SPORT OF ALL KINDS.

Evening Star, Issue 11657, 18 September 1901, Page 7

SPORT OF ALL KINDS.

THE TURF. Avondale September 21 and 25. New Brighton Trots ... Sept. 21 and 26. Geraldine September 26 and 27. J'Jossrp by Old Identity.] The three New Zealand Cup horses training at Wingatui arc doing well, and though so far their work has not been fast enough to test them, there is really no question as to their soundness. What we want to know as the day comes on is that they are bright and eager, and so far the prospects in this respect are promising. Fulmen is the most forward of the three in regard to condition, and I hear that M'Comb is engaged to ride him in the Cup. Gojdspur is not going for a Northern trip; but will probably commence his racing for the season at Wingatui. Mr J. Grindley has consented, at the special request of the Taieri Club, to act as starter again this season. .Mr. Charlie O'Connor has been engaged to do the starting at the D.J.C. spring meeting, Mr Piper having a prior engagement at Hawke's Bay. Convent, dam of the S.A. Derby winner Ritualist, was destroyed this month. The Hawkesbury Handicap provided the Sydney public with plenty of interest beforehand, but on the day'of the race (the 31st August) there was only one m it, that one being Mr Wootton's Sirdar, son of Splendor, who led all the way, and carried his 6.12 to tho end of the mile and a-quarter and 100 yds in 2min 17jseo. The Hawkesbury meeting was responsible for in-and-out form on the part of a etwstnut colt named T.M.S., by Correze, from Her Ladyship. In the Park Stakes he was backed down to 5 to 2 in a field of nineteen, and failed to do better than third, the winner turning up in St. Mars. Afterward* the winner had to undergo a protest on the score of age, which was dismissed. In the last race of the day, the Welter Hnndiopr>, a long price could be had about CTCS., as the race was looked upon as •d thing for Plain Tom. T.M.S., TIA\ r ' AVCnfc to tnc fr° nt: > an d topped UAi winning easily at the finish. rri South Australian Derby, run on tl.e Li m ieptember, produced a field of six, >ley (by Thunderbolt) being a hot are hj' e " ' Klt mainly owing to Ritualist , r beaten him on the track in the *~ligs he was not such a strong order j i.e threatened to he, and a shade over eve'as was procurable about him. Ritualist was next in favor at oi to 1, while Amiral -.. the'only one of the others who engaged .-er t= s tention. Young Hopwood took ' .21 —(>.. ->" e front as soon as they had t .ed i.'ee, . "'aces, and he soon placed a. gap 01 Won e. three lengths between himself a'.s. Time f, but Ritualist had decreased jv HURT>' mile, and at the seven pa-ir were on terms. With half .?) j> le to go vJhie'veley retired beaten, leaviol'i Amiral and Discussion in close attendance upon Ritualist, and this trio came into the straight in this order. Ritualist held his advantage till the pickets were when Amiral caught him, but at u«.is juncture Ritualist bored Amiral. When the pair were clear again Ritualist ran on straight enough, and won by •."three-quarters of a length, while Discussion was a length further back third. The time was 2min 48£ sec. Ritualist :s by- The Englishman from Convent, a mare bred at Turretfield, and purchased by Mr Varley from Mr W. Robertson. Before Ritualist was declared the winner he had to undergo the ordeal of a protest laid by Patterson, the trainer of Amiral, on hehalf of Mr R. T. Melrose, the owner. The ground of the objection was that Ritualist had interfered with Amiral in the straight. The boring, which took place near the pickets, was plainly noticed from the Press stand, and it was evidently observed by the crowd, a section of whom hooted Powell on his return to scale. Deveney, who rode Amiral, said in his evidence that Powell struck his colt twice across tl',K head with his whip, and finding that tin? ;did not stop him, he bored right on to him. Powell admitted that Ritualist swerved on to Amiral when he put the spurs into him, but said that the interference was accidental. Some of those present held the opinion that both horses were distressed, and that the bumping was unavoidable, and this was evidently the •view taken by-the stewards, as they decided not to disturb the judge's verdict. • The third and concluding stago of the time-trotting test was watched with great interest at the Victorian agricultural show on. the 6th September. Emulator established a ""new mile record in 2mm 24see. His three trials gave an average of 2min 25J-sec, which is a record for these competitions. Mary Daly did the first halfmile iii the splendid time of Imin Usee, but unfortunately broke immediately afterwards. Notwithstanding the break she finished in 2min a quarter of a second behind her record on the 4th. Her performance on the sth put her average up to 2min 29sec, which placed her second. Mr A. A. Woods's health is so bad that he is not likely to do any more judging at race meetings. His resignation as judge at Caulfield has been sent in and accepted. Mr It. Phillips, owner of Tarquin, has arrived in Melbourne from Western Australia to have an operation performed on his eves.

About a fortnight ago a friend gave ine <o understand that he had received a letter from Svdney intimating that, bar accidents, Australian Colore would run a, great race in the_Melbourne Cup. As the letter was dated August 21—previous to the opening of the A.J.C. spring campaign, at which the horse only started once, and ran third — the writer must have known something, for on Friday last a cable to the New Zealand Press conveyed the information that Australian Colors had been backed and was then first favorite for the big two-mile event. It wasn't a bad tip for an early bet.

Particulars of the first and second day's racing at Sydney are to hand. Ibex was scratched for the Derby, owing to his having bruised his foot through playing up on the way home from exercise on Friday afternoon. Hautvillers looked quite the swell of the seven runners (writes "Terlinga"), and as Scobie was thoroughly satisfied with the way Mr Bailey's colt had done during his stay at Randwick, he went out a firm favorite. Sir Leonard is a very nice colt, and was very fit, but he did not look quite up to his form. Still, his party thought he would win; while Payten gave Grasspan a good chance. Caravel, a great slashing colt that should see a better day, carried plenty of condition, but Solitary was not fancied, and John See seemed quite out of place in such company. Despite there being so much Galopin blood in the field, all seven were cool and quiet at the post, Hautvillers especially being as sober as an old gelding. The Maine, who was to make the pace for Grasspan, dwelt at the start, but this did not matter, as Sir Leonard was allowed" to stride aloDg, and when The Maine made up her lost ground she carried them along at a merry pace for most of the way, Hautvillers, lying third on the rails, going as strong as'a lion, but his backers got a fright when he dropped back about fifth half a mile from the post. It seems Lewis saw the danger of being pocketed, and pulled back and came round his field. There were loud shouts of "Caravel wins" as Mr White's colt came into the straight with Sir Leonard and Grasspan clearly beaten, but the situation qnickly changed as Hautvillers drew up Band over hand on the outside. He was on terms 200 yards from home, and won in handsome style by two lengths. Grasspan finished well, and was onlv a neck behind Caravel, but Solitary ran without the least dash, and finished last. The victory was W P o P u hir- -This is Mr Bailey's first A.J.G. Derby wm with a horse running in his own name, though he was part owner of Stromboli and Camoola. There were twenty-eight starters for the Epsom Handicap. The race was a most extraordinarv one. I never have seen a big field cut To ribbons as Sequence smashed up this field. Newhaven's Melbourne Cup was probably the nearest approach to it in Australia. It was expected that Sequence would be slow in getting out of the barrier, and would have to do his best in the last half-mile. Instead of this, he jumped off well. . Abington was quickest away, but at the end of two furlongs Sequence was with him, and after a short battle for supremacy Sequence. cut him down. KhartJ,v afterwards Sequence was right out

from his field, and Kuhn adopted the bold 'policy of coming right on without regard to weights. Soon it was a case of whips out, and all Sequence's followers in dSe trouble, while the leader, with-Kuhn lying on his neck, was getting further from his twenty-seven followers, who were til bunched. With Sequence out of the way any one of twenty might have been picked to win as the lot charged into the straight. Sequence was easing up at the finish. He I was pulled up in the last fifty yards, but still he won by about a dozen lengths, rt was a case of "Eclipse first and the rest nowhere." Whakawatea started at i.2 to 1 in the Kensington Handicap, and was ridden by J. Barden. There were five withdrawals from the Metropolitan, leaving thirty to go to the post. April Fool and Caravel were the only scratchings of any note. San Fran not only ran, but started favorite. Neither the ownernor the trainer backed San Fran,, but Kuhn is in such form that anything he rides has backers, while Sau Fran's performance on Saturday was very taking. With Kuhn off and Harris on, Sequence went back in the betting. Patronage was a very strong order, while Hautvillers, who was the king of the party as far as looks went, was firm at 6 to 1. There was some little delay at the post, but when the barrier rose it was to a perfect start. The race was run at a sound pace all the way. Hautvillers and Sequence were well placed, but San Fran and Patronage began slowly, and had to fight their way through a number of horses. Kenley made most of the running, but Caledonia headed him about half a mile from home. Here Hautvillers and Sequence, in beautiful positions, were going well,. whereas San Fran's case seemed hopelew, until Caledonia pulled out, and let him up on the rails, just as Marvel was let up in a big race some years ago. . FOOTBALL. [Br Wing.] Chatting to Mr A. Restieaux, who controlled the Auckland-Wellington representative match at Wellington last Saturday, he told me that the Ancßanders were too good for anything in New Zealand at the present time, and their three-quarter line was the best he ever saw represent the Northern union. The first spell was a treat to witness. Personally, I inclined to Auckland's chances, though Wellington were putting in a real good team, and took a lot of beating on their own ground. A full account of the match had not reached me up to writing these notes, .but it would appear from the Press Association's report that the Northerners were undeniably the better team. Who are champions of the colony—Auckland or Canterbury—is a question unsolved. My humble opinion is that were the rival representatives to meet the honors would be carried off by the Aucklanders. I befieve them to be the superior combination, and this with all deference to the known strength of the Canterbury vanguard. Dr Fookes, one of the Taranaki representatives, is a player of whom Taranaki footballers may well bo proud. As a youth he went to the Old Country to study medicine. There he studied football as well, and with such success that he represented England on ten occasions, captained the redoubtable Yorkshire County team for three seasons, and was once captain of the North of England fifteen when it played the Southerners in a trial match prior to the selection of a representative team. Dr Fookes is a footballer who "plays with his head," and his style should be well worth watching in to-day's game. The injuries received by the doctor in tho Wellington match prevented him from taking part in the contest against Wanganui. Owing to the action of the chairman of the Wellington Rugby Union, who presumably was backed up with the. authority of his Committee, the local Pressmen were denied access to the touchline at last Saturday's Wellington-Taranaki match, with the result that the 'Post' reporter very properly gave a condensed report of the game. The Union, however, saw fit to quickly climß down from their lofty position, and at their meeting on the following Thursday decided to allow three reporters to have the privilege of standing on the touchline c-n the side opposite the grand stand, for the purposes of their calling. I presume the three reporters will be the representatives of the local dailies, or is it intended to draw lots with a* view of deciding what particular Pressmen, special and others included, shall have the opportunity of access to the touchline, leaving their more unfortunate brethren to take notes in a more obscure and less comfortable position? Things are coming to a pretty pass when a small body of men shall dictate to the representatives of the Press as to the latter's mode of carrying out their duties. "Touchline," in the 'Free Lance,' makes a somewhat labored defence of the Union in this matter, and his statements are not quite on all fours with facts, particularly when he instances the arrangements at the South Island grounds, as being satisfactory to Pressmen. A little more experience would soon convince him of the necessity for an alteration. During an interprovincial match in Dunedin this season I mentioned to two prominent Rugby Union officials that it might be necessary for me to have access to the touchline, as it was quite impossible to see everything going on from the box. A prompt and courteous reply was forthcoming: " Yes, by all means, if you desire it; only don't obstrnct the view of the spectators.'" And the reporter would have too much " savey" to come into conflict with the crowd. However, reporters have the matter in their own hands, and by taking a firm stand, as in the case of the Wellington 'Post' representative, a Rugby Union would soon think twice before attempting to interfere with the liberties of Pressmen.

His Excellency the Governor has expressed to Mr De Costa, secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union, a desire to present a challenge cup for competition between teams representing the North and South Islands. It is the wish of Lord Ranfurly that the champion fifteens of each island, should meet at Wellington and decide who shall hold the trophy for a year. The Management Committee of the Rugby Union will meet next week to discuss the competition for the trophy, which is the first that has ever been offered to the New Zealand Rugby Union. There will be considerable difficulty in getting the teams together, but it is hoped they will be overcome, so as to show that the footballers appreciate the interest taken by Lord Ranfurly in our popular winter pastime. However, the chances of the rival fifteens coming together this season appear to be somewhat* remote. "Cy 13" did not hesitate to express the opinion that the hollowness of the New Zealand victory over the Welshmen left no shadow of doubt as to the superiority of the colonials, and he goes on to say:—"On this side no doubt was at any time felt as to New Zealand whining, but the form of the matches with the provinces, in conjunction with the fact that some of the best men had not played since the opening match of the tour, justified one in anticipating a much better stand by the Welshmen." He further adds: " Prior to the agreement by the New South Wales Union to the programme, it was pointed out that heavy matches and incessant travelling impose an altogether unfair hardship upon the players. I take the opportunity of again emphasising this fact. £>ew South Wales is always desirous of playing New Zealand—in fact, it would re a fine thing were the two colonies to meet twice everv year, visiting the other in alternate years—but while strung out to six or eight weeks, and heavy matches succeed one another on Wednesdays and Saturdays, we cannot expect the tour to prove alluring to Welshmen. When the New Zealanders come over here a week intervenes between their big matches. The mid-week matches, being against weak teams, are often mere practice outings—occasionally they may not be so. But with the reputation of the visiting team at stake, there is no reason at all why any other matches beyond the interState should be played at all, unless, of course, the visiting team expressly desires them."

"Touchline," in the 'Free Lance,' does not find so much fault with Mr E. Isaacs, who carried the whistle in the TaranakiWellington match, as did another Northern critic, and personally I am prepared to-ac-cept his statement ns hearer the mark. "Touchline" says: "Mr R. Isaacs, a new arrival in Wellington from Dunedin, made a very favorable impression with the whistle. Though not in the best of "form, lie kept well ud with the game, ancl barring one or

two slight slips did well. He allows a' little too mu<<h off-side play, however." " The death of W. Shortland, who recently toured this colony with: the New South Wales team, came as a shock to the football community of this town. . The deceased skippered the visitors against Ota'go, and in '• his position as five-eighth did good service against the local players. He was at one ! time a member of the University. Club of Sydney, but latterly threw in his-lot with the Glebe Club. If lam correct Shortland played against the last New. Zealand team which visited Australia., He . made many friends during his travels round New Zealand, and though of a reserved disposition was greatly esteemed by those who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. During the Wairarapa-Taranaki match a rabbit suddenly darted across the ground, behind the Wairarapa backs. "Chase him, Diamond," yelled an admirer to the speedy three-quarter, who was, however, too intent ou business to make a match with the furry challenger, which- received an ovation from the crowd as it reached the touch-line. Startled by the human array, the rabbit jinked uncertainly, and was coursed by Wo. dogs, finding refuge ultimately near the stand.

Mr Herbert Little, of Auckland, at present in South Africa, says in a letter to his parents that the New Zealanders at the front are still keeping up their football reputation. A team from the writer's company defeated an Australian team at Silverton by 16 points to nil. At Pretoria they defeated the Pretoria Football Club, who. had hitherto an unbroken record,.by 9 points to ml. In this match the Rev. A. Mullineaux took part At Standerton the team in which Little played defeated . the Johannesburg Mounted Rides by. 26 points to nil. Two players who were ordered og the field by the referee for rough play in the junior chainpio-nship match piaved last month between Melrose and Poueke, at Wellington, have been disqualified by the Management Committee of the Rugby Union —the Poneko man until June nest and the Melrose man for the whole of next season. The Melrose player failed to attend the meeting—hence his greater punishment. The Poneke forward admitted having kicked his opponent, but urged in extenuation of his offonco that ho had been previously kicked by the latter.

Opinions of "Cynic," in the Svdney •Referee':—The New Zeaknders in future years will be more formidable than ever. In the first match of the tour the Welshmen appear to have shown them the possibilities of the four three-quarters' system. The backs of the New South Wales team in New Zealand arc not by any means great exponents of the four three-quarters' game ; but in the first match they must havo put forth their best in attack. Next time the New Zealanders come here they will probably play the new back game, in conjunction with a dashing forward game. And, if so, our men will have a warm time. It was this sort of game that New South Wales put in against Queensland in the first of the Sydney matches this year. The matches in Now Zealand show once more that in defence Australian players are not strong. New South Wa>los has a few really powerful defensive backs, but a majority are merely fair defenders. Each of the matches in New Zealand and Queensland shows out this weakness. The same weakness is observable in Queensland football ; in fact, it seems to me to be even more noticeable in onr cousins of the North; that is, ju'dged by their Sydney form. From the Dunedin special of the 'Canterbury Times':—"Of all the referees who controlled representative matches in this City (Dunedin) Mr Evans, of Christchurch, was admittedly the best, besides being popular with spectators and players alike." Mr J. R. Henderson, manager of the New South Wales team, has been sending articles <md cables to the Sydney ' Referee,' and his remarks on New Zealand referees are interesting. In the Canterbury-New South Wales game, Mr Barry, the referee, was, according to Mr Henderson, fair, so was Mr Evans in another match, while Mr Cresswell, who controlled the WanganuiNew South Wales game, did not give satisfaction to his men. In the high opinion of Mr Henderson, there is only one firstclass referee in Australasia, and that is a certain Sydney gentleman. The members of the last New Zealand team who journeyed to Australia arc not at one with MiHenderson in this idea, and they know a little about' the ■' qualifications of referees. Ask Duncan, M'Kenzie,. and others of that ilk, whose opinions are worth seeking and ascertaining. CRICKET. Mr A. C. Hanlon has been elected president of the Grange Club for the sixth successive year. He will, as usual, present the club with two trophies for competition this season. Hugh Trumble, in the course of an interview on Maclaren's team, told a Sydney ' Referee' representative that the * team would be stronger in batting than in bowling. Asked whom he regarded as the best batsmen, he replied:—"l am not prepared' to prophesy who will make the best- performances here, because one never knows what changed circumstances will do. But I certainly look for good work by Tyldesley, Maclaren, Jessop, Jones, Braund, and Hayward. It would be hard to say who is the best of the lot I have mentioned, for they.are all good. Hayward, as you know, has been here before, and he has played splendidly since that time. He may prove one of the best of the team; but it is hard to tell. Speaking of change of form in cricket, take Brockwell, who was the champion bat one) year in England. He came out here with one of Stoddart's teams, and he did not play up to his old form by a long way. The wicket did not suit him, and some of the best of those coming out now may have similar ill-luck. The team is no doubt, a pretty strong one, but it could be better. The new bowler, Blythe, has a good reputation. He has never Elayed against Australians yet. neither has larnet. How they will shape I cannot say. Other good bowlers are J. Gunn and Jessop, the latter being fast and very successful. Blythe and Gunn are left-hand men." YACHTING NOTES. The recent spell of fine weather has given the yachtsmen an opportunity of getting their crafts in order for the coming season, and advantage has been taken of the fine Saturdays by Bome of the energetic members, special activity being shown by the North End men. The Thelma's crew have been hard at work for some time, and the owners of this first class champion expect to have a spin out of her by Labor Day. The old Leader has changed hands, Mr Tom Baker having disposed of her to those .well-known Ravensbourne enthusiasts, Webber and Co., owners of the Carbine. They are now getting her ready for launching, and all yachtsmen will wish them success with their new venture. They have been regular competitors at all races for a number of years back. The Leader has proved herself to be one of the fastest boats in the harbor in a breeze of wind, and the' owners of other first-classers will require to do their best if they want to hold their own with her.

Another of the old-time fleet has changed hands, the Muritai having been purchased by Mr Asher, of Port Chalmers, and all yachtsmen will be pleased to see this good old boat once more in commission after her long spell on the hard. f There are llivee new boats boin» built for the third class event, -which" is now the most popular race in the harbor. Mr Pidd'mgton is building a centreboard boat, a new keel boat is in course of construction at Ravensbourne, and a. boat of novel design is being built at the North End by the 'Varsity boys. Instead of the usual"flareout to the deck line this boat carries her greatest beam on the floor, which is flat, the sides starting .sharp from the floor and tapering into the deck. Her greatest length is 25ft, with a beam of 6ft ou the floor and 4ft 6in on the deck*. She will be decked all over, only allowing a cockpit for her semi-amphibious crew to tuck their feet in. She will hare uo' false keel or centreboard re'.ying entirely on her side for lateral resistance, attaining, as it will, its greatest grip when th e boat is'heeled considerably The report that the design is the result of unholy communion with the cement works ghost is not authentic, the idea being first worked out by a Canadian inventor Her performances will b e wati-hed with interest and her builders are to be congratulated on" their pluck in leaving the beaten track

and on the really good job they are /making of her. ■" The greatest improvement to any of last year's boats is the alterations that have been carried out on last year's champion secohd-classer Waitiri. She has been for the last six weeks in the hands of her builder, Paterson, and has been lengthened nearly 6ft by the addition of a counter. Yachtsmen will remember the rather cut-off appearance she had last year, owing to a very deep and low tuck. That'appearance has been done'away with entirely, and the counter, finishing as it does with a nicelycarved transom, gives -her quite a smart and yachty look, and will doubtless improve her sailing qualities, especially off the wind, on which point of sailing she was formerly a very hard boat to steer when under a press of sail, owing to the faulty clearanco aft. Waitiri is now being fitted with a hatched cabin, and when completed will make one of the most comfortable as well as one of the fastest yachts under the O.Y.C. flag. Mr Paterson is to be congratulated on the really good job he has made of her,'-for it is a recognised thing among yachtsmen that a boat builder can be given no more severe a test of his art than the adding of length to an craft. The little Huia has been greatly altered during the winter, and should show her skipper a good return for his labor and outlay. A lead keel has been cast below the old deadwood, and she is now being hatched over—a thing that is greatly needed in this baT ,- . bkipper Thomson is going in entirely for lead ballast for the Clematis this season, and is having a square cockpit added for the convenience of the helmsman. Fleetwing's energetic crew are hard at work scraping and painting, and hope to have their boat afloat at an .early date. The little Madge (reminiscent of bygone days) is hauled up at Paterson's, and "is being fitted out for the season by her younocrew. Time was when this little brat was the fastest in the bay in the third, class, and she even gave the second all they wanted; but those days are gone.. yachtsmen have steadily improved their boats, and the modern third-classer could smother the oldtime champion. Mr Neea is the possessor of some pieces of the material out of which Shamrock n. is built. They consist of aluminium from the decking, bronze plating from the underbody, and rivets from her construction. These specimens are of interest at the present time, and no doubt Mr Nees will be pleased to show them to any enthusiast who may call on him. ROWING. The annual meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association-is fixed for Wednesday, 30th October. The order paper for the meeting will bo closed on the 30th September, so clubs having business to bring forward should give notice of same before that date, in accordance with rule 6/ The weekly meeting of the Firms' Rowing Committee was held as usual oh Monday evening. The secretary reported that everything was going on satisfactorily, and he hoped to have programmes issued some time next Week. The advisability of appointing a sub-committee from the strokes to assist the surveyor-in laying out the course was mooted, and will Tie brought up for consideration at next meeting. The names of Messrs Higgins, Harvey, and Paterson are likely to be submitted, as these gentlemen are all senior oarsmen, with a good deal of experience of the course, and whose respective positions in their heats are on the beacon, centre, and Waverley courses. .The appointment of officials to control the racing will also probably be fixed next Monday. The conditions governing the prize for the best-dressed crew will also be submitted. Training operations at the various sheds continue to be enthusiastically carried on. Crews may be seen out rowing from' early morn till late in the evening, and there is not the slightest doubt that a close and interesting contest is in store.for the public when the rowing season is opened. . GYMNASTICS [By Longswing.] The long-talked-of display, has' come and gone. The wind was rather strong,'but it did not mar the performance' in any way, excepting that Instructor Smith was unable to give one of his best items on account of the structure blowing down shortly after one o'clock. The Association deserve every praise for the splendid management shown, as every item was kept, well up to time, thanks to F. C. Liggins, the superintendent. Some splendid advanced work was done by Captain Matthews and his team. In allround apparatus work they would take a lot of beating. Their items were the horizontal and parallel bars, Roman rings, and horse. Special mention might be made of the groups on the parallel bars. Good work was also done by all the other clubs in the different sections. Instructor Smith had some very attractive items on his section, the boys going through the dumb-bell exercises very nicely, and he also had a very fine group in this section. The ladies gave another good item, the figure-marching and club swinging being a very fine spectacle. Instructor Smith deserves great credit for the pains he has taken in getting the ladies so efficient in the different exercises. The combined dumb-bell exercises proved another very fine item, and the way the performers went through these exercises showed that they must have put in a lot of work to make them so efficient*. The cadets made a splendid display, and to many this was the best item on the programme. Lex Maclean proved a great attraction, and he is really a wonder, and gave a fine exhibition of strength. The Valley Band lent a swing to the display by giving plenty of music. The running and cycling events caused a vast amount of interest, and the finishes .were all close. The Highland Rifles went through the bayonet exercises in fine style, and were greeted with applause on retiring. The horse display, which brought the performance to a close, was a. very fine item, with plenty of go in it, which pleased the public immensely. ATHLETICS. The Dunedin Harriers are fast attaining their object in introducing novices on to the athletic track. Last Saturday their field proved a record one for a distance race. In Murray the club are possessed of a coming runner, and with careful, training he should! come out with -the "frontrankers" of his class.. Caldow.'and Kilroy ran well, but, like many others, they sadly showed want of preparation. Next l Saturday the club decide their annual championship—a sealed handicap over-five miles—on Forbury Racecourse. Competitors are asked to wear a black band on the arm, out of respect to their late vice-president, Mr M. J. S. Mackenzie. The amateurs appear to bq very strong this year in new runners. Oh Saturday B. Tennant proved himself a. good performer by annexing the 220 Yards and running second to Stalker in the Half-mile. G. Nicolson had hard luck in his heat in the 220 Yai?ds, being bumped - pretty badly by Scurr at the start. ' Notwithstanding this he ran a good third, Price, who was giving hini only 3yds,, just beating him for "Second place. H. E. Clarke ran well in his heat, but

was rather a disappointment in the final owing to want of form. . Of the other maidens Miller and Mooney were the best over the short distance, and Rowlatt over the Half-mile.

.Price is by no means in good form just now, but by conscientious training, may improve by Labor Day.. . Mills ran a good race, but .would have done better had he been, in as good form as last year. Stalker ran very well indeed in his heat, and should have run a much better race in the final of. the 220 Yards. In the Halfmile he used, good judgment by making his run at the right moment. Cuff is still training very hard. He" seems to want a great deal of practice in getting off the mark—a very necessary accomplishment in short distances. Jacobs is still doing slow work, but seems to be going easier every night. King is in hard training at Port Chalmers, and he is determined to secure a place in this year's championship team. Gow is making a start this week. He is to be coached by Craik and Crichton this year. At. the Kilkenny annual sports, held in July 15, P. O'Connor, of Waterford, won the running broad jump handicap from scratch with a leap of 24ft lliin—a world's record, beating, as it does, his 24ft 9in, established at Dublin on Whit-Monday last. Commenting on the sports, an Irish writer says:—"lt is premature to write of P. O'Connor's long jump at Kilkenny sports, as it is not yet a record; however, the ground is certified as perfectly fair, and so well as I remember the ground is not a favorable one to record-breaking, as the annual horse show is held on it, and this knocks it about a good deal. O'Connor can do 24ft llf in I have no doubt. He is the greatest jumper that has ever liveXl, and before the end of this season I expect to see him jump to another planet."