FOOTBALL NOTES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 10234, 26 June 1883, Page 3

FOOTBALL NOTES.

; . (By Kikhoff.) . And first I must aek pardon for the error in dates which appeared in the football notes of last week, and sincerely trust " • that I have not been the cause iv the remotest degree of the absence, on the 23rd, of a single jerseyed friend from the : convincing grouad. ',-". • Although we are having pretty num- .■ , ereons musters now-a-days I think -,■■■ that in a town of the size of Wanganui theproportion of young, rising players,|in *.?. the Club is not so satisfactory as it might ha made by dint of a little aotive canvas- '•"■■> sing. • No doubt many a promising young i-' ; eolt meets -with a hacked shin or •' ! ' ' wrenched shoulder in his first essay at '" ■leather-htintiDg and leaves off right there '■''' —discouraged by the.accident— but these ' ; disasters happen, as a rule, to the rash "'"and inexperienced, and the longer one ' 'plays the more easy to him comes the jfj/jtisk of looking after No. 1. .■).:■ A- many years ago — so many, alas! t.: .that I am afraid to. deliberately count •'them up.Jin case of feeling .sad-hearted :;!<. afc ; the realization of my 'gathering ' ! ; years— l recollect ' the introduction "of •'• football in the little community of -.'."which I had the honour to be a .modest V'" young particle." We had been ,inon. a holiday ■ occasion in ""/athletic snorts, and late in- the afternoon, Jj/'a'jSlacli time. occurring, some one pro- ,, duced a football and proposed a game. ,!,. The difficulty was that no one knew how T ,,~io,play ;. however, sides were arranged Jt'iand ;wei started. • There were no goals :■'. fixed, no' boundaries, consequently both i> ""sides" speedily united in an aimless •.i;-:Kutry-scurry after the hall, after, the — -fashion of that time-honoured sport the . hunt? of "ye pigge with ye greasie •'taille." Where everyone fought.on the 0 same side one would anticipate little ',*-' risk of accident occurring, but it was '] fated to 'he .otherwise. A. younker's £' , tender shin came in contact with an unJ " yielding toe-plate, and the hoy lifted up .his voice,, and wept forth a tale of sorrow t 7upon the "balmy summer air. We gathered round in open-mouth conster- ;, nation, but sympathy was not sufficient : .lcompensation to our friend for a broken '■a shin ; . unexpectedly scrambling to his *•' 'feet,- he olimed on to aheap o£ stones i~ that had been gathered from the field, !> '-'and began " heaving rocks " with an ■° ' energy^as newspaper folksay — "worthy i' ! of a "better cause." For years after "' this.; occurrence, football was' associated '' ' in', my niiad with explosions of wrath ' and brickbats, hut I outlived my pre- ' ,7.3udice against the game, and can loot with more than ordinary pleasure ;.,■ to many a pleasant hour spent among y: . leather hunters. ['" I have employed a good few young ''■"men at times, and ■ have always given 'f[ preference to the clear- skinned, bright^ ' k J eyed lad who spends an hour occasionally \.[ on the football or cricket field. Dear [;,, 'me ! the way I am filling up valuable 5.',, space with rubbish reminds me that I ij ; am growing garurlous in my old age. i% The tocotch v. English match last Saturresulted in a' bare win for the :■. .Wortheners.'who played 12 men to 14 Iv- on the -English side; Strange to say Mi-even- the 'nation il game had not the t-'tisifal \o% '. .bringing a sufficient Scotchmen to. the scratch, and.their.team had to be strengthened ' by" tKe addition of {he two Coakleys and ''Townsend, who worked well for their adopted country, especially the youuge'r ~C6aT£ley7whd with' a little more atten- . tion to passing before he is hopelessly,, collared, would be a most serviceable '■ little player indeed. Among strangers . to the ground W. Blytii* (Scotch] and Turner (English ( , .goal-keeper, ma-ie their presence felt. •' 'JDhe Scotch (captained by Stewart) scored twd' goals— neatly kicked) from places by Alexander., ; The Engbsh (captained by P. Cr. Smith ) scored three tries. Mr Gross's --! resumption of the duties of ! central umpire was hailed with evident satisfaction by the older players, who have not forgotton his impartial decisions of .last, season. The game wasrougher than j.usual— probably caused by the warm .j pace, maintained by the .forwards, who , s kept constantly on the" ball and afforded „the,b acks no. great chance of getting ."haway. ; - .The i Club • would do : well "to impose a fine on players using objectionable language — rendered the more objectionable. on Saturday last by being made use of iv the presence of ladips, It, is .fortunetaly far the credit of the club, a matter of rare occurrence. As an example of the. strong affection ■'of footballers to'couirades in distress,!!elbourne papers mention that at the match parlton against East Melbourne, it was "arranged that the proceeds should bb •presented to George Coulthard, who is * suffering from a severe illness ; unfortunately rain fell heavily and inces..santly on 1 the appointed day, and the anticipated attendtnee of 15,000 specttators- dwindled down to 2,000, to the /great grief of tb« warm- hearted fellows, -who had looked forward to a'substantial benefit to their celebrated friend. The Canterbury Times recently contained an . interesting article on com•bined dribbling, from the pen of the veteran. Hootch player, Dr Irvine, who has so frequently captained- his country- '• jnen io victory. He was the man who \ wrote of, football : — " It is a scientific fame, a manly game, and a game to be esired by any thoroughbred Briton." He advocates combined dribbling as the essence of Kugby Union play, and he is -right r the joy tbat i i tlio first, ' The most rapt among them all, Have the •'forwards," when they burst Through the " scrimmage" on the ball.

Xitß Insurance Tabifi'. — The agents held a meeting .yesterday morning at Sir Ireeman B. Jackson's rooms, at -which i? ivas reselred to abandon the tariff, each company to act on its own discretion in taking risks. Mr Morton Jones, agent for , . tlie South British, is the first to announce " " in another column his withdrawal from the ' tariff, and his determination to do business at reasonable rates.