West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Tuesday 23 July 1901, page 3


FOOTBALL. THE AUSTRALIAN GAME. TO-DAY'S TEST MATCH. COASTAL EIGHTEEN V. GOLD-FIELDS. (By "Half-Back.-') This afternoon, at the W.A.C.A, ground, at the eastern terminus of the Hay-street tram line, the first test match for the season between the W.A.F.A., or coastal slavers, and the Goldfields Asso-ciation team will be played. The gold-fields men arrived on Saturday morning, and yesterday enjoyed a practice on the Esplanade. Two test matches have to be played, the first on the Association Ground, Perth, this afternoon. The visi-tors are confident of winning, and declare that the team that is down is the best that could have been chosen, and, fur-ther, that the football on the fields has this year been better than it has been for years. However, having known gold-fields football for some years, and having seen that played by the coast for a couple of seasons, I am of opinion that to-day will witness—if the only—the first vic-tory for those playing under the direction of the W.A.F.A. At the same time, it may be stated that the visitors, having overcome the preliminary difficulties of the turf, announce their confidence that they can win. The metropolitan team suffers from the loss of Purling, who was injured in the West Perth v. Perth match, but his club mate, Jeffries, will probably fill his place. Allowing that the goldfields team is all that its support-ers proclaim it to be, the writer will not be particularly sta**ered if the first test match resulted in favour of the coastals. As the teams line out, it is probable that the following will be the representa-tives :— Goldfields.—Backs, Hall; O'Connell, C. Tyson half-backs, Williams, Patterson, McCaughey: centres. Palmer, Jenkyns, Gilbert: half-forwards. Powell, Rolfe, Robertson: forwards. Hendricks. Gray. Lethridge: followers, Kennyand Franks; rover Jarvis. Coastal.—Backs, Swan, Chadwick. Ro-berts: half-backs, Plunkett, Thomas, Douglas; centres, Jeffries. Wildy. Hodge; half-forwards, Fitzpnatrick, Wells, Doig; followers, Currie, Christy. rover Sweetman. Trams run to the ground. THE GAME IN SYDNEY. A BIG ATTENDANCE. Sydney., July 21. The return Inter-State Rugby football match between teams representing Queensland and New South Wales was played on the Agricultural Society Ground yesterday, in the presence of 30,000 spectators.. The contest was keen throughout, and the second half of the game was very exciting. In the first portion of the game the visitors failed to score,- but the local team succeeded in gaining only 3 points. In the second half New South Wales added 8 points and the Queenslanders secured 8 points, the came thus ending in a victory for the Welshmen by 3 points. C. White and E. Halloran, of the local team, each sus-tained a fractured collarbone.