History of the A's

Ambulance Corps Kept Busy

LACROSSE

The Daily Standard

Tuesday August 4, 1914

The following account of the Maitland – Athletics lacrosse match is from the Hamilton Spectator. When the boys here read it last night they wired the Spec’s sport editor to enquire if he had ever seen a lacrosse match before. Here’s the report:

Mimic warfare was staged at Britannia Park yesterday afternoon. It was the occasion of the play-off lacrosse game between Maitlands of Toronto and the St. Catharines Athletics, the two teams being tied up in the intermediate (Senior "B") district of the Ontario Amateur Lacrosse Association, yesterday’s game for the purpose of breaking the tie. The Maitlands won and the score was 12 to 7, but the affair could hardly be termed a lacrosse match, or if it was, then it is only too evident that Canada’s National game had gone down the slides with a sudden and sharp shoot. There was little lacrosse to yesterday’s struggle. Rather it was the case of earnest effort to see which players could qualify for action in the present war. That some of the Maitlands would do great damage to the German forces, even if only armed with lacrosse sticks, was aptly proven, for they sure did cut up and mow down the St. Catharines crowd.

RAGGED LACROSSE

The teams may have tried to play lacrosse, and probably did in the last period, but the first half of the game was just about as ragged as could be, with more attention to the wounding business than to the proposition of scoring goals. It was the first real lacrosse game seen in this city in some six or seven years, and the few people who did find their way to the park were of the unanimous opinion that they could do without another exhibition for six or seven more seasons. A mere handful of spectators were in attendance and these were supporters of the clubs from the respective cities. They had a bit of fun, especially the intoxicated element in the crowd, with the most of the merriment being caused by the energetic actions of the small brigade of St. John’s Ambulance corpsmen. Just a half a dozen of the latter corps put in an appearance, all armed with evil-smelling things, bandages and other needed things. Every other minute the amateur meds were called into service and their mad rushes across the field to the aid of some stricken player were at least interesting. The ambulance corps members were sincere in what they did, so there is no doubt but that lacrosse would have been a nice soft game for the players some years ago had these same ambulance gentlemen been on the job. Many a player has been shoved into the great beyond in more than one lacrosse game only to have a rough, burly trainer wipe his face off with a sponge and declare him fit and ready. Things have changed, however, and yesterday the wounded and injured, and there were many, were treated with all the honors of war, for the six amateur meds surely did their work earnestly and faithfully.

REFEREE WAS EASY

But back to the game, if it could be called such. Frank Doyle, secretary of the O. A. L. A., was the referee, and there is no doubt that Frank makes a better secretary than a referee. He was too easy-going and the players got out of his control, with the result that the early stages were marked with real slaughter. Five-minute penalties were handed out to the offenders when some of them should have got life in Kingston pen, for their actions were nothing short of aggravated assault. The Maitlands won because they were a heavier team, showed more aggressiveness and started early to cut the other fellow down. For the first two quarters they had things all their own way, the Athletics playing like a lot of schoolboys. In the second and third quarters, however, the lads from St. Kitts had the best of the play and with any kind of formidable defence might have pulled out in half. The St. Catharines home played a strong game in the last two periods, but their good work was offset by a weak defence.

GOT AN EARLY START

The Maitlands started in strong and soon ran up a big lead. At quarter time the count was 4 to 1 in their favour, while in the second period four more were counted. St. Catharines got a new lease of life in the third period and managed to find the nets five times, while the Maitlands were successful in gaining two points, which made the score at the end of the period 10 to 6. The closing period was the best of the four, each team bucking up and playing faster lacrosse. The winners counted two while St. Catharines placed one through the nets.

Chapman, Johnson, Rowland, Stroud and Stevenson starred from the Toronto aggregation, while Kalls was the shining light for St. Kitts. Glintz, Barber and Teather also played a fast and aggressive game.

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