A report by "Hare" on the Melbourne vs Carlton match played on 11 June 1870.
Published in The Leader newspaper on Saturday 18 June 1870.
Courtesy State Library of Victoria.



A FOOTBALL MATCH.

Whew! cold isn't it? Let's put on our top coats, and take a stretch down to the football match in Richmond Paddock.
A bracing walk, and here we are, with a couple of thousand or so, waiting for the tussle to begin. A splendid day for exercise, and we soon will have to stamp about to keep our toes warm. Black clouds hanging about in the sky look ominous, but I think it will hold up. Now the sun is out for a few moments, and how weirdly beautiful the golden tinge of sunshine looks upon the trees, with the deep black background of thundercloud! But that is passing away to the east.

Now then, here they come. The contending forces file out of the gate behind the pavilion, mingling for the time in noisy fraternity. It looks cold in the guernseys, but the work will be hot soon. The red caps of Melbourne, and the yellow Carlton. Hurrah for Carlton! since that's were we hail from. The hurrahs of our side are echoed with shouts for the Metropolitans by the others.

The captains are not on the field yet, but make their appearance in moment or two amidst more cheering. Harrison is known by his red jacket, and Jack Conway with his zebra-striped cap. Now the leaders separate, and each is surrounded by a cluster of his men. Conway, upon whom rests the honor of the Carlton, looks anxious as he surveys his squad, for some carpet knights of the first twenty would not venture abroad today. However, Melbourne is something short too, and it is agreed to play with seventeen aside. Still Jack hasn't even got his seventeen. Only fifteen yellow caps stand around. Jack shades his eyes with his hand, and casts a rapid glance along the crowd to spot out some recruits who will make up his weight, at all events. Suddenly he shouts out first to one, then to another, and the appeal is not in vain. After a little hesitation, two of the spectators leap into the area, rush across to the pavilion, where they divest themselves of uppers, and come up prepared for the fray.

Ready! Both sides spread out and then walk slowly backwards waiting for Harrison's kick off. Melbourne kicks off up Jolimont way, and the other side consequently have in their favor the strong south wind, which blows obliquely across the ground. After an anxious motioning with his outstretched hands, Harrison takes a step or two and kicks. Up flies the ball, and down again with a boomerang whirr. Now commences the fun.

The ball of course falls in the midst of about a dozen struggling red caps and yellow caps. Ha! Carlton has it! Away dashes a little fellow, running and bobbing the ball towards the metropolitan goal. After him Melbourne! Caught on the hop it is, and sent back towards the Carlton end. But not far. Again it is bobbing and flying zig-zag the other way. Hallo! It's over the bounds, and out of play among the mob. Chuck it in youngster! In it comes with a scramble. Away, away, again towards Richmond. You'll have a goal, Jack, and no mistake, despite your misgivings. "Now then Melbourne! Close up Melbourne!" shouts Harrison, and the force of the metropolitans rushes to goal. The whole of the combatants are up there, except the Carlton goalkeeper and a couple more lower down. This goalkeeper is really the coolest man on the ground, and stands calm and serene with folded arms while the crowd of spectators around him is in the highest excitement.

"A goal! A goal!" is shouted along the line as the ball is seen flying right at the flags. No, no, for there is no cheer from the players. The superior strength of Melbourne, and theirs is undoubtedly the best team to-day, begins to tell, and the ball is coming back. For every buffet forwards there are two backwards, and so the much abused windbag gets once more in the middle of the ground. Now it is up by the ropes again, and after a struggle in which the players, the mob, and a bounding policeman appear inextricably involved, the ball gets out of bounds once more. The players draw-back, and the ball is among them in a moment. After a succession of bounces and flies, we suddenly see the ball vanish under a struggling and toppling mass of the combatants. Someone has got hold of it and won't give it up. This part of the business is the richest fun of all to the spectators, and the rolling bundle of players locked together progresses amidst shouts of merriment.

In a moment it is dissipated like a broken drop of water, and the ball is free again. Up she flies, and, despite a well directed butt from one of our side, a Melbourne man has it. There is a rush to wrest it from him, but the cry of "mark" makes all draw back of course. He places it on the ground and kicks out. Away it flies towards the Carlton goal, but it does not reach the earth before it is sent whizzing again in the opposite direction. Now it gets to the cricket ground fence, along which a crowd of spectators are gathered. The excited combatants are among them in a moment, and two or three lookers-on find themselves in the gutter. Before they scramble up again, the ball and the players are away, almost at the other side of the field.

Thud, thud, thud, the ball is getting up to the Carlton end again. The Melbourne Club, with the wind added to their other advantages, keep it gravitating up there pretty well. Another scrimmage. The players are all in a heap, with Harrison and Conway in the middle, gallantly singling out each other as the only worthy foe. In the middle of the scuffle the ball rolls out peaceably, and it is set a-going again, while the combatants still struggle for it. Down the hill it goes, and up again, the Melbourne men cunningly working it along the side of the ground by the pavilion.

The Carlton captain sounds the alarm, and over rush a squad of yellows to the assistance of two or three who are waging against tremendous odds. There is a shock of battle, and a kicking and a struggling in a confused mass, out of the midst of which shoots the ball, and flies high towards the Carlton goal, followed by a rush of reds and yellows of course. But it is collared by a Melbourne man, who happens to be just in the right place. He has not held it a moment before the wind is knocked out of him by a Carltonite, full butt, and down drops the ball. The leader of the runners in chase, however, comes up just at the moment and manages, in spite of an assault from before and behind, to give the ball a kick which sends it rolling to within about ten yards of goal. Matters look dangerous now, for the whole field has been gathering up during the exciting events at this end for the last minute or two.

The Carlton goalkeeper starts from the flags like lightening, admist the cheers of the spectators, and just in time to sent the ball spinning away over the heads of the friends and foes who are straggling up. The ball is once more got to a safe distance down the hill, and a splendid kick drives it aloft, and promises to land it well on to the other end, but it is caught in the branches of the big tree standing in the middle of the ground, and it drops down straight. Caught by one of the Melbourne brigade, it gets a fresh start towards the Carlton goal. The forces meet with all their available strength halfway between the tree and the goal, and there the game of battledore and shuttlecock* is kept up briskly for several minutes. A yellow-cap then starts off with the ball in a semicircle, dodging this one and that one, and protected by another of his party who runs by his side and overthrows charger after charger.

The Carlton captain happens to raging in the neighbourhood, and renders good service by placing himself in front of the best Melbourne runners, who is so intent on the game that Jack is able to bring him up with a buster three or four times, by simply standing in his road. But Melbourne gets the ball under way again, and it keeps jumping from place to place towards the Carlton goal. Dodges, trips, charges, butts, are all of no avail, and amidst deafening hurrahs from the victors and spectators, a goal is finally kicked for Melbourne by Carr.
Now the field changes sides, and Melbourne kicks with the wind. The weight of the metropolitans tells visibly, and the fight is almost all at the lower end. Fierce were the onslaughts, and obstinate was the defence for the next half hour, which was all that remained before time was called.

If the battle field lacked the neighing of the steeds, the shouting of the captains was not wanting at all events, and the vigor of the troops seemed to be unabated. The strife waged until the shades of evening began to draw in, and the pale radiance of the moon, visible by glimpses through the masses of cloud overhead, gave token that it was past sundown. Both sides then laid down their arms and came trooping to the middle of the ground, where they were closed in speedily by the crowd of spectators.
Cheers were given for everything and everybody, and so the afternoon's enjoyment, a rare one both for players and onlookers, was bought to a close.

HARE.
-* Battledore and Shuttlecock according to wickipedia is game similar to Badminton