Sporting Gossip at Home and Abroad.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 152, 27 June 1914, Page 16

Sporting Gossip at Home and Abroad.

TUEF NOTES. (By WHALEBONE.; According to a London advice, the withdrawal of The Tetrarch from the English Derby cost Lloyd's dearly, the in-nraiK-e policies taken out to cover the ri-k of total his- by the scratching of that colt amounting to about £7.000.

Amongst the yearlings entered for v.iriou.- events in Australia next spring

«i', • One. Two, and Three. Tlu-v an: eoits. owned hy Mr. E. E. I). Clarke, line is by The iWelkin from Light. Two by The Welkin from Seville, and Three l.y Tie Welkin from 'i'vppo.

Yolsoane is a long time in picking up the form which made- him famous as a galloper in Australia. He was a starter.

carrying 10.12. in Open Handicap at Ceylon a few days ago. but failed to get a. place, and the Australian-bred St. Andrews. 10.9, won from the English-bred Chastity, 5.2. Another Australian. Dungurvon, was third.

Storey, the ex-Australian nicer, is still undisputed champion in the neighbourhood of Singapore. When Storey wins nowadays, he thoroughly earns it. ami that will be gathered from the fact that in Singapore Cup of last month, his allowance was list. But. the Sultan of Johorc, who still owns Storey, did not shirk the engagement, and in due course Storey attached the stake handsomely from Swagger. 10.5. with Boombah. 7.11. third. Floras 5.12, The Colonel R.,*>. and Helen of Try 7.10. made up tho balance nf the field. Storey won Spring Handicap on the first day. carrying 10.7.

'Hie cleaih of That gnnl old Tacecounse slave Walpuna. was announced some time ago, and in order tn mark hi", resting place. Dr. A. Bennett, the horse's last owner, has sent to New Zealand for a kauri flagpole, to place over the grave. ■Waipuna. wasfoaled in New Zoa'land.-and was introduced to Victoria hy the late Mr. W. i*jron>. and finally went into the possession of Dr. A. Reirnett. Hit did not nice at two years old. but duly appeared under silk in each of the ten following seasons. Waipuna's -last per'forniance was at 12 years old,'when be Tan second in V.P. Orand National Hurdle Race.

The English stallion Collar, by St. Simon from Ornament, died a few weeks ago. As the result of seven seasons at the stud, he sired upwards of 100 individual winners, who collected more than ! CIOO.OOO in stakes. Collar's descendants won in England. Russia, Germany, C.S.A., Roumania. South America. South Africa. Holland. France. New Zealand. Australia, Austria-Hungary. Belgium and India, so that the horse was represented practically all over the world. Collar went from England to South Africa before the Boer War. and Teturned Home when the struggle was over, nt a cost of .-£2.000. Collar shared the same fate -is Carbine experienced. He was destroyed on the grounds of humanity. He had a big hind joint, which he struck so regularly that it was found impossible to prevent Mm from aggravating the injury. A few weeks ago the wound assumed a malignant character. Collar practically wasted to nothing and destruction followed.

llecent English file- record the death of the American studmaster. Mr. Charles Reed, of Fairvicw. Tennessee, who at the disposal sale of -Mr. August Belmont's stud, purchased the stallion St. Blaise for 20.000sovs. On that occasion several wealthy breeders were desirous of securing the English Derby winner, and. no doubt, had they been stimulated by bidding against successive rivals. St. Ulaise woidd. doubtless, have fetched even more than the price already mentioned. Mr. Reed fully realised that were his opponents to he allowed to bid up in toe ordinary progressive manner, from an initial offer, winch would not represent half the value of the horse, they might, outstay him, and he decided to bluff the opposition. Accordingly, a 6 soon as the auctioneer put St. Blaise -up. Mr. Reed simply paralysed all rivalry by bidding 100.000 dols. and before attyone else could make up his mind what to do under the circumstances, the hammer fell, and Mr. Reed became the owner oi St. Blaise.

The defunct Carbine will be more readily remembered than any other horse, perhaps, from the ease with which ■he adapted himself to circumstances. He wa< apparently always in a playful mood w-heu the course proper was reached for the preliminary canter, and it was common for him to stick bis rider up for a few seconds. But the champion forgot bis tricks when the time for action arrived. He became accustomed to being saddled twice in an afternoon, and stood more hard work than any Australian horse of recent years. Mr. D. S. Wallace believed in racing Carbine, and did so. When a three-year-old. Carbine was saddled twice in an afternoon at the V.R.C. Autumn Meeting, and won both All Aged Stakes and Loch Plate. At the succeeding A.J.C. meeting he repeated the performance, winning All Aged Stakes nnd Cumberland Stakes, beating in one Lochiel and Melos, and in the other Lochiel and Abercorn. When four years old, Carbine won A.J.C. Autumn Stakes and Sydney Cup—two hard races —and on the third day captured All Aged Stakes and Cumberland Stakes from Dreadnought anil Melos, and wound up by beating Melos and Dreadnought in AJ.C. Plate on the last day, that being bis seventh successive victory. Tn his next season, Carbine again essayed to win A.J.C. All Aged Stakes and Cumberland Stakes in one afternoon. Odds ■of 5 to 2 were wagered on Carbine in the shorter race, which Marvel won, but he landed the 5 to 4 on in Cumberland Stakes, silencing Marvel as easily as the flying black had done his opponent in the mile race. There was no picking and choosing of races for CaTbinc. - He always figured in the best of them, and against the strongest procurable opposition. The wonder is that he lasted so long. When he was at the stud last year. Carbine was; 28 years old, and toe only other notable horses in the same line of business at that time who had lived ?p long were Sheen and Noble Chieftain, all three having been foaled in ISS.S. They lived above the average term., though there are instances of n-table horse- having lasted longer. %.. '- for instance, was M years old when :.o ... ." n; «mcd. the first English Derby winner, iivea .- '— 111. so did Ray Bolton: whiV Touchstone pf-ssed away when 10.

(By '•ACTAEON'. , ');

At the time our last files left England, His Majesty the King had won £1,041 in stakes, representing fou r races. iSjr John Thursby (owner of Kennyinore) had received £7.015 for two races. Three of the horses 'which were sold tiie other il.iy in the estate of the late Isaac Eamshaw realised sums much in advance of those which were paid lor them in England. D.mum. whose sale price on Tuesday last was Oodgns., cost Isaac Earnshaw lilOgtis. in England, while Tiffany sold here for OOOgns.. brought 200gns. in England, and Warren Hill realised 420gns., against 2Togns. paid for him in his native country. They were purchased in the Old Country as vittr-lill'J-s.

A high-class stallion has been | set-tired in England for Mr. W. F. McDonald, the Wantbo studmaster, in the ; Marco horse Kcrman. a half brother to j that good horse Wuffy. whose list has been very well filled in England the three years he has been at the stud. Kcrman is a close relation to the successful racehorse and sire Balsarroch. and his third dam i.s no less a celebrity than I'unshine, the ancestress of itn- [ ported Positano, Haut Prion, and the 'Australian racing champion Duke Foote. Kcrman was a consistent performer. Ho run second in his three starts as a two-year-old. As a tiire-year-old he won Yarmouth Durham. Selling Handicap, 1 one mile and live furlongs, and Newmarket Long Course Selling Plate, one mile and a half, and was placed on several occasions. At four years he won Liverpool Flute, one mile and a quarter, beating the Liverpool Cup winner China Cock. Santair and others, and Alexandra Handicap, one mile and a half, ran second in the Liverpool Lancashire Pluto, one mile and six furlongs, and third in the Windsor September Handicap, one mile and ti quarter, and Newmarket October Handicap, one mile and a half. Kcrman. who was foaled in 1000. is due to arrive in time for the coming season. If there is one branch of sport into which luck enters largely, it is horse racing, and this many of the most capable ihorso-mustens 'know to their cost. Months of hard work, both in and out of the stable, are often wasted bwausv of a stray nail, a "cost" in tire sleeping apartment, a lloating germ, which may be loaded with a dreiidtdi disease, or ■one of many other nnlookcd for troubles, has intrudTsl itself at toe eleventh hour. A trainer to ■experience more than a fair sharoi of reverses at one swoop is Mr. R. WooUon, who. writing from England early last month, stated that of -Hi horses he had in full training at the ojieuing of the s-ecison, -all but eight had been attacked by colds in a sufficiently -bad form to cause their preparations to ib'.i susppndied. As a dozen of the patients were wound up, and ex-peeled' to win racee almost at once, there is no telling how -much •monetary damage was thereby inflicted upon the Treadwell House stable.

The dispute arising out of the sale of the yearling half-brother of Craganour ■had not been settled at latest advices. The settlement arrived at was that Sir William Nelson was to return the colt, and to have his choice of a colt from this year's yearlings at'Slodmerc. It was stated for the plaintiff that if the contention of the defendants was to be accepted, the settlement was no settlement at all. Mr. Justice Darling, who beard the case, said he should not have much difficulty in understanding the terms, but he had no right to construe the words unless both parties consented. Finally the judge agreed to see counsel in his private room, provided the defendants approved of that course. The mutter hud not been decided when the mail left. The plaintiff objected to keeping the colt in question, because, after the purchase it hud been heard to "grunt," and must. therefore, lie a Toarer. The case was responsible for many expressions of opinion, and much controversy as to whether grunting really indicated an infirmity, and one writer recalled an incident in the career of Surplice. According to this writer.

'•The Druid" relates how Butler and Nat Flatman viewed the son of Touchstone in the paddock during his yearling days, and decided '-that, from the throttling noise he made in gracing, be must be a roarer." Lord George Bentinck, however, observing that nearly all the other fourteen yearlings in the enclosure emitted the same unwelcome music, cheered himself with the reflection "they can't all be roarers!" Surplice won the IS-1S Derby and St. Loger.

All Kngland gasped on Wednesday when it was bruited about that The Tetrarch had been scratched for the Derby because bis dicky leg had again filled, says a London correspondent. The colt had been made a public idol. His devastatingsucces as a two-year-old had led to his being written up as "the greatest two-year-old of all time." For months he had been under a cloud. He had been fired, and wise men predicted that only a miracle would enable Pcrsse, his trainer, to get him to the post. But since his wealthy owner. Major MeCalmont, the great ironmaster, kept him in ihe race, and the horse had recently done some seasonable gallops, the great bulk of the public were not to be weaned from their admiration. A big bookmaker three months ngo showed what he thought by offering to lay £20,000 to £.=>.ooo against The Tetrarch, and a level 1:5.000 that he wouldn't see the post. Several other big ringmeu persistently peppered the favourite, and some wealthy amateur punrers formed a little syndicate which laid .00.000 to iCT.OOO against the colt. Lloyd's was worried by men who wished to insure themselves against the risk of his not starting, and the rate, rose from 10 guineas per cent. to GO guineas per cent There are vicious rumours that stable patrons were able to get out before the public announcement, was made. I fancy these can be dismissed as the .vile concoctions of jaundiced minds. The public are said to have lost £500.000 over the scratch. We may safely divide this sum by five, and it is still a nice windfall for the bookmakers and commission agents to hold before the race. To show their gratitude, they have cramped the odds against Kennymore to 0 to 4. He only beat Corcyra at Newmarket by a nose. Corcyra only beat Bra'kspear in the Newmarket Stakes on Wednesday by ihe hair on his nose. There are three other horses in the Derby which, upon latest form, can be made to have better chances than any ..1' those three, although it inn?: be noted that the mile and a quarter on Wednesday was run in the remarkable time of 2min. 1 -l-5-.ee.-

FOOTBALL. BUGBY. The Auckland interprovincial fixtures so far definitely arranged are: August 15, v. Canterbury; August 22, v. Taranaki; [August 20. v. Southland; September 5, v. Wellington. ; The executive of the Auckland Rugby i I'nion is taking steps to fill the vacancy on the management committee caused by the retirement of Mr S. W. Somerfield. The appointment will be made at next meeting. I SyJi.vy enthusiasts are already d-is- | cussing tactics wherewith to beat New Zealand, and one critic lays stress on the necessity for variety cf attack by the five-eight. He says':— And it is to be •rem-smibered' that in the tactics which .iTe toeing suggested the home team would only be following ill tho footsteps of 'Duncan, the notable New Zealand live-eight, who still stands supreme in New Zealand Rugby history as the most scientific five-eight that I ever stood in shoc-l(utoer. Some of the Otagan's most brilliant efforts were effected by these same pun-Us, whk-h, in his case, were short. Duncan used ito receive such graellings from the opposing forwards that, although a strong man. lie had to mix his game or be put out of action, and finally he made -an art of the 'business. -In his palmy days, whether running, passing, ot kicking, he ivas almost meteoric iv his Hashes of aggressive action. An added weakness to tiie monotonous pass, pass, pass to the outside threequarters is the fact that with a line of four somc.trmos across- the field, the last man to get the Imther is right on the I ouch-line, and' the whole demonstration is futile.

"Finally, i: may be mentioned that the New Zealand five-eight may not mix their game in the manner described. They may merely go in for the old style of touch-line passing, in Which ease, all the better for the hoauc team. It would irot be the !hv: time that the teav'ivr has become the pupil.

Respecting the forward work Tcquired to cope with the invading New ZoalandVrs the same critic writes: A high standard is required, and possibly the ■best example which can be selected for a particular style of play is Seeling, the great "All-IBlack" forward, considered to be, in Iris best day, New Zealand's greatest forward. So he was for the ripping, tearing, following-up business. Seeling played his jjamc with sullen fury, but there -was always method in his nradmoss. and' when he followed up a kick (anil he did that untiringly), he always tackled his man—simply le-ata-pult-i-d into him. head downwards, like a 'bulldog. It was by this specially distinctive characteristic that the Aueklandcr made his name more than anytiring else as a great forward, because the play could always be seen. Jn other ■respects, he was somewhat similar to Carson, the New South Wales forward, in 'being absolutely without fear, and one who always played l a little above his own weight. It w-as said that a team of Seelings would Ik- absolutely irresistible. There are no Seelings. no ('arsons, audi no Paulings. with the New Zvaland team which is coming over here, but there will Ire some who will do their best to emulate -these heroes, and the point to rememlier is that the NewSouth Wales, or the Queensland, or the Australian vanguard must make up their mind that in the fast, dashing, tearing, runaway game they are going ■to be in at the death. The New South Wales forwards showed symptoms of it in tiie second half against Queensland last Saturday, and their short, sharp, quick passing was of a high order. They can do better, however, and they require 10 bustle more, follow up every lime fast, and see that the high punts iii tire aggressive action are properly timed for a further concerted moves ment. And in the ruck every man must get in and put in his extTa bit of effort. If this is done, and' the men have tire condition to last out the game, the New Zealand phalanx in all its glories may be outshone by the Australian forward renaissance.

PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOOTBALL. At Eden Park and the Agricultural Show Grounds on Saturday last the sixth series of matches in the first round of primary schools' Rugby eventuated, thus leaving three matches in the A grade, and otic in the ill and C grades to complete the first round. The games, as a whole, provided exhibitions of better football than those of the previous Saturday, sxime interesting and closely contested matches being played. (Perhaps the l>ost game of the day was that between Normal ami Bayfield of the B grade, played on No. 1 ground at Eden Park as a ciiTtain-raiser to toe City-Ponsimliy fixture. In this match Bayfield's line wins crossed for the first •time this: season. The most interesting match in the B grade will be that, 'between Newton West and Bayfield', both heading the list with 12 championship points. AY est boys having reg-.isn.ered 133 points and. with noTre against them, while Bayfield's lads have secured 70 with 3 against them. In the A gradie Devonport has not yet been defeated', nor has Bercsford. the Ualhtier, however, liaving drawn with Ponsonbv.

iElleTslie remain unlie-Uen in the C grade, having run up 100 playing points, anil having had .'! scored against them.

The -Normal v. Bayfield fixture provided good football on No. 1 ground, and spectators witnessed a. closfly contested game, brimful of interest from opening to flose. ill was not gencni.llv anticipated that Normal would run Bayfield so closely, but on the day both teams weire evenly matched. Bayfield appeared 1-o prevail in the. scriifru. and got the bitll away ito good purpose, tunny fine passing runs -being indulged in lry the backs, among whom Wallace was the sttar pr-rform-er. Ivil played a good gimp at full-back. ' During the (first .half the play was of a. very even nature, hut with chaaige ends Normal pressed so that, towards the close of the second half, (ramble was ablo to slip across and register the first points for this' season against Bavfield. With but a few minutes to go. Bayfield boys roused themselves and rushed play to Normal's twenty-five, where Wallace secured' and scored a tfine try. finishing 'behind 1 tho posts. In t-!rr midst nf breathless exciteroent Alexander converted with a good kick, and ihe game was (Bayfield's. 'Newton East and Mount Edon played a. fairly even game on No. .'J ground. Eden Park, though not much luck came the way -of t-ho latter team, for whom A. Alexander did good work behind the sennn. Wren was ton pick of East's backs, and played good football. Grant's tries were the rcs'ult of clever intercepting.

JPonson.by met iPaxneil and made a much' improved, showing, the gssae end ing in a draw.

IDevonport again wort eu-bstantaally, this tone from Onehunga, toe latter ■boys putting up a gmodi fight against odids. Playing for Beresford Street, Food a-gain played a fine game at five-eighths against a weakened. Remuera. team, toe first -named team winning 'by six to nil. Epsom and l Avondale had a great go at Eden Baric, victory going to toe latter team ,by 3 poinita to nil. The game wiae fast throughout, and wbile the Avondale boye thoroughly deserved their victory," the Epsom lads played pluckily ail through. Basso! and Stacey shone out in good work among Avondlale's forwards, Harris and Postlewaito showing some promise among the backs. Smith worked' hard for Epsom. The Napier Street boys had all their own way against 'Richmond Road during the fast half, but the latter boys- made an unexpected stand dturing toe second half and kept the yellow and blacks at bay in great style,'foeeT again playing soundly. Little Brady, who is in Standard I. at school, held a roving commission, and aroused' Napier's forwards and the spectators by nipping rushes in tbe bud. Andereon used his pace to advantage, and put .in some fine runs in securing his many tries. He should not indulge in too much hurdling tactics. Napier's backs showed a decided slowness in passing, the .ball hanging fixe again and again through players, pulling up to deliver and receive passes. The wing-forward spoilt good' work by a tendenev to off-side tactics.

Kewton West's backs had a day out against Mt. Albert, and though Stewart was absent, the Tear guaTdi worked well. ißrough sveured three nice tries: I'ooley was as sound as on the previous Saturday, Jmt wing-forward Simpson might have put more dash into his play. He appeared a trifle tired. The Mt. Albert- boys played pluckriy—nearly all being bare-faotedl —but their play lacked combination. A short game between Point Chevalier and Maungawhau saw the former run out victors by tl-2 to nil. The latter played with a weakened team, and had littlv chance against the 'boys from the Point. For the winners Aspdcn. HaTduiiLti and Clay played good games, the linn-named securing a particularly fine lry, but .he was unfortunately hurt during tho game. IFor Nelson Street. Bovaird and Ncprffr proved themselves players of srone worth, and secured 1 most of the points. For Newmarket Parker and Lawrence played' the best games. Ellerslie proved much too strong for Mt. Ros-kill. andl won by 21 to nil. Ellerslie's forward division would extend most of the vajiguards in either the. A or B grades. From observations made among the various teams in the three grades it is evident that a very sound representative schools' fifteen can be selected this season, fast and' clever forwards and ■hoicks being in evidence in tho three grades, and in some teams, several players play football of a high standard. It is umlierstood tbe Grafton Road team, of the A grade, has withdrawn from the competition. It is to be regretted' that the black and whites could not have seen at least the first round through. ASSOCIATION. Richmond played Tabernacle in the fourth division, on Saturday, and after a fairly one-sided game defeated them by three goals to one- Tabernacle scored immediately from the kick-off, by the ball rebounding from a Tabernacle forward when the, back was clearing. From then on to the end of the game Richmond pressed, and had it not been for tbe Tabernacle goalkeeper doing good work between tbe sticks, they would have scored more. Courtney, O'Connor, and Larsen, in the forwards for Richmond, combined well and brought off some pretty headwork. Veart and Church, in toe halves, played well and fed the forwards usefully. The fullbacks did not get much cha-nce. to distinguish themselves, but made no mistakes when the ball came their way. The Tabernacle centre played good bustling football, but was not backed up enough to be effective. The full-backs and goalie also played good games. Courtcnay (2) and Wylie scored for Richmond. The referees lose two of their members •this wedk. a* these gentlemen have signed on as players of the Corinthian Club. This necessitates their retirement from the Soccer Referees' Association. Again this week the Association have been forced to confirm penalties inflicted •by the boys' subcommittee in the various grades for failing to observe rule IS, which refers to the playing of unregistered players. Particularly to the lower grades this should not be necessary for the registration of fourth, fifth, and sixth division players is permitted till Friday night, or by post on .Saturday. Mr H. E. Langridge writes as follows with regard to the decision of the championship in the second division:—''Dear Sir. —May I crave your consideration, and a little of your space, in order to lodge a protest against the manner iv which the committee intend dealing with tiie conclusion of the junior grade competition. According to the report of the last meeting, it is intended at the end of the present round to have an elimination contest (in other words, a tournament) between the two leading elub3 in each section to decide the championship. Now, Sir, I ask, where arises the necessity for this, and furthermore, where is too justice of it? If this is a championship competition, tho same as it always has lieen. the team that has secured the most points at the and of toe competition, has won the championship, and is justly entitled to the honours attached thereto. That is the rule that governs any championship league conducted under sporting principles. To ask the leaders tn turn round and play toe team below them is. to my mind, a gross injustice to the team that has fought for top place. What attitude, may I ask. would the committee adopt, in the case of the leading -team having a three-point lead over the second team, and then in the playoff the leaders were to be beaten? The leaders would si ill bo champions in a true sporting sense, but I take it that the committee would rule to the contrary. The absurdity of such a position is too apparent to need further mentIf the committee want an elimination round in the junior grade, let us by all means have one. hut make it irrespective of the championship contest. Furthermore. I cannot see why, when the first round was finished, the com.mittee did not let the A section play the B section, and so equalise matters. Then every team would have played every other team, and the leaders would have been undisputed champions. This would have been by far the simplest and most fa ; r method that could have been adopted, and was, in fact, what was generally expected.