THE MAORI FOOTBALL TEAM IN ENGLAND. London, October 5.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 316, 14 November 1888, Page 5

THE MAORI FOOTBALL TEAM IN ENGLAND. London, October 5.

! Momma- being a splendid sunny autumnal morning, with just a touch oi frost in the air, I thought I would betake myself to Richmond and have a look at our New Zealand friends practising. The team were just leaving for the grounds when I reached I the Greyhound, so I walked down with them, chatting by the way with Alfred Warbrick, who is as x^loasant and sociable as he looks massive and determined. I urn nob an expert in football, and could gather but little irom the play. Warbrick, however, seemed satisfied, and we all returned to lunch at the hotel as hungry as ! hunters. In the afternoon Mr Scott moved the whole team up to the Glendower Hotel, South Kensington. This was in consequence of a row anent over-charges with the proprietor of the Greyhound. The guileless manager of the team had not, it seems, thought it necessary to make any contract for fcho lodgment of his party. The rate per head per diem was left for the landlord to fix at his own sweet will, and he leniently decided eleven shillings per man would befair remuneration. This totalled up a bill of £57 for the first tour days in England. Considering the accommodation was primitive (nine footballers, for example, occupying one bed-room), and the tare plain even for rough up-country New Zealanders, Mr Scott very properiypionounced the terms exorbitant, and promptly sought other and cheaper quarters. No doubt it was riling to be "had" like this at the first go off, but 1 am far from sure Mr Scott acted wisely in removing the team from Richmond almost on the ! eve of their first match. Apart from the danger of plunging a number of full-blooded young men into the midsb of London's manifold temptations at such a time, there was the ♦♦ gate " at the coming match to be considered. The presence of the team ab Richmond stimulated local interest and curiosity, and couldn't have failed to improve the attendance on Wednesday. Removing the footballeis, piquod some people and angered others. Altogether, it did not strike trio ,as a wise act.

The absence of leading English footballers on the platform at Fenchurchstreot on the occasion of the arrival of the New Zealand team having been commented upon, Mr F. Innes Currey writes to explain that it was simply due to uncertain by as to the hour they would turn up. Mr O. Rowland Hill and olhers had fully intended to be there. There can be no doubt about Joe Warbrick being " boss " of his team in fact as well as in name. He . has them all admirably in hand, even the full-blooded Maoris, I gather from a remark he dropped that Warbrick feared some of tho rowdier spirits might break out a bit during the early days of their stay in London. So far, however, from this being the case, they havo all been conspicuously quiet and well - behaved. "By Jove, I'm quite proud of the boys," said thoir captain. Moat of the London papers have published ■xiore or less flattering notices ot the team, and Joe Warbrick has been duly interviewed by the "Star," the "Tall Mall Gazette,"etc.

THE FIRST MATCH. The Now Zealand football team were favoured with an ideal autumnal allernoon for thoir first match. Id simply poured with rain all Tuesday, but Wednesday, it sunless, was fine, with just a touch of tvoab in the air, and sufficient north wind to make overcoats acceptable. The "gate" proved most satisfactory. I should say there must have been at least 10,000 people present. Both reserved enclosures were crowded, and the little grand stand could have been tilled twice over. I confess. 1 was surprised, as the match was a suburban one, and Londoners are not specially partial to football. We got to Richmond just in time to see the Surrey team emerge- trom the pavilion. They were followed by the New Zealandeis, the Maoris as usual wearing their mats. The Surrey men greeted the visitors with cheeis, in which the crowd joined cordially. In appearance, there did not, to my eye, seem much difference (as regards t>ize) between the Suirey and the antipodean men. An expeit who was standing beside me, and who seemed to know what he was talking about, declared the colonists were positively small men compared to the Lancashire footballers. This authority also remarked that the Surrey team were but a seeond-iate lot, and that the Maoris would have had a very different task set them had they met the Richmond Club. I ventured to observe that the New Zealanders were still "soft" after their sea voyage, and that it was scarcely fair to judge them on this afternoon's play. Furthermore, I pointed out it ought to be noted that the redoubtable " Smiler," who proved a perfect tower of strength to the team in Australia, was standing down. Subsequently another expert pooh-poohed my neighbour's remarks, declaring that the team playing against the Maoris was a picked one, the be&t men belonging to the Surrey, liichmond, and St. Thomas's Hospital Clubs, and that if the colonials beat them, they might with confidence face any of the county footballers in the south of England. The New Zealandors began excellently. In the scrummages they rushed through the Surrey men comparatively easily, and for the first 20 minutes the ball wa^ kept entirely in the Englishmen's quarters. Then lack ot condition seemed to tell a bit, and the Maoris were forced toward their own ground. From this period to half time the struggle appeared to my inexperienced eyes pretty equal. The Englishmen passed the ball to one another far quicker than the antipodean^, but the latter showed themselves "regular dons " at running, dodging and kicking, Gage, Ellison and McCausland especially continually exciting loud applause. The touch down which ended the first part would not, it is fair to sa^, have been secured but for a blunder on the part of several of the Maoris, who felt certain the ball was dead, and therefore made no attempt to stop Wbitehead. In the second part the New Zealanders played with increased determination, and a series of splendid drop kicks soon landed the ball well within English ground. Then Ellison and Lee headed a brilliano rush, which Goldsmith finished and secured the try. McCausland then kicked the goal with consummate ease, the crowd applauding enthusiastically. Eventually, the visitors claimed a creditable, if not specially brilliant, victory of a goal and a try to a try.

AN EXPERT'S ACCOUNT. | Tho " Sporting Life " describes the match thus : — Kcogh for the visitors kicked off at twenty-five minutes to four, whatever little wind there was being in their favour. Prime leturned, and the ball went into touch about centre, and horn the line out Surrey got away on the loose, bub the ball was carried back, and the first scrummage was formed near the home "twenty-five." It was thus early evident that the Maoris were the .stronger behind, and pushing their opponents back, Keogh picked up neatly and ran to near touch, and the home team touched down. From the punt out the visitors still pressed, and dribbling finely down the Surrey right vsing, M'Causland made a long pass to Goldsmith on the right wing, Avho took a drop at goal with result. Cartmel brought the ball to centre, where scrummaging took place, Hannen punting cleverly into touch near the visitors' twenty-live. The visitors again carried the scrummage, and Elliott got away down the light side, and, after loose play in frontofthe Surrey goal Keogh made a long pass to M'Causland, who dropped dangerously near the Surrey goal. From the punt out Surrey came away very finely on the loose to the Maori "twenty-five," where M'Causland made his mark and returned to the centre. After desultory scrummaging Goldsmith showed up well for Surrey, and then Jordan also made ground tor the home team, tho run being taken up by Cartmel and Ford : the ball being taken inside the Maoris' " twenty- live " on the pack the Surrey were pushed back to centre, when Lambert came through, and passing to Leake, the latter ran splendidly down to within ten yards of the Maori goal line ere being pushed in touch. Surrey kept up the offensive and some fine passing between Leake, Prime and Whitehead resulted in the latter being grandly brought down by Warbrick when nearly over. The visitors then got the ball back to the centre, where Keogh had a fine opening, but passed forward to Ellison. Prime now got hold, and got to the Maori " twenty-five" before being stopped, and shortly afterwards Jordan, from centre, pass3d cleverly to Cartmel, who in turn passed to Whitehead, who ran magnificently down the Maori right wing, getting over at the corner, amidst cheers. The try (a difficult one) by Gould was a failure. Half-time was now called, and upon presumption of hostilities the Maoris warmed to their work. Cartmel kicked off, and the visitors immediately began to press. In fact, from this point :to the termination they had the upper hand, and showed themselves to be past masters at all parts of the game. Shortly after resumption the Maoris worked the leather to the Surrey " twenty- five," and then with a lush ,of their forwards, in which Lee and Elliott were prominent, tho latter got over, bub being tackled by Alporb lost the ball, and

■ Ellison rushing up in the nick of time got an easy try, which M'Causland converted into a goal. For the remainder of the game (with the exception of a fine run by Prime, who nearly got over the Maori line) the visitors had the best of the argument. Shortly afterwards Elliott charged down, Hannen's kick on the Surrey "twenty-five," and Ellison, rushing up, got over for the second time, M'Causland again took the try, bub this time without success. Time was played out without any further score. When "No side!" was called the Maoris had, therefore, won by one goal and a try to a try. The play of the Maoris was of a very high order indeed. They are adepts at all points of the game, a hne upstanding team, and they will require some beating. Teams :—: — Maoris.— W. Warbrick (full back), G Gage, McCauslsnd, and Madijran (three-quarter-backs), Keogh, Goldsmith and Elliott (half - backs), Ellison, Wynyard, Webster, Taiaroa, H. Lee, Andeison, Karauria, and Mynard. Sukiiky. — F. B. Han n en (Harlequins) and A. B. Whitehead (Old Leysians) (backs). C, Joidan (Guy's Hospital) three-quarter-back), M. It. M. Leake (Cambridge University) and J. H. Bryant (Guy)s Hospital) (half-back&), li. Allpoib (Clapham Rover?), N. F. Henderson (London Scottish), A. Allporb (Guy's Hospital), W. P. Carpmael (Blackheath), J. H. Dewhursb (Richmond), T. A. Forde(St Thomas's Hospital), J. Gould (Old Lcysuuis), T. W. Lambert (St. Thoma<- s Hospital), and C. C. Moxon (St. Thomub'f- Hospital). Umpires, Messrs C. Williams and F. W. Burnaid ; reieree, Mr Rowland Hill.

FURTHER NOTES. On Tu'.sday and Wednesday evenings, must of the New Zealandeis visited tno Italian Exhibition, to which they louohed free pa«&es. I fancy Art (with a big- A) is not much in their line, a-s Colonel Noith's show was unanimously pronounced a rotten affair, not up in any way to the Centennial Exhibition at Melbourne. On Monday evening a number of the team attended the Conservative Club ball at Richmond, where their good dancing caused much astonishment. "I'm sure I don't know why they should be surprised at our being able to dance," &aid one of the team to me, ' ' we are not saA ages in New Zealand. " The New Zealanders went down to Northampton yesterday and play a strong club there to-day. Their next match will be at Blackheath against a local team on Wednesday. I don't quite understand how it comes about that this Noithampfcon match was not left till the team were e/t rente North. Mr Hcott will 1 fear iind it expensive work conveying such a large party backwards and forwards between London and the provinces. Neither Alfred Warbrick nor the ledoubtable "Smiler " played in the Surrey match. The latter was not very well. I am afraid both Maoris and half-castes will suffer ii good deal from the weather. They have most of them colds already, and climatic influences have been rather favourable since their arrival. The Warbricks have discovered some cousins — I rather fancy they are pretty cousins, young 1 cousins, and feminine cousins — of whose existence they were profoundly ignorant till they wiote claiming relationship. Happy men ! In course of a rather sharp tussle in Wednesday s match, one of the Suney men had his jersey torn literally lo tibbuis; not a shred remained on his back. He had to seek the pavillion and put on another, tiie game meanwhile bein«" stopped. The move from Richmond to South Kensington ha 1 * not }.;i\en unmixed satisfaction. For o;io thing tiicre doesn't seem to be u piactismg giound handy, and tor another, " the giub" failc. to please some of the more fastidious footballer*. There is little doubt, however, that presently 2ur Scott will lied more com enienb quaiters. That there aie plenty of hotel-keepers who would gladly take in the team mid make them most comfortable for 2gs. a week per man is as sure as the sun shines.

PUBLIC OPINION ON THE FIRST MATCH. The " Daily News " does not consider the Maoris' victory a very remarkable achievement, as Surrey possesses bv no means a brilliant record in the iootball held. Yesterday, too, tho Englishmen were palpably out ot condition and tired away to nothing. Still the New Zealanders could hardly have been fit either. They showed strength, pace and a cieditable knowledge of the game, although not so much clei ernesd in passing' as their friends could have wished. Tho element of roughness, about which «omo ugly rumours had reached this country, was entirely absent from the p!a\ of the Maoris. The "Telegraph" considers the team play a fair, ortho 'ox Rugby game, but nothing out of tho common. Taiaioa's dribbing and some neat passing deservedly called forth loud plaudits, as did McC'iuslatid's well-placed goal kick. The game cannot be said to have been in any way startling, and it yet remains to be t.-ecn what the Maoris can do against high class clubs in practice. As it stands, the %icitors have shown t ha*, they possess plnek, dash, and a coumi, fccien'ihc knowledge of the game and the mles that govern it. The " Pall Mall Gazette ' con lines itself to complaining that only six of the 28 socalled Maoris aie aooii^inu-?, and so far as one could see yeutcrdav, these are halfcastes. A team tatk-ed hko Tawhaio w ould have attracted the public A team which merely conn-sts or muscular colonists without the facial pictm-esqueness will only draw the football woiltl. The " Si. James GazoUe" consickus the New Zealand learn deficient in bpeoti and dropkicking, bur puiLcs tho steadiness they showed in catching after a kick or a " pass. ' They have little to learn from 1 he English players except an incieasc of smartness in dribbling and running. What is most satisfactory of all is tluifc there was ahavagcnoss in the native play, and the New Zealanders played w itii as much good humour and good feeling as English gentlemen. The *' Star " says the New Zealanders undoubtedly defeated " a strong fifteen."

WHAT THE " TIMES " THINKS. Finally, the "Times," in the course oi a long leader, ob&erves that the Now Zealand football team of Maoii amateurs have made a good beginning by winning their match against the County of Surrey. Even if coanty spirit, with regard to football were strong, which it is not as yet, few of the beaten team would not rejoice that our swarthy visitors have met with an opening success. Englishmen are delighted and proud at thi& evidence that the aboriginal people of New Zealand are taking bo an English national game, and showing remarkable proficiency in it. The success of the Maoris against the Surrey team, which though comprising several players individually strong was a "scratch pack" unimproved by combined practice, need not lead to the belief that they will overthrow the best English Clubs, much less an international, English, Scotch, Welsh oi! Irish fifteen, should their eneragcments include matches with any of these. Bub they have displayed enough of their mettle to show thac they are foemen worthy of the greatest respect.