FOOTBALL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 63, 6 July 1914, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

SATURDAY’S MATCHES. There was a, largo, attendance at Western Park, New Plymouth, on Saturday to witness the Stratford-Tu-kiipa match, but the game did not come, up to expectations, a line hack game being looked for in view of the fine weather and the dry ground. Rogers, Stratford’s wing threequarter, made the first score. Eggleton and Broken shire scored tries for Tukapa. All the scores of tiio game were made in the first spell, none of the tries being, converted.' The first spell was evenly contested, the advantage, if anything, being with Tukapa. Stohr was not up to his usual form as regards kicking, failing to score from three penalty kicks through bad direction. On several occasions during the spell Tukapa. had to work hard to keep Stratford out. though the visitors wore, as a general thing, kept pretty close in their own quarters. Towards the close of the spell the Stratford hacks set up a hue attack a mark by Paul just preventing another score for the visitors. Soon after the second spell opened both teams seemed to die right away, and Tukapa made play purely defensive. A Stratford rally ended in a scrum iu the corner and a score seemed inevitable. Brpkonshire (Tukapa) secured, hut was off-side, and !)ivo had a shot, failing to get the ball over the bar. Just before time Dive missed another shot at goal. Tukapa were defending when the whistle went. Mr W. Koch controlled the game. Clifton took their best team to Okato and won by the big margin oT of) to 3. The visitors made the pace warm from the start, hut the homo team defended well. Clifton excelled ■in footwork, hut their opponents made a good showing in the tackling department. The Star-lnglewOod match was not played.

NORTHERN CHAMPIONS. Clifton are this season’s northern chamipons, being placed in the position through Tukapa defeating Stratford on Saturday. THE LEAGUE CAME. ENGLAND (14) V. AUSTRALIA (G). [By EIKOXUIO TELEGRAPH— OoPyBIGHI’I [United Fiass Abboousion.l Sydney,- July 5. The final of throe tests between England and Australia was played in fine weather in the presence of forty thousand. The recent rain had made the ground soft and heavy, favorable to the Englishman. The first score was to the visitors, Wood kicking a goal from a penalty, and a little later Davis scored and Wood converted. Wood added another two points from a penalty shortly before half-time, England then leading by nine to nil. On resuming Johnson scored and Wood converted. Williams and Hall both retired injured, leaving England two men short. The Australians attacked and Messenger and Deane scored, Messenger failing to convert either, and the whistle finally blow with the score: England 14,, Australia 6.