The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-15
THE CHAMPIONS DOWNED.
Roekland Defeated by the Home
Team Last Night.
THE GAME WAS FAST AND FULL
OF SENSATIONAL PLAYS.

The Team Work of the Home Team Was
Gilt Edged, Their Defense Perfect an d
and the Visitors We're Clearly Out
Classed-A Few More of These Games
and Portland Will BE Up the Ladder
| Little Higher.
The champion Rockland team was here
last night. They came to take another
easy one from Portland, but they didn't.
The home team was right in it from the
start and gave the visitors all they
wanted to do to hold their own to say
nothing of winning the game. Portland IS
| defense was perfect, their team work was
| the best ever seen in this city and far sur
passed that of any team which has ever
been seen here and as for aggressive work,
why the score of to ! shows what they
can do in that line.
1t must be confessed that Roekland sad
ly missed one man last night and that
was Maynard His loss weakened the
Rockla s defensive work. Gendreau
played half back in place of Maynard and
his work was commendable but Maynard
has always been tower Of strength to
Rock land and without him O'Malley's
fine goal tending went to pieces and
wasn't half as effective as we have been
led to believe it in the past. Murphy
played hard polo and of course Campbell
was all over the hall at once. But some
how Turnbull and Whipple spoiled all of
those fine passes and shots which have al
ways made his playing the feature of
every game here and they were not great
ly in evidence last night.
Turnbull has worked up an excellent
defense for the home team. He has got
the players who are representing this
city in the Maine league down to such q
point of excellence that they are fast
coming out of the hole in which they
have been buried since the opening of the
season and may be nearer the top at the
end of this season than they were last
year. Whipple's playing is now, absolute.
ly to be relied upon in emergencies. He is
gaining in strength every day and his de-
fensive as we'll as aggressive work is now
gilt edged. Last night Whipple surpassed
himself and Curtis also came in for a
goodly share of the applause
There was feeling of suppressed excite
ment when the game between the cham
pions and the Portlands commenced last
night. Every one anticipated hot con-
tsst but it was far more exciting than
any one in the audience expected it would
be. When Referee Snowman of Bath
sounded his whistle for the beginning of
play Lincoln went at the ball like a
young tornado. He got the rush and from
that time on the ball was flying all about
Rockland's cage and goal tend O'Malley
was given about as much fun as he has
yet had this season, After a great deal of
scrappy playing in the corners, few
desperate attempts.on the part Of Camp
bell and Murphy to force the issue and
win the initial goal the Portland team
got down to business and electrified the
audience by their passes back and forth
across the hall until finally Whipple tossed
the ball over to Curtis who was down
near the Rockland goal. Immediately
MCGOWAN and Gendreau smashed into
Curtis to prevent him passing to Lincoln,
but they were an instant too late. Back
went the ball to Lincoln with fine accu-
racy and in an instant it was Nesting in
the netting of Rockland's cage. Yell.
Well the crowd absolutely got on its feet
to give vent to its exultant shouts and
Portland had the first blood
Again they went at it and Lincoln had
ON oh bo,l -,
put in play the second time before Curtis
popped the ball into the cage. A moment
Of agonizing suspense and out rolled the
sphere between o Malley's feet. The ex-
ultantSories died away for brief interval
and then were raised again in greater
volume. Lincoln had caught the ball on
its rebound from the cage and drove it
homeauntil it was buried in the intricacies
of the netting. Then came another
minute and roof raising yells and they
were at it again. The next time Curtis
ooked the ball into the cage by McGown
and Gendreau and the fourth goal was
made by Curtis on a fine pass from
Whlpple. The score at the end of the first
period was four to nothing in Portland's
favor and every thing in the hall was
sizzling with excitement and exultation.
Rockland began to show the effects of
this playing. The Incompatible Campbell
was plainly disturbed ana his work from
this out was mainly in chasing the ball
only to lose it by Turnbull's or Curtis
clever juggling. Portland did not let up
one jot in her hard playing. Lincoln and
Curtis were on the heels of the ball all
the time and the other men completely
foiled every attempt of Roekland to get
in the team work. Turn bull and Murphy
now began to have little arguments in
the corners which reused the enthusiasm
of the crowd to the exploding point. In
these little encounters TurnbulI showed
himself the better man of the two and
Murphy commenced to lose his temper.
This was bad for Murphy and the Rock
lands as well for before the evening was
over three fouls on Murphy cost Rookland
one of her hard earned goals. In the
second period Rockland succeeded in
getting one goal after Campbell had