FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2326, 21 June 1886, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

Red Stars v Opaki. A match between the above was played on the Bed : Star ground on Saturday afternoon, and resulted in a win for the Stars by a try to love. Two • spells of forty minutes each were played, the time being chiefly occupied by the players laying on the ball.. When it became loose the Stars shewed their united play to great advantage, and gave their opponents a lot of trouble, but it was only at short intervals that anything like football was played, for no sooner was the game a bit lively when one of the players would immediately drop on the leather, causing melees and scrimmages that neither showed play or judgment. Whatever old players could see in playing such a game as they did on Saturday cannot be imagined. It did not matter how often the game was stopped through it the same play was earned on to the finish, viz., dropping on the ball whether in or out of scrimmages, .spoiling the play of the backs; and makrag the forward game anything but a pleasant one. If the umpires and referees would make it a rule to stop this kind of play,-it would have a tendency to improve the game and induce practice captains to teach their teams football .before sending them in the field to play a match. The members of the Masterton Football Club turned out on Saturday afternoon' and put their new ground in playing order. After erecting the goal posts and putting in the touchline .flags, a practice was held afr which about twenty members took part. The second heat for the Junior Cup .will be played'6n Saturday next, at Greytown between the Masterton No 1 team and the Greytown second fifteen.