FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9160, 6 August 1908, Page 7

FOOTBALL.

TE NUI v. MATAIKONA

(From a Correspondent.) The final round tor Mr Barr's handsome silver cup was played at Te Nui on Saturday afternoon between Te Nui and Mataikona teams. There was a large attencance of the public to witness the match, including a numler of ladies, who took a keen interest in the name. Both clubs put the strongest team possible in the field. Play started punctually at 3 o'clock. Te Nui winning the toss, plaved with the sun at their backs, and Mataikona kicked off. The ball \\a3 promptly returned to the latter's • twenty-five, where, from a line out, McGillicuddy got po.-session of the ball and passed out to Hughes, and after a brilliant Lit of passing between Wingate, Scholefield, Donaghue, Hastings anU B. Collerton, tne latter scored near the comer. Mo goal resulted. From the kick out, tne visitors were again put on the defensive, the local forwards forcing them back on to their line in fine stjle, and M. Carr saving a certain s:ore by a good kick. From a scrum near the halfway, Te Nui again got possession, ind after another brilliant piece of pat-sing work, B. Collerton, with a fast, dodgy run scored bihiud the posts. No goal • resulted. The visitors then became aggressive, and a seiies of scrums followed. The game was now very fast, and the local forwards screwing the scrums in fine style carried the bail right down the line, where Jim ; Collerton scored near the corner. Hal Mime hounded with the score —'ie Nui, 9; Mataikona, nil. On resuming, the visitors had <x\\ tha best of the game for the first ten minutes. They put in some excellent wirk, and heeling the ball out well called Joe Anderson to cross the home line. No goal resulted. The visitors again attacked, and the home team had a busy time defending. A certain score wad saved by S. Scholefield, who snapped up the ball from a forward rush and found the line near halfway. After this the local forwards got to work again, and Hughes, at half-back, feeding his men well, enabled S. Scholefield to gcore near the corner. Thj kick at goal fell short. -From the kick out McGillicuddy got possession of the leather again, and beating a couple of forwards cleverly, transferred to Lang, who in turn passed tJ Arthur Scholefield, who scored. No goal resulted. From this out the home team had matters all their own way, and the whistle sounded no side, with play in the visitors' twentyfive. Te Nui thu3 won the Cip by 15 to 3. /lhey have played three games with Mataikona, winning two* and (.rawing cne, storing 46 loints agaiist 6. The local forwards put in some sterling work, screwing the scr una and stopping fierce tushes time after time. McGillicuddy placed a capital game, a& d d Lang aid Jim Coilsiton. The back division hardly made a mistake, B. Cnllertcn being the pick. Tossum Scholefield and Wingate also played well. For thj visitors, D. Kane, Hughes, Joe Andcrton, M Cair and Briehtuell wjre ths most con-t-picuous. A mtcting wf.s held after the match, and it was decided to entertain Mataikona at a dinner on August 14th, Mr Barr kindly offering his spacious dining-roim and piano for the occasion. A combined Mataikona ar.d Te Nui team intend issuing a challenge to a team from Mastei ton to jjay a match Te Nui at n ('ate to be fixed.