Football

18
ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL.
eleven which represented Scotland was, in a great measure,
composed of players merely of Scotch extraction, and in some
cases, perhaps, of even less substantial qualifications. The
successful show made by the Queen's Park club against
the Wanderers in the competition for the Football Associa-
tion Cup was, beyond a doubt mainly responsible for the
institution of an International match between England and
Scotland on a strict basis. The very suggestion of such a
contest under Association rules was quite enough to rouse
the ire of the Rugby players north of the Tweed. At the
time, indeed, the Rugby game was paramount in Scotland.
,All the principal clubs played according to Rugby rules,
and, in fact, the Queen's Park eleven was the only com-
bination, I think I am right in saying, in the country which
had adopted the Association game. The captains of the
Scotch Rugby clubs were determined, too, not to have their
rights usurped without at least a protest. A letter, signed
by representatives of the leading clubs in Glasgow and
Edinburgh, appeared in the
Scotsnaan
newspaper, pointing
out the absurdity of Scotland taking part in an International
match under rules which were not in favour with the bulk of
Scottish football players. There was, of course, a good deal
of sense in the objection ; but, as was only to be expected,
it did not have any effect in checking the advance of the
Association game. On the contrary, the opposition only
gave a new zest to the efforts of the promoters of the move-
ment, and the preliminaries were not only ratified, but the
match duly decided at Glasgow on November
30,
1872.
The game, which was played on the ground of the West of
Scotland Cricket Club in Glasgow, proved to be singularly
well contested, and, in fact, the two elevens were so very
evenly weighted, that at the end of an hour and a half
neither had been able to secure a goal. The- Football