Hampstead sustained their fifth successive defeat (and tenth of the season) under the shadow of Windsor Castle on Saturday, Windsor and Eton extracting two Athenian League points, but taking all things into consideration, the visitors did well to run their opponents to a goal. Windsor scored three goals (two in the first half and one in the second), but while Hampstead netted the ball four times in the second half they were only allowed two goals, it being upheld that on the other occasions Shearcroft was offside. The referee's decisions were accepted with the best possible grace, thus upholding the best traditions of the club, but there was a firm conviction in more than one quarter that he was wrong. Again, in the case of an appeal for a penalty kick against Windsor, the result was unfavourable to Hampstead. On one or two other occasions the rulings were questioned, Windsor at times being the aggrieved parties, but there was no ground for believing, as some may have done, that when the referee received a knock-out blow with the ball it was premeditated. Naturally the incident caused a certain amount of amusement, but all were sporting enough to give him a cheer when, having received attention at the hands of a trainer, he proceeded with the match. Perhaps it would have been well had the whistle been handed over to one of the linesmen, as certainly the referee felt the effects of the blow right to the end.

While the game was in a water-logged condition, it was satisfactory to find that play was possible, although the game was curtailed to 40 minutes each way. As the train sped from Paddington to Windsor fears were entertained that the journey might prove fruitless. Wardlaw's luck in winning the toss has quite deserted him, and as the wind was not too boisterous to be a handicap to the side kicking in the same direction it will be imagined that the Windsor captain, Norris, was not long in making up his mind which end to defend.

Anderson was Hampstead's reserve player, and before the match was over there were regrets that he was not in the chosen eleven. Shearcroft and Evans, as suggested by us last week, changed places, and although Evans was not a conspicuous success at inside-right (he is not fulfilling his early promise, and takes too long to decide what to do with the ball), there is not a shadow of doubt that on his form in this match Shearcroft was in his right position at centre. Just before half-time, when it was found that goals were not forthcoming, the old formation was resorted to, but as the position got worse instead of better, Shearcroft was again the leader of the line upon crossing over. His work was one of the brightest features of the game. True, in the first half he missed two golden opportunities of scoring, but apart from these failures he deserved praise. While looking out for goal-scoring opportunities, he fed his forwards assiduously and with judgment, some of his touches being very deft. Had the ground been dry, he would probably have been more effective.

Had Hampstead played as well in the first half as they did in the second, Windsor would not have got both points. It took them an inordinately long time to realise that they were not playing on a first-class cricket ground. Unlike the home side, who kicked the ball with all the force they could command, Hampstead tried delicate footwork, which was useless on such a heavy ground. The backs, from whom lusty kicking is expected, failed to lift the ball more than a few yards, and the half-backs were little better, Pease being the best of a poor trio. Even allowing for the difficulties under which they were labouring, something more was expected of them. Many of the Windsor shots went very wide of the mark, but the players realised the importance of taking aim at the goal at every oppportunity, and but for some fine work by Brown they would have score early on. At the end of a quarter-of-an-hour, just after Shearcroft had atoned for one of his bad missses by giving Taylor a teasing shot, Groves opened the scoring after the ball had struck the upright; and a few minutes later Norris scored a second after a bad clearance by Hampstead's defence. This was all the scoring before the interval, but Brown had far more anxiety than Taylor.

A little conference in the dressing-room during the interval seemed to lead to changed tactics, and the game had hardly been re-started when Wise scored a beautiful goal, Taylor having no chance of saving the shot. This was a good omen, but unfortunately for Hampstead the home side regained lost ground, their third and last point coming from a long kick by Dawson to which Norris, well in the mouth of the goal, applied his head. An appeal for offside against Norris was disallowed. This was a real slice of luck for Windsor. Shortly afterwards Pease initiated a movement which was taken up by Howell, from whose pass Shearcroft again reduced the margin, but while desperate efforts were made, Wise on one occasion sending in a hot shot from long distance which almost dropped into goal, the equaliser would not come, the biggest disappointment being when offside was given against Shearcroft after he had headed into goal from a free-kick. Thus Hampstead were beaten by three goals to two, a result that was not quite in accordance with the run of play.

Windsor had a sound defence, and a good trio of forwards in Cox, Norris and Groves. They had been beaten by 8-0 the previous week, but the team had been strengthened for this game. On the Hampstead side Brown, Pease, Shearcroft and Wise were the pick. Deeks and Howell got the ball down the field fairly well, but did not manage to get in many good centres. Houghton had difficulty in keeping the opposing wing in subjection, and the backs were often weak in tackling, and exposed Brown to a good deal of danger.