PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

Otago Witness, Issue 2813, 12 February 1908, Page 58

PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

WITH THE "ALL BLACKS'": 1907-08.

By A. H. Baskebvillk. £TEW ZEALAND 23, YORKSHIRE «

FIRST COUNTY MATCH EASILY WON.

Wednesday was the first occasion since the Wigan mateh — ouv first defeat — that the " going " was all that could be deAired. The pitch was in perfect condition for fast football, and it was soon made evident that the " All Blacks " appreciated it. The representatives of the , broad-acred Bhire were not in the hunt with them, ftiven neutral ground, a good pitch and Ball, and last, but not least, a good referee, then we are convinced several of the adyeree results sustained lately would have been different. Though victory was very bleasant to secure, it gave rise to a feeling pf regret when these defeats were contrasted with it. It went to prove that we ;we unfortunately fair-weather players only. More credit is due to the New Zealanders, ttcauee the Yorkshire team was reputed to be a very strong one — in fact, a better county team than usual. It was : Taylor (Hull), full back; Farrar (Hunslet), Ward (Halifax), Thomas (Leeds), Stacey (Keighley), three-quarters ; Wallace (Hull), and ftarman (Bradford), half backs ; Taylor JWakefield), Wilson (Hunslet), Major fHull), Webster (Leeds), Herridge (Hull), #nd Wilkinson (Keighley), forwards. The New Zealand team was: Turtill, Howe, Smith, Messenger, Wrigley, Todd, It. Wynyard, Lile, Pearce, Gilchrist, Cross, SFohneton, and Wright. Referee, H. Robinson (Bradford). It is interesting to (relate that Yorkshire met the Maori team on January 19, 1899, on the same enclosure, *nd gave the New Zealanders the heaviest beating -vrfaicli they sustained during tne tour. So we were, in a sense, paying off <>ld scores

Wright, who has now recovered from his •injury, took a roving commission in the field. He was a forward in loose play and a fi\e-eighth (extia) when scrums were

packed. He kicked off for us, to the Home full back, whose return was marked by Johnston at half-way. Messenger kicked well, but failed to put over a goal. A scrum was formed in Yorkshire's twentyfive. R. Wynyard secured therefrom and -passed straight back to Messenger, who coolly dropped a beautiful goal two minutes after Ihe start of play. Smith with a good run and dribble repulsed an attack. Yorkshire twice tried at goal with free kicks, and on the second occasion secured a good one, thus making the scores even — two points each. 1 Messenger, when kicking off from halfway, to the astonishment of the crowd, sent the ball yards over the crossbar of the Yorkshire goal, unaided by the wind.Though it did not count as a score, they forced down. A New Zealander marked their drop out at half-way, but the angle was too great this time for Messenger to be successful with his shot at goal. Yorkshire for a few minutes attacked, until Smith relieved with a fine run, and a. passing rush to Todd, then Rowe, carried play to neutral ground. Messenger went down to a Yorkshire forward rush in fine style on his own twenty-five. A scramble ensued, from which the ball was passed out wide to Smith. He dashed through several opponents to the half-way line and there punted over their full back's head. A race resulted with a few opponents, and needless to say Smith won, but he dived right over the ball behind their goal line. However, Lile was close at hand and he scored. Messenger converted it. A few minutes later Yorkshire were awarda.'J a free kick, and again secured a penalty goal. This made the scores New Zealand 7, Yorkshire 4. The New Zealand forwards and Gilchrist in particular were going very strong. Our five beat their six at every point. They rushed magnificently with a dribble to the home line. From a scrum there R. Wynyard secured. Todd and the others rushed to one side and drew the defence, but he trotted around the other side and walked behind the opponents' goal posts, leaving them standing in speechless astonishment. The crowd laughed loudly at the tricky way it was done. Messenger had no trouble converting, this try. New Zealand 12, Yorkshire 4. For the rest of the first spell the New Zealandeis were kept busy defending Smith on two occasions, by fine tackling, preventad the home team scoring. Lile saved the situation once with a cleverlysecured mark, and Turtill had to force down, to get his side out of difficulties a little later. Soon after the start of the second spell Lile secured a mark near half way, but Messenger's attempt at goal failed. Ssnith made a desperate tackle, and brought down an opponent who had broken away. In doing so he was injured, and had to retire. Rowe ran strongly to the Yorkshire twenty-five, and later secured a clever mark. Messenger made a marvellous kick from half-way, near the side-line, the ball passing- a few inchea outside the goal post. Lile and Gilohnst broke away ffom a scrum at half way, and dribbled brilliantly j to the Yorkshire line, but a hard kick at the critical stage allowed the opponents to force down. Yorkshire were soon off- | side, and this time Messenger kicked a fine goal. Rowe saved a difficult situation by a fine mark. The' New Zealanders started passing at half way. The ball was transferred about 20 times, first to one side then to the other. Nearly every All Black player handled it in an amazinsr passing rush, originated by Messenger. Wright spoiled the final transfer by passing forward under ( the oppone 1 " 1^' goal. In the ensuing scramble Gilchrist snapped a mart, and Messenee«- provided the climax — hi^ fifth goa'. New Zealand 16, Yorkshire 4. Johnston provided fine entertainment by dribbling half the length of the field before snapping up the ball and passingit on to Lile. The latter reached the home twenty-five after a smart sprint. Yorkshire relieved with a free kick. Our extra five-eighth — Wright — broke through a scrum and headed a, good rush to the home twenty-five. Smart parsing and running by Todd and others kept on the { pressure. Messenger placed the ball on : the half-way line for a free kick at goal, and sent the ball over the bar with any amount of room to spare. Thie was his second off that mark during the day, only at a different end of the field. There was no wind to speak of. Wrigley. by kicking well and following up fast, instituted another attack. New Zealand secured from a scrum and by brilliant pa-seing were almost over. Johnston again reached the home line by dribbling through cleverly and tackling their full back in possession of the ball. Short, sharp passing followed, and Rowe ran over and then around behind the goal poste before scoring. Messenger added his seventh goal, and thu6 raised the score to New Zealand 23, Yorkshire 4, before the final whittle sounded. All (he New Zealand forwards played a sterling game, but Gilchrist must be mentioned in particular for all-round excellence, while Johnston's footwork was superb. Lile, Pearce. and Cross c.lso shone out conspicuously at times.

Messenger seemed to benefit mo^t by the unusual ground conditions Thr» ( fine going and dry ball suited him. Smith until his retirement, both on attack and on defence, was the most conspicuous back on the ground. His fine sprints and effective tackling were ouite a feature of the match. R. Wvnyard was very nippy. His clover try made the defence seem the simplest in the world. Rowe showed marked improvement in hit. play. His try was also a very smart piece of work. Our five-eighths— Todd. Wrigley, and Wright — 'did not combine effectively in passing from the scrum, but in other respects they were very good. Turtill was on his best behaviour. Talking about him reminds me that hie vis-a-vis — Taylor, of Hull — played a very fine game. The duel between these two giants — in their positions — wa<s a remarkable one.

MANCHESTER, December 25. WARRINGTON, 8; NEW ZEALAND, 7.

The New Zealanders were Riven a right good welcome when they arrived at Warrington, about noon on Saturday. _ Escorted by a larae crowd, they were driven to the Town Hall, and were accorded a oivie welcome l>-p the MaTror and other Drominent " townsmen,"' includinfr Sir Gilbert aijd Lady Greenall.

The atmospheric conditions prevailing on the morning of the match w ere as vile as they possibly could be. Foitunatelv the pi-ound had a aood co\enng r of gfrass, or the going would have becj? much worse

from our point of view; however, it was quite bad enouah. The rain interfered with the attendance greatly. Instead of the anticipated record, only about 10,000 people lined the stands and enclosure. The " gate"' wao a little o\er £380, which is a iecord amount taken, by the way.

The heavy and greasy nature of the playing area was not conducive to play of the "pretty" description. It retarded, though it did not absolutely prevent, fine passing and swift running-. Still, the vigour of the play and the evenness of the game made up for this. The spectarois were kept in a state of intense excitementmore so, in fact, than in any other match I have yet witnecsed. There was always something interesting being done by one side or the other— a trait in the character of Northern Union football. You never see their spectators leaving a few minutes before the finish of the srame — even to catoh the only tramcar waiting. The New Zealand team was: — Turtill, Messenger, Rowe, Tvler, Wriglev. Todd, R. Wynyord, Gilchrist, Pearce, Trevarthen, Byrne, Cross, Wright. Warrington kicked off against the wind. For a few minutes the New Zealanders attacked, but were gradually pressed back. Then the home team secured a free kick for obstruction, but an attempt to kick a goal failed. Messenger, by smart footwork, instituted an attack which reached the Warrington line, but they came back to our twenty-five by passing .excellently They secured from a scrum in a good position, and nearly got over. Cross and Byrne relieved the pressure with a fine dribble to half-way. The home team again worked back to our twenty-five, and by fine passing from, the tcrum the ball was sent out to Fish, a famous Northern Union wing three-quarter. He beat Tyler and scored a doubtful try near the corner. The flag there was rudely shaken by his passage across the line, but they were awarded a try, which was not converted.

A minute later Wright, who was "roving," foolishly went offside — palpably — and Warrington had no difficulty in securing a goal from the penalty kick. Soon after the restart of play the home team obstructed in their half. Messenger tried at goal with the penalty kick, five yard 6 from the touch line and the same distance from half-way, and scored magnificently. It goes down as the best goal e\er "kicked on that enclosure. A Warringion attack was nullified by offside play. Turtill found the line with the free kick near their twenty-five. From a scrum there New Zealand secured. A grand passing bout in which R. Wynyard Todd, Wrigley, Rowe, and Messenger participated enabled the last-named to dash ove>r near the corner fla-g and dodge around behind the goal posts. Messenger converted his own try. New Zealand 7, WarFor the' rest of the first spell play lingered in Wariington's quarters. Todd made one fine dash, and electrified the crowd, but the score stood unaltered until half-time. The Home team now had the wind in thair favour, and they started off at a pace which looked like business. Near our line they secured a mark, but no goal was registered. Several scrums eventuated there, and things looked black for us for a long time. Turtill saved well once with a smart kick, and Tyler and Messen-ger twice by breaking through and running to the half-way line. They had several chances et goal with penalty kicks, and on two occasions hit the cross bar, but did not succeed. For half an hour they hammered away at our line. The spectators were in a frenzy of excitement. Their " barrack " was continuous, exoept for slight intervals, when the " All Blacks " made an occasional excursion into Home territory. It culminated in pandemonium when an opening in our defence, a fey% minutes before the call of time, allowed them to snatch victory with an unconverted try. The score now stood at 8 to 7 in Warrington's favour, and the crowd held their breath when the New Zealanders came down with their characteristic final burst. Todd once had a clear field in front, but a long sprint, immediately before the chance came, told its tale, and he was overhauled at their twenty-five. At the last moment Messenger placed the ball near halfway for a kick at goal — against the wind this time. The ball sailed straight for the centre of the bar, but the wind and distance pioved to be tco great, and the ball fell short. The final whistle sounded the knell of another defeat, which was, under the prevailing conditions, by no means a disgrace.

We think Warrington well deserved the title — the Gibraltar of the Northern UnionLast year they won the cup, defeating Oldham in the final Cup Tie, the hardest trophy to earn in the Football world. Thie season they have been onJy moderate in play. As the president stated, they must have been laving back for us, as supporters state it is the finest game they have wt played. *

It will be noted that Messenger scored all our points. He played well in addition. Tvler, though opposed by the redoubtable Fish, did well. " Rowe, Todd. and. Turtill also played very fine games. Their defence was capital. For once the " All Black " forwards were opposed by a pack of forwards who were thoir equals in every way, weight included. It was a magnificent battle — at times so keen that the i-eferee had to adminibter cautions, or advice, whichever way the players liked to take it. The New Zealanders stayed in Warrington until Monday afternoon as guests of the club. After the dinner in the evening the 'pantomime- " Alladin " was seen and appreciated. On Sunday we were driven to Knutsford, in the heart of Cheshire, and entertained at tea there. A church, built in 1296, of solid heart of oak, wae visited, and excited much interest among U6. A motoi drive to Warrington in the evening contributed to a pleasant day's outing in the country. On Monday morning Crossfield's famous soap works were visited, and a pleasure it was to do so.

NEW ZEALAND". 11; HUNSLET. 11

Hunslet this year won the Yorkshire County Cup, and, with Oldham. share the honour of being unbeaten so far this season. Our decisive victory over Yorkshire last week made our reputation again in Yorkshire, co that the match excited much interest on Boxins D ? v -,. S"'"*^" thousand people — a fine holiday crowd — gave the "All Blacks" a splendid reception when they took tne field. In spite of the lack of covered stand accommodation, the pato amounted to about £72S — our Yorkshire re-cord «o far. Hun-let is ivichcallv a of Loerl-s <o no-.rh .ill our old frian (li in that cits weie

Ideal football weather conditions prevailed, d slight breeze boing the only disturbing- clement. The ground was dry, but still a little heavy in places owing to the recent hcs\y downpours of rain. It was an impro\cment on Warrington, however, and as a result our standard of play was much higher than on last Satmdav. There is no doubt about it, wo arc as good as their beM, on a dry ground.

The New Zealand team turned out : Turtill, W. Wvnyard, Rowe, Messenger, Todd, Wrigley, R. Wynyard, Gilchrist. Pearce, Wiight, Crows, Byrne, and Johnston. The injury sustained by Smith in the Yorkshire match necessitates a few weeks' spell. A pleasing feature was the reappearance of W. W-wiyard, who has not been able to piay since his accident in the Merthyr match in Wales, at the beginning of November. The Hunslet team included Albert Goldthorpe, the famous drop and goal kicker. Great interest was evinced in the meeting of Goldthorpe and Messenger, both champions in the kicking deportment of the- frame. The result was a remarkable duel between these two notabilities, in which, if any were to be named, the Australian should claim the honours.

Hunslet won the toss, and decided to play against the wind in the first half of the game. Wright kicked off for New Zealand, and gained an advantage by sending the sphere to the dead-ball area. The attack was kept up for a few minutes. R. Wynyard secured from a scrum, but could not set his backs in motion, and the Home team worked back. Messenger tried for goal with a free kick, but failed. R. Wjnyard tricked the opposing half backs around a scrum and again set up an attack by a fine run. Me a<s enger marked smartly, and Wrigley made a good bid for goal without success. Todd made a smart run before being smothered. In the ensuing mcleo his leg was damaged. He left the field, but scon returned, though limping badly for the rest of the game. Hunslefc were given offside a few minutes later, and Wrigley landed a fine goal. Wrigley soon had another try at goal through Hunalet obstructing, but this time he failed to score. A little later W. Wynyard -made a remarkable run and a brilliant opening for Wrigiey to run half the length of the field and score a try, which was converted by Messenger. New Zealand, now 7 points ahead, were playing pretty and exhilarating football. The lead was soon increased to 9 points by Messenger placing a sensational goal from near the half-way line.

Hunslet for a while attacked until Rowe and Messenger, by neat passing, reached the half-way line. The '"All Blacks" attacked. Twice they had the Home line at their mercy, but over-eagerness, resulting in a pass forward and a knock on, spoiled these fine chances. The sounding of halftime left the score 9 points to nil in the New ' Zealanders' favour.

Hunslet now had the wind in their favour, and soon convinced the public that they wore going to take 6ome advantage from it. They instituted a strong attack. Goldthorpe made one of his famous drop-kicks for goal, but failed. Wrigley relieved a while by marking smartly. Hunslet secured a free kick, and again Goldthorpe failed to reach the bar. Turtill removed the danger for a while by cleverly finding the line, after a good kick, near the half-way flag. Hunslet again secured a penalty kick, and this time their champion neatly landed a goal. Hardly had the game N been re-started when Gbldthorpe showed his prowess again by dropping a pretty goal with his left The score now stood : New Zealand 9. Hunslet 4, and the game became very willing. Beth sets of forwards worked hkP Trojans. Keen tackling was the order. A Hunslet back resented being lowered by Wright, and kicked at him, for which he was ordered off the field— the first player to suffer in, this direction in our engagements. Turtill. by a deadly tackle, prevented a score by a forward who had brok&i through all others. From a penalty awarded. Goldthorpc placed another free kick between the posts, and added two more points -to his eredii. Goldthorpe was in a lively mood just then. Hunslet secured another penalty kick off Messenger, for an infringment. and he landed his fourth goal. The reduction of our lead to one point drove the crowd nearly frantic with excitement. But the New Zealanders weie. still to be reckoned with. Our forwards swept down the field, with Byrne and Johnston in the van. A few sharp passes, and Rowe darted over their line, but the last pas.-, was termed forward by the referee, and a scrum only was the result. New Zealand secured * penalty kick near half-way. and Messenger placed the ball for an attempt against the wind. The crowd jeered at him for wasting time. To tlieuchagrin and astonishment the ball sailed unmistakably over the bar. It was from an almost impossible position, and a marvel loos goal. New Zealand now led 11 points to 8. arul only a few more minutes remained to pla> . The Home team strove desperately to ieduce thp lead. Their full-back punted high and followed up fast. Turtill was beaten by the bounce, nol through his fault, and his vis-a-vis scored a try. The Hunslet full-back was as surprised at his success as anybody. Goldihorp's kick hit the goal post and rebounded into the field. Thus a fast, even, and intensely interesting game was terminated by a draw— ll points each — four goals and a try standing to the credit of each side.

After being entertained to dinner in Leeds, the New Zealanders rturned to Manchester to prepare for a strenuous contest with Salford next Saturday.