CYCLING.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIX, Issue 304, 24 December 1898, Page 4 (Supplement)

CYCLING.

Of the cyclists at the amateur sports on Saturday none showed better form than H. Brooks, winner of the mile and three mile handicaps. In the later race he made the best finish of the day, spurting1 the whole of the last lap. Brook's victory was well deserved, for he has been riding1 very well of late.

The half mile is evidently C. Strong's pet distance. He won the half at the Amateur Athletic and Cycle Club's sports some weeks ago from the 40 yds mark, and again on Saturday also annexed this, race, this time with only 25 yds start. D. Reid, who has been winning races in quick succession of late, had on Saturday to be content with a second place in the mile. iie qualified for the of the half, but failed to gain a place.

The history of the Austral Wheel Race, as told.by Curl Schwaebsch in the tables in the programme, is"most interesting. In 18815, when the race was instituted, there were 28 starters, as against 187 last year, and the time for Ihe two miles has decreased from srn 453 2-5s to -Jin 30 4-5s by Ke.llow. The strange point of the times is that when 11k- race was three miles in .1880 Brown, the winner, look no less than 30m ~>:l 4-.">s. while the following year two miles was done in Jm 43 2-5s —nearly half the time. Most of the present cyclists were too .young to remember, but. was there any great improvement in bicycles between 'SG and \S7'.' The Austral has but twice fallen to the scratch man (though Kellow, on 15, was really in such a position), Tom Busst ond'.'Jimmy Mullins being the back markers recorded as having won the big event; while Woodward, who carried it off from 270 in 189:: i, the first safety race, was the furthest out to win.' Since the first Austral the M.B.C. has distributed no less than ;t'S4BO in prizes, has run 230 events ,and has receivr-cl no less than 552.1 entries, which must surrly ' hv a record in eyelim? flubs. 'If you have to pass a man do so with a rush that will a\rry yon five yards past him before he can gat>,r up speed to hang on.' as with even three yards between he is practically cm ting his own passage through the wind." Such .is the advice of .I. W.! Stocks. For months.past the League of \.Z. Wheelmen have been harping upon the string of "pure amateurism.' and declaiming against what they termed the 'shoddy' amateurism of the Alliance. With the- professed intention of fostering true amateur sport they established a section for amateurs, under a definition which (hey considered was 'strict and very pure.' to j rpiote a member of the League Executive. So far, so good: but then they proceed to pass the following extraordinary resolution: —"The executive of. the League, may entertain and i deal wirh applications Cot1 reinstate- ' merit from those who have forfeited their amateur status or were not amateurs within the meaning of the foregoing definition at November 4. 1597, each case to be decided on it;s merits; i a member applying for reinstatement \ must have abstained from any in- | fringement of the amateur status for one year before his application Can be considered by the executive.' So this I is the 'pure' amateurism of which j wo hear so much! As far as I can see. 1 it .simply comes to this, that a 'cash I rider can race for money until he be-1

comes too slow for that division, whereupon lie can simpiy stand down for. a year and IJion nice n«-ahi in the amateur , class. This is ' what the League calls a pure amateur, as distinguished from fho '.sham' article of the Alliance. The idea is distinct Iv funny.

Another peculiar thing nbonl the League's Amateurism' is that it 'allows competition ag-nhiHt professionals in any other branch of sport." deferring to this 'Prodigal" remarks in the latest number of the 'Referee:-—

This is the Victorian idea in rowing-, and ii was only the other (lav that a front rank Victorian rower assured me that he could see no rhyme or reason why an amateur rower should not compote m the Austral Wheel Race, with the proviso thai if he, the amateur rower, won, lie i should fret a trophy value 240 sows., I whilst the professional cyclist would' i take the eas>,. If amateurs in the 'League of X.Z. can act in like nianI iier, well it's a certainty their 'amnj feuirism' is of a brand that but fewwill accept here. There is a likv.-hood of a team' of Australian cyclists visiting New Zealand in ['Vbruury next (says a MolI bourne paper). The \.Z. 'clubs are I very Hiivions (hat a Hrsl-class team jof racing men. including I,1. Wnlne. ; should go across for a' racing Irip through the islands, and with this object in view several clubs have already lyuarantiTd C 1 50 towards paying the 'expenses of the tour. Should' the trip 1)0 decided on. the team would leave -Melbourne at the completion of the A.X.A. carnival in January next. Among the certainties for the Australin.i eleven. 'Not Out." of the Sydj »ey 'Referee' places Darling. Hill. iind i .(ones from Month Australia: either ! Iredale or Kelly from .New South I Wales: Trumble. ('. K. MeLecd. and ! -perhaps .Johns from Victoria. Foe . th-> other four places thero are rnanv ! candidates, notably George (lilTe'u i (S.A). McKHibin. Ilowcll. Mackenzie. Trutiiper, ami Donnan (X.S.W.). and Woi-rall. Oilier, (lvalin.ni, MeMiehael I (Victoria). |An intercolonial cricketer has someito choose between his situation and his place in ihe team. .M, A. .XoiiJe. the brilliani young Hvilnev evieketer. has just retired 'from the staff of the (C.S. and A.C. Bank, owing chiefiy to his being; unable to obtain leave of absence to visit Adelaide and Melbourne with the intercolonial *pam. Tin? following- batting records fsavs •Not Out') were made in the Now South Wales v. Tasmania mate]) uj, Friday, Saturday, and Monday last: - Heaviest defeat in first-class cricket: Tasmania, by an Inning's and 457 runs. ! runs. Highest total in a first-class match in ! Australia: N.S.W., SfS9. I Greatest partnership for any wicket by Australians in a first-class match in Australia: :.'SS. by V. Trumper and F. A. Iredale. for the sixth New South Wales wicket. Highest total ever made by iVew South Wales: SH9. Highest individual score ever made against Tasmania: 292 not out, by i V. Trumper. The scores made by Trumper and fre'dale are also the highest they have ever made in a first-class match. Victor Trumper, the young' N.S.W. cricketer. w],o is just 21 years of age, compiled 292. not out, 'in. >4J hours

against Tasmania. 'A more perfect innings,' says 'XotOut,' has never been played in Sydney.' Trumper hit :S9 fours, made every sort of stroke, both off and on, before and behind the wicket, with the grace and jiower.of a. master, hand. There was. general regret; that he had not'the support '■■s! his comrades' a little longer, until he had eclipsed H. Moses' 297, not. out, and W. 'L. Murdoch's 321,. both against Victoria. Trumper scored at the rate of 65 runs per hour, and finished as fresh as a daisy.

The London '.Referee' makes some pertinent remarks on the'subject of W. G. Grace's appointment in connection with the Crystal Palace Company and the new London County Cricket Club. It says: 'What about. W. 0. Grace's position as boss of the show at a salary, by engagement requiring him to play for the club? How can such a contract, implied or expressed, be consistent with so-called amateurism? We are making a bit of a fuss about Australians' qualifications as non-professionals; wanting to measure their corn by our own bushel, and taking the players' side in the argument that partners in a cricket spec or its subsidised performers are so much like pros, as not 1) be distinguished from them. But we inut not forget that some of our accepted amateurs have worked the colonies with far higher makings than colonials picked up in England. They have gathered broken time consideration in big lumps, and what holds good for the Australian tells the other way too. If running a, cricket, ground as manager or secretary he not professionalism for anyone expected to play as part of his duties will somebody kindly tell me what that same may be?