THE RINGER-IN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 28 July 1928, Page 13

THE RINGER-IN

OLD-TIME ATHLETIC SCOOP , WHEN BETTING- WAS RIFE. A BEWHISKEEED ATHLETE WHO COULD RUN. (By “Bhysical OnJltuTi!s*t.')

-Somewhere about 1896 or 1897, when ttiliei Waiihi and ’Thames goldfield's were returning rich div-ide-nds 1 and prof-els - slo.mil running avos in the Loom, many nvaticilueis. (ware lost ain'd won. Uillalt ±ait p-ivcon,, ’ ’ ;tEe belt ting public Wate ptok<vil iof every feather. In my experience wiitilv it,lie pros. 1 have often gleaned rn-iltor-m at ton concerning 'the dins and outsof matches' Avhich on appearance- were on. /the 'level. Some were, and 'Some were ain't. This istory, Avhich hate the salving merit of toeing true- concerns one of tlioiso Avhich Avals mat. The molten, was a gen nine 'O-ne', maid I have no doubt itHi'O, loser tried his level Lest to win. Tint, .the winner ivvais the- -knot which the laser could not un-tie, The- scene- of flue mlatoh was set for Tauramiga,, and /(ihioi pitot Avals hatched alt- Wotihi'. Jwst here I will say the- names- of the, two pri-iici'pail actors—f-o-r “actors” they wore -in very fruth-TgsW'ere not the .names they received at baptism. Ally Philipi-, -tiho bookmaker, wals weuil-k-nown to a'lil the p'od-s. of those days l , while his dark horse McKenzie- was—well Avilio iwajs- he? I will! just Say he itols the winner of many races tooth in -this country and Australia. He was never known to fail his party when backed to. -win. Should these dines meet the -eyes -of the Tauramga sports of those- -da-ys-, it will simply endorse the opinion they then formed that-Mc-Kenzie with the whiskers conidi run. Bhilipi arid Blank were -alt Wtaihi looking for matches, when (they heaird of iai runner nolmed Howi-e who-. lived at Tauiran-ga and who was considered a oood runner over 150 yard's. BoAvi'C wais a groat favourite with the Maoris, AVlio - we-re prepared to -back (him unto the last penny. Ally heaird of this Tauramgi pod., and looked round for Avays to lead to,-a. match. In talking it ovOr with B-lanic, he -c-am-o (to- the Conclusion he was not likely to get a match as Blank, so he had a brain wave, saying ‘ ‘ Wo -must get Omni. If he Avom’t run Blank, he will have to run somebody else. You must -grow Whiskers and become McKenzie. ’ ’ This -idea Blank fell in with. In the- m-eau-tim-e the- ip-aiix otf - adventurers- told ito live as they could not afford to eat up Itihe cnlsh they held i-n hand to bet with, and at thait dait-c bOoki-eis had to have some visible means of -support. Bo Bhilipi bought a- phonograph, one of the old style, from which tubes uS'e'd to dead, off Itio the- ears-. Old timers iwlld remember the- While the Whiskers were- growing, 'they knocked -about a. good bit from place to place. They used: to get into a room at an hotel, and stairt the phonograph going, and Charge threepence a time to listen. Later Blank rain the phonograph, and Philipi took on the cards -and dido, at Avhieh he avals am adept. With this combination to (fall back on the pair bald plenty of money ,-and could weld afford to wait until the whiskers grew long enough to su-it. Then Ally hied off to Tauramga. ■ In due- -course Blank received a, -letter lyhitok told hint he- was matched to run H-owi'c 150 yards-, and that his n'aim-e was McKenzie. At that

time Blank was staying ait Bernier's Hotel, Pa'eraa-,. mat far from Wiaiihi. A few -days laiter Blank -got another letter of advice to come over and put up a-t the Tauramga Hotel. Ala arranged, he Avals shabbily dressed in 'order rapt ito aro'u-se suspicion. Everything AA r enit off O.K. and the d-aty came- around.

The Maoris -swarmed into town to See -this match with Itheiir champion Heyvi'e. In -laltier years Blank 'hiflimsiedf told nie—-but I had better comtin.no the story in hi's own word®.

“I had never seen such a dolt of Maoris- before, and they all had money to bac-k their man, and they did. . Hie Avals a -beautifully built fellow, about siit 9in in height, and looked ate fit tils po-ukl be -dressed in- a good fitting oexstumie. As he moved around he looked a. picture and would have made a' model for ia bronze statue. No doubt he told his fricindls, and they were many, that he would beat mo -easily. Well, I was got up for the occasion. I had. oh lain old pair of pants and long-armed singlets to hi de my condition, but I had on a, good pair of shoes-. By the appointed time -the ground wins- full of people- who wore' mostly anxious to back jtbei.r fancy) the local man. Bhilipi and amate of bils donned the bags and opened up the betting at even money. The Maori's- rushed- him and the other chap, and they laid) against the torlonze figure (till thei c-OAvs chime home. By this time they held- a.' lot of money. There Aveoie other bookmakers on the ground, aind Bhilipi, who never missed a chance of making -money, .had' another chap -mioviln g round getting ovens on McKenzie.

“Thio sitoiy of -the race- is Soon told. W o Avent up -to the mark and, of course-, •there- were a lot of people who. came up •to wo the- statist, and Ally Bhilipi Avals one -of them. He was white; things Were at fever heat. When he: whispered, “For any favour ,don’t make any mistake, for if you do. I wiifll gelt killed by these Malor'is. ’ ’ This was the -only time I ever saw Bhilipi -excited-. Wie 'got on to the mark -and he kept -oh breaking. Of course, I went with him every time. Ait last the gun went and the great event wals soon over. I won fairly easily and the people took it very well for. -a. time. But -whom the waipiro began to work they began ito see, things- in -a different light and (became rowdy; then they smelt a tat. At last Bhilipi dug me up -and said; 'I think AAio had better get ou-t of tbils. Things are getting too hot.’ So- we went to the livery stables and- got a-pair-horse buggy and away to Rotorua we travelled all! night, and -l'eift Rotocmia far Auckland, where I shaved oJn-d kept quiet for Some time. ”

The foregoing is the true sitary of the HoAv-i'e-McKeuzio match, which still -exercise's itthte minds otf old Tiaiurtiinga sports, who never ccateo to enquire- of visitors, who Avere at latll promo in'onlt athletes in the bid gold days: “Did you ever meet a runner named Mckenzie?’” When my. old pal George Walrehlam was at Tauramga training Baddy Hannan, the -sCulll'et, -he wals told all about McKenzie- with the whiskers who -took them down. 'Sotee of the spoilts- -took him Ouit to the pla'ee and pointed -obit AVhere the -match was run. lie also -m ot Howie, who it odd him of what happened, and fin-ish'eld by saying, “By George, but he -could run.’’ Felloav feelin-g -makes -uis wondrous kind, tin the -old days I bumped against the t'wo-or-throo-nauuo fellow rn'o-re thaln once. Nothing wals mo-rc hoalrt-break-ing Uhlan chasing the ringer-in, whether hie AVate a McKenzie -or -a McDonald. /