Charity Saturday: trial with boundary umpires
The determination of the Victorian Football Association to reserve one Saturday in the year for matches in aid of the charities could not have been put to the test under more favourable circumstances than on Saturday. Not alone was there no counter attraction, but the weather was splendid, both these facts making it the more regrettable that the Geelong club was not to take part in the afternoon's demonstration.
The attendance was a remarkably good one, much larger than could have been reasonably expected for such a programme. Had the Geelong team come up it is certain that the receipts would have been at least doubled, but the committee of the association appointed to arrange the programme for the day excuse their neglect to bring Geelong on the ground that had the day been wet the association might have lost money. The amount involved was at the outside £15, and Geelong's presence would have meant an addition of at least £100, possibly £200, to the takings for the day. To have missed this through the fear of losing £15 - a tear which everyone connected with the game knows was never entertained for a moment by anyone outside the association, and probably by no one inside it either - was very bad business indeed.
One thing the afternoon proved, viz., that the football was the only real attraction, the rest of the programme merely helping to fill in time. Had the eight trophies given for a footballers' race formed instead a charity cup, for which the four best clubs on the season's play should compete in a three hours' tournament, two of the clubs being drawn against each other for one hour, the remaining two for the second hour while the winners of each game met in the third hour a definite issue would have been provided, and the honour of winning the cup would be sufficient inducement to each club to put its strongest twenty in the field,
With such a programme for Saturday last, coupled with Mr. J. J. Trait's last appearance as umpire, and the trial of boundary umpires, the East Melbourne ground would, in all probability, not have furnished accommodation for the crowd. A grand chance was, however, missed for it may be years before circumstances combine to furnish such an attraction as Geelong's appearance on a Melbourne ground would have furnished this year, and a great gathering for the first Charity day would have ensured its success for years to come. It is but fair to state that Mr. T. S. Marshall and some other members of the association were strongly in favour of that course from the outset, and during the week an effort was made to induce the executive to alter their plans, but without effect.
The fact that there was no definite issue as between the four clubs detracted somewhat from the interest in the football, but this was more than balanced by the curiosity as to the new experiment of boundary umpires. Fitzroy and Collingwood first took the field, and as Trait followed them he was loudly cheered all round the ground. Messrs Crapp, Shaw, Schacfer, and Molyneaux acted as boundary umpires. Fitzroy were short of a couple of men, but supplied the vacancies with Hood of Footscray and Aitken of Carlton.
Very little need be said of the game, which was not a good one - beyond the fact that each team had much the best of it in kicking with the wind, and scored the same number of goals, but Fitzroy had the better of the behinds, though little, if anything, the ascendancy in the play.
From the first it was clear that the boundary umpires effected two desirable things, viz., giving the field umpire a better chance to watch the game, and preventing the followers crowding on to the ball at the boundary when it was thrown in. But, as against this, it seemed to completely upset the recognised disposition of the field, for the wing men all crowded to the centre, and if fewer men than usual were actually massed on the ball, a far greater number were chasing it at a more or less respectful distance.
The complete demoralisation of the field was not foreseen, and the innovation had consequently no fair trial, for no effort was made by the captains to alter the disposition of their men in order to meet the altered circumstances, and, indeed, such readiness of resource would have been a little too much to expect from anyone short of a genius in generalship. The ball rarely went out of bounds, and had only to be twice bounced for a touch on the throw in - facts that seemed to show that in ordinary matches the ball goes over the boundary more frequently from intention than accident than is generally supposed.
As to the play in the first game it is only necessary to say that Melling of Fitzroy, was the player of the forty. The scores were as follows:
Half-time: Collingwood, 3 goals 5 behinds; Fitzroy, 1 behind.
Final Score.-Fitzroy, 3 goals 10 behinds; Collingwood, 3 goals 5 behinds.
Goal-kickers: Fitzroy: Melling, J. Grace, and Salary; Collingwood: Smith, 2, O'Brien.
A much keener interest was taken in the game between Melbourne and Essendon, and it was wisely determined to vary the experiment, by trying two boundary umpires, and giving them power to bounce the ball when touched from the throw in. Nearly everyone connected with the game agrees that insisting on the ball touching the ground before it can be in play is a useless rule - and a rule that has no reason for existence should not be worth observing. In time it will be abolished as other pointless conditions have been - in the meantime it helps teams towards the close of a critical game to avert defeat by cunningly wasting time.
The play in this game proved incontestably the superiority of Melbourne over Essendon this season, for the latter, although helped by a gallant defence from Officer, were never in it. At times it was no exaggeration to say that the game might have been more appropriately termed McGinis v. Essendon, for that splendid Melbourne player was seen to great advantage, and no other man on the field came within leagues of him for merit.
Comparing the two teams, it was evident that Melbourne had too many stars in the twenty for their rivals. Essendon's only goal was got by a free kick right up against the posts, while of the shots that Melbourne missed several got remarkably close. The rapidity with which the Melbourne men disposed of the ball to advantage when they got it was a marked feature of the play.
The scores were as follows:
Half-time: Melbourne, 3 goals 6 behinds; Essendon, 1 goal.
Final Score: Melbourne, 5 goals 9 behinds; Essendon, 1 goal.
Goal-kickers: Melbourne - McCarthy, McGinis, Christy, Moysey, and Fry; Essendon - Ball.
The Champion Footballers' Race was rather a tame affair. It was run in heats, all starting from scratch, and two men, Palmer of Essendon and Drew of Port Melbourne, were widely picked as the probable winners. Each of them walked away with their preliminary heats, and in the semi-finals won again with ridiculous case. In the final Drew led, but when about half the distance had been covered Palmer made a spurt which looked like carrying him to the front. He died away again before the finish, however, and Drew won comfortably, with Morton, of Footscray third. Vautin of Essendon, ricked his leg in the first heat, which he won, and was obliged to give up in the second. If public interest is to be the consideration there will be no necessity to repeat this event in future, and the prizes which were so liberally provided might with much more profit from the point of view of sport have been devoted to some other purpose.
The heats in the footrace were won as follows:
First Heat: 1. Vautin (Essendon), 2. Mitchell (Melbourne)
Second Heat: 1. Palmer (Essendon), 2. Hood (Footscray)
Third Heat: 1. Howson (South Melbourne), 2. J. Thompson (Williamstown)
Fourth Heat: 1. Shaw (St. Kilda), 2. Duggan (South Melbourne)
Fifth Heat: 1. Drew (Port Melbourne), 2. Massey (Melbourne)
Sixth Heat: 1. Morton (Footscray), 2. Hobbs (Footscray)
Seventh Heat: 1. McNamara (Richmond), 2. Grecian (Essendon)
Semi-Finals: First Heat: 1. Palmer, 2. Howson, 3. Shaw, 4. Mitchell
Second Heat: 1. Drew, 2. Morton, 3. Duggan, 4. Grecian
Final: 1. Drew (Port Melbourne), 2. Palmer (Essendon), 3. Morton (Footscray), 4. Shaw (St. Kilda).
So plentiful were the prizes that the eight starters in the final heat all got one.
A baseball match was also played between picked nines, captained by Bruce and Ingleton, respectively, but, though some smart play was shown, it was evidently no great attraction to the crowd. Bruce's team won the match by 18 runs to 8.
The Victorian Railways Band helped materially by playing in the reserve throughout the afternoon, and Mr. T. S. Marshall is especially entitled to credit for his efforts to make the Charity Saturday - for which he has long been an ardent advocate - a success.
Footnotes
Title: Charity Saturday. Trial With Boundary Umpires Author: Donald McDonald. Publisher: The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria, 1848 - 1956) Date: Monday, 10 June, 1895, p.7 (Article) Web: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/9361794
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