the ground, seeming to be where the ball was alii tihe time. He was well mated in the front rank with A. Wylie,, as they got the ball nearly ©very time it was puit in. J. Spencer also played excellently, and others who caught the eye for good work were Warner, Wright, and Hardham. In, the backs, Ramsdeni did! good work, especially in taking marks Several times, though, he kicked! thie ball into the opposing forwards. G. Spencer did well at full-back, and Sharpe was consistent. J. P. Blaoklook eihould keep his position as wing three-quarter in thle rep. team, but Anderson and Ryan were both patcihy. Thle next contest for the Ranfurly Shield will take place on Wedtniesday, tfhie 23rd inst., when the Hawke's Bay team will challenge the right of the Wellington Union to still continue bolding it. Wednesday's was the fourth match for the Shield, and! the whiode four have been keen struggles, to wit, Wellington won it from Auckland last year with, the narrow margin of three points, and resisted chalemges from both Canterbury and Otago with the same number of points to spare in the first game, and one less against Otago. Wednesday's was closer still — a dtraw. • • • A caustic comment on the Otago forwards in the Manawatu match : — "Of the forwardts, little need be said. Where all placed so execrably it would be unfair to. single out any player for special mention." {Continued on page 20.)

The New Zealand match against the Australian team is to be played in. Duaiedin on the 2nd September. In the New South Wales—Queensland match, on the sth ins*., Wickham Showed fine form as a place-kick. Howell, wthio has been playing fullback in the trial matches in. Auckland, is the Canterbury omoketer of that name. The 1904 British team was not beaten in Australia. Their closest call was the last match agauiist New South Wales, which they won by 5 points to nil. Congratulations to "Bernae" Gallagher the ex-tfepresenitatave player, on. the fine form shown by him as referee in the Athletic— Hokitnka match last Saturday— his first game of s&nioi status. "The season of senaor matches just closed in Auckland has been the miosit uninteresting played under the dbstwct scheme for years, and it is contended in some quarters that the distract scheme has outlived its usefulness."— An extract. The position of manager of a touaring football team is not being sought miuch after just now. The Otago Unoou •wanted! a manager the other diay, and none of those present at the meeitang when the ap-pointmenit came up were wdilline: to take it. The only member of the Committee absent from the meeting was 1 (appointed. The nratoh between the Wellington, Wairarapa, and 1 Horowhenua representatives and the Australian team, at the Athletic Park to-morrow (Saturtdlay), promises to be a good! game. The local team will be practically the same fifteen that defeated the New Zealand team a few weeks ago, and will give a good account of themselves. A Sydney "Referee" item:— "The recent visits of New Zealand and British teams have already had a good influence on New South Wales football, and if the interchange of visits with New Zealand can be arranged more frequently, Australians may reasonably look forward to perm an en* improvement in the standard of their play." The "West Coast Times" has a column and a-half telegraphed report of the match played on Wednesday week between the Hokitika Club and the Wednesday representatives of the Wellington Rugby Union. The report is headeel. "The Tour of the Hokitdka Footballers. — Match: against Wellington) Repmjentatives.—Fairly Easy Win." I think the special correspondent of tihe "Times" should not have ooaiveved a wrong impression to the good l people of Hokitika. For the result of last Saturday's match, against the Athletic team— nott the strongest, by any manner of means, in the Wellington Rugby Union's championship — must have been a rude shock to the "Coasters." To diefeat the representatives, and then to be beaten by a olub team, is surely too much! The visitors should be a sibronjgeir combination than any that has previously visited New Zealand, as it composes the best available players in New South Wales and Queensland 1 . At the time of writing I have not had an opportunity of discussing with the visitors their probable chances of success to-morrow, but I can assure them that if they do come out on top in tins game they should have a fairly successful tour of the colony. "Mason has been singled out by Mr. Faribe, the well-known football enthusiast, as a probable New Zealand rep." I (have copied 1 this from the "West Coast Times," and have to express regret that I oamnot agree with tfiis opinion.. In the first place, Mason stands too far back from the scrummage to make a good naif, acknowledging himself that the ball comes out too fast if he gets any closer. I don't thank even my West Coast friends consider Mason as good a half-back as Butland was in his diay. An answer to correspondents am the Sydney "Referee" is worth quoting: — "The point you refer to is allowed to pass very frequently by referees ; nevertheless, it is not permissible by the laws — that is, if the ball be on the ground after a player has been tackled it must be played with the foot before anyone oan pick it up." My object in quoting this is to draw pointed attention to the fact that the referees in two of the games at the Athletic Park last Saturday allowed 1 this law to be broken. Mr. Hugh F. AysoTij secretary, Kia Ora F.C., writing to tine "Hut* and! Petone Chronicle," says: — "I am confident that there is no more mdsbehiaviiOTir on our groranid! than on .any other football ground. I wiM admit that the Hutt spectators are fairly patriotic. In every gathering there are always a few who do not know how to condiuct themselves, but that is no neason why everyone should suffer." I agree with Mr. Ayson, but I think even, he will admit that the complaints aganmsb the spectatore at the Hutt grounds have been •pretotty numerotiis of recount years.