FOOTBALL.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 406, 28 September 1889, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

Apropos of the beautiful and chaste bouquet, comprising blue and white flowers (the Auckland colours), that inadvertently found a short resting-place in the blue waters of the Waitemata for the time being, instead of on the steamer bearing our gallant footballers on their Southern tour, a wag was heard to remark, " That means bad luck !" At the time very little was thought of such an assertion, but now the wag is smiling a smole, and like a prophet he is often heard to murmur, " I told you so !" Saturday last was the fifth time that Auckland and Wellington provinces have met on the football field, with the following results :—: — 1875— At Wellington, Wellington won by 16 points to 1 point. 1880— At Auckland, Wellington won by 5 points to nil. 1883— At Wellington, drawn, 5 points each. 1886— At Auckland, Auckland won by 4 points to 2. 1889— At Wellington, Wellington won by 3 points to 1. So it will be seen that Wellington has the pull over us in having three wins against one win. It was the second occasion last Wednesday that Auckland have played Nelson. In 1875— At Nelson, Nelson won. la 1889— At Nelson, Auckland won by 25 I cull the following from a Wellington weekly print : — The Native tedim were defeated at Auckland last Saturday by seven points to two, but the Maoris were demoralised owing to the fact that the team was in course of dissolution and had lost several of their best men. It is also stated that the Auckland men in the Maori team did not do their best to defeat their own town, in order that the old " city of gaspipes and blowhards " could have it to say — " Well, the Maoris licked England and Australia at football, and Auckland licked the Maoris." You cannot put down the Aucklanders in the way of lucky wonders. Lord Onslow, in a speech delivered at St. Patrick's College, Wellington, last month, thus referred to the College Football Club :—": — " Might I be allowed to congratulate you on the victory of Saturday last —your sixth unbroken success this year — and I trust that the Cud will become the permanent property of St. Patrick's College."