The game took place under fairly favourable conditions, for, although rain had fallen overnight and the turf was soft without being too much so, the breeze, if rather fresh at times, blew across the ground. No changes had to be made in either team from the sides originally selected. Crompton, winning the toss, decided to face the sun, which he calculated would probably be a bigger handicap for the Irishmen as it got lower. As it happened, the afternoon, so bright at the start, turned rather dull afterwards, and so the visitors suffered no disadvantage. Opening in characteristic fashion, the Irish went off at a great pace, but they did not threaten serious danger, and attacks on each side were checked by a series of free kicks, allowed mainly against Ireland for jumping. Soon Carr, in attempting to head, merely turned the ball in the direction of his own goal, and Harris outpacing him passed out to Blair. The wing man had plenty of time, but put in an indifferent centre, and Crompton cleared strongly, Ireland thus early throwing away a fine opportunity. A little later Bache and Hawkes in turn tested Scott, but the shots were not difficult to deal with. Just afterwards came a much narrower escape for Ireland. Rutherford and Coleman worked their way down and made an opening for Hilsdon, who was just shooting at fairly close range when Connor dashed at him, diverting the course of the ball and somewhat injuring Hilsdon, who left the field for three or four minutes, and was never at his best afterwards. There ensued some pretty movements by the Englishmen, despite injury to Hilsdon, and both McCartney and McCracken found themselves rather hard pressed on two or three occasions. At the other end Crompton and Wedlock put on some clever defensive work. Towards the interval there came several exciting incidents, Scott saving from Hilsdon, and then England found themselves on the defensive. Young twice found himself in possession near the home goal, but on the first occasion Crompton cleverly robbed him of it, and on the second he kicked wide. These dangers past England attacked, but Bache, close in, just failed to get his head to the ball, centred by Rutherford, and Scott reaching up just managed to put over the bar a shot from Hardman, half-time arriving without any score.
   On resuming, play at first was not quite so free from fouls as it had been before the interval, the Irishmen being generally the offenders. As it happened, it was from the free kick awarded for one of these infringements that the one goal of the match almost directly resulted. The ball was dropped up to Hardman, who, with Connor tackling him, turned half round, and with the right foot sent the ball fairly high just inside the post. It was a surprise shot at a fine pace, and curling a little in the wind Scott had no chance with it. Thus England, eight minutes from the resumption, found themselves leading. Bache just afterwards shot wide, and a little later Coleman made his first blunder. Just afterwards Harris, when through the English backs, was pulled up strangely, and an England attack was similarly stopped, to the general surprise. Play fell off for a time, the Irish defence weakening, and the Englishmen failing to seize chances, Coleman being again at fault. At length Sloan dashed away to within a few yards of the England goal, but he was obviously hampered by the close attentions of his opponents, and finished with a weak kick straight to Hardy. Time was then drawing near, but before the end arrived the Irishmen came again with a great dash. Crompton fell weak in his clearances, and so did Carr, but Warren came to the rescue in the one instance and Wedlock in the other. Great excitement prevailed, but the fine effort of the visitors met with no reward.