FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1819, 1 October 1886, Page 26

FOOTBALL.

NOTES BY FORWARD. The New SSuth Wales footballers have n'6w completed their New Zealand tour, and are returning with a record that is hardly a creditable one. They have played I2toatcb.es, of which they lost 10 aud won two., while in seven of the matches they failed to score a single point. The following table gives the results of the matches played : — N.S.W. Opponents' Date. Against. Points. Points. Aug. 28 Auckland ... 0 ... 6 Sept. 2 Nelson 2 ... o „ 4 Wellington ... o ... 7 „ 6 Wairarapa ... 6V6 V i „ 8 Canterbury ... 0 ... 6 „ 11 Otago ... ... 0 ... 23 I „ 13 Otago (2ndteam)... 0 ... 9 „ 15 Canterbury ... 0 ... 17 „ 17 Wellington ... 0 ... 18 „ 18 Hawke's Bay „. 6 ... 14 „ 21 Auckland ... 4 ... 14 „ 25 Auckland ... 4 ... 11 22 10 In striking contrast to this is the record of the New Zealand team during their tour in New South Wales. They won. every match, and their opponents only managed to score 17 points to their 157. • The record is as follows : — N.Z. Opponents' Date. Against. Points. Points, May 28 Cumberland county ... 33 ... 0 „ 31 New South Wales ... 11 ... 0 June 3 Combined suburbs ... 23 ... 5 „ 5 Northern districts ... 19 ... 0 „ 7 New South WaPs ... 21 ... 2 „ 11 Western districts ... 11 ... 0 „ 12 University and Wallaroo 23 ... 10 „ 14 New South Wales ... 16 ... 0 157 17 In last week's issue I commented oa the unfair criticisms that had been made in Christchurch regarding the play of E. B. Millton. I see that by the Christohurcu papers I am not the only one who regards Millton as one of Canterbury's beat forwards. It appears that Mr A. M. Ollivier wrote to the Times regarding its comments on the selection of the team, but his communication was ignored. Mr Ollivier, however, had his letter published in the Press as follows :•— Sir, — It is with regret that I lave read your reporter's remarks upon the selection of the football team in the late majfcch and the letter from " One of the Crowd." Had your reporter aud " One of the Crowd " confined themselves to the merits of the players no one could have objected, but wheu they impute motives of dishonesty to a selection committee especially composed of such gentlemen as at present hold the office, it calls for some notice. It is only natural to suppose that where there are so many really good players any selection would meet with disappointment, and in the heat of the moment some of those who thought they had a chance of being in the' team might give expression to remarks which in calmer moments they would wish unsaid. This is bad enough, but when your reporter gives publicity to them he not only gratuitously insults the committee, but those who elected them. It is bad enough to utter such remarks in the presence of a few, but the person who causes them to be published is the most culpable. To have chosen Mr E. B. Millton two of the committee must have been favourable to his election, and as your footnote to Mr Hoatson's letter exonerates Mr W. V. Millton from any insinuation of dishonesty, your reporter's remarks must be taken as applying to Mr Hoatson or Mr Helmore ; for undoubtedly they convey the impression that Mr E. B. Miltdn's place iv the team was secured by dishonourable practice. " One of the Crowd " cannot be a gentleman or he would have accepted Mr Hoatson's explauation that he was the strongest advocate of Mr E. B. Milton's claim to a place, and could have no interested motive. " One of the Crowd " cannot be a man, or he would have a name. It can only be concluded that " One of the Crowd " is a thing without name, and without honour, and without honesty of purpose. As such, let it pass, as I believe one of a very small crowd, and let it be treated by all true lovers of sport with the contempt which it richly deserves. Everyone has a right to think and express the opinion that there are. other players better than those selected (I hope there are), but to attribute dishonourable motives to honourable men no one has a right to do, and it is only those who are devoid of honour themselves who attempt it. It is strange that we in Dunedin have since j the New South Wales match heard nothing about the Otago team or the Match Committee. Before the event tho newspapers bristled with letters. I suppose the fact of the matter is that the annonymous letter writers have been completely snuffed out after witnessing the good all-round play of our men. We may, however, look for their reappearance as usual next season. The Otago score of 23 points to nothing against the New South Wales, has not been beaten by any of the other provinces. The nearest approach to it was made by the Wellington men, ■who scored 18 points against them. This goes to prove that the opinion expressed by the New South Wales men that Otago could quite hold her own with the other provinces is a correct one. The football match between Auckland and New South Wales (writes our Auckland correspondent on the 10th) did not elicit the interest which was felt over the contest "with the Wellington team,; still some 6000 braved the mud and the showers to witness it. The game was fought out in a manly spirit, the Sydney men accepting their defeat most philosophically. It was most unfortunate that they lost the services of their captain, Shaw through an accident at the very time when they might have had a chance of retrieving the day ; but notwithstanding, the unequal struggle was bravely carried on to the bitter end. During their visit here the • Sydney footballers behaved themselves like gentlemen, and they went away South with the best wishes of the Aucklanders, who hoped they would give the Wellingtoniaus, after their unhandsome conduct, a good drubbing. The Waikato footballers w/ere greatly chagrined that, owing to unavoidable circumstances, the Sydney team wore prevented from paying a visit to that district. The I Auckland Rugby Union have been somewhat mollified by the reply received from the Wellington Union in which they disavow and <■ repudiate any connection with the proceedings at the Poneke Club re hanging the Auckland umpire in efßgy, but, it will fake some fime to remove the feelings of bitterness which has sprung up between the Auck land footballers and those of the empire city and the apology now demanded by the former will not facilitate the operation. "Follower" in the Leader writes as follows regarding tho great matches between the South Melbourne and Geelong clubs -.— - In the course of an experience which dates back to the days of Harrison, Tom "Willis, Con-

way, Greig (South Yarra), Smith (Scotch College), Petrle senior, aud others of a bygone generation (I am almost afraid to calculate how many years ago I am speaking of), I have certainly never experienced a day like last Saturday. The scene on the South Melbourne cricket ground was one to leave an impression for a lifetime, indeed, I can look 40 years ahead and picture grey beards criticising the footballers of the day, allowing their memories to fly back to last Saturday, and say to youthful enthusiasts " Ah! you should have seen the match in '86 when Geelongbeat the South, that was football the like of which has never been seen before or since." And what would be the feelings of a member of last Saturday's victorious team wbo might perchance be one of the company on such an occa8ion? Does it require any flight of fancy to ! prophecy that like Harry Monnjouth's ideal veteran "Then would he strip his sleeve and show his scars" (if he had any) and pay an old friends's tribute to former comrades in that memorable contest, who years before may have reached the final goal, recounting the unexampled deeds done by the friends of his athletic youth, telling how Kerley shed his blood but nevor faltered, how bravely Steedman emerged from his retirement to. again assist his comrades in storming the Southern citadel, bearing testimony to the prowess of a Boyd, a M'Leau, a M'Shane, or a Hickinbotham, or with a veteran's generous respect for a worthy foenian relating how " Sonny " Elms performed " more wonders than a man" in the magnificent defence of his beleaguered goal, concluding with excusable prejudice, " Don't talk to me of football nowadays." No such scene has been witnessed on a cricket ground since the- first appearance in Melbourne of H. H. Stephenson's team of English cricketers a quarter of a century ago. That memorable day in the summer of 1861 I remember well, but the assemblage did not equal that of last Saturday by several thousands. I believe the the attendance at aU sporting meetings to be as a rule overestimated, but that of Saturday couH not have been less than 30,000, and a better conducted assemblage under similar circumstances I have never seen in any part of the world. The behaviour of both players and spectators was indeed n most gratifying feature in connection with the match which is now a matter of history, aud after the predictions of violence and brutality which had been indulged in, the general surroundings of Saturday's contest must affect roost favourably the best interests of Australian football, which had previously been assailed by the misconduct of senseless partisans. From the moment that the Southerners assembled in the centre of the ground and welcomed their opponents with a manly cheer, good feeling prevailed, and the contest was conducted on both sides in the true spirit of sport to the credit of all concerned. Again and again when a red or blue and white jersey kissed the^earth as a result of a violent collision, the victim was playfully assisted to rise by the cause of his discomfiture; and although the game throughout was fast and furious, no approach to unfairness or viciousness was observable from start to finish. Considering that the local chempions were throughout the contest in that unenviable position known as "under the whip," the impartiality of the spectators was no more gratifying than it was surprising. The fallen champions have always been supposed to be unfortunate on account of the over zealous support of their followers at times finding expression in unfriendly behaviour towards visiting opponents, but on Saturday the supporters of South Melbourne by their •abstention from objectionable comment or unsportsmanlike behaviour made ample amends for former misdeeds, and under most trying circumstances calmly admitted the superiority of the victorious team, and generously applauded their unex--auapled prowess. 'True, when the South kicked what turned out to be their solitary goal the roar of satisfaction, was unmistakably stronger than that which greeted the success of Geelong, but that was only natural, and notwithstanding the intense excitement those foolish expressions of disapproval of the umpire's conduct which are as a rule too frequent were hardly heard throughout the afternoon. This is a circumstance upon which not only the spectators but the field umpire may be congratulated, for Mr J. Shaw, who in the football (field has fairly earned a reputation equal to that of James Swift, the celebrated cricket umpire of Sydney, fairly excelled himself. The fairness of the players made his task an easier one thau might have been, anticipated, but there were frequent inadvertent infractions of the law, attributable more to the pace at which the game was played than to premeditated attempt at wrongdoing. In such cases Mr Shaw invariably proved equal to the occasion, and from a close and unceasing observance of the play I do not hesitate to affirm that I have never seen a football match better umpired. Mr E. D. Heather and his assistants had made every possible preparation for the enormous crowd's accommodation, but not even the sanguine South Melbourne secretary could h;ive anticipated such an attendance. The picket fence surrounding the playing grouud /was in several places broken down, but this was owing more to the unavoidable pressure than to any attempt at encroachment or misconduct, and the mounted police who patrolled the circle found their expected difficult task a mere sinecure. All the reserves like the outer circle were literally packed, and I am sure that the caterer's only complaint must have been that the enormous crowd was too great to be 'manageable. The endeavours made to obtain a view were in some cases not a little amusing; thus in the bowling green reserve three enthusiasts strove to maintain their equilibrium on a porter cask, the head of which eventually refused its novel office and collapsed under the triple strain, and " rub-a-dub dub, three men in a tub " Was jokingly exclaimed as the trio came to the ground. Men were to be seen standing for two solid hours on the single rails of picket fences, cramped but satisfied with their advantage over thousands of unfortuuates, who, as booming cheers continually rent th« air, could only inquire eagerly, " What was that ? " Coats were thrown over the top of an uncapped corrugated iron fdnce which even then was only transformed into a not too comfortable sitting place, men swarmed all over the roofs of pavilion, scoring box, and press room, twisting the spouting into fantastic shapes in their perilous ascents, and even in the ladies' reserve the struggle for a coign of vantage was as great as elsewhere. Every seat was occupied an hour before the play was commenced, but soon it became evident that sitting was entirely out of the question. The pathway in front of the latlies', seats was swarmed over by a crowd who had really no alternative bat to sink their politeness, and no sooner had one adventurous individual, fearless of official interference on such a day, dared to invade ihe flower garden betweon the seats and picket fonca than hundreds followed suit, and when the crowd cleared away, what was two hours before a well kept flower bed presented, indeed, a forlorn appearance, the earth being trodden hard and

flat, and previously verdant and flowering plants either entirely demolished or transformed into bare sticks stripped of every leaf. The " bill for repairs " will be a stiff one, but the unprecedented " gate" will stand it, as I am told that the receipts amounted to over £700. The one man with whom I specially commiserate is Ted Clack Clack, the curator of the ground, who has a formidable task to undertake in again setting things in order, and may justly expect more than ordinary assistance from the club's executive under the exceptional circumstances. Perhaps "the most remarkable circumstance in connection with the great match at South Melbourue on Saturday was that a brand new ball should not have been used in the most important match, probably, that has ever been played in Australia. Some people are inclined to the belief that the oval, which was certainly a remarkably pointed one, was not particularly easy to propel with precision on first acquaintance, and I have heard this given as a reason for Geelong missing several shots for goal. Be this as it may, it is not now a matter of much consequence, but the reason why a new ball was not used when everything else in connection with the match was conducted on such an elaborate scale is still a conundrum. The prospect of the " gate " was certainly sufficient to warrant the extravagance, therefore inquisitive people naturally wonder why the old ball was used. Who can solve the problem ? SYDNEY FOOTBALL. O for a national game of football which all the colonies could take part in Csays " Mark " in the Town and Country Journal). Is it not possible for enthusiasts in the robust pastime to see that improvements could be made in their own particular game ? If such is not the case the hope of the great majority of football followers for the assimilation of the rules has very little show of being carried out. This country is too young and the population is far too sparse to indulge in the luxury of three games of football entirely opposed to.each other. Lot all those who are in power in the different unions or associations, and who want to advance the noble game, seriously think over the assimilation of the rules during the recess. There are excellent rules in all three games, and if they were properly strung together they would make a game which would surpass anything in the football world and bring credit to the promoters in years to come. I would suggest that a conference be held in Sydney of picked delegates from each colony to thoroughly go into the question whether it is desirable to have a national game of football for the colonies or not. If cricket had been played in three or four different styles in this country, would tho world ever have heard of our demon bowler Spofforth, or our great batsman Murdoch, and champion wicketkeeper Blackham ? I trow not. Rugby Rules. — The Grammar School footballers journeyed to Parramatta to play the last match of the season with the King's School representatives. The locals had an excellent team, while the visitors had only nine players, who all worked to avert defeat, but the overwhelming odds of their opponents proved to be too much for them. King's School scored 33 points to 4, the latter being a goal kicked from the field by B. Lyon. Gardiner Cup. — Subjoined are the records of the principal clubs in their matches for the Gardiner Challenge Cup :—: — Club. Wins. Lo3se3. Drawa. Points. Gomon ... ... 31 1 3 121 to 15 University ... 11 2 0 — Arfoma .'.. ... 9 3 3 101 to 36 Wallaroo ... 8 6 3 / — Balmain Wellington 7 3-12 53 to 39 I THE NEW SOUTH WALES TEAM AT AUCKLAND. Auckland, September 25. The football] match Auckland versus New South Wales took place this afternoon at Newmarket, when 3000 were present. There were nine new men in the Auckland team, only six being representatives, and the team was lighter j than the Sydney team. There was some delay in starting. Gardiner and Wells (Auckland) not turning up, they were replaced by Thomas Henderson and Jordan. The teams played as follows : — New South Wales. — Belbridge, full baofe; Blaxland and Weaver, half backs ; Colquhoun, Caird, and Austin, three-quarter backs ; forwards — Read, Shortus, Shaw (captain), Warren, Carr, Allan, Wisehart, De Lauret. Auckland. — Full back— Brown; three-quarter backs — T. Ryan, R. Meldrum; halfbacks — R. Whiteside, J. Poland, C. Madigan ; forwards — J. Wooler, W. Meldrum (wing men), J. Lecky, W. Veale, C.\Clayton,A. Stewart, E. Mills, T. Henderson, and Jordan. Mr Cotter umpired for Auckland, Mr M' Arthur for Sydney ; Mr Thos. Mackay being referee. Ryan won the toss and elected to kick downhill against the wind. Shaw kicked off for New South Wales at 2.30 p.m., and play immediately centred in New South Wales territory, where the visitors gained ground by some very good passing. Whileside took tho play again into the New South Wales 25 by a smart run from a pass. The Reds made repeated efforts to get the ball out of their own ground by passing, which was not always good policy. Several times the Auckland forwards charged them and gained a decided advantage. Ten minutes after the kick off Auckland had the visitors penned, and carried the ball over the New South Wales goal line, where Wooller was in the act of falling on the ball, but New South forced down. Immediately afterwards Wooller made a run down to New South Wales territory, but Austin by a careful run carried the play back into a neutral position. Brown then by a well-judged kick took the ball back into the New South Wales twenty-five. The play for a few minutes was fast and open, and Auckland had all the advantage. Whiteside and Wooller repeatedly distinguished themselves The Auckland forwards charged down towards the New South Wales goal line, where W. Meldrum got over and secured a good try, from which Lecky kicked a goal. Madigan and Poland then distinguished themselves by some good play, and Whiteside was again to the fore by a fine run. Fast open play was the order of the day for the next few minutes. Caird and Warren showed up very well for New South Wales, and once more got the ball into neutral territory. Poland then secured a kick, but it was not a good one. Whiteside, by a grand charge, got the ball from a wild pass by Cnlquhoun, but it was thrown out about five yards from the goal line. A scruvn- | mage was formed and the ball was passed out to Whiteside; who passed it to Ryan, and that player running and fending grandly, got over tho liuo with two opponents hanging on him. Ryan took the kick, but a poster was the result. Wnlker having hurt his leg went forward, and Belbridge took his place as full back. Play was continued, and a hard kick by Meldrum resulted in a force down for New South Wales. Poland got a mark, and from Ryan's kick the ball passed about five yards to the right of the

post. Whiteside accomplished another grand run. and baulked every man who attempted to collar him until he got within a yard of the goal line when he was held. The ball was kicked over the line, but Lecky in falling missed, and New South Wales was forced down. Wooller and others dribbled the ball very prettily after the kick off, and Mills secured another try for Auckland. Lecky «took the kick, which was a failure ; the score being Auckland nine, New South Wales nil. The Reds then dribbled the ball well up to the goal line, but Ryan returned it. The visitors then pulled themselves together and kept things more lively for Aucklaud, but when half-time was called the Aucklanders were close upon their opponents' goal line. The Reds forced Auckland down two minutes after play was recommenced, and held their own fairly during the next 20 minutes. Play was fast and open, and a good deal of passing was done by the visitors. Auckland was eventually forced down again, and it was only the smartness of Whiteside that prevented the visitors scoring a try. The New South Wales team were awarded a round of applause from the spectators for their play. L. Meldrum was compelled to retire, but subsequently resumed his place in the field. Then W. Meldrum got over the goal line and claimed a try, which was, not allowed. Sydney claimed a mark from a throw on and Colquhoun took the place kick and landed a goal, but ifc was disputed owing to Allan having run over his mark. During the most of this spell the Reds played much better than in the first, Auckland being repeatedly forced down. The New South Wales men were cheered in their desperate efforts to turn the tide of fortune. Just before the 'close of the game Ryan got the ball 22yds from the goal, and instead of pottiug as he might easily have done, tried to run, but was thrown. Whiteside then got the ball, and running and fending in his best style, passed all the New South Wales men, and ran in easily, and- touched down behind the goal. Lecky took the kick, and although it was an easy attempt, made a poster of it, play ending with Auckland 11 points, New South Wales 4 (disputed). Among the Aucklanders Ryan, Whiteside, Madigan, and Wooller distinguished themselves; and for Sydney, Shaw, Walker, Belbridge, and Austin. Auckland, September 27. lie the football match on Saturday between Auckland and New South Wales, the referee's disallowance of the goal claimed by Sydney was made through a misinterpretation of the rules, and consequently the goal has been allowed. A ball was given in honour of the visitors in the Freemasons' Hall, and a fishing excursion took place down the Hauraki Gulf, arranged by the Rugby Union. The team leave for Sydney to-morrow. They were unable to accept the invitation of the Thames players. Wellington, September 25. The final heats for the senior and junior football cups were played at Newtown Park this afternoon. In the senior heat the Ponekes beat the Athletics by five points to nil, and in the junior the Unions defeated the Rivals by two points to nil. This is the first year the Ponekes have played as a senior club.