SPORT OF ALL KINDS.

Evening Star, Issue 11664, 26 September 1901, Page 7

SPORT OF ALL KINDS.

TENNIS. . Recent advices from Melbourne state that in the premiership matches the Albert Park. Club are virtually left in possession ot first place with s'points, the M.C.C. being next with 4 points, the University third (witn handicap) with 2 points, and the South' Yarra Club a hopeless last with a solitary point.. Albert Park were to play University and M.C.C. to play South Yarra, and the winners of each of thaße matches to play off in the final, the result of which should be to l.'.nd this week. But Albert Park are almost sure to be first, in spite of the fact that M.C.C. are only 1 point behind. It is noteworthy that the same team that played in the New Zealand championship meeting still represent the M.C.C. in the club matches. " Bisque," in the ' Australasian.' complains of the Victorian Lawn Tennis Association playing the premiership matches during the* winter, when it is almost impossible to get practice during the week. THe same complaint (says ,a Christchurch contemporary) may also apply to the practice of Christchurch clubs arranging handicap tournaments when the only day available for practice is Saturday. It is quite common to go to the club courts and find that tho majority of the courts are occupied by singles, while players who have not entered or have lost their match " sit out" the greater part of the afternoon. In the final of the Linwood Club's Men's Handicap Singles, which was recently played. Bristed, with a. handicap of 15 5-6, boat Kiver, who found the. handicap too heavy. The match was very good, Bristed winning the first set 6-3, Kiver the second in a walk-over by 6-2, and Bristed, whose pace and playing were irresistible,- the third, after a close contest of 6-5. The win wa.t very popular. The Linwood championship is the uext event, and for this the ex-Duu-edin champion Borrows was entered. The Canterbury Club's Men's Handicap Singles are proceeding very slowly to a finish. H. A. Parker, playing for the championship of North London, met G. E. Evered in the second round, and scored an easy win, 6-1, 6-3, bub in the third round drew C. P. Dixon, who got through to the final in the All-England championship at Wimbledon, where he was beaten by Gore, the champion. Parker took the first set, 6-5, but after that Dixon had things all his own way, and won as he liked, 6-1, 6-1. In the Melbourne premiership matches, Diddams is rapidly becoming one of tho best singles players in the competition. Against South Yarra recently he had to meet R. Fraser, who had just won the championship at Wagga Wagga, but the latter was not given a chance, and wont down, 6-2, 6-1. It is only during tho last two years (says an exchange) that the winner has shown what he could do in singles, though, with Dunlop, he has, for several years past, been considered one of the finest double players in Victoria. In this match Dunlop beat Brookes easily, and Waters and Saxon also won their matches. The M.C.C. team now occupies second place on the list. The inter-State match Victoria v. New South Wales will be played at Sydney On the 28th and 30th September. In the inter-State lawn tennis match Queensland v. New South Wales, Rice beat Crouch, 6—l, 6—l, 6—o, in the singles championship. New South Wales also secured the doubles championship, Rice and Pitt defeating Rowlands and'Henzell, 6—3, 6—o, 3—6, 6—2. The tennis season should soon he in full swing. Indeed, most of the clubs have donn«d their summer llannels, and the courts are full every afternoon with players impatient for a game. Dr W. V. Eaves, who M r on tho singles lawn tennis championship of Scotland from Mr C. R. D. Pritchett, the holder, at Moffat on August 13, is an Australian by birth, and has held championships there as well as in America, Ireland, and Wales, and he has also been within a stroke of winning the English championship, whilst for three years he was covered courts champion. For the Scottish championship he played a grand game, for after winning the first set at"6—2 ho was badly whipped in the second and third—o—6, 4—6—but. staying better than Pritchett, he pulled off the fourth at 7—5, and the final at 6—l. Dr Eaves then joined Mr E. D. Black, of Sheffield, to contest the doubles championship with Messrs Pritchett and A. W. MacGregor, the holders, and the doctor and his partner were victorious by three sets to one, the scores being B—6, B—lo, 6—2, 6—4. GOLF. Lord Wemyss, advocating the claims of " park golf," points out that by teeing the balls after every stroke long grass need be no hindrance to a match. No doubt golf of this kind would be better than none at all, provided fore-caddies were employed, and the putting greens were, in fairly good order. But when Lord Wemyss claims an advantage for park golf, because by teeing the balls after each stroke the element of chance in the matter of lies is done away with, we must beg to differ. The essence of golf is that a ball shall be played from where it lies, thus affording an endless variety of strokes, which impart additional interest to the game, and afford scope for trained skill. The necessity to tee the ball .«o far as may bo possibly in long grass should be regarded as a disagreeable necessity, and not as an improvement on tho legitimate game. Thus Taylor, the ex-open-champion, in ' Golf Illustrated,' concerning the length of swing : " My opinion is that the club should not be carried below the horizontal behind the neck. If it is, the club goes beyond the control of the player, and an effort has to be made to get it back, making a break in the swing, which, of course, is a fatal thing. To have complete control of the club is the great advantage derived from the threequarter swing—that is, one which does not go below the horizontal. It is astonishing how the play of golfers ha.s been modified during the past few years in respect of the swing, for not long ago it was considered that to be a golfer you must have a full swing. What has led to tho change is that it, has been found that with the three-quar-ter swing the player can get the ball equallv as far with a great deal more aecuracv. It the full swing comes to a player naturally, and he finds he has complete control of Ins club, by all means let him use it; but, speaking generally, it would produce a better average game of golf if plavers wero taught not to attempt more than a threequarter swing. People who commence late m life should certainly-not attempt a fuller swing than this." _ The New Zealand golf championship meeting will be played at Auckland at the beginning of next month, when the following events will be played:—Amateur Championship of New Zealand, over 18 holes, and final 36 holes ; a' handicap, over 18 holes ; a Bogey Match, over 18 holes; Inter-club Challenge Vase Cttnpetition (for Mr E. I). O'Rorke's trophy), between teams of four players from each club; Driving Competition down Amphitheatre ; Foursome Bogey Match, over 18 holes; and other matches if time permits. It has been decided, at the request of the southern clubs, that the Ladies' Golf Championship will follow the New Zealand meeting, after an interval of two playing days (October 7 and 8). , Several improvements are being made rn the Balmacewan links, in preparation for the summer season. Chief of these is the improvement of the putting grounds and tees, and it is expected that in a short time tbey will be m fine order The first match in Scotland between James Braid and H. Vardon took place at Blairgowrie on July 11, and resulted in the champion being defeated, Vardon winning SL«Tf 0 and i7° De i to pla ?" At Crieff, two days later, Vardon again defeated Braid, after a most exciting contest, by the same margin as before. J America recently produced, so we are told, a new golf ball, of which great things were expectea. Before it was V>t on the market there were no end of rumors current about the prodigious distances it could be driven, and there was some fear that it would revolutionise the game unless it could bo rultid out. A drive of three hundred yards was said to be quite within the powers of an ordinary player. Fortunateiv bo far, the performances of the new invention have not come up to these exaggerated prophecies, although there seems to be -i consensus of opinion that the ball gives a

considerable access of length (at the expense of accuracy) to a poor driver. For this reason, it is said to be popular with lady players. Mr Herbert Gladstone, M.P., had a good' opinion of golf. Speaking at the opening of the new Leeds club house at Roundhay, he expressed the opinion that the Parliamentary Handicap was a useful institution. "In golf," he said, "you always have to agree with your adversary, as you march round with him stroke after stroke. You must not argue with him, because if you do his eye may leave the ball, and his good temper may also disappear. And so we walk round in that parliamentary golf tournament in perfect peace and quiet with our greatest political adversaries and become such good friends on the golf links that it • is very difficult to quarrel afterwards about polities." The competition for the ladies' championship of Victoria was continued at the Sandringham links on September 10. There was a good attendance, and the mild weather was conducive to good playing. Miss F. Raleigh, of Geelong, won her scores for the three rounds, being respectively 120, 104, and 103, the last-mentioned score being the ladies' record for the links. The following is the result:—Miss E. Raleigh, G.G.C., 027; Miss Shaw, R.M.G.C, 344; Miss Calder, R.M.G.C, 345; Miss Bateman, W.G.C., 346; Miss Guthrie, G.G.C., 352; Miss Ayres, A.G.C., 353. In the same competition the men's championship was won by M. L. Anderson (GeeJong) from fifty-six competitors, his score being 3 up in two rounds against bogey. The winner defeated his brother, P: C. Anderson, who has held the championship for the past four 3'ears, the latter being completely "off" for the day. W. Gunson (S.A.) was runner-up with 2 up. ■ The championship of the Australian Golf Club (Sydney) was won bv H. Macneil, who defeated E. *R. Simpson "in the final. Mrs G. Fairfax has again won the associate championship of the Royal Sydney. A very handsome silver cup, richly embossed, with two handles, and standing about 12iu high on an ebony stand, has been presented by Mrs G. G. Stead for competition among the lady golf players in New Zealand. Its inscribed "title is*" New Zealand Ladies' Gold Championship Cup." The cup will be first competed for at Auckland on October 9, but it is also to carry the names of the champions since the competition was instituted in 1893. and the list comprises Mrs Loraax Smith, Christchurch, 1893: Mrs E. Wilder, Christchurch, 1894; Mrs E. Melland, Christchurch. 1895 ; Miss L. Wilford, Hutt. 1896 and 1897; Miss K. A. Rattray,! Otago, 1898, 1899, and 1900. One of the biggest hits of the season (says a contemporary) was made recently by a golf player at the Palmerston links, the ball being driven fully 250 yards, but unfortunately in its course it kuocked out three teeth belonging to a man who was working near. The latter, who has sent in a claim for £2O to the club for the loss of his teeth, does not hold a very high opinion of golf as played in Palmerston. ATHLETICS. The Dunedin Harriers decided their annual club championship at Forbury Park last Saturday before a numerous attendance. The distance—five miles—was sufficient to try the mettle of twenty odd competitors, the majority of whom gamely contested the finish. H. Murray,, who has already proved his capabilities as a runner, gamed the champion honors, with Caidow, Divers, Biirnard, and others in close pursuit. The win was a popular one. In conjunction with the above, a sealed handicap was held, J. Strain proving the winner, H. Diver coming second. L. .T. Burna.nl third. Next Saturday the Dunedin Harriers close their season with a run from Mosgiel. A. 15. Wilcox, the walker, who is now residing at East Bundabergj Queensland, will be a competitor at the Australasian champion.-hip meeting at Auckland. The weather lately has not been too good for training purposes, but- notwithstanding this fact there have been a few amateurs on the track every day. These a re. the men who arc bound to shine before the season is ended: Price is taking things easy, and as he has now been training three weeks he ought to be beginning to improve. Gollan should try long distances. He has the stride and staying powers wanted for distance running. Nicolson, a maiden runner, is one of the best seen on the track for two or three seasons. He is in good hands, and should turn out an excellent sprinter. Stalker is improving every clay. He has a good chaneo of winning the 220 yds on Labor Day. Cuff is sprinting well, but is still very slow off the mark. He is practising getting away, and is likely to improve in his starting. Jacobs is riot going too well. Going out with the Harriers seems to have spoilt his style of running, but he is beginning to get back his old style slowly but surely. Rowlatt is sticking very hard to training, and is beginning to show great improvement in sprints. Bundle, a maiden, might make a fair man in time, but will have to run more on his toes instead of flat footed. Mills is getting into great form now, and is trying hard to equal his performance of last season. Gow is going very well indeed under Crichton's training, and will go very near championship honors this year if he only keeps well. Divers is another walking man who is training very hard. He has a -nice style, and ought to improve a great deal with training. " Major " Taylor made his first appearance in competition in the United States for this season on July 18, winning the halfmile championship race at the National Circuit meet at Springfield. Since, he arrived home from his European tour he has been announced to appear at several meets, but owing to indisposition he failed to put in an appearance, the N.C.A. refusing to accept his explanation, and fining him £2O for each non-appearance. Taylor, however, would have none of this, and informed the ruling body that unless the fines were withdrawn he would not appear at all. This decision had the desired effect, and he was requalified. When Taylor made his appearance he was warmly received, but his riding second to Wilson in his heat (first and second qualifying) did not meet with the approval of the crowd. When, however, he beat Tom Cooper in the semi-final, and cleverly won the final by five yards from Fenn, 'he came in for a good reception. A good field turned out for the two-mile handicap, which was won by the Englishman Gascoync, who treated the spectators to some fine riding T. Summersgill, winner of a world's mile amateur championship, after which he retired, ha.s applied to the N.C.U., England, for another amateur license. A youthful rider of fifteen years, De Guichard, won the Grand Prix Municipal, a sixty-seven mile race for amateurs, on the road with pacemakers, at Vincenncs, France. His time, 3h6min 59sec, was very fast. The crack Continental amateurs are all very young. The majority, of them start to race at a very early age. C. F." Barden, the English rider, who visited Australia a few seasons ago, and who had retired, has started racing again.. Kramer, the ex-amateur, is apparently the coming Zimmerman of the United States. He is winning all the principal evenfs over there. The all-British championships, which are to be run at the Glasgow Exhibition, and at which Gavin Park, of Sydney, is to ride, promise to be a big success. All the best English amateurs have entered, and Pease and Reynolds, the crarOc Irishmen, will also take part. Gavin Park will not stand much chance of winning against such talent as this unless he improves considerably on his track form in Sydney. Park is more of a road rider, and is hardly likely to shine on the track against the crack British amateurs. The half-mile record is being slowly but surely reduced; At the recent annual sports of • the Bleakheath Harriers, , A. L. Reed, the. well-known Polytechnic rider, made a successful attempt to break it, and pulled the figures down to 59 l-ssec. The previous record was 59 2-ssec, made by R. Jatison. At the same time A. S. Ingram and R. Janson attacked the amateur tandem Tecord and knocked off a second. It stood to the- credit of F. T,

Burgess and D. Resfcq, their figures being 55>3-ssec. • OUR BOWLERS\AT HOME. '■: Mr Thomas Ruskrugc (Wellington) was one of the Now Zealand boilers. Who'have just completed their tour. After the Irish visit' the team journeyed through the Midland Counties, and after a match at Southampton, and several in the neighborhood of London, disbanded with a glow of enthusiastic recollection of the splendid hospitality shown thorn, and the hope that they will be able to .return the compliment before long to Scotch and Irish teams'in New Zealand. The net result of the matches was fourteen wins, thirteen losses. In the long run the separation' of the Australians and the New Zealanders turned out to be a good thing. A team of forty would have proved too unwieldy for most of the opposing clubs to tackle, and two score Antipodeans with their amplo storage capacity, coming down like wolves on the fold at one fell swoop, would have been a serious drain on even Scottish hospitality. As it was, even the smallest clubs could find a couple of rinks to oppose the ten New Zealanders, and could do their visitors well. Even teams of fifteen or sixteeen, forming three rinks, could have been comfortably accommodated; Mr Roskruge was much impressed with the beautiful greens and the excellence of the play in Scotland, both far ahead of anything experienced in England, where the greeens are distinctly inferior to those in New Zealand. In Scotland, indeed, when a bowling club has to relinquish a site, say, for building purposes, it transplants not only itself but its turf to it* new locale. CRICKET. At the Oval on July 12, Robert Abel, by recording 247 in an innings of ,474 for the Players against the Gentlemen, made a record score for the series of matches, beating the 217 of W. G. Grace, at Brighton, 1871. The veteran champion was in the field at the Oval, and saw his record of thirty years' standing go to the wall. How much the success of the Yorkshire attack is due to the perfect confidence which the bowlers have in their fielders received another illustration' in the match at Worcester last week (says ' Athletic News' of July' 15). Fifteen of the twenty-two wickets were captured with the co-operation of the fieldsmen, fourteen being caught, and one stumped. The honors (if the season in the field arc easily held by John Tunnieliffe, who so far has been responsible for forty-three catches, most of them nt short slip. Last year the Pudsey player accepted forty-nine catches, so that he should easily beat that figure before tie season is much older. \ At the annual meeting of the Wellington Cricket Club, Mr A. R. Holdship, who is leaving Wellington to reside at Wanganui, and who has for many years been prominent on local cricket grounds, and represented on many occasions both the province and the colony, was presented with o a silver sideboard ornament as a token of the esteem in- which he is held by his clubmates. In reply, Mr Holdship expressed his regret at parting with the club. Although it was unlikely that he would play cricket at Wanganui, he would scrape together a " holiday team" and bring it down to Wellington during the coming season. A remarkable double tie match was played recently at Winchester between Peter Symond's School and Eastman's Royal Naval Academy. Each team scored 52 runs in the first innings, and, strangely enough, each compiled half that number in the second innings—viz., 26. Abel was the recipient of a pleasant little gift from an admirer at Brighton recently, when playing there for Surrey against Sussex. It took the form of a silver matchbox, on which were engraved particulars of the "Guv'nor's" record twelve centuries of last season, in the order in which they were made. W. Gunn's score of 273 against Derbyshire recently makes the eighth innings 'of over 200 which he has made in first-class cricket this season. Three of these have been scored off Derbyshire bowling and one against Surrey, when Gunn made his second highest score—236 not out. The latter, by-the-bye, is the highest individual innings ever scored oil' Surrey bowling. Gunn's 273 is also the record inniugs ever scored for Notts, the previous one. being 268 made by J. A. Dixon against Sussex in 18S7. CYCLING. Vaughan and Chapman, who raced with indifferent success in Australia last season, have struck form in their native land. In a ten-mile motor-paced race at Salt Lake City, Vaughan and Chapman, on a tandem, defeated the Turville brothers, and covered the distance in 17min 15sec. This works out at lmin 43Asec per mile, and is a world's record. Major Taylor's tour on the Continent fully sustained his reputation of being the fastest rider in the world, and he carried practically everything before him. He has returned to America, and at his first appearance he covered a mile in lmin 36|sec. When RobJ lowered the American Stinson's world's record by covering 65 kils 512 metres in the hour, he was engaged in a match with Dickentmann on the Leipsic track. Six thousand spectators were present. Frank Kramer, the American sprinter, is credited with having accomplished a wonderful performance recently. At New Jersey, on July 7, he won a two-mile handicap from scratch in the world's record timo of 3min 59gsec. At the first big meeting of the present Australian racing season, which was to have been held at Adelaide last week, George Sutherland received 20yds start in two miles, with Forbes, Hunt, and A. J. Body all on the 40yds mark. One of the finest performances accomplished on Australian roads during the past few years is 0. S. Prouse's twentylive miles Australasian competition road record of lh 6min s|sec, established in the Perth City Cycling Club's. road race on Saturday, August 10. The road in places was bad, owing to late rains,, and this further enhances the merit of Prouse's ride. The previous best competition record was claimed by several riders, all the times being in the region of lh 9min. Prouso rodo one of the new pattern cross-frame Raleighs. Sutherland, the New Zealand champion, is in Melbourne getting ready for the first Australasian championship for the season. This event will be held at the Sydney Eight Hours Sports meeting on the 7th of next month. W. L. Park, the well-known Victorian amateur, was one of the victims of the sensational tram sticking-up case'. SWIMMING. Mr A. A. Green, the cx-captain of the Otter Swimming Club, ex-champion of London, who swam second to Cavill when tho Sydney crack won the long-distance- championship, is (says the Sydney 'Referee') coming out to Australia by an early steamer. His destination is Queensland. For some time past Green has eschewed serious racing, owing to some internal complaint. During his race with Cavill, the Otter man suffered severely from cramp in the stomach, or the writer thinks first honors would have gone to Sydney, for during the latter part of the nice Green was swimming three yards to Cavill's two. James Finney (who, together with his sister, are delighting the inhabitants of Montreal with their marvellous feats of natation) has 'issued a challenge to swim M'Nally any distance from five to twentyfive miles, in any water and at any time, for from one to two thousand dollars aside. —Montreal ' Daily Star,' June 22. [M'Nally is the Boston (U.S.A.) journalist and famous long-distance swimmer who tackled the Channel swim a few years ago, but, like many others, failed to accomplish the task.] The National Life-saving Society's gala at Highgate on July 13 attracted a crowd of about 30,000 people. < There were thirtythree competitors for the National Graceful Diving Championship, and in the final test E. T. Serrans (Trident S.C.) was successful E, G. Goldwell (Dublin), last year's winner) being second, and T.. Victor Place (Brussels) third. T. Fathersby, of Stockport (holder) won the 100 yds National Back-stroke" Competition easily in lmin 38sec. J. S. Irving (Coventry) was second, and C. C. ■ Bea'l (West Ham), third.. The Breast-steoke Com-'

petition, louyas, was won by F. H. Saxon, of Southwark, who defeated A. C. E. kylJng (Clarence S.C.) by ten'yards, K. Ford (Priory S.C.) being thirfL/a foot awj». rime, 2min 19f sec. The IOOydH Invitation Handicap was won by.C E. Feyarts, of Brussels,, who had 12sec start. Madame Isaceseu, the Austrian amateur swimmer, .was unable to start on" her pro-1 eoted cross-Channel swim as proposed. The rcry hob weather had produced an enormous ruantity of jelly fish in tho Channel, and ffhilo the swimmer was taking her daily practice in the. sea she was rather severely stung, which has caused her much inconvenience. . She then hoped to. mate the atsempt in a few days. The temperature of Jm sea is unusually favorable this year for Jross-Channel swimming. .