Evening Express

Messrs. T. H. Vile and Co.'s Christmas Party I (the Jack in the Box). — I I NTSWTORT'S EEOQRD IS STLLL "SUE." I I

NEWPORT. Whatever happens in the first three or four months of 1910, Newport are to be congra.tu-1 la.ted upon going through the first portion of the season with the precious record still intact Floreat, Usksid«>rs! It is a finer aohievement tha,n you have made for many years. Up to the season's half-time Newport had played 20 "ames, winning 14, drawing 6, and scoring 201 points, as fMgainst 40 scored by their opponents. Though he was not in the happiest of scoring vein during the holiday games, Melville Baker topped the scoring list up to Tuesday last. lIe had to his credit 16 tries. Next to him came Reg. Plummer with 9; Martin had 6, and Jack Jonee 4. The Christmas games produced some inte- resting reflections. One of them which eomee tipperraost in the minds of many is that in Beg. Plummer New-port has a. right winger who has improved wonderfully this season. His versatility and his cleverness have been brought out splendidly. Another man who has done his reputation a power of good is Dr. Smyth. Probably no forward in the Uskside pack has in the past few j.rames shown more brilliance, especially h the open, than the doctor. No little retrospect of the half-time would 00 anything like complete without saying a most generous word of praise of the splendid servaces of Stanley Williams at full baok. He is the most reliable custodian that Newport has had for many years, and he is improving all the time. Always fearless, his judgment is as sound ae the proverbial bell. Who will ever forget that supremely anxious mom-ent in the Wateonians' match on Boxing Day, when J. T. Sim son, the Scottish left wing flyer, zot clear away? Stanley Williams in that ,norrent saved Newport's record. Yes, saved the record! Newport only had a tr:- at the end of the game. Had Simson paæed the Newport fun b"k, it was a. millipoan ssed a hay seed that he would have planted a try in such a position that the Watson iam would easily have kicked a goal and won. And then what colour would the town have been painted that night? Those who know the frolicsome nature of the Watsonians on tour ie&reciaily at Newport) may be able to supply the answer. There waa another occasion also in the Barbarians' not quite fraught with the same weight of responsibility it is true, but still, it showed how faithful Stanley Williams is to his trust Joabert, the tricky and fast little centre, had cleverly inter- oepted and bolted straight for the Newport line, but just as surely as he marked J. T. Sinwjon. so the Newport custodian had marked Joubert for hit; own, and he brought him down beautifully. A word of oongrajtu 1 at ion and also of admi- ration must be said for Tommy Vile, the i Addppw. He hail led hia men in the txraTeet j fashion, em during kicks (without 'a-pence), speaking the word of comra-endaticn in season and controlling the games with sound generalship. It was a especially commendable thing on the pa,rt of the gallant little cap- tain to turn out on Monday against the Watsonians, with his hand bound up, after having had it badly lacerated a few days earlier. Yes, T. H. V. is no craven. A well-known footballist, who saw the Bar- barians play at Cardiff on Monday and at Newport on Tuesdixv, declared after the New- port match that the visitors played a much stronger and brighter game at Newport than at Cardiff. They found their feet bettor, B-nd seemed to have more combination altogether than when they wore at Cardiff," he declared, and was of opinion that New- port's win, under the circumstances, was quite as creditable as Cardiff's. A good many Newport people lot and won little Boxing Day wagers over the attendance a.t the Watsonians match on Monday. There appeared to be a general impression that the "gate" was one of the bi<rgest on record. As a matter of fact, not only Newport "gates" but those of most other clubs are very liable to be ovej-estimated. The largest attendance ever known at Newport was at the South African's match. October 27. 19C6, viz., 18.6CO. Last Monday the crowd did not go above 14,COO. Perhaps the large spread of umbrellas helped to an over-estimate of the gate. NEATH. I I ine an waoss nave every reason to oe satisfied with the result a of the holiday matches. They defeated Bridgend by 8 points to 4, and both Edinburgh University and Brynmawr by 6 points to nil. Opinions vary as to which was the best of the three games. No doubt, the 'Varsity game would have been allotted the chief honour had the conditions not been so execrably bad. The match on Tuesday against Brynmawr wad played under more favourable condi- tions. but the best players cannot keep top form in three successive matches, two of which were hard-fought stnurgiss. And the form shown on Tuesday was, therefore, a good deal belcw that of the two previous encounters. Yet it was a fairly good game, and the all blacks fully merited their 6-point victory. The three important features which stand out in connection with the holiday matches were the fine play of tife Neath forwards, the really excellent play of Shon" Evans and Jack Brennan, and the brillance elf Frank Rees. The skipper scored two strikingly brilliant tries each from half-way, beating all op-po- oition. Strangely enough, Jaok Brennan in the match againot Bryrimawr on Tuesday scored just such another. They were three brilliant efforts full worthy of the beat traditions oi the good old club. "Shon" Evans a.dd"!ld his quota to the floor- ing, and he notchtd a try against the 'Varsity and another against Byrnijiawr. W. M Edwards, the International reserve custodian, played bang up to form in all the games. Police-constable Pullma,n, in view of today's international and of the plethora of good forwards which Neath possesses, did not take part in any of the holiday games. Wllim the festive season is borne in mind Neath's total score of 20 points to 4 (a dropped goal) is not a bad one.

ASERAVON. I The Old Avonian team. Port Talbot, visited London, where they beat the second fifteen of the London Welsh by 2 tries to 1. For the Old Avonians E. 0 Jones notched the two tries in great style, and Jenkins scored for the Londoners. Up to December 28 Aberavon had played 18 matches, of which 7 were won, 9 lost, and 2 drawn, and had scored 4 converted goals. 2 i)-onaky goals, and 14 tries (68 points) as against 4 convert.ed- goals, 6 drop goals, 2 penalty goals, and 12 tries (78 points). The chief scorers up to date are Willie Thomas (7 tries), E. Pugh (4 tries), Rees Richards and W. Jones (three-ctuartearj (2 tries each), Jim Donovan Hopkin Evans, and Viekrey (1 try each). Diok Hughes has con- verted 3 tries, and Will Jones 1, whilst, j Johnaiy Phillips landed 2 penalty goals. In this record the Avonitee had the excep- tiona,l experience of being defeated seven times in succession, and this scquenoe of defeats was only broker, by a hard-earned victory on Saturday last over Pontandawe, whom they managed to defeat by the small margin of 1 try to nil. The Ponitardawe game was one of the hardest and most vigorously contested seen on the Port Talbot ground for many a long day, and the victory was only won by a terrific struggle. The A vonites followed this up by drawing with Mae-*teg- on Boxing Day, and by de- feating the Irish Beotive Ra-ngers on the fol- lowing Tuesday by 2 tries to nil. In each of these games the Aberavon boys showed much improved form, and maintained a high stan- dard of football right over the Christmas holidays. In each of the matches played those players who 'stood out conspicuously were Willie Jones and Willie Davies (three-quar- ters), Dick Hughes (full-back). Will Jones, George Vickrey, Ivor Jones, Kees Richards, and Tom Jones in the forwards, and Bala Jones and Jim Donovan at half. In the three contests the veteran Bala Jones once again donned the war paint, and delighted everyone by his extremely clever performances. In the Monday and Tuesday games George Vickrey made a welcome re- appearance, and agaimst the Irishmen played a remarkably fine game, and in this match also scored. The other scorers over the holi- day matches were E. Pugh and Will Jones, three-quarters. In both the Monday and Tuesday games the ground was in a frightful condition, and on Tuesday, against the Bective Rangers, the muddy condition of the players produced a sight unparalleled in local football history. A few minutes after the start of the game it was almost impossible to recognise any of the players, several of them- through roud-besmeared faces and garments, having more the appearance of nig-gera than white men. The condition of the ground and the bad weather seriously interfered with the attend- ance, but on Christmas Day there was present one of the largest orowd which has been omn on the enclosure for several seasons, amd this fact tended greatly to benefit the fiances of the club, which up to then had been in a very low condition. On Boxing Day there was a very spirited and interesting display between those smart junior organisations, St. Mary's and Mansel Jtrniors. The St. Mary's side came off victorious by 2 tries to 1, the scorers for the victors being Patsy Sullivan and D. Kees, and for the Man~els W. Hopkins. The town school tTial match, which should have been, played on Boxing Day, had to be jostponed in conisequerce of the incessant rain and wretched condition of the ground.

CRUMLIN. Orumlin have had almost an idle time this Christmas. On Christmas Day they met a Newbridge fifteen, and ha-d to pay the penalty of turning out a poorly representative team by being defeated by 2 tries to 1. It was a tame display, the visitors being slightly superior. On Monday the team was due to visit Pill, but wisely cancelled the game owing to the siweii death of their assistant secretary, Mr. W. Thompson. It was rather unfortunate for the Pillites, as it appears this was not the first Boxing Day disappoint- ment.

TAFF'S WELL. I On OhTMtjma? Day a m?tch for the benefit of the widow of the late Mr. Dicks, 'CIreta.ry to the Garth Club, wa? pJ&yed at T?if'B We?l between a team selemed from Pentyroh, Taff's Well, and G?rth a?d Cardiff and District. A vigormi and interesting game resulted in a draw of one try each. .i

j. f!^ ??? ?/ y&u ?    "?' ??" Ea -=?g  Latest Telegrams. MONTHLY GOL7, PQRTRCAWL. Grose. R'oaJ), SSat. Dr. Egerton B4gs 91 13 78 J. T. Morgan 91 Beckenhaxn, 10 points; London Irish, 9, Y?]•;»■ eddn, 1: Ebbw Yale, 1. Lister, 9 points; Belfast, 5- M.C.C. Y. OrTR AFRICA. 65: .e-xtra?, 5—total i:o wicket:. 147. Dublin Wamlerer?, l'nls: Birkenhead, 16p-ts. lihymney, <rptP; Bream, nil. Blaina, opts; Cross Keys. 3pts, Aberystwyth, 2; Welshpool, 1. C-.vtnparc and Treorky United, 3; llerthyr Town, nil. Tivodrrhiw. 3; Boarb Park 'Cardiff 0. Pantyrch, 9pts; Barry; Parade, Sfpta. 4' .i.U.t1.j¡.¡I;; I

I PENYGRAIG. I I?enygTaig accomplished their dearest wiah (}T. Christmas Day by defeating for the second time this season their nearest rivals, Lilwymypia. They were unquestionably the better team. The weather and the Eight Soars Aot have played havoc with the gates lately in the Rhondda. Xext season will see a gtreofc change in Rugby football in the Rhondda. At preaent there are dozens of jimior oluhs doing very well, and next season mamy prominent players will be available for the seniors. The Penygrraig Lads had to forego their Christmas dinner they were playing two matches at Pontypridd. In the morning they played the All Blacks in a friendly, and were defeated by 2 tries. It was a fast, open game, and Pontypridd fully deeetrved their victory. In their second motetb, against Coedpen- maen, which waa a league game, they were again defeated in the last minute by a try. This was another fine match, and the Lads were unlucky to be defeated, ae on the day's form they were the wrperxw team. most prominent of the forwards were Matthews and T. Daviee. Morris, at half- back, was also good, whilst of the three- quarters J. N. Jones &nd H. Harris were the pick.

PO N TAR D AWE. On Christmas Day Pontardawe were the visitors aA Aberavon, and were defeated by a try to niL The Poatardawe forwards were superior to the Aberavon eight. They heeled well, and were airways on the ball. Harry Roes, Dad Davies, Oeotrge Williams, Alee Williams. Rapsey, Stan Darifc, Johnny Davies. Da.i Thomaa, and Bryn Lewis deserve mention. On Boxing Day the team defeated Padgnton by a try to nil. PontJurdawe had a Bpiesndid reception at Paignton, and a large cerowd witnessed the gaume. Fontardawe played the WeJab. game to per- fection. The Englishmen xxxt op a atuMbom defence, but oould not keep paoe with the visitors speedy backs. Dai Davies and Jack Thomas played their best games. The stax wae Dai Thomas. Stan Daviee and Will Kift were good in dclcccoe, and Bryn Lewis good in attack. The most prominent in the Paignton team were Weddle, RA- otatoo-AM& Lees, at fltili- beok. f

I THE FOOTBALL PE-EP-SHOW.,

TONYREFAII., rne annual nxture—Married v. emgle—drew a bag crowd at Tonyrefail on Christmas Day. i The game was, fu3 usmaJ, fast and vigorous. The Singled' forwards weire superior, but! were outpla,yed by t-he Married backs, who gained a. good win by 3 tries to 1. and for whom IIowclIs and Russell were the pick. Bees a.nd Middleton were the most piominent for the Singles. Dufring the second half feeling ran bigh, and it was feared that the game would ter- ininate, but wir counsel prevailed, and the. game continued. I On Boxing- Day the Harlequins were at home to Cilfynydd, the leag-ue champions, the result being a try each. The game was a good one, but Tonyrefail were at least two tries better than the visitors. The forwards were in good fettle, and were I well 100 by J. Reea, Cooper, and Griaiths. iirio \7iUi.a.;ns vra« good in the open, but did r-ot ntili3 his weight in the scrum. Hinton, ¡ at haif-baok, played a. really goood game, and id, undoubtedly, the finest inside half in the league. Of the backs Middieton mu?t be coiu- i_i i. s two t?. -i. ( aT) e of piinjented on his p?y. ilis two tnee (one of I which W-:b "-owed) were the result of ?*L,evt?-f play on his part, and he was weU s'upported by Arthur.

PONTLOTTYN. Bihymiwy United visited Pcntlcttyn on Christmas Day. They fieided a. etro-ng Bide, including three of the lihymney Firsts. On previous occasions, when these teams ha,ve met, P'ontlottyn. have been victorious, but this time Rhymney United proved victors by 7 points to nil. True, Rhymney United were the batter side, end on the day's play defierved to win, but thrf? points to nil would have been a better criterion of the run of the game. « — The dropped goal by L. Lewis Was more luck than sJtÜl. It was a typical game between local teams, aiid there were several interesting features. Tom DaviN, the horJQ back, was good, his eaves being prais-e.d by both sides. Tom Williams, the home skipper, made several attempts at getting away, but the visiting defence was sound. For the visitors, Parry made a splendid tshow. lie kicked well, and showed initiative in attaok.

CWMPARC AND TREORKY UNITED. The United's Christmas programme of matches resulted very satisfactorily, lor Gin the Saturday Bwilth were trounced 4-0. and on the Monday Mardy surrenderoo two valu- able South Wales League points by 3—1. Play in the Builtb match was very fast, the weather being lovely. Cwmpaa-c'e ou,perio-i- combination told its tale, Peake (3) and George Jones scoring after really good com- bined movements. The "grate ftte" with Mardv attracted an excited throng of spectator*, as Cwmparc's leadership of the South Wales League was in danger. The United showed much the best form, and, after attacking consistently for three-quarters of the game, won comfort- "IV hv 3—1. -# MARDY. Maidy lost their precioufl league record at Owmparo on Boxing Day, and it came as no surprise, for a total lack of balance has been in evidence in the team for a long- time. Bristol City Reserves made desperate efforts to smash their ground record, on Christmas Day, but, though hard pressed, the homester-s ma,na,ged to retain it. The game was exhilarating to watch, both sides playing with vim and daf-h. The visitors were, undiul,),t,ctly, the better- balanced and more polished side, Hilton and —- ■ ■■ „ ARTHUR H. TYLER I (Aberdaje Association Football Club). I Gould, the extreme winge, being very clever and speedy. Levi end Sfcagg, for the homesters, played heroically, and it is disheartening to these fine players to get such l'eeble support. • What has become of Latham, Jacobs, Bush, and 'frott? Surely out of these four a better left wing can be seleoted. If not, there are faint hopes of Ilardy being returned winners in their oup-tie at Merthyr. The same thing was in evidence at Owm- paro again on Monday, only to a. gTea-ter degree. Nash's absence made a vast deal of difference, for though Lewis played nard he did not lend H. Jones the support Bob Nash would have done. The forwards made a mis- take in playing a cloee dribbling game ort suoh a mud heap. But for the brilliant exhibition given by Williams, the Mardy goalkeeper, it is poss,i b'-e that the visitors would have experienced the heaviest defeat they have sustained for years. He kept out shot after shot in a inarveilous manner.

YSTALYFERA. On Christmas Da,y YstaJyfera played a scratch team selected from tMb local Soccer club. The exhibition of the Soccer players was at times funny, especially their attempts a.t pa?M.ng. Their fuil-back, however, played t?i=y, his tackling being heroio. The Rugby ?xpcmento put up 30 points in a very a.m.ru,a1.D.g game. In the morning Ystalyfem H excelled themselves by ba"inf Panteg by a score of 6 goals, 4 tries to mi. Th?y gave a.n exoei- lent display, but they were opposed by a much lighter side. Earlier in the season Pan teg beat Ynis- m.ed,w- Swansea league team-by 9 points, so that this performance of the seconds is a really exceUc "t one. The seconds have the following reoord:-Playe-d 10, won 4, drawn 4, a.nd loet 2. They have scored 91 points, whilst only 9 poinia have. been, registered against them, MERTHYR. I Merthyr Towns holiday matches have resulted not very favourably as far as the league table is concerned. Out of three matches Merthyr have only taken one point. The principal fixtures were the home and home matches with the old rivals, Treharris, on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. A big crowd went down to Treharris on Christmas Day to cheer on the Merthyr boys. A good game was expected between theee old rivals, and expectations were well rewarded, '1'1w score of 4--2 in favour of Treharris cer- tainly flattered the latter club, as on the day's play there was hardly a goal difference between th? teams. Two of the goals were I practically gifts to but 9til t,?? proyed themselves fin-e oppü1"tuni.,t. and any

KILT- J -J- I I -AT CARDIFF I I By 19 points to nil. I chances that eqnia their way they took full advantage of. This is. perhaps, an object lesson to Merthyr. Haw and Wightman played a fine game, but the halt-backs a.nd forwards were not up to their usual s.tajidard. The rerfiuirn match at Merthyr on Boxing I Day was anxiously awaited, and a tremen- dous crowd, which speaks for the fine growth I of 8oooer game, assembled to witness the encounter. Again a good matoh was seen, I with excitement running high. A 2-gcals draw was the result of a hard-fought encounter. In the last ten minutes Merthyr gave of their oest, and well deserved the winning point, but the fates were against them. At any rate, the 8,000 spectators will not forget the match for isoine time to come Wightman gave a great display at full- back, and Barl&w will probably remember Sammy." Although inclined to wander Kelly played a good game at half. Whittaker gave his usual fine display in the forward line. Bailiff will not forget some of "Junmys" drives. The result from Bristol was a great dis- appointment, but still Merthyr must have put up a fine display to lose only by a goal margin. Now, Merthyr, for the game of the season Don't forget, January 8. Back up, red and green! Quite a sensation was caused in town when the news of the severance of Leonard from the town club became known. Has a mis- t-ike been made? Leonard is a clever forward, and no one can di-vpute it, The Be serves h d a big- disappointment on Christmas iteming. They had a league fixture with Trehafod, who had written their intention of I duly fulfilling the fixture, but they failed to turn up. Tliis, with every preepect of a fine gate i9 distinctly hard lines on the Reserves, and it is a pity that the Glamorgan League do not impose more severe penalties on defaulters. I

u PONTLOTTYN. NO tixturre had been arranged for the holi- days by either of the' home league tea-inf However, an interesting encounter took place on Christmas Day between the Town and South Enders. In the preliminary round for the junior cup the Town defeated the, South Enders by 3 goals to 1. The South i Enders wished to again try conclusions and on this occasion they were defeated by the earne score. Tom Huxtable, late Cardiff City. made his initial appearance in the Town ranks He played for Pontlottyn about five years ago, and signalled his re-appearance on Christ^ mas Da.y by scoring two out of the three goals. He will strengthen the front rank considerably. A good full-back to rartneir Owen Williams is now wanted. The South Enders have improved wonder fully of late, and, with Jim Thomas and Dale, at back, should make a good mailt.

"L- TREHARRIS. r •lTeuarrrs premier eleven were busily I engaged during the Christmas holidays The programme consisted of three Western league matches, one home and two away Two were won, while the other game was drawn thus maintaining an undefeated record. The Merthyr game at home on Christmas Day ended in a victory for Treharris by 4 goals to 2. There was a record crowd. During the first twenty mmutes both teams kept up an extraordinary pace. Merthvr opened the score through Whittaker who! beat Bailiff at close range in the first half- hour. This reverse caused the whites' for wards to play a great ga.me, and Hawking made a brilliant but ineffective run alone the line. Shortly afterwards Pickett headed into the net. The whites continued to have the better of the game, and Abbey netted the second goal before half-time. After the interval the whites W,%ln were continually on the attack, and Hughie Wil- liams after trickily defeating Kelly and Davies, put in a terrific shot, which gave Daw lJO earthly chance. George Phillips added the fourth goal. A burst by the Merthyr forwards within a quarter of an hour of time allowed D. W. Davies to score. I On Monday Treharris played the return game at Merthyr. They fielded the same team, but thi-s time were only able to draw, the score being 2 goals each. It rained incessantly throughout the game, and this great.iy handicapped the Treharris forwards. The same team, excepting that Wallace Jones played at inside left in place of Hughie Williams, turned out on Tuesday against Bath City, and were victorious by 5 goals to 1. The caty goalie played a great game, and saved hie side from r muoh h^o -iriaf defeat.

[ LEAGUE TABLES. RUGBY. MONMOUTHSHIRE. RUGBY. P. W. L. D. F. A. P'ts. Tredegar 6 5 1 0 36 17 10 PUi. 6 4 1 1 017 9 Pilirt iery 4 4 0 0 49 9 8 ?laor.av?n 4 1 0 3 15 9 5 Brynmawr » 6 2 4 0 41 54 4 Cross Keya 6 1 4 1 34 33 3 Blaina 3 111 6 13 3 Cwm bran. 7 0 7 0 611 0 BRIDGEND AND DISTRICT. P. W. L. D. F. A. Pts. Xantymoel 10 £ 0 2 70 3 13 Gilf.uch Gooh 10 6 1 3 46 17 15 Maesteg- Hangers 9 5 2 2 37 22 12 Ectrws United H 5 4 2 29 2* 12 I Llaiiiuuran 7 5 11 63 13 11 Poiitycymrilor 9 3 3 3 39 199 XantyffyUon. ..12 4 7 1 18 75 9 Blaengajrw 11 3 6 2 46 50 8 Cefn 2 3 2 16 12 6 Llangynvvyd H 1 9 I 14 87 3 Brideend U. 9 1 7 1 11 86 3 CARDIFF AND DISTRICT-DIVISION 1. P. W. L. D. P'ts. Harlequins. 7 6 1 012 C4n ton. 6 5 0 111 IV and.:mI'6 5 5 0 oI) Grangewwn 6 3 2 1 7 HomHiy .??.? 5 3 1 1? + Wast, EPd 5 2 3 04 ■Maokintosh 4 i 2 1.. 3 Garth r,1502 Emitters 6 1 5 0.. 2 Bkchgrovs 6 0 6 0.. 0 RHONDDA AND DISTRICT OLD BOYS—DIVISION I. P. W. L. D. P'ts. CUfynydd R8Il1!6f8 8 4 0 412 Treorchy 6 6 0 012 Trohtf-rbert 9 3 3 3 -.10 Dinas 6 3 0 39 Cambrian Lade 9 4 4 19 Ponty All Bl&ofcs 6 S 2 1 6 3201 5 Treb-snoer 3 2 6 0 4 Tylorstown 4 1 3 0 2 Abarcynon 2 u 2 0 0 DIVISION II. P. W. I,, ix Pts. Trehorbert Ex-«chooM>oya 7 6 o 1 13 Pontypridd Kaaervea 8 6 1 ] 13 Coedpenmaen 4 2 0 2 G Penygrtwr Lada 8 2 6 1.5 Tonyrpfail Peservea 7 2 5 0.. 4 Cambrian Ites-rves 5 2 3 0.. 4 Merlin Stars 3 0 1 23 KHYlM-N ey VALLEY. P. W. L. D. pts. Aberi>VtrQed 5 4 0 1 9 Macherf 5 3 2 o 6 Khymney 4 2 1 1.. 5 Ca«TEh;'jy 6 2 5 1.. 5 4 M-i?sytrsTLTmer 3 0 2 1 1 borj ..?. 4 0 4 0 „ 0 RHYMNEY VALLEY OLD BOYS. P. W. L. n Pts. Bariroed 2 2 0 0 4 H.hymr.ey 2 1 0 13 New Tredegar 1 0 0 1.. 1 Deri 1 0 0 1.. 1 Abertysswc 3 0 2 1.. 1 Tredeear Hibem!an9 1 0 1 0, 0 Rhymneymiiea. 0 0 0 0.. 0 ■A BKRAVON-POHT TALBOT JITSTOR. 11l!:I fol1owin" Ls the position of the several tiaras tn ithe contest for the Ciiampionship Cup of the Aberavon- Port Talbot Junior 3>ague:— P. W. L. D. P't-¡. Aberavon SU Mary's. 5 4 o 1.. 9 Cvmirier 4 3 0 1 7 r'ft Talbot St. Theodore's 3 2 1 0.. 4 Mansftl 4 ?. 2 04 4 2 2 0.. 4 Olvncomve 4 0 4 0 0 Ken fi Hill 4 0 4 00 The Msisol Jrmiw* v. St. Theodiora'fj match In dis- pute not yet included. AIR RIFLE SHOOTING. CARDIFF AND DISTRICT. S. W. L. D. Pts. Victoria 14 13 1 o fo Albert 14 112123 Ti,(ill 14J3220 A<te;pM. 14 10402.1 AtlM 1494119 Spiott Conservative 14 9 5 0.. 18 Tlr.lie of York 1586117 Bnrrv Conservative 14 P 5 1 17 TVm (Barry) 13 7 5 1 ..15 Ei."in"t!T. 14 6 8 0 ..12 Coldstream 134908 Napier 1531106 Cjierpbillv 1421115 New Park Liberal 1471222 CARDIFF ASSOCIATION—DIVISION I. S. W. L. D. Pts. Grane Gasworks 12 11 0 1 23 Penartli 12a22 18 Dowla-is 1284016 Birel)-,Tove 1275014 fit. Paul's 1275014 University Settlement 12 7 5 0 14 Victoria Institute 12 6 5 1 ..13 Ll..1.f1daul!'h 1156010 Canton Institute. 124808 Coscan P,S,A. 123906 Gmnge Liberal 113806 DIVISION II. S. W. L. D. Pts. Raltmead Institute. 9 7 2 014 Victoria Institute II. 9 7 2 0 14 Grange Gasworks II. 9 6 3 0 12 ¡ Hanna,h-gtreet 9 6 3 012 St. Paul's L.O. 9 6 3 012 Penarth P.S.A. II 8 4 4 0.. 8 Dowlais U. 8 4 4 0.. S I University Settlement II. 9 4 5 0.. 8 St. James's Institute 9 2 6 1.. 5 Comet-street Institute 8 1 6 1 3

"ALL AT SEA." I

GLAMORGAN LEAGUE. -1 The holidays did not serve to worn on many of the long liet of re-plays and post- poned league engagements. elson, who last September promised great things, could not succeed in extracting more than a solitary point from Trelewis on their own award. Truly, the Nelsonian« have fallen amy Aberaman Wanderens, who have not tasted defeat since September 25. at Troedyrhiw added yet another two points to their credit at the expense of their near and dear rivals, the Wirdeore. Their record now reads-26 out of a possible 28 points. The Amanitas are forginir ahead for the championship. IJftnbradacih Re-servea, now styled Rovers, are exhibiting form which aug-urs weii for the future, for on Christmas and Boxing Days they overcame both Brithdtr and Bentrebaxsh by 10 olear goals. As the Uo-wsj-a (.r. ,,i r I d in the table of merit with 16 points to their credit, while they have oariy experienced one reverse, their prospects muet be set down as distiinctly encouraging. In the extra section of the third division Quakers' Yard are cai-Tying all before them, as i up to date they have secured every pos- sible point, together with a goal averatge of 21 to 6. The fourth division is proriding- the juniors with some splendid games. Bhjrmney Ores- cents still lead the way, but Pontlottyn Lads Brigade (only a point dividea them) are rapidly crrarbonLine the jxnahahle abaaapicm.

TO-DAY'S PLAY I TO ? Ul% 0% Wales Pile Up Points. FRENCHMEN'S SEVERE DEFEAT Disappointing Display PLAY LOOSE AND RAGGED VISITORS SMART IN SCRUMS By "FORWARD." Final score: G. T. Pte. WALES t9 2 49 FRANCE .t3 1 14 t One Penalty. i Two Penalties. International matches between Wales and France have not yet reached the stage of seriousness to be compared with the regular matches played with England, Scotland, and Ireland, and this fact was painfully evident in the surprisingly small attendance on the St. Helen's Ground at Swansea this afternoon. Two years ago the Frenchmen met the Cymry at Cardiff, and the event, chiefly by reason of its novelty, attracted a fairly sub- stanrtia-l gate of X900, bnt time has not taken long to wear off that novelty, and the hollow victory won by the Welehmen in Paris last February was sufficient to make to-day's match what is known as a foregone conclu- sion After a quarter of a century ofstrenuous and exoiting contests with the three other nations of the kingdom, in which the issu-a has been invariably an open one, it was too great a fact of the national sporting instinct of the public to expect them to place them- selves to any inconvenience or expense to witness a game that was virtually won before it was played. Although this support is rather complimen- tary to the prowess of the team in the foot- ball world, it has the redeeming merit, as one may say, 01 being true, but there is a saving clause in the hope that before many more years have passed history will repeat itself in the sense that France will emulate the example of Wales. There was a time well within the memory of men when Wales was regarded iv very much the same light in Rugby football as France is to-day, but perseverance and pluck have work-ed wonders in the last couple 01 decades, and WaJes is now the envy of all the other nations in the pride of her people in Rugby football. It was unfortunate for France that four of her best players could not turn out, and an equal number of tiubstitutes had to be found, but it was fortunate, on the other hand, that, in spite of this mishap, the Frenchmen felt they had a thoroughly rep- reeentative side in the field. There wae not a single ohange in the Welsh team, every man turning up and reporting himself fit. Within a quarter of an hour of the adver- tised time there was not more than 2,000 people on the ground. The held had been protected by straw, and was in perfect playing condition. No one had anticipated a crowd of average i international dimensions, but none had ex- pected for -a moment that the attendance would have been so small and that so little interest would have attaohed t? the omasion. One interesting feature of the match the f"t that the referee, Mr. ?. ?WiIh.Mn? of the English Rugby Union, w? <) fflciauy in control of the game between the two countries last year. PICTURESQUE SIDES. I When the teajns fielded they presented a I; picturesque spectacle, the Frenchmen in their tri-colour arrangement, and the Welshmen, of, course, turned put in their orthodox colours of ocajlet jerseys and blue knicks. One of the earliest arrivals on the ground was Sir John Llewelyn, the president of the Welsh Union, and as is u<->ual on auoh occa- sions, there Wild a large gatharing of old inter- nationals and others who have been promi- nently identified with Rugby football for a number of years. The following were the teems:- WALES. Baok: J. Bancroft (Swansea). Three-quarter backf3: II. T. Maddooka (Lon- don Welsh), W. J. Trew (Swansea), J. P. Jones (Newport), and R. A. Gibbs (Cardiff). Half-backs: Owen (Swansea) and Jones (Swansea). Forwards: T. Evans (Llanelly), Ivor Morgan (Swansea), P. D. Waller (Newport), Bcddoe I Thomas (Newport), C. M. Pritchard (Newport), J. Webb (Abertillery), J. Pullman (Neath), and Ben Gronow (Bridgend). FRANCE. j Back: Meurath (S.C.U.F.). Three-quarter backs: Brunnan (S.B.U.C.), Houbla,in tS.C.U.F.), Burgun (R.C.F.), and Lane (R.C.F.) captain. Half-hacks: Martin (F.C. de Lyon) and May- monnie (S.T.). ForwArdg: Chevenot (S.C.U.F.), Mauriat (F.C.L.), Boudrean (S.C.U.F.), Ouduran (S.F.), Hourdebaight (S.B.U.C.), Guillemin (R.C.F.), Masse (S.B.U.C.), and Laffite (S.C.U.F.). R.C.F.-Ra,oing Club de France, of Paris. S.B. U.C.-Stade Bordelais Universite Club, Bordeaux. S.C.U.F.-g,portin,g Club TPniversite de France, Paris F.C.L.-Pootball Club de Lyon, Lyons. g.T.—Stade Toulousiau, Toulouse. S.F.—Stade Francais, Paris. The Game I Ten minutes after time the Frenchmen went through the customary ordeal of being photographed in front of the cricket pavilion, and the Welshmen followed. At this time there were not more than 3,000 spectators on the ground, but there was every indication that the attendance would be smaller than that of an ordinary club match. It was a, dull, gloomy afternoon, with small rain. which made the whole outlook extremely depressing. The French, captain led the way to the accompaniment of the "Mareellaise," and the tune was changed to "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" as Willie Trew led his men into the arena. Charlie Pritchard kicked off for Wales, and Burgun, the right centre, replied with a nice kick into touch dead on the centre line. From the first scrum forward the ball was heeled out to Houblain, who kicked into touch near the Welsh 25. WALES OPEN THE SCORING. I The ball was again heeled put to the French forwards, and Martin, the inside half, started I a round of passing from right to left. The ball in going nicely to the left win, when Gibbs intercepted cleverly and ran oiean through, planting the bail under the cross- bar without being touched by a single man. Bancroft converted. This happened within three minutes of the kick-off. In the next couple of minutes the Frenchmen rushed into the territory, and from a scrum formed within five yards of the Welsh line, Laffite picked up in the loose and threw himself over the Une, amidst tremendous che-e,ring. The goal kick, which wa-s an easy one, was not successful. The Welshmen rushed into French territory, and a pretty passing move- ment was sta.rted by Ivor Morgan, but Mad- docks was forced too near the touch line to get over. From a loose scramble which followed in the French Z5 Ivor Morgan picked up cleverly and ran over with a ca,pital try, which Jack Bancroft failed to convert After the kick- out play for a time settled do,wn in neutral territory, and Owen eventually secured the ball from his forwards and paesed out to IMck Jones, but the latter's transfer to Jack Jones was not taken, and the movement, which ought to have succeeded, broke down. The first penalty of the fatch was given in favour of the Frenchmen for an irregularity in the scrum, and the visitors rushed play into the Welsn 25. Ivor Morgan was next conspicuous in starting a passing bout from left to right, which ended abruptly through Reggie Gibbs knocking on just when he had a chance of putting in one of his beat runs. WELSH SIDE DON'T TAKE THE GAME SERIOUS. It was evident that the Welshmen were not taking the game seriously, and the French- men, profiting by their slackness, dribbled into the Welsh quarter, and a second penalty was given against Wales. Meurath, taking a was .7 ,? en u,? drop kick, sent the ball over the oross-bar, amid another outburst of cheers. Imme- diately after the kiok-out. the Welshmen started passing, and the ball travelled with perfect smooth nesss from left to right, with the final result that Gibbs scoured on tho French 25 line. and running in his best style, went over under the bar. Jaok Bancroft con- verted. Again, after the kick-out, the men m red attacked vigorously, and carried play to the French line, but the Frenchmen found relief by intercepting a pass from Owen to Jones, and dribbling to the centre. This was followed by scrambling play by the forwards, in which the Frenchmen showed surprising smartness, especially in the control of the scrums. Play was within ten yards of the goal-line when a tree kick wae given against the t rcnclimen for picking up out of the serum, and the ball was placed for Bancroft, who kicked a penalty goal. Wales now led by 16 points to 6 after 25 minutes' play, and it was only a question as to how many more points would be put on before the finish. The Welsh- men W',JoI'oC attacking strongly when Bruneau, on the left wing, picked up smartly and nut in a brilliant corkscrew run, and finished up with a, kick into touch near the centre. A series of smart rushes by the French iorwards carried play to the Welsh 25, but they were driven back by the homa forwards, who were finedy led by Tom Evans. The i ranchmen were soon on the aggressive in I'? ?l.h quarters, when Dick Jones p?ked up m the loose, and, breaking through deverly, got clear of everybody but the full back. Ile was backed up by Ivor Morgan on tUi io left wing, ajid the Swansea forwai-d made a mistake in running in front of his club- mate, and thus receiving a pass off side when < he had a try at his mercy WELSH FORWARD*)' FAILURE. The Welsh forwards dribbled to the French go-U line and looked bound to score, when .burgun picked up, and, rubbing his way through them, kicked into touch at near half- way Play continued to rule entirely in favour of Wides, but the sum-rise feature of the Welshmen's display was the failure of the forwards to heel out cleanly. Carrying a scrum forward in thair own 25, the French forwards dribbled over the centreline, but kicked into the hands of Jack Banoroft, who tried one of his brother's famous 01 tricks of turcing- his back to the on-rushing oppo- "eni-;5. "ut one of them was smart enough to tackle him and put him down, to the evident oeught of the French aect?on of the cro?d. r rom a 10058 scramb? which foUowed the next scrum the French started passing, and -Vi ciioviat, one of the French forwards, dash- ing up at the right moment, took a well tamed pass and ran behind the nosts with a try which wajll ea.sily converted. In the very nexu minutes the Welshmen broke away with a characteristic round of passing, and Mad- dooks, who vi as the last to receive on the left. willg, made a magnificent run and soared benind the poats. Jack Bancroft con- verted. Again becoming loose and ragged in their methods, the Welsh-ion allowed the French- men to rush into their 25. and a free-kick WM given, against Wales for "less up" in the scrum. Meurath took a drop kick, and scored aseMnd l?-naity goal for hM side. Ha.lf-time WM immediately afterwards announced. Half-time score. G. T. P'ta. WALES .4 1 21 FRANCE §3 1 14 *One penalty; STwo penalties. THE SECOND HALF. Maioria re-started, and Gibbs replied with a low kick into touch. From the sertim which followed the line-out Martin passed out smartly, and play was carried into the Welsh 25, but it did not remain there more than a moment. The Welsh forwards dribbled splendidly to within ten yards of the French line. The Frenchmen, however, put up a strong defence, and with a strong forward rush took the ball to the Welsh 25. jack Bancroft only just managed to eave by picking up smartly and kicking over his bead into touch. A penalty was given against the French forwards for legs up, and as a result play was taken back to the French quarters, where Reggie Gibbs nar- rowly missed scoring. Wales came within an ace of storing on several occasions in quick succession; but the Frenchmen defended very well, and, by clever intercepting Houblaiu, ran down to halfway and kicked into touch. From a loose scramble the ball was passed I out to Charlie Pritchard, and he was making strongly for the line, when he waa well tackled by Meurath. Trew and his men were now taking- the game more seriously than they had hitherto done, but one movement after another was stopped by the sound tackling of the French backs. An amusing incident now occurred through Jack Jones being stripped of his knickers. In substitution for the torn ones a pair of white ones were brought out, and roars of laughter greeted the Newport ma.n when he came out in his new attire. The Welshmen were still pressing, when Jack Jones made a ma.rk in a favourable position, but Jack Bancroft failed to kiok a goal. In spite of every effort to score, the Welshmen could not pierce the Fench defence, and Brimeau, on the left wing, was deservedly a^plaud-ed for a fine burst through the oppos- ing forwa-rds and kicked into touch. The play of the Welshmen was extremely din appointing, but at last a typical bout of Welshpaaring wae brought off, in wbirf I Gibbs, being the last to receive, werrtthrOU44 from Trew and scored a capital try wideofllfr Tho angle was a difficult one, but Bancrof converted. Within a couple of minutes tJO Welsh backs brought off another round 01 Passing from right to left, and ended Iitt I Maddoeks getting over with a really excelled try after beating a couple of men in good style Jaok Bancroft failed with the kick at go4 Play continued to he monotonous, and i" favour of Walee, and another pretty round OIf passing", in which all the backs handled together, with a couple of the forwards, endad in Ivor Morgan throwing himself over tb* line and scoring a try, which Bancroft finely l converted. The Welsh forwards were showinS, some cf their real methods, and brought ofl several splendid rushes. They had lodged themselves safely in the French 25, when the? heeled out from a scrum, and Dick JoneA picking up after Owen had failed to gatho the ball, passed to Trew, who ran brilliajitiyi and, after giving a dummy, scored a pretty try, which Jack Bancroft converted wlth another sp-Iendid kick. The next interesting incident was one our plied by Jack Jones in putting in a looss kick at top speed, and, after cleverly beating the French custodian, took the ball at a, bound and ran behind the posts. Jack Ban- croft converted with ease. From now to the end Wales pressed right on the line, and Gronow, the recruit international, showed excellent judgment in breaking through backs and scoring near the posts. Jack Ban- croft put the ball over the cross-bar for the ninth time in the day. Within a minute of the kick-out the final whistle sounded, the I score reading — Final score: G. T. P'ts. J WALES t9 2 49 j 1 3 1 14 1 FRANCE ?3 1 14 I t One Penalty. t Two Penalties. I 'Forward's' Comments Lt would be idle, and, indeed, impossible to take the game seriously, and it is practically of no value as a criterion of what Wales can do against England at 'Iwiokenham in a fortnight hence. From the standpoint of seriousfootball the match was a faiure, and it is to be regretted all the more inasmuch as Wales is con- fronted this season with a stiffer problem than she has had for the past ten years. It was also unfortunate, having taken all early measure of the strength of theit opponentd, that the Welshmen allowed them- selves to get into a merry mood. This became so contagious that Dot a singlo spectator could possibly regard a single incident in the lignt of terioiwneiKs. Having got into this mood it wai ? d„ ifficult for them to get out of it, and il waa not until the second half was weli i advanced that they began to show that they were really in earnest. I The.n did we see some really good footwork | and clovel: heeling from the Welsh forwards. i But, even taking the serious part ot tue j footwork, the play of the Welshmen was die-1 appointing..Mistakes were far too nume- J rous, and a repetition of them will spell í disaster again-st such a team as England can put in the field this season. Whether the Welsh Union will prove themselves capable I to solve the problem of how to take the match seriously, and what part of it to take seriously, cannot be known until their judgment is reflected in the selection of the team to meat England, but nobody can envy their task. In all probability the team will be chosen without any changes; for it must be admit- ted with full candour that the two recruits in tho pack—Pullman, of Neath, and Gronow, of Bridgend—showed much betteI form than some of the older forwards. The P^idgend m-an was especially re- I pea t(xM .ly conspicuous for clever work, and he was also noticeable as being one of the first to bead his back for these rum. THE FRENCHMEN'S PLAY. I However much one may regret it, the fact I must be admitted that the Frenchmen have mado little or no progress in Rugby foot- è ball since they arranged their first match with any British team, and the standard nf r their play to-day was even lower than that shown in the match in France last February. There were, however, many redeeming fea- tures in their play, the brightest of which was their pluck in going down to the ball and their keenness in attacking Still, there was something lacking, which conveyed the impression that France will not for many, many years be among the leading natiorrs of tlie wot-ld in Rugby foot- ball W hen they did succeed in h«v>air«-na through the Welsh deface it was more thann gratuymg to ?e and to hear the magnai- mous expressions of appreciation from all sections of the crowd. Whether t?c?ir 14 pointg would have been seem,,ed iagainst a team playing in earnest must, naturally, remadn a ?t? o? c?- *?l-Ire; but, at the same time, on? ls entitled to have his opinion on that point, and I have mine. Under the circumstances, in reviewing- the whole game, and all the cil-ouiMtan? vfhioh attended it, it is im?ssible even ?to' nPr???'?d to 00 serious in anp, comment one would a.ttend?d it. in a.n? ?m ?c<imTna?? nt ? "??? Hl? to make on thaenw ^Xcorrh im«n» °ne would j Interviews. t WILLIE TRBW, t?e Welsh captain. £ sehef n ? a£ ftefe r the mat.h, 8aHlthat. despite i s<?re. the Frenchmen were asre?V improved side ?ey showed ?  knowledge of the Rn?ae of the ?m?. ?ey tned wheels and passnig, an<j 't added Trew "they did met do so ba?lv at ri£ tw£ £ In a few years, if the improve^LT'^fr tained, they will be a side  w??ve any team a good ga. "No," replied Trew, in answer to a querv. I make it a point never to criticise my own tila;m. Ile-re ar e better judges than myself, and I leave it to thean.11 BURGAN, the French right centre, was bicth in,praise of the display given by the Welsh- men. They were superior he said, to France out I believe, he added, that on this sea- son's form Wales will be beaten by Eng- land. The Welsh forwards were very strong players, and I have never seen t,hem play oo good as they did to-day. We were out- classed by the Wei ah backs, especially Trew a-ud Jones. MEURATH, the French custodian, said the Welsh team were exceedingly good, and t your backs were superior to OUT*. The wet ground was also against us, because we can play very much better on a dry ground. oweon and Jones, the Welsh half-backs, were exceedingly smart. Bancroft wa« a strong player, added the French enotodian with a smile, he was much betted than myaetf." IiANE, the French captain, expressed his great gratification at the reception met with in Wales, and at the ground. He said they not expect to win, but he thought they made a very good game of it. especially in the first half. All the good bits of play by France, were well recog- nised, and the crowd seemed to be very fair. Opinions gleaned on the field after the game all favoured the theory tha-t the Welshmen did not play against the French as they would against the English team. They played in the best of spirit, and both for the sake of exhibition than anything else. Indeed, most of those when asked for their opinions, treated txie matter in a spirit of levity. In conversation with some of the Welsh Ru-gby Union Officials, there seemed to be some dissatisfaction with the f'Ûr.J showed by the Welsh tea.m, which was not considered ai I good a practice as some thought, and some f changes may result consequent upon the form shown by some members of the team. Some people present regarded the match as j bing rather had training for the Welsh team instead of being looked upon as the pre- liminary wished for. The Frenchmen on leaving the ground were accorded a great reception,. FOR ROUND Tily, ROPES AND RECORDS SEE PAGE 3.

'>" SAD END OF THE FRENCH TOURIST. I

Morgan is about to leave Cardiff for London, f Since the inside hali has fiUiy recovered his form, it is sincerely to he hoped that this is not 00. The injury to his shoulder which Tom Evans sustained in the Black heath match three weeks ago proved much-more serious than was at first thought, and he has been out of the field einoe. JOE PUGBLEY (Oatr). After all, W. S-piller is going to go very near getting- his cap this season, even if he does not actually gain it. He is playing mar- veilonsLy well just now, and has only two little defects, which a natural athlete like he iri should easily rid himself of. He should learn to jive his parses more accurately, and also learn just when to pass to his wing. Whan running up to the full-back Spiller should aro almost into his arms before pars- ing to his wing. Certainly, for a centre to allow his wing man to be tackled by the cus- todian under iõfuoh shows bad j judgment. On the other hand, the fact shorn.J be emphasised that SpiUer's running and dodging in. recent matches have been positively brilliant. Brookman's injury in the Edinburgh Uni- versity match was caused by a kick from one of his own men, who more than once used unjustifiable energy. After Cardiff's defeat by Neath Percy Bush asserted that there was still plenty of fine, talent at the disposal of the Cardiff Ciub, • and that lie was going to do his utmost to help J. L. Williams to make the best use of it. Result: 109 points to 5 in four matches. It will be rememberc-cl that Percy had been out of the field for some weeks prior to the "revival."