The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-26
BASKETBALL
THAT BURNS
Father Mathew Team Wins in the
First Meeting Of the Season
With C. Y. M. Lyceums but it
Was Decidedly Hot
SOUTH WORCESTER MEN
UNABLE TO KEEP THE PACE

1
Was the Feeling of Partisan
.Rooters-0ne Pair Have FiStic
Encounter
The first meeting of the rival Wor-
, cester teams in the Massachusetts Bas-
ketball League, last night, In Father
| Mathew Hall, was a decidedly gingery
affair. After 40 minutes of wallowing
on the floor, the Father Mathews were
heroes Of a 10 to IA battle.
At the end of the first half Lyceum
had a lead of 9 to 5, and the South.
Worcester men had high hopes of hold
ing it, but the men under Capt. Noonan
played the most spectacular offensive
game Of the season, and goals from
the field whizzed so fast that Lyceum
was simply overwhelmed.
The play was the toughest ever wit
messed on the local surface between
league teams. Referee Morse served
impartially and attempted to free the
contest from unnecessary roughness.
During the first half he succeeded fair
! ~ well, but when the Father Mathews
had tied the score in the second half
| and the score had been tied by the
| Lyceums on two occasions, there was
no such thing as picking perpetrators
| of fouls.
| At one time in the second half Dor
{ man and Sweeney engaged in fisticuffs
! at the south side of the hall and the
crowd Immediately swarmed in upon
! the pugflistieally-inclin pair For a
| few minutes excitement went beyond
bounds and only the GOODNESS of a ma
| jor1ty of the players prevented the feel
ings OF excited spectators from getting
| displayed in a mammoth scrimmage.
Mr. Morse quietly slipped from the
| group and allowed the cool breezes to
| sweep across the hall from an open
window. Then the game proceeded
and it was hotter than ever, but with
out the pairing off for real fights. In
! the closing 15 minutes of the battle
| the game developed into one of the
best exhibitions of indoor football ever
| witnessed In Worcester
| There was brilliant playing enough
to keep a crowd of GOO on edge, and ex-
! citement couldn't be turned out in
larger chunks than were served. Be
cause of the loss of Tim Koran and
| Jimmy Holmes. the Lyceum team did
not appear as strong to its supporters
as last season, when II won a majority
of the games against the Green Street
men. There was more talk than bet
ting until between the halves, when
some OF the South Worcester delega-
ton flashed bulky wads of green boys,
and registered bets at evens
In the first half, Lyceum outplayed
Father Mathew. The passing was bet
ter and its centre man, Quinn, seemed
too fast for the plodding Cairns, whose
deliberate motions seemed ungainly
when compared to the sprightly move
ments of Quinn. Thus the Lyceum
centre became a hero. In the second
half he was limp, and Cairns jostled
him about something after the fashion
of circus strong man toying with the
lightweights
The cruel story of Lyceums aweken-
ing to the sterner side of basketball in
the second half was shouted broad
cast by the Father Mathew contingent,
and never was there more genuine
roofing than last night. Every pair Of
struggling men was backed each mem
Der of the quintets participating in the
battle having staunch admirers. The
crowd made the hottest of the excite
ment, but the players gave opportuni-
ties enough.
Noonan and Cairns were most con-
spicuous in the Father Mathew victory.
Capt. Noonan scored three times from
made in the second half Two of the
three baskets from the floor credited to
Cairns were made in the second bAf
during the opening minutes of play,
and the four points thus made tied the
score. and gave the Father Mathew
enthusiasts a chance to inspire the
men to greater efforts.
Some splendid blocking by Sweeney,
breaking up passing between Dorman
and O'Reiliy marked the opening
scrimmage beneath the Lyceum bas-
ket. Quinn missed try from the foul
line on Cairns foul for running with
the ball O'Reilly snatched the ball
from the floor at point about Is feet
from the Father Mathew basket and
he shot into the basket. Cullen scored
from the foul line on Keegan's breach
of basketball etiduet. Cullen missed a
try from Keegan's foul. Capt. Sheehan
of the Lyceums delayed the game for
a long discussion with Referee Morse
about basketball rules. Quinn scored
from the free try on Cairns foul and
the score was tied al three each. Quinn
tossed the ball in from the foul line on
a chance afforded by Sullivan. Cullen
tossed one into the netting from a
scrimmage beneath the Lyceum basket
and Father Mathew had a lead of one
point Quinn scored on a free try, ty-
ing the score. Dorman and Quinn
scored from the field. the formers shot
being carom off the netting in front
of the stage.
In the second half. Referee Morse let
fouls be forgotten, and but one was
called. Cairns scored twice from the
field within four minutes, tying the
score O'Reilly made a pretty goal
from the field from the side Of the hall
and then Dorman and Sweeney mixed
it, the crowd joining. After several
minutes, play was resumed and
Sweeney scored a basket that tied the
score Sullivan shot one in and Father
Mathew had lead of two points, 13 to
II. Referee Morse called time to give
himself an opportunity to battle an in
jured eye caused by a flying fist. Dor
man shot one in. the score reaching Is
to b. During the intense excitement
that followed, Officer Henry w. Nugent,
on duty near the main entrance to the
hall, had his helmet swept off by play
ers engaging ma scrimmage and the
hat was tossed around before the Off I
Ger got his dome Of thought under 1t
again.
A long shot, from a point near the
centre Of the hall sent the ball in
Capt NOOnan, the man responsible for
the goal, was given an ovation. Quinn
threw from the foul line when Sulli-
van was penalized for holding. Capt.
Noonan again figured in a thrilling