Saturday - 8 July - MCG
Crowd: "A few hundred"
Melbourne 0
Essendon 0
Match drawn
The two clubs donated all gate receipts to the Victorian Rowing Association, along with a 10p donation from Melbourne to the association. Unfortunately for the rowers the crowd was tiny due to torrential rain falling before the match.
After six games against VFA sides in a row without a victory, Melbourne went into the match without Rannard, Aitken or Booth but they did have the use of a ex-Red John Watson who was in town with the Norwood team visiting from South Australia.
Despite the conditions the wind didn't play a part, but shortly after the kick off more storms came and the game deteriorated into a scrimmage with slippery turf and puddles of water across the field. Players couldn't run and drop kicks were out of the question due to the wet ground. The weather was so bad the teams decided not to have a half time break.
Essendon had the best of the play in the first half and managed three behinds, but with the ball soaked through players could only kick it half the distance. Thewlis saved one goal but Melbourne had no chance of scoring while kicking uphill.
Best were McKenzie, Morris, Watson, Thewlis and Stiffe.
Selected team
Aitken, Booth, Henderson, Morris, Morris, Mackenzie, Nash, Nicholson, Nicholson, Pitcher, Power, Power, Rannard, Robertson, Sloman, Stiffe, Syme, Thewlis, Ulbrick, Watson, Aitkenly, Morrison
Notes
Argus suggests Melbourne were originally supposed to play East Melbourne
Media
Argus - 14/06/1882
Age - 08/07/1882
Argus - 10/07/1882
Australasian - 15/07/1882