At four o'clock the teams took position (on a ground unaffected by a
slight fall of snow). Wales turned out in white and green jerseys, and
took the town end. Just before the whistle blew the sun came out a little,
and Wales commenced playing with the sun in their eyes and a slight wind
in their favour.
England at the start broke through on the left wing, and registered
a corner of Meredith in the first minute. Nothing came of the corner, and
Wales worked out to midfield, but S. Brookes, dribbling down on the right
was beaten by the backs in an attempt for goal, but managed the second
corner. From this a brisk rally ensued in the mouth of the Welsh goal, and
within three minutes from the start Wilson put the ball into the net with
seeming ease. There was little combination so far on either side, and what
work there was of an individual character. On the re-start Welsh forwards,
passing well, rattled down into the English half, where Morgan Owen put in
a very long, but warm, shot, which Robinson, however, had no difficulty in
stopping. England was down at the Welsh end again almost immediately, and
Athersmith centred from the corner, but the ball hit the side posts. As a
result of a foul against England the Welsh forwards made a short, but
clever, attack on the English goal. Morgan Owen hooking the leather almost
through, but he was unable to get clear for a shot, and the English backs,
with fine long kicks, drove to the other end. Almost immediately the Welsh
right wings ran up beautifully, and Meredith, from very near the boundary
line, put in a long shot, so hot that Robinson had to fist it out. The
Welsh, so far, had been somewhat conspicuous for pretty dribbling, which,
however, could not pass the English backs, and again, not by combination,
but by long kicking, England found their way to the Welsh territory, where
Athersmith dropped the leather in front of Wilson, and the latter put in a
shot that did not need stopping, easy as it was, for it went over the bar.
England were back again next minute, and a very warm scrimmage from the
corner kick ensued in the mouth of the Welsh goal. After one or two
escapes Wales found relief by the ball being headed over the bar. On this
Wales saw the chance on turning the tables, and rattling down the centre
Watkins put in a pass across to Meredith, who, steadying. sent a shot in
which, however, like the other Welsh shots, was so long that it gave
Robinson little difficulty. Once more England were seen on the attack.
Jones, beating Smith, relieved, but Spencer drove the leather back again,
and a succession of shots from right and left gave the Welsh backs all
their work to stop. A very good shot from G. O. Smith at last looked like
beating Griffiths, but the Welsh goal got rid of it in splendid
fashion. Meredith's dribbling powers again came to the relief of Wales.
Running up the right, he centred to Morris, but the Welsh centre half
could do little with it, and Johnson, sending it on to his forwards,
brought about another strong invasion of the Welsh ground. England was
beaten back by conspicuously clever play by the Welsh centres and rights,
and yet Wales could never gain sufficient position to become dangerous. A
couple of fouls were given against England, and from the latter Davies put
the ball into the English goal mouth, but only to find Robinson all there
again. G. O. Smith and Athersmith took the ball back, and Chadwick put in
a shot, which Morris and Harrison missed in turn with almost disastrous
results, for Athersmith was on them, and centred, but again England had to
beat a retreat, Chadwick putting the ball over the bar. England were now
decidedly on the attack, although their style gave Griffiths little
difficulty in returning two or three successive attempts to reach him.
Johnson was responsible for another attack. He crossed the ball over his
right, where Athersmith centred, but Morgan and Owen very cleverly beat
the English centres and dribbled back to the English half, where, however,
he found no support. The ball coming back down the right again, Athersmith
put it well in front of Johnson, who put in a long, fast shot for goal
which just failed to go under the bar.
Then, it was the turn of Wales, who went down the field with a fine
rattle, taking the game just over the middle line, from where D. Jones
sent down a hard, fast shot, which hit the cross-bar. After this hard luck
Wales seemed determined to score, and, rattling down to the English end,
made things so warm that it seemed almost impossible for Robinson to prove
successful in staving off disaster. Meredith, Watkins, Parry, and Morgan
Owen sent in a quartette of eye-openers in succession, and Robinson was
decidely lucky in clearing his goal from all of them. England had never
attacked so hotly as Wales did now. The shots almost went in in volleys,
but the leek was doomed to hard lines, and, though showing their attacking
powers brilliantly, they were at length forced back to their own ground
scoreless. Some smart headwork by the English forwards and halves here
pressed Griffiths, who fisted out, and Johnson, meeting the ball, drove a
stinger in, which only missed the net by a foot. No sooner was Wales rid
of this attack than G. O. Smith led another, and, driving hard for the net
from short range, nearly beat Griffiths, who, half stopping the ball, just
turned it aside from his goal-mouth in the nick of time as Spouncer and
Smith dashed from him. Half-time was called, with the English somewhat
lively on the attack. In the first half the game had
opened slowly and uneventfully, but it livened up wonderfully after the
first twenty minutes, with the Wales showing that once they were in motion
for attack they could be exceedingly dangerous—so dangerous that the second
half yet promised to be anybody's game. Wales seemed to show fulfillment
of their promise at the start of this half, for they immediately began an
attack which looked likely to succeed, when a foul was given against
Watkins. This resulted in transferring the game to the other end, where
Foster, from the centre, put in a beautiful shot, which, however, just
went wide. This was only a momentary invasion, and Wales lost not a minute
in coming down again, but again a foul—against Brookes this time—changed the
venue, and Griffiths had to save fast shots From Athersmith and Wilson.
Foster was steadying himself to shoot again at very short range when
Brookes beat him very cleverly. The attack was not over yet, and Griffiths
was called upon again, but his only fault throughout the game was the
single one which gave to England earlier in the game a goal from a
ridiculously easy shot. Still on the attack, Smith put in the warmest
Griffiths had got hold of yet, and the Welsh back received a round of
cheers for clearing it magnificently. This fine bit of defensive work was
the fore-runner of another equally as brilliant and successful in the way
of attack, Wales carrying the leather well down. Morgan Owen gave
Meredith, who was ahead, a beautiful long pass, and the latter, prettily
dribbling down, beat Oakley, and getting close up to Robinson, put in a
drive which no man on earth could have stopped. The ball hit the crossbar
and bounced off into the net amid immense cheering. With the two nations
on equal terms excitement ran very high, and this was warranted by some
exceedingly fast play, now at the Welsh end, and then almost immediately
at the English end. Morris saved a warm one from Chadwick with his head.
Both teams were now on their mettle, and the interest shown was
tremendous, for England, playing up desperately, penned Wales for some
minutes, and only splendid defence by Wales saved them. In the Welsh
goal-mouth a foul was given against England, but the whites returned so
quickly and persistently that Welshmen's hearts were in their mouths. One
shot went wide, and another from Smith flew over the bar, and Smith was
about putting in yet another when he was nicely foiled by Harrison, who
gave the ball to Meredith, and the latter brought off the finest run of
the day, clean through the whole English team down mid-field. He sent in
his shot for goal, but, being hard pressed, it was weak, and Robinson
saved easily. Again England, who were now showing very fine combination,
returned, travelling from right to left and back to centre, till
eventually Wilson took it and sent in a stinger for goal, which Griffiths
stopped again splendidly. The next minute Meredith, who was putting in the
finest individual work of the day, was seen off again almost the whole
length of the field, until near the goal, where he passed to Morgan Owen,
who was too hard pressed to make anything out of the position. Meredith
was down again directly afterwards, but again, after beating the others
easily, he failed to negotiate goaling, and was ill-supported. Watkins,
however, renewed the attack with a sprint down the left for half-way, but
the only result was that the ball went over the line. Once more the Welsh
forwards, put in motion by Meredith, came down to the attack, but failed
to penetrate the defence. The weakness of the Welsh team lay in their
attack, but their defence was brilliant. It was only ten minutes from
time, and hopes of a draw ran high. The Welsh attacks provided little to
raise any expectation of a Welsh victory. England seemed determined now to
break through, and getting to the Welsh end, received some beautiful
centres from Athersmith, the last of which fell so remarkably in the mouth
of the goal that Griffiths had to carry it out. Again Athersmith,
travelling down the right at full speed, sent a marvellous shot from the
extreme boundary, and Griffiths just met it in time to force it over the
bar. Wales were on their defence now, and it was a matter of lasting out,
with a turn of good luck. Athersmith, after a fine run up, put the leather
into the Welsh goal mouth again from a corner kick, but 'hands' was given,
and England were pulled up when the position for Wales looked almost
fatal. A moment later the whistle blew, and this year's Welsh team had the
third draw of the series against England to their credit.
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