LINCOLN SCORES A VICTORY.
A Thrilling Game of Foot Ball at the Ball Park.
There was a great game of foot ball at the ball park yesterday afternoon – the Young Men’s Christian association of this city against the Nebraska state university team of Lincoln. The contest was under the collegiate Rugby rules, and was about as rough-and-tumble an affair as an out-door sport could possibly be.
The crowd in attendance was quite large and extremely partisan. It was a stubbornly fought battle from start to finish and notwithstanding its onesidedness was intensely exhilarating.
An enthusiastic crowd of students, with ladies, were in attendance, and while exultantly flaunting the colors of the university team, they made the air vibrate with the college slogan. Owing to some hitch in the arrangements the game was not called until half past 3, but the amount of esprit and vim thrown into the contest from the outset fully counterbalanced this trivial disappointment.
The referees were Hill for Omaha and Marsland for Lincoln, while the field captains were Cramer and Macket respectively.
The college team is composed of a lusty set of young athletes, who at once demonstrated that they have made no little progress in the science of the game. They appeared on the field in neat canvas uniforms, relieved by black stockings and caps. The Young Men’s Christian association boys, so far as brawn and muscle go, are but little inferior to the college crew, but in nothing like their excellent playing form. Their uniforms were canvas jackets and knickerbockers, with scarlet caps and stocking, scarlet and white being their colors.
After the usual squabble which must always precede any athletic sport, the toss was won by Lincoln and they chose the south goal. The two sides were then drawn up in battle’s stern array and at a signal from the referees the fight began. The first achievement was a “safety” at the hands of the college boys. The ball by dint of superhuman effort was forced up to the Y.M.C.A.’s goal and being passed over the line, two points were chalked up for the visitors.
The game was played in two halves, and before the first had expired the old gold knights added another “safety” to their score, leaving the standing:
Lincoln 4, Omaha 0.
After the usual fifteen minutes’ rest the struggle was resumed with renewed energy and determination.
At the opening the ball was “kicked off” by Lincoln and sent back toward their goal. It was then forced down the field by some clever work, and the third “safety” scored by the visitors.
Omaha was much crestfallen, but more resolute than ever, but despite their most tremendous efforts they were unable to check the onrush of the doughty college boys, and fifteen minutes later a “touch down” was among their trophies, it being made possible, however, at the hands of an over anxious Y.M.C.A. Lincoln made a desperate effort for a “goal,” but failed, yet the end of the second half left them the victors by a score of 10 to 0.
Then the hilarious students in the grand stand shot off their college war-cry until the welkin rang.
Following are the names and positions of the two teams:
State University. Position. Y.M.C.A.
Troyer ………… Left end …….. Foreman
Chandler ……… Left tackle …….. White
Stockton ……… Left guard ……. Shelley
Anderson ……. Center rush …… Thomas
Hyde ………… Right guard ….. Haggard
Johnson ……… Right tackle …… Dickey
Skiles …………. Left end ……… Hinchey
Girard ………. Quarter back …….. Curtis
Oliver …………. Halfback …….. Sheldon
Mockitt ………… Halfback …….. Cramer
Porterfield …….. Fullback …… Williams
Substitutes – G. Cramer, Brotchie, Zimmerman, Young.
A return game will be played at Lincoln within a couple of weeks, at which the Y.M.C.A.’s hope to reverse affairs.
