OUR SPORTING CHRONICLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4254, 2 July 1875, Page 3

OUR SPORTING CHRONICLE.

The Australian cricketers' visit may now bo looked upon as almost a certainty. Thcro can be no doubt that great interest is evinced about tho projected trip among the Melbourne and Sydney players, and we do not anticipate any difficulty about money matters. It is thoroughly understood that the excursion will not be a financial speculation on the part of the promoters. The wages of the professionals who will come will, of course, be paid by us, and in the total sum of £7J50, which has been offered at the suggestion of the Dunedin committee, a special provision is made for this pi rpose. The resolutions passed by tho Auckland committee on Monday last will be endor-ed by everyone of my readers. The two prinpal are—"That the Auckland match should be played at KUerslic. provided tho Auckland Cricket Club will give tho ground on reasonable terms" ; and "thatthe combination match of New Zealand against Australia should be played, if at all, at Auckland." Ellerslie presents many advantages for a grand match, not possessed by any other ground here. Besides being indisputably tho best cricket field in the province— as it ought to be, from tho amount of money which has been spent upon it thcro is the splendid accommodation for ladies offered by tho Grand Stand, the convenience of the railway running right to it, and the facilities which it possesses of levying the gate money. It will take three or four months to get the ground into the required perfect order, the out-field-ing being the part that will specially need attention. If this is set about by the end of next month, there will bo plenty of time. I quite concur in the resolution that the combination match should be played in Auckland. The Southern men owe us a visit, and here will be a splendid opportunity for them to pay it. Aβ soon as we hear that the Australians have accepted our terms, it will be time to go into the arrangement of details. Nothing has been heard yet of the opinions of our friends at the Thames on the subject, but we may calculate on their hearty cooperation in bringing the project to a successful issue.

New Zealand sportsmen were somewhat nonplussed at the tidings that Lurline's brother. Castaway, had been wrongly nominated for the Melbourne Cup and the Champion Stakes, and are, I presume, proportionately pleased to hear that tho report was illfounded. It seems the son of Traducer and Mermaid was entered as a five-year-old in both races correctly, as he was foaled a few days before the Ist of August, 1871. This would make him a four-year-old according to the New Zealand ayatem of counting ages, but a five-year-old according to the Australian system, which dates its ages from the Ist July. The difficulty, if it can be called Euch, has been cleared up, and the horse's nomination as a (ivc-year-old is now accepted as valid. By late Australasians we find a little betting quoted on the Melbourne Cup before the publication of the weights, 100 to 5 being accepted about Goldsbro , , and 100 to 3 about Dilke. For the weightfor-age race the following quotations appear:—• 100 to 12 against Kingsborough, and 100 to 10 each against Goldsboro, Diver, and Lnrline. After the Cup I see Lurline is to go to the stud, a worthy mate having been purchased for her by Mr. Gardiner in the Peer, the well-known sire of euch horses as Manuka andLl'eeress, in this colony, and of SeaspiwjSa^Victoria* It turns out that " Mr. Tholuts," tfte rider of Pathfinder in the Grand Xatroeid-at Liverpool, is an old Australian. It is said that he leamt all his riding in the sister colony, where he was well known under his proper name of Mr. l'ickernel. It is an accepted rule in horse-racing that a judge's decision cannot bo over-ruled, and therefore should never be questioned. It is as infallible as the verdict of an umpire at cricket. But all my readers -will agree with me that sometimes it is very hard to concur in its correctness. In the Newmarket Handicap, ran a little over two months ago in England, the jnilge returned a horse called St. Leger as the winner by half a length, to the astonishment of Archer, the jockey of the horse placed second, who imagined that ho had won by at least two lengths. Here is a discrepancy, which it seems impossible to account for, more especially as the lad's version was supported by largo numbers of the spectators. We have hail instances in which the judge's veidict has been questioned —not otScially, of course, —in the Derby. One of these was when Maccaroni won, and Lord Clifton was said to have been "the right one," while another and more generally commented on reported judicial blunder was when Pretender's number was sent up about six years ago, Sir Joseph Hawley being accorded the £100 with Pero Gomez. TV Field recalls this incident in reviewing the career of the lately deceased Kentish baronet. It says: — "In ISGO, Sir Joseph Hawley was placed second for the Derby with Pero Gomez. Iα 1559, he was placed first with Musjid, Ticket-of-Leavc being placed second, but Marionette claimed second place ; and the stewards pave her second place, saying that Ticket-of-Lcave was placed second by mistake throagh a wrongful reading of tho colours. It is thus not altogether monstrous to assume that Pero Gomez may have been placed second by mistake, and Sir Joseph Hawley have von five Derbies instead of four, the Oaks once, and the Leger once." The writer of these jottings was opposite tho judge's box when Pretender and Pero Gomez passed the post, aud he can lend hia little testimony to supplying the theory of the Editor of Tht Field. I maintain now, and have maintained ever since tho race, that Pero Gomez caught Pretender about 30 yards from the finish, and won by a good neck. This opinion was also given by the London Syorhman on the following day, in its urscription of the race. Tho name of the hor.su placed second in the Newmarket Handicap was Peeping Tom. I mention it because I consider liim the most neatly-named animal I li.ive ever come across, being by King Tom out of Lady Coventry, The new fashionable race meeting in England, called the Sandown Park Club and Grand National Hunt Meeting, lately held at Esher, in Surrey, was the first of a series of re-uniona on a most extensive scale. Tho principal race had £1200 added money, and there were several races with over £500. To keep away the vulgar herd £1 was charged admission to the course, but an immense crowd is represented as having attended. Islesman has apparently been unlucky at Wanganui. TLe steeplechase was generally regarded as a "grxxl thing" for him, and much chagrin was evinced when the telegram camo to hand stating that the race was won by Butcher Boy, with Gazelle second, and Isleaman only third. It seem 3 that tho Auckland horse came to grief just as the etakci appeared at his mercy. Bicycling seems to have become all the rage in England again. It seemed likely to fall into disrepute some years ago ; but now, on looking down some London records, I find no lees than eleven Bicycle Clubs existing in the neighbourhood of London, and a report of some sports which tho Surrey Club held at the Oval shews that some excellent competition took place on the various contests.

A big regatta is to come off at Philadelphia next year. By &, programe already published I see that the Schuylkill Navy—whatever that body may be—intend giving valuable prizes for inter-colonial "fours," "pairs," and "sculls"; the winners to be accredited with the title of Amateur Champions of the World.

The Football Match on Saturday, at tho No ■ h Shore, will be a most interesting affair. analysing the na'iies, it is almost impossible t-o say who will have the best of tho struggle. The Colonials get the preponderance of weight, and, at first sight, tho prestige of such formidable players as tho Henderson Brothers, Durier, and Burgess would appear to give them a superiority, but a second glance shews that they are very deficient in " drops," while in this important department their adversaries are very strong, Whewell, Evens, King, Rees, Cotton, and Chirk being all good and sure "kicks." In the running the New Zealanders are excellent, the above-mentioned quartette being " demons" at this part of the business ; but

perhaps E. J. Ellis, Dunnet, Cotton, Hales, and Clark will not be far behind them. From this cursory examination of tho sides, it seems to mo that tho game will bo a most exciting one. The World will have to be very careful some of tho New Zealanders do not rush the ball over their goal line, and so obtain an easy try at goal, while it is quite on the cards that a well-directed drop-kick from Whewell, Evens, or another may decide the game suddenly in favour of tho World. At present tho " Natives" aro the favourites, but I shall give my voto to the Cosmopolitans. HoTaptjn.