FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2410, 27 September 1886, Page 2

FOOTBALL.

A match wan played on Saturday last between tho Masterton nnd Te Ore Ore Olubg, and resulted in a win for the former by ton points to five, In tho first spell[the Masterton team, with the wind in their favor, had the best of the game, Whatman securing two tries from which no further score was mado, and R. Thompson addod to the score by potting a goal McKenzie markod in a good position, but C. Porry failed to produco anything from it. In the second spell Symonds got over the lino with a good rush, but no further scoro resulted.' The natives led by Ranganui worked with a will towards the finish of the game, and succeeded in carrying tho play' into their opponent's territory, and Matmi grounded tho leather between the posts, from which Mare kicked a goal. The natives played a hard garao throughout, but tho winners were vory'sluggish towards the latter part,

Masterton 2nd v Epuni h\. To THE EniTOR. Sir,—A statement has appeared in your columns to the effeot that the Epuni Football Club had, on their late visit to Maßterton, ordered a conveyance to take them from tho railway station to the ground, and had refused to pay tho cost of this conveyance, I would feel muoh obliged, sir if you can allow roe space to explain. On the arrival of tho Epuni team at Maßterton they were .met by a member of the Masterton Club with a drag which ho said was for them. Tho Epuni team had made no request for a conveyance, nor had they ordorod any, and they were'quite prepared to walk to the ground. As it is customary, however, for Clubs to provide at their own expense conveyances for visiting teams, tho Epuni team at once concluded that the drag had been provided by the Maateßton Club at their own expense. It can easily be understood then, that the Epuni Club were surprised at receiving from tho proprietor of the conveyance an account for 22b (id, which it appeared the Masterton Olub had declined to pay. • If this is the way the members of the Masterton Club have of treating their viaitora all 1 can say n that they cannot be oomphmented on their courtesy. The most that can bo said for it is that it is economical. I am, etc, , E. A, Weich, Sec. Epuni P. 0..

[From the Napier Evening News]

The Auckland Bell, with indecent haste makes a savage onslaught on the Rugby Union in their leading'columns. The article is an impertinent one, to' say the least, and is couched in such language as to justify the term " Billingsgate" being applied to it. The editor of the

Bell blames the Nppier. tor getting astride. their high hofae';'oV r et a telegram sent tojhem by the ; New.South Wale 3 team. ; We hot tfo'eat-whAt we-/' have already said, viz, that the Na.pier' men acted ina very proper "spirit.' in, refusing to-encourage, the Welchmefr ifi breaking their engagement with Welling • ton, especially'as the Napier men tv'ere asked to kik theth to do it/ Our Aiick* land contemporary says the telegram' sent by our men is unequalled for "unmitigated caddishness." That term will be best applied to the New South Wales team and to their champion, the editor of the Bell, and we hope to be able to prove this before the matter drops, < We regret that tho editor did not himself discern something very " queationablei, and " dishonorable" in tho poupos'aKjpf theN.S,W. men, and that he should have been pleased in his ignoranco'M wax hysterical ovor the '• low lot" Evidently the editor in question has very " questionable" ideas of honor It is a pity, too, that our friends in Auckland sliould give way to such fits of temper over what does not concern him in any way; unless it is that it was too good an opportunity to be lost for the froo übo of . pot-house slang, sucli as the article now before us is freely garnished with. The reference to the " tinpot" team arid "the humbler team resident at the Iron Pot" may be elegant in the estimation of the denizens of tho City of the Unemployed; but it certainly duos not reflect credit upon a journal of the Bell's stamp. Surely tho editor was absent from home when tho article in question "crept in" to his columns. The best answer to tho slighting reference to our team is the fact that the Sydney inon were never in the match at Napier from start to finish, and that but for tho many concessions of the Napier umpire and his boys the defeat tho N.S.W toam sufferSJ would have botSi more pronounced. The editor of the Bell, after exhausting tho vocabulary of Seven Dials upon tho Napier Union, calls the Sydney men "gentlemen, evory inch of them I" We do not exactly wM to disputo the claim, but if they men, then wo trust tho Hawke's will never bo. Gentlomeii forsooth! While in Napier.thoy betrayed.a spirit that stamped them aa downright cads and blackguards' During the match on the Napier ground, tho New South Wales men, to use the usual terms employed by players, were guilty of " Bcraggiug" and ill-temper, and at one stage of the. game, it would have been small wonder had tho Napier meu men walked off the ground. The'' explanation" of the - captain of the visiting team was readily accepted—too readily we think-by, tho local men. and an abject apology jjivon in writing but tin's on the consideration that the visitors should (five them a letter explaining the whole of tho circumstances. TheN.S.W. team showed thoir'gentlomanly conduct—every inch of it—by attempting to Bhufflo out. of giving the local men the letter; in fact some of tVjra • denied having made tho promise ufftJSj confronted by tho umpire, of the team 1 The letter was wrung from thera, and thoy were entertained at -dinner, although some of our boys:were too deeply insulted by tho coarse conduct of tho visitors on the field to diiuAjth them. To conclude this disgracerawonduct these " gantlomen" were the primary cause of a streot brawl. One .of their mombois abused the pood things provided for them by getting disgracefully drunk, and using some language unfit for publication when gottinp into tho trap which conveyed him from the scene of • exposure and defeat. One of the bystanders took up the quarrel, and this led to a street row and the imprisonment of ono of the brawlers—the other got away in the steamer in company with his companions, the whole of them being "gentlemen, every inch of them." The Bell states that these gohtlomon received courteous treatment in all their tour south. Of course they did, but they did not Bhow all their hand. But thoir style must have condemned them even then, for thoy wore called " pot hunters" and other approbrious namos by somo .journals! though what was meant, by this is best/ known by those gentlemon from NiS.W., The conclusion of our friends article is "follows:*—"It lias only been' reserved for a contemptable hole of a placiflfco the'lron Potf to show that therfflro pads in New Zealand 1" Wo Bhall not insult the Hawkcs Bay people by replying to this very coarao languago. Our fellows are two sell known to need any dofonco from us. Throughout tho whole affair they acted in a becoming and in a sportsmanlike spirit. Lot us say that when the editor of the Bell next speaks of Napier or Hawkes Bay and its footballers he will certainly have to judgo them by a much higher standard in manhood and gentility than either he or tJ» N.S.W. men have yet reached.

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