The Maori Footballers in England. ENGLAND V. NEW ZEALAND. (from our special correspondent. )

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 357, 6 April 1889, Page 5

The Maori Footballers in England. ENGLAND Y. NEW ZEAL AND. (f rom our special correspondent. )

London, February 23. Tiiekb is a string element of luck in football, as in all other games, and during their prolonged tour the Maoris have had their tair share. On Saturday last, however, the "tickle goddess" entirely deserted them. Firstly, the weather was awful. It rained hard all the morning, and by three o'clock the Rectory field at Blackheath was a quagmire. The Englishmen didn't mind this They are aocusiomed to playing in bad weather, have all sorts of appliances to prevent slipping, and say they iall softer on wet ground. The Maoris, on tho other hand, were seriously handicapped by the condition of the giound and by the iain. They play 25 per cen*". worse under such circumstances than they do on dry ground, and they know it. Jt was not, therefore, in the best of spints thatrtheNewZealanders began this game, though the team, one and all, determined to do their utmost to win. About 12,000 persons assembled to see the match, but the town contingent, owing to the rain, was small, and the onlookers were nearly all local folk. This, no doubt, accounted tor the crowd's lack vi cordiality tuwardvS the Maoris. The deteat of Blackheath had been a bitter and unexpected pill for the district to swallow. ami many of the onlookers feaied even worse was to come. There can be no doubt the defeat of their j picked team by New Zealand would have deeply mortified the ftugby Union, and they instructed the English captain not to risk a point. This came out in tho game, when some ot the crowd urged the Engliahmen to concede the disputed points. " No, no, we can't afiord to givo these chaps anyth.ng," bawled Stoddart. The Maoris were so anxious to distinguish themselves that they seemed to play lathei a jealous game. Al any rate, their passing looked poor beside the splendid performances of ttie Englishmen. The first 20 minutes' play piomi&ed a brilliant match all thiough. The Maoris " bucked " up grandly, and neither side seemed to have much the best ot it. Then, alas! W. Wai buck, the New Zealand full back, must try and distinguish him.sell, bub instead of tnat, blunder horribly. The ball being punted over the Maori goal line, Wurbrieit got possession, and as the English forwards weie rignt upon him, should have touched down in pelt defence. Instead, he foolishly attempted a run, and being collared, lost possession and gave the English Learn their first point. The general opinion ot the Maoris and of the people in tho pavilion was that Warbrick had, as he claimed, touched down successfully after being collated, but the referee decided otherwise. The decision of the latter was protested against by the Maous, who were obviously much angeicd and disheartened at the point being given against them. As the game subsequently progressed the back play ot the home team became moie and more biilliant, and the Maoris aiterwaras never appeared likely to win. Behind the scrummages the home team had a great advantage ; all the three quarters ran and passed feplenaidly, while Bonsor and Scott were prominent at half. Forward the Maoris were fast, and kept well on the ball, whilst the pretty kicking of the backs at times forced even the unwilling spectators to applaud. Keogh took first honours in this respect. Early in the second half oi the match an incident occuired which caused much unpleasantness for a tew minutes and thieatened to put a premature end to the game. This was caused in the following manner. Stoddart in lunmng collided with the reieree. -Just previously his clothes had been torn in such a manner as to necessitate his immediate withdrawal. The players foimed a ling round him and he left to change. Then the Maoris claimed to have a scrummage where Stoddait had run against the lefeiee, but while they were protesting Eversbed gott n and claimed a try. The Maoris piotested that the bail was dead, and when the refeieo again gave the point against them and the try was success ully converted, their disgust knew no bounds. Williams, Taiaroa, and Rene were, indeed. &o much out of temper that they sullenly walked oil the ground, some of the spectabois cheering and others hooting. Mr Scott very properly pciemptonly ordered them to return, but for a few minutes without success. Then Taiaroa consented to listen to the persuasion of friends and led the way back, Williams and llene following. After this the Maoris buckled to with great vigoui, carried che ball right down into the Eng lishmen's 25, and again and again were on the verge of scoring ; but luck and the splendid play of the Englishmen were against New Zealand, and the game ended in a decisive victory for England. Reviewing the whole circumstances- ot the chief unplea-antnets ot the game in cool blood, I am distinctly of opinion that Eveished's " try " (converted into a goal) was obtained by something very near akin to j sharp practice; and ought not justly to have been allowed. Stoddait admits having said " Let me go " before he passed the ball, and Ellison immediately did so. The catastrophe to the Englishman's breeches was, in fact, so serious and laid bare such a large portion ot his particularly fino figure that for the moment both Maoris and Englishmen thought ot nothing but the imperative necessity of spat ing his. blushes and shielding his nakedness from the public gaze. That the ball was dead everyone Dook for granted, and Ever-shed 's run in and claim for a try, surprised the Englishmen quite as much as the Maori-. Ihe leteree, however, held that in law, if not in equity, the bali was "alive,' and the try inu*t therefore be allowed. In future (the Maoris say) they'll see the convenances " go hang" before they'll stop the game. They are as gallant as most men, but a goal ib a trifle too heavy a price i o pay for the privilege of having saved some ot the fair sex from a shock The protest in Warbrick's case was a different matter. The man himself and some of the spectators thought he touched down, but the leferee was ot a different opinion. The Maoris ought to have given in cheerfully, and at once to the fatter's decision. In the pavilion, after the match, I regret to say that Pat Keogh, and one or two others whose tongues run along too fast when they're ungiy, said some pretty strong things about the referee. These were either overheard by M r Row land Hill or repeated to him, and on Monday Warbrick leceived a letter demanding an apology. Of course it was sent. Notes on the Aix-ENaLANP Match. Most of the newspapers remark on the contretemps which spoilt the All-England match. The " Daily News" says : " Moie than one prominent Unionist thought the English should have given way." The "Athletic News" imagines the Maoris who left the field are ashamed of themselves, and suggests that the least they can do is to apologise to the Union.

The "Star' considers the Englishmen were guilty of a piece of sharp practice. The "Evening Post" says the Maoris were defeated, but not disgraced. The " Pall Mall Gazette " says the Maoris marred the good impression made by their play by continually disputing with the umpires and referee. The Manchester "Sporting Chronicle" condemns the ill-temper shown by the Maoris as very regrettable in a match of this importance. Lord Mayor Whitehead, who has been sounded on the subject, cannot see his way to receive or in any way notice officially the New Zealand footballers. An influential deputation asked him to entertain the American baseball players recently, and he refused, so that even if he wished to invite the New Zealanders now he could hardly do so. lam sorry, because I think the compliment would have been appreciated both by the players and the colony. Plad the weather been a little finer last Saturday, Lord Onslow would have made an effort — notwithstanding his many engagements — to be present at the great match between England and New Zealand at Blackheach.