FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 184, 8 August 1904, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

ENGLISHMEN v. NEW ZEALAND. FIRST MATCH. ENGLISHMEN 5, CANTERBURY 3. (Per Freas Association.) ' CHRISTCHURCH, August 6. ' Glorious weather overhead brought a great crowd to Lancaster I'ark toi day. to witness the opening mulch of tho Britishers' tour. The playing field 1 had been cleared of snow, which l however, lay all round the touch i lines, and the surface of the field was treacherous with otc-astional patches of water. Under such adverse conditions the game was fast and open, and always interesting. Tho following were tho teams : British : Full-back, O'Brien ; threequarters, Morgan, McEvedy, Gabe, Llewellyn ; halves, Bush, Vile ; forwards, Bedell-Sivwright, Dobson, Harding, Bovan, Edwards, Crowther, Swaninell, Saundors. Canterbury : Full-back, Love; threequarters, Menzies, Harper, Grant; live-eighths, Dean, Byrne* ; half, Harvey ; forwards, L. Corbett, Horgan, Fanning, Newton, Brunsden, J. Corbett, Loarmont, Roddick. Though back play was out of the question, tine British backs made ono or two attempts to puss, but not enough to show their dry weather form. The forward play was attractive, Tho men doing clever work in the loose, and in the latter half of the .second spell getting the ball in tho scrum. The Canterbury forwards showed tetter than expected, a tendency to overrun the ball being the onlv blemish in their loose work. Play opened evenly, and for nearly twenty minutes neither side could claim an advantage. Then a British rush took the ball to the Canterbury line, and from a scrum the home' team heeled the ball out, and Sivnghtfell on it, scoring an easy try. Bush kicked a fine goal. Canterbury opened well in the second spell, but until half way through no change occurred. Then De u ns kicked hand up the field and followed well Bush kicked over tho British goal lino to stive his side, und Deans outpacing him, fell on tho ball. Roddick failed to convert.

Canterbury came-again, but tho Britishers made use of their backs for kicking, and staved off the attack I'or the last ten minutes plav was m neutral territory. The Britishers thus won by a goal from a try to a try-5 points to 3.

THE ENGLISHMEN.

The team includes twenty-four plavci's, ten of the number taing "internaticmals.'' Following is a complete ust of the men, the international players being distinguished by asterisks : C F. Stanger-Leathes (Northern and Northumberland) (back). Kent) JjleWC " yn <Wales > Newport and and K L, MCEV ° dy (GUy ' S HoSpital Kentf' °' mm (Gu - v ' s H °6pital and •R. T. Gate (Wales, Cardiff and Middlesex) *E. Morgan (Wales, Guy's Hospital and Kent) J. L. Fisher (Hill and EastKidinir and Yorkshire! *E. Jowett (Wales and Swansea) (three-quarter backs). *F. C. Hulmo (England, Birken■"u.(l Park, and Cheshire) P. Bush (Cardiff and Glamorgan) and ° ' J. Vile (Newport and Monmouth•••hire) (half-backs). *D. R. BedeH-Sivright (captain) (Scotland,. Cambridge) University and West of Scotland) *D. Dobson (England, Oxford University and Devon) *R. W. Edwards (Ireland and Malone) C D. Pattei'son (Ulster and Malone) *S. Bcvan (Wales and Swansea) S. N. Crowther (Lennox and Surrey) D. H. Traill (Guy's Hospital and Kent) B. I. Swannell (Nortlwumpton and East Midlands) ' *A. F. Harding (Wales, London Welsh, and Cardiff) B. F. Massey (Hull and East Riding and Yorkshire), n nd .J. Sharland (Stroatham and Surrey) (forwards). McEvedy and O'Brien are ex-New Zealanders who narrowly missed inclusion in the team that represented England in last year's games against Scotland and Wales. The captain of tho team is R. I). Bedcll-Sivright, the vice-captain is B. Morgan, and the business manager is A. B. O'Brien'.

Following is a description of the colours of tihe team :—The caps are of crimson velvet' cdgnd with white silk, in the front >ing. a kangaroo with A.A.R.F.T. (Angio-Anstralian Rugby Football Team) 1901, r.ejuw. The jersey is hoope' in red, (one inch), white (half-inch), and navy blue, with the three colours edging the top, and the knickers dark blue. The blazers are also dark blue with silver buttons, with, as a crest the four national emblems (rose, shamrock, thistle and leek) In natural colours on a background of white, with tho initials A.A.H.F.T. The ties and hat ribbons are en suite to the jerseys.

During the tour just concluded in Australia tho visiting team played in all twelve matches. Three of these Karnes were against combined New South Wales ami Queensland, and in two out of the three fixtures not a point was scored -against the Britishers. They also defeated NewSouth Wales in one match without being scored against, but in all nine of the other matches scores were made against them. The first match played by the visitoes was won- by the largest margin—Groat liritain 27 points, New South Wales 0. The closest match in respect of relative scores was that against Queensland, where Great Britain made 18 points and Queensland 7. Following are results of tho tour to date : Great liritain f27) v. New South Wales (0). Great Britain (21) v. Western Un* ion, N.S.W. (<>)., Groat Britain (29) v. New South Wales (6). Great Britain (19) v. Sydney Metropolitan Union (0)-. Great Britain (17) v. Australia # 0) Great Britain (17) v. Newcastle Northern Union (if). Great Britain (24) v. Queensland (5). Great Britain (17) v. Brisbane (!!). Great Britain (18) v. Queensland (7). Great Britain (17) v. Australia (.')). Great Britain (20) v. Armidalo (9). Groat Britain (10) v. Australia (0). The captain of the Britis! team (Bedell-Sivright) is a sturdy, woll-set-up Knglishmnn of unassuming manner, who talks modestly of the doings of his men. lie expresses t he opinion that in New Zealand there will be somo harder football tasks set the team than those so easily solved in Australia. He exhibited diffidence when asked by a New Zealand Times reporter to say what was the principal weakness of Australian football, but on it being pointed- out to him that tho large margins by which his team won all tho games gave him ground for plain speaking, I he replied that want of combination was the glaring defect in Australian football. They play wing-forwards in Australia, ho Considers, though they are not so open in the mnt-tol-as tho New Zealanders are said to be. In Australia all the forwards form the scrum, but two of them are semi-detacJi«i, and on the slightest occasion they break away and try to smother tho Ibacks. These two do very little pushing, ho observed-. The English system in regard to scrums is "first man up, first down." Thero is no allotment of places, as is tho case in New Zealand. All the members of tho visiting team are naturally impressed by the success of their method in comparison with the New South Wales forward systoni.out , they express some curiosity in regard I to tho test to be nmdo against tho more stalwart forwards of New Zealand. A back player of the team, who made a fjoodi reputation for

himself in Australia, toad evidently been primed up with some impressivo"fletalls of tie capabilities of Asher (Auckland's speedy and tricky three-quarter back). "I suppose we'll soo Asher whom we pluy in Wellington ?" he queried; and when he , wns told that Asher lind not boon j thought good enough for inclusion in tho team to represent New Zealand ho observed "Great Hcolt !" j "I suppose tho New South Walea ( forwards are rather a poor lot 1" \ , t.ie Times reporter queried of two of j l ln- Englishmen. The pair, who haiipenod to be forwards, did not agree. "Tlio forwards of New South Wales, and of Quetnslund, 100, were by no means a bad lot," they said ; " the hacks were the weak point.'' Then the pair woo told that a proposition had been put forth to pit eight New Zealand' foi wards and seven Australian backs against the Britishers on their return to Sydney. "They would want to bo very good forwards indeed to win in front of the backs we met over there," was.the comment of one of ;> twain. WELLINtt'iV.".' DEFEATS AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, August 0. The AuckhuuMYeUington. interprovincial match to-day was won by Wellington by 0 points (two tries) to 3 points. The Auckland forwards rather more than held their own in line work and loose rushes, but Wellington beat them in hooking the ball. The Wellington backs handled the ball more cleanly ami showed belter combination that the local rearguard on the attack, and were always smarter in smothering uttacks Hum their opponents. Okato beat Hell Hlock at New Plymouth o« Satuiduy by fl to 8. The Sas.h and Door Company and , the Borough Council teams meet next ' Saturday. 'The Huilway Department notifies excursion fores to Wellington for tho big match an the 18th. A would-be selector at l'ahiatua, in picking his own Now H'alond team to meet tho Britishers, puts Mynott in at five-eighth. On Saturday at the High School grounds a tarn representing Messrs Boon Bros.' stull met a team from Messrs Bellriiiger Bros.' and Coleman. The latter secured a win by nine points- to three. On Saturday night, after the result of the Canterbury-Britain fixtuie was announced, six to one was offered against the possibility of the visitors winning lanother gwno, Canterbury ooingi looked oni as a very weak team. The guarantors for the special carriage on the express train to Wellington next Friday have been notified that the arrangement cannot be curried out. Sir Joseph' Ward has since been approached on the matter. The defeat of Auckland by Wellington robs Tarawaki of a chance of competing for the Ranfurly Shield. Wellington now holds it for another year, and until some team, after giving notice to. play for the trophy, defeats tho team on its own ground. Taranaki will not meet. Wellington on its own ground this season. At any rate, notice has to, be given to the defenders belore August Ist in each year. The defeat of Auckland by Wellington came as a surprise, the Empire City representatives have been held fairly cheap by the Taranaki men It is evident that the local team will have to play a good game to defeat the southern team, flushed as they arc with victories over liawke's Bay, Manawatu, and the redoubtable Aucklanders. The Svelllngtonians arrive in New Plymouth this morning, and will leave for Hawera to-morrow afternoon, the match being played in tho latter town on Wednesday. Excursion trains have been arranged.