MAORI FOOTBALL MATCH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 85, 27 August 1912, Page 7

MAORI FOOTBALL MATCH

A REMINISCENCE. (Contributed).

There was great excitement two or three years ago in the windy Wellington district. The annual bill and bang game between the married and single was to take place at Waiknnae, and that town, with Otaki, being the home of the Maori, the Maori takes his "putball" very seriously. The day of the great match arrived, and the married* were one man short, due to "te wahine having te picanniny," and Rupob got haurangi (full) to celebrate the event, and although he announced that he"would .play te head off anypody in New Leeland and kick Tally Mctenger for to gold," te team 1 wouldn't stand him. The tteama were composed mostly of Maoris and half-castes, and they looked around for another man to take Rupob's place. The Maori is more wily than the heathen Chinee when occasion arises, and one bf the double-harness team spotted an innocent abroad, a player from the Taranaki Northern League, whom he knew. He chatted the Leaguer to play the "oof-baller." Hemiti, being a bit of a character, agreed to play, and he was drummed to say he was married and had just bought a place at Riki Rangi, a suburb of Waikanae. Temiti was proTided with an old red and black jersey, 'without sleeves, and a pair of swimming pants, and as the Maori loves color, there was every team in Jvew Zealand represented, from the All-Blacks to the Christian Endeavor. The teams took the field during a haka by the different tribes who had assembled to see the fray. The usual scratch match argument took place as to who should be playing and who should not. The jingles held a korero over the "new peller. H« no play reperee, as te allplack man, no kood te New Leeland; play Waikanae not fair for us." The stranger denied he was an all-black, but Rangi exclaimed, "I know tat man, Reperee; tat is Timon Minos, te five ace Taranaki. I know te face on te tikarette (cigarette) kard." The pronouncement led to an angry argument, till Tommy Parata, te rangitira, and by the way, a great orator, addressed the natives, and welcomed the stranger to Waikanae and informed the Maoris that it was against native custom to show te niri (anger) to strangers. At the conclusion of the oration, one native eaid, "Have you kot te key te whare of te pere, Tommy!" "Yes," replied the rangitira. "Oright, Tommy; kapai we let te pakeha pray. Ko on, pakeha, .pray te prace you tink beet." The Leaguer took centre three-quarter. Four others reckoned they were playing threeoquarter, and three played five-eighths. One native said, "I pray te rivet (pivot) in the ekrum."

At last the game is started and the innocent one takes the ball at top speed, made an opening, and gave a hot pass to the half-back, who, with eyes standing out and yelling for the ball, had got near the scratch line. The hot pass knocked him over on top of a Maori dog that had strayed on to the field, and | the two of them brought the referee down. The dog retaliated by biting tha line umpire. After breaking clear, the kuri streaked for the pa. The ball got ambushed among the forwards, and after a hot time it was picked out and thrown 1 about fifteen yards forward, amidst ] great appeal to the referee, "Knock it on, reperee; too pig enough to pass! Pree kick." The kick was .allowed, and Tommy Parata piloted the oval over the clothes line that was tied between two tawa branches about six feet apart, that served for goals, the height of the clothes line being about eix feet three inches above the ground. The goal created great enthusiasm amongst the j marrieds' barrackers, much cheering and, haka-ing taking place. This reverse got the single men's blood up, and they i followed the kick off like fanatical Egyp- j tians. The fast man of the single team' got hold of the ball, and with a great run beat nearly every one on the field, but the innocent one is there and takes hiin low—a hard tackle—and Te Kooti is carried off mortally wounded, amidst great cheering, it being the, first low ; tackle seen in those parts. "How you do tat, pakeha? I tink you New Leeland pell?, oright. Te Waikanae man katch te man too high. Py knrry you katch him now. You ket te kame with te ilaxmill team if tey see you pray. You te best man pefore." The battle started again from a serum, and ft hot forward rush was set up by | the singles, who kicked their way through, and the Leaguer going down to the rush was kicked by every make of boot in New Zealand. Friend and foe kicked alike, with kindly thoughts of Von Tempskv and the Forty-third at the Gate Pa. The innocent one emergled from the mix-up with the loss of half a pair of pants and a pint of blood. | At this stage the ball buret, and a new | one could not be found anywhere, but Mustard Bolved the difficulty by informI ing the teams, "I know where te plndder for te pall—up at Ruru's prace. Te kow die Monday. I ko ket him." The bladder was secured and the ball laced up. . Hostilities broke out again from a. line-out, and fierce scrummaging, scrapiping and scragging took place up the field, down the field, and across everywhere. At last the singles broke through the defence and scored, with a loud shout of delight from their supporters, and the turning of numerous Catherine wheels and 'hand springs by the players. But the double-harness team objected. "No skore, Reperee. Kameron he no kround te pall; Moki hold him up. Off side, free kick; no kood te Referee, he kive it to him." The try was allowed, but the kiek for goal was a dismal failure, the ball hitting the spectators on the scratch line. The scores now being equal, the game became a violent struggle between two blood-drunk teams. The Leaguer for the first time in his life appreciated the New Zealand Artillery. The spectators had gone mad and also the players, alI' though a worse game could not have been played between a fire brigade team and a ilaxmill mob.

Time is now drawing to a close, and the Leaguer has given a pass and is busyin extricating himself from three wildeved barbarians who have collared him after the ball has gone. He escapes with a flesh wound, seizes the oval, and scale* for the line, beats everyone on the field, crosses the line, and fails to score, ho seeing that the draw is the only means bv which peace may be proclaimed. Time is now called, and great sorrow is «presesd amongst the married team, because "te pakeha has te hard luck to lose him to ball. Never mind, pakeha, kum to te «moke konscrt and ket te pere." The innocent one arrives | and is rooked for "half-a-kaser," after '.being invited.