OUR FOOTBALLERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8034, 22 January 1906, Page 2

OUR FOOTBALLERS.

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UNITKD I'HKSS ASSOCIATION.— BV KMCTKIC TJitIiURAFII.— COPYRIGHT,.

FAKEWELLED IN LONDON. LETTEIt FItOM THE KING. Received 21, 4.52 p.m. London, January 20. The New Zealanders in Loudon entertained the New Zvuhni footballernat a farewell soiree in Holborn Town Hall.l Lord Kinnaird road Baron Knolly's letter expressing the King's hope that the, team had enjoyed their visit, aud wishing them a safe and pleasant voyage. Hundreds fur Dwelled the team at the Waterloo Railway Station, includ. ing the High Commissioner, the Hon. . W. P. Beeves, Mr Rowland Hill Secretary of the Rugby Football Union, and leading footballers.

It is to be hoped the team trill not be prevailed upon to encounter any American college team at the Araerican game they play so enthusiastically aud so well. If m eh a match were to take place we might not seo any of tho team—unprotected as they are—again, In an account of n match between tko universities of Wcsleyan aud Columbia, a recent American paper calls the eu. counter "the apotheosis of football brutality"; and the incidents of this " game " fully bear out the aptness of the phrase. It appears that near the end of the second half, when "tho Wesleyans were desperate and wild with rage," Armstrong, of the Cohtm« bian team, was thrown on his. back, and while in this position " Bailey approached at full tilt, leaped in the air, and crushed down with all his forco aud weight on the prostrate player. Immediately a yell of rage rose from the Columbia team and their hundreds of adherents. To all of these it appeared as a barefaced attempt to 'spike' *a player. At ouce the Coluui. bin team started for Bailey, a tall, swarthy fellow, who played full-back. He was about to kick Armstrong with his heavy boot when White, the umpire, grasped him. He pushed White away with great force, and Ihen struck at tho official." Morley, the Columbia crack, then took a hand. He "dived through the crowd and dealt

Bailey a terrific blow on the nose Thvu, like u Hash, the fighting became general. In every direction the players were dealing blows and squaring oil in the- approved method*' of the prize, ring." Our exchange naively remarks thai there were plenty of police ou tho ground, but Unit the majority of them stood looking on, imagining the fight was according to the rub s of the game! This account lends point to a recent American satirist, who slates that" the ball itself has not as yet been eliminated from football, but there is no sound excuse for its pretence in it; the real object of the kicker's art is not tho ball, but his adversaries stomach or teeth. There is little use in punting the ball; but the use of punting a man's teeth down his throat is too o jvions to be mentioned. Tho way will thus be cleaved for the development of the real game, which is the smashing of the opposing players' ribs and the rup. turiug of their vital organs..'