KINGSTON CHARITY FESTIVAL.
This annual festival, the proceeds of which are given to assist the funds of local charitable institutions, was held on Saturday, on the ground of the Kingston Rugby Club in Richmond-road. The weather was beautifully fine, and consequently there was a good attendance, his Worship the Mayor of Kingston (Alderman G. C. Sherrard, J.P.) being among the spectators. The Kingston-on-Thames Association Club joined with the Rugby Club in promoting the festival, and the sport provided was of good class, and the whole affair a great success.

A match was played under each code, but in both the Kingston Clubs were defeated. The Surrey Junior Cup holders - Balham Athletic - were the opponents of Kingston-on-Thames in the Association game, and they won by three goals to none. For the Rugby game Mr. H. E. Steed, the secretary of the Surrey County Rugby Union, brought down a powerful team to oppose Kingston, that included well-known exponents of the game, selected from Richmond, Harlequin, Lennox, Thornton Heath and Mortlake clubs, and the game was throughout fast and interesting. The scratch team, however, proved too good for the home side, but although they scored five tries, from neither of them was a goal registered. The day's proceedings were brought to a close by a most successful smoking concert at the Kingston Hotel, presided over by the Mayor.

KINGSTON-ON-THAMES V. BALHAM ATHLETIC (A).
Owing to the suspension of the train by which the Balham men contemplated travelling, they arrived at Kingston half an hour late, and it was 3.20 when the teams lined up on the field. Kingston were unfortunately minus Craig, Peck and Short, and Smith (E.S.R.) who had promised to assist was compelled by an accident to stand down- the team was therefore anything but a representative one.

Balham won the toss and started with a stiff breeze behind them, and working their way down at once put the ball into the net, but the point was disallowed, the player being off-side. Kingston retaliated and Kemp and Gaines took the ball down to the opponents' goal, where Kemp missed a good chance of scoring by getting offside. The visitors were then prominent again, and ten minutes from the start opened the score with a shot by Attfield out of Lanham's reach.

From the kick-off Kemp and Gaines again brought the ball through and gave Harris a fine opportunity to equalise, but that player waited too long and lost the ball. The Balham men, whose forwards combined very prettily, then made a strong attack, and Fagan failing altogether to take the player or the ball, a second goal was scored by A. Brooks with the game only twenty minutes old.

The visitors kept up the pressure for some time, being aided by the strong breeze, and only Lanham's coolness in goal prevented a score. Ocock once broke away with a characteristic run and centre, but was not well backed up, and the ball came back to the Kingston goal, where Lanham was heavily charged as he threw it away, and the game was suspended for a few minutes. A free kick against Fagan was got away, and though they pressed up to the interval no further score was obtained by the cup holders.

The game after the interval was very uninteresting, the heat had taken the "steam" out of most of the players and the play was very ragged. Kingston pressed during most of the time, good shots by Kemp, Gaines and Ocock being well saved by the visitors' goalkeeper, who played very smartly. On one or two occasions the weak play of the Kingston backs let up the Balham forwards, but the final shots went wide. At the other end the Balham custodian was penalised for "carrying," and from the free kick Gaines put the ball into the net, but as no other player had touched it no score accrued.

The introduction of Harris (a substitute) and Ware in the front rank was responsible for the want of combination in the Kingston team, and took all the sting out of their attack. In the last minute of the game the Balham forwards broke away, and from a centre by a player who was decidedly offside, Johnson scored a third goal as the whistle sounded.

The cup holders had played a good combined game and are a well-balanced team- the goal keeper being very smart. Several of their players, however, made the game very unpleasant by their continual bickerings- nearly every decision of the referee being challenged by some of them. The absence of their backs was a great drawback to Kingston, and Craig's controlling voice was much missed. Lanham played a capital game; of the others Kemp, Gaines, Ocook end Godwin were best, but the "scratchy" state of the team prevented them doing justice to themselves or their club. It is to be hoped another year the Rugby Club's executive will give their confreres of the dribbling code a chance to put a proper eleven in the field, by organising these matches at least a month earlier in the season.
Sides:-
Kingston: F. C. Lanham, goal; W. Hurliman and J. Fagan, backs; H. Foster, P. G. Lloyd and A. Goodwin, half-backs; W. Ocock and L. Ware (right), W. Harris (centre), J.Gaines and J. Kemp (left), forwards.
Balham Athletic: J. Gridley, goal; G. Brooks and J. Blundell, backs; C. Evans, L. Brooks, and F. Burgess, half-backs; A. Brooks and H. Jones (right), W. Johnson (centre), W. Attfield and F. Morell (left), forwards.
Referee, Mr. W. G. Carn (Referees' Association); linesmen, A. Beck and H. C. Short.

Report from Surrey Comet dated 20 Apr 1895- see report in original format.