Saturday 25 July - South Melbourne
Melbourne 0
Emerald Hill 1
Match drawn
The start of the match was delayed after a misunderstanding about which ground the game would be played on. Newspaper advertisements incorrectly advised the game would be played Melbourne.
Each side was missing some of its best players, with eight of Emerald Hill's best absent. Melbourne played two men short, but even with the opposition having to fill players from their Seconds and Thirds they kicked the only goal of the game. Time expired before they could kick another and the match ended in a draw. In a later letter to newspapers, Melbourne secretary William Freeman suggested the players allegedly promoted from the thirds may have been ringers from other clubs.
Best were Freeman, Bell and Byrne.
Selected team
Bell, Bennie, Bruford, Byrne, FInlay, Clarke (did not play), Barrass, Forrester, Freeman (c), Hepburn (did not play), T. Ireland (did not play), Leach, Moodie, McLennan, Stodart (did not play), Williams, Carr, Riggall, Goldsmith, Harrison. Emergencies - Hinton, Robinson, G. Hurst, Copeland.
King, Marsden and G. Hurst played in the final team.
Media
Leader - 25/07/1868
Argus - 25/07/1868, 27/07/1868
Age - 25/07/1868, 28/07/1868
Leader - 01/08/1868
Australasian - 08/08/1868, 15/08/1868