FOOTBALL.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 47, 18 June 1891, Page 5

FOOTBALL.

The Hawkes Bay Rugby Union propose to pay a visit to the Wairarapa and Wellington Unions with a representative fifteen. The latter match will be played most probably on the 4th or 11 th July. The Wairarapa match will be played on July 28th. The want of a Saturday half-holiday is the reason assigned for the deplorable decadence of football in New Plymouth. The Wairarapa Valley have every reason to be proud of their three senior teams, for on Queen’s Birthday holiday they had two decisive victories over Wellington City Senior Clubs, and the other practically a victory, for it was acknowledged by their opponents that the referee was mistaken in disallowing a try. The Masterton Club played the Wellington Club—acknowledged the best in the Empire city — and simply walked over them, the splendid passing of the country club’s backs and their effective forward rushes being especially conspicuous. “Joe” Perry was always dangerous by making short punts over the heads of the backs, and getting on again immediately. The Wellington Club did comparatively little passing. The Greytown Club also defeated the well-known Athletic Club on the Wellington ground on the same day. A match between Hamilton and Paterangi, which had been postponed from the previous week, took place on Saturday, and resulted in victory for Hamilton by eight points to nil. Hume got four tries and Gillet two, of which Hammond converted one. The match between the Hamilton East and West schools resulted in a win for East Hamilton by two tries to nil. The backs in the senior match Gordon v. Grafton showed very bad form on both sides. For a new man, however, McMinaman was gOOd. , ;

A junior player named Smith while playing for Gordon II got his nose badly cut at Potter’s on Saturday last. Russell and Kaikohe played a match at Russell on Saturday, which resulted in a win for Kaikohe by six points. A match was played at Napier on Saturday week between Maoris and Pakehas, and an excellent match was the result, the game being extremely fast, resulting in a win for the natives by 11 to 7. The back play of the natives was much superior to that of k their opponents, but the Pakeha forwards proved superior to their antagonists. . , In referring to the proposal to form a ladies football team, the Otago Daily Times says : It cannot be supposed that the scheme is likely to prove successful. Ladies have attempted to play cricket, a far more suitable game than football, but without a great amount of success, and the attempts which were recently made to organise a professional team to visit the Colonies resulted in an egregious failure. Football is so unwomanly a game that it is not likely to come into favour either with players dr spectators, but the great hold which the game has taken on the public has doubtless induced some persons with more cupidity than taste to, hope that a novelty might prove profitable. It would be interesting to learn from 1 what source the ingenious promoters have obtained the players ; and it would be nd less so to be told how many answers and photographs were received by the local advertiser in our Thursday’s issue, who invited applications from young ladies willing to constitute a team.