Football and Prayer-meeting

The contest among the five sub-unions of the East Coast Rugby Union, for the K. S. Williams's Cup, had been keen and exciting. There remained the Tolaga Bay and the Matakaoa sub-unions to play off the final. The star of the former team was Billy Lockwood, and his fame was the cause of anxiety to the Matakaoa elders. The match was played at Ruatoria and was witnessed by a very large crowd. Before the Matakaoa team left the hotel for the battle-field, the elders asked page 138the players to hold a short prayer-meeting and when Matakaoa proved victorious the elders, of course, put their success down to the potency of prayer.