RETURN MATCH WITH WELLINGTON. ENGLISHMEN VICTORIOUS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 265, 19 May 1888, Page 6

RETURN MATCH WITH WELLINGTON. EN GLISHMEN VICTORIOUS.

Wkm.incton, Monday. Tin; second game with the Knuli&hmon was played this afternoon, Tho Wellington team, as telegraphed, was not selected by the Union, and consequently the balano o of proceeds above expenses will bo divided between tho City Council, "who control the Basin Reserve, and tho Hospital. Ther° were between two and three thousand spectators, the small number being due to the fact that a southerly diiz/.le fell all day so densely as almost to bo a fog. The grass was extremely wet, but the gioundrcmaiucd linn underneath. The lOnglishmcn changed their fullback, putting Paul forwaid, and Burnett in hh place; but after the lirst tiy the foimer was sent to his old position. Jirooks made hi-, fust appeal ancc in the colony, pla^ ing ouUidc the scrummage. The Wellington team, who woie red and black, wore considered neaily as good a.--Saturday's, and, as it was known a wet ball would cripple tho English passing, a elo->o game was? anticipated, and so no doubt it would have been but fora most- unfortunate mishap. The local team swept the sh angers before them at the stait, and seemed a liy in lchS than ten minute-. Dribbling versus parsing on tho damp giound .showed up a weak sfiot in the lOnglihhnicn, who weio all at Moa before the lapiil following and line dribbling of their opponents.

Aftei the kick oui, the ball was at once mm it. back (o the English goal, and a liaul kick lamkd it in Speakman's Land. . \N hat man, a line torwaid horn NN'aiiaiapa, and one of the be-t in the colony, ) ushed at him. but ttpcakm.m stooped befme the chaise, and What man, Jailing- headlong o\cr the Kuncorn pla>cr, snapped his lelt log aho\e tho ankle. No possible blame wa 1 - attributable to the Englishmen, and none moie deeply tegiet tln*> accident, especially aftei' tho rather unfair A\<ty in nhicli tlv y had been made lesponMhlo for the whole of Saturday.-t ough play. Dr. (.illon tet the injured limb on the spot, and Whatman ',\ib can ied oil the giound on a gat' 1 , atid taken 1o i lie llosp tal. The fracture ua^ a clean one, and will heal readily. Aftci hi > lo.ss, the Englishmen had tho advantage for awhile, and kept up a relics of asM ult<on the Wellington line. Kesistance was stout, and some exciting play was wit-nc-^cd befoio t lie detet mined iu»lic-3 and the rapid following of the reds tiansfened the scene up the ground. Another misfoitunc hetc befel them, Thorn.son ha\ing hii shoulder hurl.

SK'OVI) 511,1.1,. At thcintenal Thomson Jolt t ho ground, and then it was only a quc-lion of how much England would win b\. Wellington playing thirteen men against fifteen. Nothing lull defeat could be expected, but no one wa- piopared foi the sp'emiul defence and dtteinnned j>lay exhibited by Wellington. The collating «a& pcrfeet, and time alter time Sim " biought (low n the house '' b> Lhe accurate nay in which he Hooted liablam andAndciton when on the e\o of scoring. This player was considered the weak bpot of Saturday's team, and -was displaced at lhe last moment in ta\our of Wai briclc. \Vhute\er may have been the leu'-on for the action ot the Committee, his play to day was of the liue-b dcsciiplion, and, the day- of Biaddon, no better has been scon. Still the poucrful attack, of the led. white, and blue was bound to tell its talc in the end. With only two thicequartei.- a gap wa- left through which the aethe Englishmen poured again and | again, and at length from the throw-out j Eagles scrambled over the line, upsetting [ the comer Hag as he did so. After a little hesitation, the lefciee aw aided a tiy, but no p;oal %\ u^ kicked. Di-satished with one poor try as the result of 20 minutes' play, the visitors thicw all their eneigy into the match, and showed move of (heir true foim. So eager were they, th.it they constantly lost ground by ofl-side play and throwing in, and it was icali\ owing to ■ a player being ofl-sido that they at length I topped the score. Wai 1 brother mulled the ball in fi out ot the goal, and Eagles, who \\a^ yank- in fiont of the man who kicked it, being thus placed on side by accident, made good use of the opening. H!\en then Fairbrothci could ha\e easily saved the game by kicking the bull to the boundaiy a few yaids awa\,, but he tried to touch the slippery ball down, missed it, and Eagle- easily seemed it. The try was between the po->N, and Paul kicked the goal, making the score tour to one. Atter this nothing further wa^ lccordcd. Noways disheartened, the Wellington team, though clcaily overmatched and pieced soicly by the Englishmen, kept up their defence v\ondei hilly, and not only prevonted their opponents getting through them again, but move than once burst into the English 25. Once a beautiful charge earned them past everyone but the full back ; Paul, usually very accurate, failed to got the ball, but kept cool, and with an expiring cflott managed to diiect the ball into touch near his own corner flag. The game ended in a victory lor the \i>ilors by a goal and try to a try, the latter obtained by Ellison ; but all who witnessed the game tell that it was a nominal \ictory only, and but for the handicap of losing two men, the tables 1 would ha\o been turned. Tho game was much more interesting than Saturday's, being of a nioic open character, and fiee irom the constant appeals and delay.- that oharactcn-ed the first match. Tho Englishmen played a haidcr game, and lasted better than bcfoie, but their passing was crippled by the state ot the ground. Their forwaid play was not equal to their opponent*', whose 10030 rushes and dribbling carried all befoic them till their ranks weio thinned ; but the splendid running of Ilaslam, Spcakman, and Anderton was a conspicuous feature ot the game. Tho collaring on both sides was of tho finest description, Sim standing out in bold relief from beginning to end of the game. Moore, Robert*, and Cage also played capitally for their side. The Englishmen leave to-morrow for New Plymouth.