A CLOSE GAME.

At Springfield on Saturday afternoon Harvard played and lost her last game of the season to Yale by a score of six to nothing. There was a tremendous crowd in attendance, fully twelve thousand people occupying the grand stands and coaches. The Yale supporters predominated, but over a thousand men went down from Cambridge alone, while there was any number of graduates present to cheer for the crimson. It was a magnificently played game throughout by both sides and not until the last few minutes of the play could it be at all definitely decided who were to be the winners. Harvard played a beautiful up hill game during the second half, and while the outcome was a great disappointment the whole college feels that the eleven played a game to be proud of. At no point in the contest did the men weaken and they kept up heart till time was called. The Harvard supporters cheered enthusiastically and let no opportunity go by for encouraging their players. The teams could hardly have been more evenly matched and the closeness of the score which indicates that only one scoring point was made in the whole game shows how closely fought the struggle was. Yale's rush-line was a trifle quicker than Harvard's and to that fact may be attributed the defeat. The Yale men were wonderfully quick in dropping on the ball and by their agility in that direction they gained the play several times when Harvard rushers should have taken it. On the other side Harvard was superior in blocking and several times Yale was compelled to make four downs in succession without gain although the ball was within a few yards of Harvard's goal. Umpire Peace was very strict about off-side play and at important junctures in the game when every foot counted Harvard lost fifteen yards for off-side play by the rushers. Harvard out-kicked Yale and Trafford's punting was one of the features of the game. Harvard made most of her gains by a series of short quick rushes around the ends, through the center, and between the tackles and the ends.

Yale tried to run her halfbacks through the center and she gained considerable ground in that way, but all the long runs with the exception of one by Wurtemburg and one by McClung were made by Gill. Yale scored her only touchdown by a cleverly worked trick. With the ball in Yale's possession on Harvard's twenty-yard line three downs were made in succession. On the third, all the Yale players bunched together in the centre and McClung was put in the middle as if to be pushed ahead by sheer force for the requisite gain. He acted as quarterback however, and handed the ball to McBride who in turn passed it to Wurtemburg. He spurted out to one side and, getting around the end, brought the ball very near to Harvard's line. McClung carried it over on the next play. This was just thirty seconds before time was called.

For Harvard Cumnock's play was very fine in tackling. making holes, and blocking. Upton's work was also good while Cranston tackled very strongly. Tilton and P. Trafford dropped on the ball well, and their general play was steady. Stickney was playing a remarkably good game when he was ruled off, and Blanchard who took his place made some strong rushes, but did not block so well. Hutchinson was slow in dropping on the ball, but he made some good tackles although allowing a man to run around his end once or twice. Hallowell who substituted him the second half played finely. Dean's work was the best quarter back play that Harvard has had for several years. Lee showed remarkable improvement at half back and gained ground again and again for Harvard, but at one time when he had run around the end and had only one man between himself and the goal, he slowed up and allowed himself to be tackled. Saxe's play was steady and effective all the way through. B. Trafford at full back, played a beautiful game. He did not make a single misplay, and punted and tackled finely. It was a mistake to signal him to try for goal from the field in the second half, for the wind was dead against him and the distance was very great.

For Yale, Gill played easily the best game; his rushing and tackling were superb, and his general aggressive work gained infinitely for Yale. Next to him, McClung did the most effective work. He gained through the centre repeatedly, and towards the end of the last half made a beautiful rush of twenty yards. Morrison and McBride both fumbled badly back of the line, though the latter's punting was very good. Wurtemberg played steadily and well at quarterback. In the rush line, Heffelfinger, Rhodes and Stagg did the best work, with the exception of Gill. The teams were as follows:

HARVARD, POSITION. YALE.

Cumnock end Hartwell

Upton tackle Rhodes

Cranston guard Newell (Adams)

Tilton centre Hanson (Ferris)

P. Trafford Heffelfinger

Stickn'y (Blanch'd) tackle Gill

Hutch'son (Hallowell) end Stagg

Dean quarter-back Wurtemberg

Lee half-backs McClung

Saxe half-back Morrison

B. Trafford full-back McBride

The two teams lined up at 2.20, Harvard having taken the north side of the field with the wind in their favor. Yale formed a V, and Gill ran ten yards before he was downed. McBride punted. After Harvard's second down with a gain of four yards Trafford punted. McBridge at once returned the kick. Stickney made a good rush of fifteen yards. Upton rushed without gaining. Lee made eight yards. A mistake in the signals forced Harvard to a second down, and then B. Trafford attempted to kick, but was stopped, losing fifteen yards. On Harvard's third down the ball was given to Yale for off-side play. On Yale's second down Cranston broke through and tackled McBride, recovering the ground lost on McClung's first rush. Wurtemburg fumbled, but Yale was given five yards for Dean's off-side play and saved the ball. Both sides kicked with a loss for Yale. Yale then worked the ball beyond Harvard's ten-yard line by short rushes by Gill (2), Morrison (3), McClung (2), Rhodes and McBride, and five yards for Harvard's offside play. Newell was disqualified for slugging and Adams took his place. Harvard was given the ball on Yale's fourth down and Trafford kicked. Morrison fumbled, but McClung saved the ball. Cranston stopped Morrison's kick, and Dean broke through and secured the ball. Harvard lost ground on a misunderstanding of the signals, and Gill's tacke of Lee. B. Trafford and McBride punted several times. Hanson was disqualified for deliberately kicking Tilton. Yale was given five yards again for Harvard's off-side play but immediately afterwards lost the ball on their own off-side play. After a slight gain by rushes, B. Trafford punted. McClung fumbled and Cumnock fell on the ball, gaining forty yards for Harvard. After several kicks, Stagg stopped Trafford's punt and secured the ball in Harvard's territory. Both sides failed to gain by rushing and kicked in turn. Harvard then blocked off well, and made better holes in the rush line, and advanced the ball to Yale's ten yard line on rushes by Lee (5), Saxe (2), B. Trafford, Upton, and Stickney, but lost the ball on four downs. Lee lost a good chance to score by slackening his speed at a critical point in a rush. After gaining fifteen yards by rushing, Yale kicked, and Harvard soon returned. McBride gained twenty yards by running from the catch. Stickney was disqualified for slugging and Blanchard was substituted. Gill made twenty yards and McClung ran around Hutchinson's end but on the next play dropped the ball at Harvard's five-yard line. Trafford kicked, and McBride fumbled badly, but Harvard failed to secure the ball. Morrison kicked. On Harvard's third down the ball was given to Yale for off-side play. On the third down Wurtemburg ran around Hutchinson, who missed his tackle. Wurtemburg after running twenty yards was pushed out-side only two feet in front of the goal line. McClung was pushed over and made a touchdown. Time 43 minutes. He also kicked the goal just as time expired. Score 6-0.

Hallowell took the place of Hutchinson whose knee was hurt. Harvard opened the second half in a lively manner gaining twenty-five yards on rushes by Lee and Blanchard. B. Trafford soon kicked McBride returned, and B. Trafford soon kicked again. Morrison fumbled, and Cumnock fell on the ball. Saxe's poor play was followed by Morrison's weak punt. Lee gained ten yards, Saxe three. and on the third down B. Trafford tried to kick a goal from the thirty-five yard line, but failed, owing to the strong head wind.

Again Harvard got the ball from McBride's kick, and advanced it to the thirty yard line on rushes by Lee (2), B. Trafford, Upton, Blanchard and Saxe. B. Trafford again missed his try at goal. Cranston stopped McBride's kick, but Adams saved the ball for Yale. McBride kicked again and B. Trafford soon returned. P. Trafford tackled Gill finely. Gill then made a magnificent rush of forty yards through half a dozen Harvard men, but was downed by B. Trafford at the twenty-five yard line. Yale gained slightly but lost the ball on four downs. Trafford kicked and Hallowell secured the ball. Lee dropped the ball but again Yale made four downs without gaining. Saxe gained three yards, Lee rushed six yards and passed to Cumnock, who had pluckily continued to play after hurting his leg, and now gained fifteen yards. After four downs with a total gain of fifteen yards B. Trafford kicked. McBride returned and B. Traford punted again. Gill made another grand rush and was only stopped at Harvard's ten yard line by Hallowell's beautiful tackle. McClung tried for a goal from the field but failed. Each side kicked six times with a few short rushes between. Harvard lost the ball on four downs and Yale gained twenty-five yards on Harvard's off-side play and rushes by Gill, Heffel-finger, McClung and Morrison. McClung ran around the end and almost scored, but was pushed outside by Dean. Before the ball could be put in play time was called. The score stood as before, 6-0 in favor of Yale.