Cycling.

Evening Post, Volume LX, Issue 114, 10 November 1900, Page 2 (Supplement)

Cycling.

[By Dagonkt.] On Wednesday night the Wellington Centre Committee of the New Zealand League of Wheelmen spent «.• most uncomiortable couple of hours- tihreshing out the protest from, the Carterton Club against the Committee's action in issuing a permit to Wairarapa (Mastertou) Club to hold a meeting on Boxing Day. Mr. Hornsby, M.H.R., delegate for Caruarton, explaiiied' at some length the position from his club's point of view, pointed out the 'hardship of taking Boxing Day (which Carterton from, long custom had come to look upon as cycle-race day), and told of the struggles of the country body. It had laid down a good' track which, through unfortunate circumstances, had to be abandoned; than a new and more expensive track had| been built< and, now, through more trouble*, it was likely the club would have to* build yet another one. The members of the club, said Mr. Hornsby, had put their hands in their pockets and "sU-ood the racket" in the expectation of clearing expenses out of the Boxing pay meeting, and thei granting of the license to another body had upset all their hopes, and would throw the club very far back indeed. Now for the other side of tfie story. The Wairarapa' (Mastertoh) Club, is a young one with a.- small membership. It has had misfortune following on, misfortune for. the last two years at least/. Last Easter the club was to have held a sports meeting, but gave over the day fixed to the Patriotic Fund Committee. The previous year a permit was obtained .for. Queen's Birthday, and after, much expense had beea incurred in the way of advertising and printing, the weather took a hand in the game, and the club was euchred again, The ' year before that a permit was granted the club for Boxing Day — more expense — and a week before the sports day the permit was cancelled by the governing body. All tins was^ discussed by the Centre Committee, which decided' that although, both oases were very hard, Wairarapa Club really desierved to have the Boxing Day permit for the encouragement of the club and in the interest of sport, and Ca/terton's protest was dismissed. The latter club will probably .appeal to the , • Council of the League "against, the! «Wellington Centre Committee's decision, but it; is unlikely the League JwilL inter-, fete. - \ At the Paris meeting tTacfluelin was beaten in the rich, race, Grand Prix do Exposition. The Englishmen fared badiy, but Jack Green, gave Bourillon a good raae in one heat. Ln the .final Meyers (Holland 1 ) beat Cooper (U.S.A. 1 ) by a length and a half, and Jaoquelin was a length aiway. The winner had a grand reception. The prizes were about £570, £190, and £120. Th/ 3 chief event of the big meeting was the Prix dcs Nations, a thoroughly International contest. The English , team was made up of Green, Jenkins, and Sutherland, the New Zealander, being thrown in as a kind of "make-weight" says Wheeling-. They won their first heat against the Germa-n team — Auemd, Huber, and Meyer — but were beaten by a point in the semi-final by the fmo Fnench combination, Bourrillon, Jacquelin, and Louvet. The finish of this ran Jenkins, Boumllon, Louveb, Green, Jacquielitt, Sutherland; Jenkins's win by inches being a particularly fine piece of riding. The final heat went to • America, Cooper, M'Farland, and Banker running well enough together to -win, althbugh Jacqudin secured the premier position. In the nwi'-off for third prize Italy beat England 1 easily by 8 points to 13. * War (says Melbourne Punch) has been, declared! by the Melbourne Bicycle Club against the L.V.W. The club seems ta have burned)' its boats j there can be no retreat from the position, occupied: now that preparations for the Austral meetin, - are so far advanced. Tha League, it is well known, will rely on its reciprocity agreement with the other coloniea as a> trump-card ; for under this pact no riders from outside our borders will be allowed to enter for any M.B.C fixtures. On the other hand, the club contends that this reciprocity agreement was made by a body which is now-de-funct, and that the present League works on quite .different lines to its predecessors. What will be the attitude of the racing cyclists *— » particularly thd largo fry — in this fight for the premiership between club and * league? The club is rich, the league is poor. Another element of doubt is the probable action of a fourth party in < tm race promoter. Under what rules wUI he prefer to run his show? This will depend largely %on the support given to either side by the racing mnn, for this promoter will' certainly cater for the body which had in its*ranks the cream of the racing talent. - He knows that the public will not pay to see second and third class racing. The Melbourne Bicycle Club had received 143 entries for the Austral Wheel Race, and the club authorities look upon this as a great Victory over the League of Victorian Wheohrien in connection with the trouble between, them .and the; L.V\W. ( ' SpetaMug of cycling both in England and on the Continent, Mi 4 : Reynolds told 1 a reporter of the Auckland 1 Weekly News that professional racing was at a very low ebb; in fact, on the Continent, rates were systematically bought and) sold, bringing the spirt into disrepute.