TO NAPIER AND BACK.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 489, 5 August 1890, Page 3

TO NAPIER AND BACK.

THE FOOTBALL MATCH—A GRAND TRIP. 1“ STANDARD ” SPECIAL REPORTER.] ‘ A trip to Napier with a football or rowing team is always looked forward to with a great deal of pleasure, because the Napier fellows are such a genial lot that a good time can always be relied on. If they can manage it they send us back without our being crowned with laurels—each side tries hard to give the other a drubbing—but a kindly spirit ever prevails, and we have the great satisfaction of knowing that our short stay has been made as happy as it possibly could be. The Tnranganuians, of course, went down to win, and though they were not successful, the game was a rattling one, and many good lessons may be derived from it. THS TRtP DOWN. The time of the steamer’s departure was a very suitable one, and we were all glad that the Southern boat had been delayed, thus giving ns an additional day in Napier. The weather was beautifully calm, and as a matter of course the trip down was a splendid one. This notwithstanding, it was understood to be the fashion to get sea sick, and only two or three eccentric individuals managed to be out of the fashion. Having bravely gone through the experience myself, I rather despised those creatures whc did not, and would like to say some hard things about them, only my judgment being warped by my own •xp-rerce, it will perhaps be better for one to content himself by thinking, and leaving others to judge of the thoughts, as some of them seemed to do so easily when we were temporarily prostrated. Fortunately or unfortunately, just as your disposition mav lead yon to judge, the sickness was not an effective discipline for the "boys.” It did not grip them fast enough, probably with the consciousness that they were good honest fellows whose sins dwelt lightly upon them. I don't believe one fourth of them had more than a couple of hour-*’ sleep during the night, and the steward of the Wairarapa, a patient, long-suffering chap, got a woful time of it. for the excursionists would talk, sing, and shout, and make themselves as merry as a lot of sandboys, while the other passengers did not rejoice accordingly. Towards midnight things had cooled down a bit, the footballers began to reflect that they had to meet the desperate Pirates on the morrow, and they would be on a very unequal footing if they could not come up to the mark against the fresh and highly trained Napier team. But quietness was not to be permitted even then, for all hands were aroused by the lamentations of two of our men, who had suddenly discovered that their boots had vanished from where they had been carefully placed. One of the bootless pair went to the obliging steward, telling him, as he well knew/how, a very plausible tale about the disgraceful way in which he had been treated, and giving circumstantial evidence of a most convincing nature. The steward promptly set to work to unearth the culprit, but on learning that the bootless individual (not one of the fifteen) was in the same cabin with two or three footballers, immediately relinquished ths task as a hopeless one,‘evidently being of the opinion that the vict i ns were better able to take ears of themselves than he was to assist them. We felt a pang of remorse next morning for being so hard on the poor fellow, especially as he took it in such good part, though he did call ns rowdies. May we ever have such a nice official to watch over us when we again trust ourselves to the stormy bosom of the deep sea. and when he reads this we hope he will have completely forgiven the larks that were played.

ARRIVAL IN NAPIXH. We arrived in the bay at 3.30 a.m. on Saturday morning, when we had to do penance for the night’s fun. There was an unpleasant roll on, such as made one feel squeamish and lose bis appetite for breakfast, and the launch did not eome out until 8 o’clock. On landing at the Spit we were received by some of our old Gisborne men and some of the Pirate footballers, and were then driven up to Mr B. Smith’s fine Masonic Hotel, where we were received with the greatest kindness and hospitality, and were very soon in as comfortable quarters as anyone could wish for. Having left the steamer too early for breakfast, we (the team and visitors) had it at the Masonic, no less than twenty-five of onr number sitting down at the table. At about 10 30, after we had spent some time in looking round, we were driven up to the Recreation ground, where the match was to be played. We found it in a wretched slippery state. The “ boys ” had about half an hour's practice in kicking, passing, and dribbling, and then returned to their quarters at the hotel. The kicking was very poor, and it was evident the team were very much off color. After lunch preparations were made for the match, full instructions as to the workings of the game were issued, and st 2 o’clock a start was again made for the field, where the MATCH WAS STARTED at 2.30 sharp, and continued for two spells of 45 minutes. There was a fairly good attendance of spectators on the field, but not so many as were expected. From general appearances the Pirates were undoubtedly the stronger team, the forwards being good strong and heavy men, and their backs about medium weight and strength, and capitally suited to the positions they held on the field. Mr Whittington acted aa umpire for the Pirates, and Mr Fisher for the Tursnganni, Mr Logan being referee. As is the case in almost any match, dissatisfaction was at times pretty warmly expressed as to the umpiring, but taking the same all round our men were very well handled, and the game was throughout played in a most friendly spirit. The following comprised the teams :— Pirates’ second — Full back : Caldwell; three quarters : Stubbs, O'Connell, and Jeffers ; halves : Tates (captain) and O'Connell ; forwards : Hobbs, Collinge, Parker, Whiteman, Wrightson, Franklin, Sima, Beardon, and Cunningham. Tursnganni — Fullback: Priestley, threeguartes* : Bkeet, Burns, and Matthews ; alvea : H. Maude (Captain), and A. Wade ; forwards: Featon, Hepburn, Nisbett, Robinson, DeCosta, Crawford, Loomb, Skipworth, and Sberrift.

The kick-off was taken by the Pirates, who were splendidly met by the Tnranganui men, but were too heavy, and elowly worked the oval down towards the visitors’ line, and some hard fighting took place in the twentyfive, in which Priestley eeveral times came to the rescue, Wade and Skeet were also of valuable service here, while on the other side the halves and three-quarters worked very bard, the captain being especially conspicuous. The Tnranganui got the sphere into the centre of the field, but were unable to retain it there for any length of time, they being almost invariably pinned in their twenty-five. They, however, on two or three occasions got on a good dribbling rush, which carried the ball up to the Pirates’ twenty five, but the letters’ backs were equal to the occasion, and soon had it again in their opponents’ territory. Tnranganui lost many good chances through a bad fault of theirs—a fault tbat has often been critciised in the Standard—of kicking too hard in the dribble, sending the ball into the hands of the Pirate backs. During ths latter part of the first spell the tnon were playing sopswhat better, and all did their beet, although two or three of them had at times to lag behind through being somewhat out of condition. Tries were obtained by Collinge, Parker, and Beardon for the Pirates, and the kicks were very creditably though unsuccessfully taken by O'Connell and Collinge. From a mark by Jeffers, a capital kick was taken by O’Connell from almost mid-field. The ball, however, struck the cross-bar before going over. For our ride a try was scored by Loomb during ano of the dribbling rushes which took place in the latter part of the apell, but Featon’s kicking wee very poor throughout the match, and on this occasion he failed to further add to the score, BXOO ND SPILL, The second spell was a more closely contested one, and both rides worked very hard. The ball was played most of the time either ißilaruptnii er in mid-field, but

the Pirates’ line was on eeveral occasions in great danger, some fine dribbling and running taking place, in which Crawford, Loomb, Matthews, and Robinson were at intervals very conspicuous. Wade, too, did some very valuable service, while Skeet’s dashing runs were the best play exhibited by our fellows during the game. Hepburn also made a couple of good runs. For the Pirates Stubbs and Jeffers were very hard nuts, and Reardon was a most valuable man to bis side, though his continual off-side play was a discredit to the team. Collinge was a capital man on the line out, while Parker, Whiteman, Franklin, and J. O'Connell did good service. The only score during the spell was a try taken by Caldwell for the Pirates, from which no goal was scored, the game thus resulting in an easy win for the Pirates by seven points to one. REMARKS. There was lusty cheering after the game had been finished, and the Gisborne fellows frankly acknowledged they had been fairly beaten. The condition of the Napier players was much superior to tbat of the visitors. The Pirates were compelled to attend the gymnasium every night, and anyone who was selected and did not regularly attend was threatened that he would be replaced by another player. All this the Gisborne fifteen had no opportunity of indulging in, and during the long period of wet weather they bad to allow their muscles to get flabby again, there being no facility for evening training at a gymnasium. The ground, too, was greatly against the visitors, being so slippery that it was very difficult for them to keep on their feet. The Pirates had accustomed themselves to the ground, and thus had a great advantage. AFTER THE GAME. During the remainder of the afternoon the visitors spent their time in having a still further look around, in the course of which many old Gisbornites were met. Of those I met Messrs B. Ballantyne, W. Brassey, C. Wilson, Arthur Barnard. Harry Clayton, J. H. Trimmer, F. Faram, Barnes, Rowley, and E. Dewis might be mentioned, all of them appearing to be in the pink of health, and seeming to be perfectly satisfied with the prospects in Napier. Mr Frank Vandy, another old Gisborne boy I happened to drop across, is also doing well, and Mr B. Hird, too, has a good billet there. At nine o’clock in the evening the Pirates had arranged to hold a social gathering in the Masonic, where an exceedingly enjoyable time was spent, the Pirates having among their number many good singers, who all did their utmost to add to our enjoyment. Two Highland flings and sword dances by Host Smith’s boos, aged five and seven respectively, were really splendid, the younger if anything being the better. Mies Mackenzie, another Gisborntte on a visit here, provided the music. During the evening the only speechifying which took place was a few words from the Vice-President (Mr Sidey) of the Pirates* Olub, and a few words from the Gisborne captain, returning thanks for the kindness and hospitality of the Club. On Sunday we were taken for a glorious drive round the country, visiting Meanee, Farndon, and Taradale, and about 10 p.m. we left again for Gisborne, Messrs Matthews, Bourke, Loomb, and Sherriff remaining in Napier for a week. The trip up was not such a pleasant one, the sea being much too rough for our tender stomachs.

OUR TREATMENT IN NAPIER. None of the visitors can do otherwise than speak in terms of the warmest gratitude for the way in which they were treated in Napier. A better time could not have been wished for. The dreadful title of Pirates has come to be regarded as having, when applied to the Napier club, a meaning the reverse of that generally given it, and the genial fellows will be cordially remembered in Gisborne, with a hope that they may be given as happy a time—and of course as good a beating—when they come to Gisborne to play a return match at some future date. While I have written so much about jollification, I must not let anyone infer from this that there was anything more than innocent fun. The visitors were a strictly temperate lot, and indulged in no way that exception could be taken to, beyond by those few individuals who were the victims of little pranks.