FOOTBALL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81824, 17 August 1906, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

CANTIiRBUiIY v. WAIRARAPA Per Press Association. I Mastebton, August 16. The footbiill mutch Canterbury v. Wairanpa i as played at Masterton to-day. Tiie ground was heavy but the wjatho; was fine and a keenly contested cranio resulted. In the lirst spell Gray scored for Canterbury and Fraser converted, and Durvillc scored a try for Wairarapa wliich was not converted. In the second spell Egau and Fryer scored tries fcr Canterbury, Frazer converting both. Datville and Mason scored tries tor Wairarapa, neither being converted, the final score being Canterbury 15, j Wairarapa 9. The Wairarapa team was slightly superior in the forwards, bu the Canterbury backs handled the ball better than the local team The visitors threw the ball about in a manner that astonished the onlookers, aiul their tries were the outcome of splendid passing rushes. Darville and Lagan were the pick of-the Wairarapa backs and t'packman, Gray, and Henderson of the forwards. Fryer, Fraser and.Ford ii'ere the best of the Canterbury backs, and the forwards ail played well. Mr F. Laws (Wellington) was referee.

TAEA AKI EEPS. TESTED. A fair number of the football public attended on the Racecourse ground on Thursday afternoon, to see tlie advertised match Taranaki reps. v. Allcomers. The reps, played two or three substitutes, and the all-comers were rightly named, hailing from various grades in the North Taranaki clubs. The spectators mostly went to see if the amber and black forwards were really as lumbering, cumbersome and slow as they have been represented to be. Most went away satisfied that the picture had not been very much overdrawn, and that had Thursday's match been a test for rep. honors, a few of tho tired forwards would have been placed on the retired list. The all-comers, or as they were christened, the " rags," contained only a moiety of players who had had a place in the trial match at Stratford, but, collectively they beat the rep. forwards at nearly all points. From tho line-out, the ball seldom travelled with the selected pack; and in the scrums they got the ball less often, Johnson (Tukapa) hooking for the colors with monotonous regularity, whilst in the loose Courtney, Kiyoll and Whittaker, especially the former, gave the rep. backs plenty to do. Of course, the scratch team's backs had no chance against the machine-like Frewin-Hun-ter-Mynott-Cameron and Ward play, their evolutions at timos being so correct and so rapid as to be almost bewildering, Tuey found, however, some sound tacklers on the othor side, Stannering f.ir excelling his cup form in th s particular, whilst J. Potier's exhibition as a feature of the reargua •,'s wo k. There w s loud acclamation from the field and the stand when, after consulting with Hunter, Mr Humphries, who was " coaching " the team, called on Johnston to don the amber and black, and take a place in tho front row. From then till the end of the game the representative pack sent (he ball out much more frequently. It was not always safe even then, for tlie all-comers, playing two wings, frequently smothered their opposing backs, and it was very evident that Colman was not able to hold his own with either Whitakcr or Courtney. For a while the scratch team seemed to keep honors well balanced, the first spell ending all-comers 8, reps o. When tho Taranaki banks got possession they made such use of the ball that they piled up a total somewhere in the region of 30 points, whilst their opponents added only another 3. The representative team, of course, was not extended, but it was quite apparent that two or three of tho forwards were outshone by their lighter and faster opponents. One of the surprises of the match was tlie splendid game played by Ward, and it will probably be found that either Mynott (whose ankle is. not too strong), or Cameron will be standing out in his favor on Saturday. The team is improved by the inclusion of •Johnson, as a front row man. The reps, left by the Karawa on Thursday night for Auckland, under the control of Mr T. Buchanan, President of the Rugby Union. Abbott slightly injured his leg in Thursday' match, by coming into contact with Steel, who had " gone low " to tackle him. Mr Griffiths, with commendable energy, has arranged for the sending of football news from Auckland on Saturday. The wiros will be despatched after each successive score.

THE "SOCCER" GAME. BROWN SHIELD TOURNAMENT. Mr Glaister, the secretory of the Taranaki Association Football Union, has been notified that the provincial trams entered for the Brown Shield Tournament are Wellington, Auckland, Tarauaki and Ruahine. The draw has resulted as follows : -Taranaki v. Ruahine at liawera on August 29th, Auckland y. Wellington at New Plymouth on August 30th. The final will be played at Elthanion September