NOTES ON SPORT.

THE championship of the League is now practically assured to the Aston Villa; a victory to-day will place the matter beyond all doubt.

Sunderland lost to Stoke on Saturday, the Villa beat the Blackburn Rovers, and increased their lead from three to five points.

They have, therefore, only to win one of their three remaining fixtures to gain the highest honours of English Association football, for there is no doubt that the League Cup carries with it greater prestige than does the older trophy.

To win the one a team must be the best for the whole of the season; in the gaining of the other chance plays no small part.

Still, the team that wins the Cup are entitled to all credit for their performance, and many would like to see them pitted against the winners of the League.

Aston Villa versus Notts County or Bolton Wanderers would be a most interesting encounter, although the majority of persons would, no doubt, favour the chances of the Birmingham club.

The League clubs generally have been taking advantage of the holidays to push forward with their fixtures, and after to-day very few contests will be outstanding.

The results of Friday’s and Saturdays matches have caused a number of changes in the positions of many of the combatants, although the two end places are still held by the Aston Villa and Newton Heath respectively, and there both clubs seem likely to remain.

Sunderland are still second to the Villa, but, as far as can be foreseen, have destroyed their chances of climbing the last rung of the ladder by losing to Stoke.

That the game is as attractive as ever was shown by the great crowd present at Perry Barr on Saturday to witness the meeting of the Villa and Blackburn Rovers. Amongst them were several hundred excursionists from Blackburn, who were greatly in evidence by reason of their playing concertinas and tin whistles, whilst several of them possessed umbrellas of blue and white alpaca, probably made with a view to the final for the English Cup.

The afternoon was summer like, and from a spectators point of view was most agreeable, but the players must have suffered considerably from the heat.

Nevertheless the game was tremendously fast, was grandly contested by both teams, and, as we heard several remark, was worthy to be an English Cup final.

The Rovers were without Whitehead and Calvey, but their forwards were a capital five notwithstanding.

The Villa played their full strength.

Kicking up the hill the first half, and being manifestly at a disadvantage by reason of having the sun shining in their faces, the Rovers set the Villa a great pace, and it as evident that the spectators were going to witness a fine contest.

For twenty-five minutes the visitors were decidedly the better and more effective players, and during that time they credited themselves with a goal.

The Villa defence had been severely tried, but had been found thoroughly reliable, but the forwards, although they had made one or two dashing attacks, had never really settled down to their work.

But, before the first half hour was up they showed a great improvement in their play, and the game became more even and interesting.

A beautiful run by the left wing ended in John Devey being left with the ball fifteen yards from goal and with a grand opening, but when about to shoot he was badly tripped up by Brandon, and the free-kick gave them no advantage.

Improving steadily, however, the Villa made a series of swinging attacks on the Rovers’ goal, which, though brilliantly defended, at last fell to Chatt. The point was scored through some beautiful combination, the ball being dropped into goal by Reynolds, headed by Devey to Chatt, and headed again into the net.

With the scores level the Villa made desperate efforts to draw ahead before the interval, but found the defence too strong.

The second half opened in a sensational manner.

Chatt, bursting through the opposing forwards and half-backs from the centre-kick, dashing past the back, and only failing to score by a few inches.

A few minutes later the Villa goal had a marvellous escape, Haydock, with no one in front of him, and from a distance of two yards, shooting against the post. A yell of derision greeted this performance.

The Villa now forced the game and made desperate attempts to score, but the Rovers’ backs tackled and kicked with great effect, whilst Ogilvie was as safe as a goal-keeper could possibly be, and punched with tremendous power.

At length a grand chance came to Smith, but with an open goal he lifted the ball over the top of the bar. His mistake was equally as bad as that previously made by Sorley.

Half an hour passed without any score, and the Villa supporters were beginning to get anxious, when, all of a sudden, Smith received a long pass, made a brilliant run, and centred when the ball was about a foot from the goal-line. The ball flashed across goal to Chatt, and he headed through as gracefully and as easily as though he were merely bowing to a lady.

A great roar went up from the crowd, and they felt that the game was won, and so it proved, for during the remaining few minutes the Villa had the best of the tussle, but failing to break through again were compelled to be content with a two to one victory, for them a perfectly satisfactory result.

There is no doubt that the score about represents the contest. It was a great game, and the Villa have not had such hard work to win since they defeated Sunderland by a similar total in the return League match.

No very brilliant forward play was witnessed on Saturday; the half-backs on either side were too good, and it would be difficult to see a finer exhibition than was given by the six men in that position.

They all played well, but Cowan was perhaps the best of the Villa line: whilst Marshall was superior in a slight degree to his companions.

The backs on either side performed grandly, but Baird was better than Elliott, and Brandon’s huge kicking was greatly admired.

At times the losers’ forwards showed very pretty passing, but the Villa five were the more dangerous, and Ogilvie had much more to do than Dunning. His goal-keeping was, indeed, one of the features of the game.

The Villa forwards were not seen at their best, but Chatt at times was responsible for some fine work, and Smith, although he missed one easy chance at least, atoned for the mistake by the beautiful run and the fine centre which gave the Villa the victory.

In the last ten minutes he performed brilliantly. Hodgetts did not start well, but improved as the game progressed; whilst John Devey, although he worked indefatigably, was not seen at his best: and the same remark applies to Athersmith, whose centring was very inaccurate.