The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-01
WAS A HOT GAME.
Augusta Had to Fight for Their
Victory.
PORTLAND LOST BUT PLAYED A
FINE GAME.

The Defeat Was Due to Curtis Being In
jured-The Contest Was Very Exciting
the Good Work of the Home Team.
There Is much consolation even in a de-
Feat when the defeat is due to hard luck
and nothing less. Portland met Augusta
last night and were defeated by score of
to 5. The home team played all around
the visitors and kept them guessing from
the start. Having obtainSd a big lead
and with Curtis practically hors de COM
bat owing to severe blow in the eye,
Augusta commenced to catch uo with
the Portlands, and at the end of the third
period had the score tied. Then came
few seconds of suspense and hard playing.
In these few seconds Portland Gagged the
ball in Augusta S goal fairly and squarely
but it rolled out on to the floor again and
an instant later John Allen was taken
unawares and Turner managed to score
the winning goal for the visitors
1t was hard fought battle and was en-
joyed by eight hundred people who at
times were wild with excitement. The
yells an6 cheers of the audience squire
the Portland players on to their best
work, and they made fine impression.
In their team work and general playing
they far surpassed the visitors and the
Augusta players were husily engaged for
the first psriod in chasing the ball with
out being able to juggle it for more than
a second at time. Portland gave a
clever exhibition of polo playing and
showed wonderful improvement in their
work At the close of the contest the
crowd came away well pleased with what
they had seen. 1t was the most exciting
polo game of the season SO far and demon
strated to the satisfaction of every one
that the Portland boys are capable of
good work. Had Curtis not met with the
injury he received the result would have
been different, for it was not until he was
hurt that Augusta began to show any
gains. Half blind from the injury to his
eye Curtis was not able to help Lincoln
much in his aggressive work at the Au
gusta goal but Curtis stuck manfulIy to
his duty and did the best he could
lincoln played dashing, fearless, and
very skilfull game at first rush. He won
he rush ten out of twelve times and with
his good shots for the Augusta cage kept
Murphy hard at work. Murphy. by the
way does not seem to have the GOODNESS
necessary to play his position in first class
shape, and when the drives for the goal
come fast and furious he is apt to lose his
head Of all men on a team the goal
tender should always by perfectly cool.
The Augusta team plays good polo but
they had all they wanted to run up
against last night. The new referee, Mr..
May, appeared here for the first time. He
is decided improvement over Billy Long
and Mr. Wakefield and his decisions were
perfectly fair TO both teams. Portland
started the game with a rush, and the
way they began proved an eye opener for
the crowd. The passing of the ball about
the hall went like clock work and Curtis
and Lincoln seemed to work like Sianlsse
twins. Turnbull at half back did some
fine work at blocking, while Whipple at
center was very aggressive and didn't
once lose his head In three minutes
Portland had two goals and the crowd
was crazy with delight. Then Augusta
got one to show they were still alive and
Portland wound up the period with four
goals to their credit altogether, while Au-
gusta had only one.
This was polo. 1t was the kind the
Portland team should play all the time
and the audience showed its appreciation
of the good work by hearty applause. In
the second period Schotield got goal for
Augusta and Portland got one also, but
when the period was ended Augusta was
only two goals behind.
AT the end of the first period Curtis
had been hit in the eye by hard drive
from Lincoln and for some three or four
minutes lay stunned ON the floor of the
hall He had good grit and finally re-
turned to the play, but it was an effort
for him to stay in the game and it was
owing to this injury that Augusta won.
Whipple's skate and later Turnbull's
skate were smashed and Jordan was on
the floor for greater part Of the second
period. He did good work but just now
he is not in the best of condition and the
Portland team was the loser in both cases.
Pluckily they fought and Murphy in
Augusta goal had all he wanted TO do
John Allen in Portland's goal put up one
of the finest games ever seen here and his
remarkable stops brought forth cheers
again and again for the veteran goal tend
In the third period Augusta got two
more goals, tieing the score and for fully
twelve minutes or more fought hard to
get winning goal. They improved
wonderfully in their work in the last few
minutes of play, but to score they could
not.
The game went on for thirty-one
seconds overtime. Portland, as has been
said once Gagged the ball, but it rolled out
out to the floor again and few seconds
later Augusta won the game by'a lucky
stroke. With such good work as Portland
showed in the first part of last nights
game them canr OF help pulling out a few