GLOVE CONTEST AT LORNESTREET HALL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6758, 16 July 1883, Page 5

GLOVE CONTEST AT LORNESTREET HALL.

The announcement that a glove contest would that place at the Lorne-street Hall on Saturday evening had the effect of attracting one of the largest, if not the largest, audience that has been seen in that building. At half-past seven the door 3 were thrown open, and immediately a rush was made for the ticket office. A scene of some little excitement then en3ued in the eDdeavonrs of the public to gain an entrance, but although the crushing was almost unparalleled at any place of amusement on any former occasion in the city, fortunately no accident occurred, and the seats were all well filled by eight o'clock. A ring had been made on the state in the orthodox way. Mr. Michael Gallagher had the management of the preliminaries, Mr. M. Anderson, the well known "book, "was referee, and a gentleman well up in sporting matters acted as timekeeper. i ■Punctually at eight o'clock the affair was opened with a set-to between Eugene Donovan, champion light weight for the North Island, and a gentlemam amateur, and as a display of science was very good indeed. At the conclusion of this boot the attraction of the evening was introduced by the appearance of the two principals, Murphy aud Burns. They were both greeted with applause. Both appeared very youthful, and Mnrphy was much bigger and longer in the rcach than his antagonist. Eugene Donovan waa second for Bams, while W. Wilkinson acted in the same capacity for Murphy. They commenced in the usual way by shaking bands, and tben went at it right earnestly. Up to the sixth round the merits of the combatants were about equally divided, but at this stage it could be seen that Burns was over-matched, and that it was merely a matter of time of short duration for the bigger one to be proclaimed the victor. Burns stuck to bis work well, nevertheless, and although knocked down time after time, he was always up to the call of the timekeeper, until the 25th round, when ha fell heavily against one of the corner posts, cutting his head, which stunned him apparently, and he was unable again to respond to the call of "time." The referee then called Murphy forward aud duly proclaimed him tho winner, and the business was ended after 25 rounds being fought, occupying a trifle over half an hour. The crowded audience then dispersed, somewhat disappointed at the entertainment. As a display of science t was a most miserable failure, neither of the men appearing to havo any knowledge whatever of the art, but as a specimen of* pluck and determination it was very good indeed for such youthful combatants. Murphy receives the £10 stake, and half the house, while the defeated takes the other half.