Door Sports

By • Haerier."

Before these notes see the light, the resnlt of the Auckland Taranaki match will be known to all my readers. Speaking before the event, however, it may be as well to record my opinion that the Auckland team, although minus the services of Cardno, McKenzie, and P. Murray, is still fairly representative of our fall strength The forwards, judged upon their display against the New Zealand team, are an exceptionally good lot, likely to hold their own against anything in the Colony. The backs are a bit on the light side, but fast and clever, and behind a strong set of forwards should be capable of good work. Altogether I think there is strong reason to believe that our boys will acquit themselves well, even against such strong opposition aa they are j likely to meet in Taranaki and Wellington, and I, for one, will be surprised if they do not make a very bold bid for victory in each case. Grammar School beat Marist Brothers on Saturday by 19 points to 3. George Smith played centre threequarter in last Saturday's game, and appeared to be quite at home in the position. Jack Swindley played for Coromandel against Thames, last Saturday, as did also Joe Otway. the well-known exCity centre forward. The Wellington Union has decided to remove Gage's disqualification, but passed a resolution considering his explanation unsatisfactory. The athletic team to represent New Zealand at the Australasian Championship Meeting will be selected at Christchurch, on Friday, by Messrs Hempton, Griereon, and Harley. It may not be generally known that Auckland has never been beaten by a New South Wales team. Altogether six matches have been played — two in 1882, three in 1886, and one in 1894— in all of which Auckland came out on top. The Amateur Athletic Championship meetiDg of 1898 has been allotted to Wanganui. Of the eight meetings so far held, Auckland has had two, Dunedin two, Canterbury two, and Napier and Wellington one each. The Wellington Rowing Club made a profit of £488 out of the Art Union held last season. They commenced the season with an overdraft of £153, and have now a cash credit of £191, whilst their total assets are set down at £1040. The New South Wales Cricket Association have decided to recommend to the council an alteration in the follow-on rule which will provide that the side batting first and leading by 120 runs on the first innings shall have the option either of batiingor compelling the opposing side to follow on. The New Zealand cyclists, Forbes and Hunt, have at last had a winning turn in Sydney. At the Carnival of the League of Wheelmen, held last Saturday, the 5 mile International Scratch race was won by the latter in 12 mm. 15 2 sth sees., Martin and Megson being amongst the starters. Forbes scored a win in the Winter Stakes, beating Payne and Martin, time 1 mm. 21 l-sth sees. At the annual meeting of the N.Z. Amatenr Athletic Association, it was reported that the following subscriptions had been promised towards the cost of sending a N.Z. teim to Sydney to compete at the Australasian Championship Meeting : — Auckland, £20 ; Wellington, £15 15s ; Dunedin, £10 10s ; Canterbury, £10 10s ; Wanganui, .£5 5s ; Taranaki, £2 2a. The Championship events] to be contested at the gathering in Sydney in October are : — 100 yards, 220 yards, 440 . yards, 880 yards flat raceß ; one mile flat, three miles fiat, one mile walk, three miles walk, high and broad jump, pole vault, 120 yards hurdles, 440 yards hurdles, throwing the hammer (161 b), putting the weight (161 b).

Mr Lt. a. Cuff leaves on Monday next for Sydney, where he has decided to. take np his residence. ■ The New Zealand Rowing Associa-, tion has disqualified nineteen out of fortytwo affiliated clnbs for non-payment of subscriptions. A most efficient brake may be extemporised by pressing the toe of one foot upon the tyre of the front wheel. It answers the purpose admirably. On Saturday last Angus Campbell knocked a fair sized chunk off the PapakuraAuckland road record ; doing the distance, on a Saltley roadster, in 55 mm. 14 sees. A Thames Association player named Armitage had his knee- cap dislocated last Saturday during the progress of a match at Thames between an Auckland team and the Thames Association Club. It is a remarkable fact that Taranaki have never, as yet, defeated Auckland upon Taranaki boil. Of the nine matches played since the inception of the fixture, four have been played at Taranaki, and of these Auckland won two, and two were drawn. J. Curley, who distinguished himself in the second match between New South Wales and New Zealand, has been presented with a gold medal by Mr A. Bacon, the president of the Gannedah F.C, in commemoration of hiß brilliant play. At a recent general meeting of the League of New Zealand Wheelmen, it was decided to appoint a deputation to confer with a deputation already appointed by the Cyclists Alliance with a view to bringing forward a scheme by which all cycle racing in Nfcw Zealand shall be under one governing body. The Spectator says that Auckland's win in the football match against all Maoriland was a great slap in the eye for the Australian Unions, none of whom were able to defeat the New Zealanders, while a fiomparatively small Union like Auckland can step up and give them donko. The following team has been selected to represent Wellington against Auckland next Saturday: — Full- back, Baumber ; three-quarters, Matson, Wallace and Laws; five-eighthß, Kelly; half, G. Woods ; wings, Hardcastle and McKenzie, forwards, Spencer, King, Young, Gallagher, Campbell, Angust and Speedy. The match Thames v. Coromandel, played at Coromandel last Saturday, resulted in an easy victory for the former by 31 points to 9. For the winners Surman secured 3 tries, and McGregcr 4 ; three of these were converted, and Paul also kicked a goal from the field. For Coromandel Gatland, Stevens, and O'Brien each were responsible for a try. Arthur Holder (writes 'Progress' in the Wanganui Chronicle) has commenced training already for the forthcoming Australasian Championship meetinsg to beheld on October 2 and 4. Holder is particularly anxiou3 to get himself in good form, and with that intention I believe he will leave for Australia at least six weeks before the great event, so as to give himself plenty of time to get thoroughly over sea-sickness, hard ground, &c. Last Saturday's practice match, representatives v. a mixed fifteen, calls for very little in the way of comment or description. The players on both sides appeared to regard the game merely as an exercise canter, and consequently play was lacking in earnestness and verve. Nevertheless, there were some very pretty pieces of play, notably by the rep. threequarters, Smith, Abs'olum and Harrison, who worked together really well, and got off a number of excellent passing runs. The reps, proved themselves much too strong for their opponents, and eventually won by 27 points to 13. The New South Wales Rugby Union has received the following communication from Mr M. Mullineux, of St. John's College, Cambridge University, relative to the visit of a team of English footballers to Australia next aeaßon : — ' I should be glad to know if a visit of British footballers to Australia would be welcomed next year. The South African team of last year was a great suceesß, and there is a desire among prominent footballers to visit Australia next year. If you think Buch a visit would be a success, I Bhall be glad to get together a Btroug team to leave England next year. The team would be drawn largely from my own University, and that of Oxford, and from internationals outside the Universities. We could leave in June, and play some sixteen to twenty matches before leaving "for England again. The financial aspect of the visit we can consider if you decide to send me the invitation to get together a team. Kindly let me know Boon. I am sending a similar letter to Melbourne, in case Sydney is not one of the centres of Rugby Union.' The Union deferred consideration of the matter until the next meeting, pending a report from the Finance Committee.

On Jubilee Day W. J. Sturgess, the English champion walker, beat the English half-mile record, and also got one second nnder the English recdrd for a mile. His times were : half a-mile, 3min. 4 l-stb sees ; one mile, 6min. 32 2-sth sees. The only football match of any consequence on Saturday will be that at Devonport, between the. Aratapu and Takapnna Clubß. Both teams are very sanguine of success, and a close and interesting game will almost certainly result. Some Hints. —In choosing the direction for a run, ascertain from what quarter the wind blows, and arrange so that the wind is behind on the return journey. — Always blow out your tyres very hard in wet weather. That is the best preventative of sideslip.— lt is advisable to learn to dismount from either side of the machine, in case of accident. — Drop your heels as low as possible when the pedal is descending. — A good tip for cyclists when leaving a bicycle unattended without lock or chain is to loosen the nut which adjusts the handle-bars. It is then impossible to ride the machine away without qnickly coming to grief.— The Rambler.