FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8145, 22 May 1906, Page 6

FOOTBALL.

The senior championship matohes played in Wellington on Saturday afternoon resulted as follows:—Melrose 8 beat Oriental 6; Athletio 16 beat Victoria College 3; Poueke 27 beat Southern nii. At Auckland, on Saturday, North Shore 9 beat Newton nil; Urafton 5 beat Parueil nil; City 22 beat Pooson by 6. At Greytown on Saturday the Greytown Juniors defeated the Martinborough Juniors by 29 points to *nil. A member of the Southern junior football team, P. Smith, was severely injured while playing against Poneke at Wellington on Saturday. He was tacblini? an oppouent low, and His head was struck in the collision. He was brought to town in a van, and tbe doctor who attended him stated that the injuries were dangerous. The patient's condition showed some improvement subsequently. The Rugby footballer is as a rule a hardy individual and is trained to take a knock without oomplaining, says the Post. If this were not the case there would probably have been a riot in the Melrose Oriental senior match played on the Athletic Park, Wellington, oa Saturday afternoon, for knocks ! were hard and frequent. On one occasion an Oriental forward, apparently tried beyond his point of. endurance, retaliated, and with fire iu his eyes, and clenched fists, deliberately chased an opponent round the scrum. Another noticeable act was performed by a Melrose back. The man had been tackled by an Orieuial man, and whilst both flayers on the ground, tbe Melrose player puuohed his opponeut in the face, no doubt as a means of persuading him to let go. Several minor "incidents" too numerous 10 bo mentioned marred tbe game, but the referee apparently saw nothing.