ATHLETIC SPORTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6824, 1 October 1883, Page 6

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

[Secretaries of clubs and others art requested to send information referring to matters dealt with in this columii.to Hebalo office.] ■ *

ii, CRICKET. * .

; Thb annual , , report of the Melbourne Club shows that for 1882 and 1883 the sum of £2600 lies at the credit of the club, and that the receipts exceed those of-previous years by more than.£2ooo. This is principally ascribed to the visit of the Hon. Ivo Bligh's eleven. Shall we. ever have a club or an assdeiation with a fund like the above ? < Not in our day, I'm afraid. If we had just now there would be a fine chance to buy a piece out of the Surrey Hills Estate, but the only chance of thf/ Auckland public getting a recreation ground'on that side of the city wHI be when landowner graciously bequeaths such a piece in the same way that other bequests have been made by generous citizens in the past. We have so Bttle level country in our picturesque city and suburbs, and that-little is being cut up daily; so that with the exception of the beautiful Domain ground it will soon be an impossibility what at present only seems **, an improbability, and, as this city grows, the - '■•'one recreation ground for the various branches of athletics will be found quite inadequate for the population. In Melbourne, Sydney, Christchurch, Dunedin, arid ■ Wslliagton there are suitable grounds, with many conveniences which we have not here. They also have easy means of access in the shape of trams; therefore, if we wish to keep pace with the Southerners in athletics, we v must be on equal terms with them in every way. The meeting re the Wanderers'visit, of which there is a full account in another - place, was wall attended, most of the clubs ' being represented. I believe the Wanderers' Club consists of a lot of gentlemen who usually "£ take a holiday trip about the New Year, and as they wish to come to Auckland, cricketers should try and make them welcome, and I have no doubt if they come, which at present there seems every likelihood of, they will be entertained in many ways, both publicly and privately, by cricketers and their friends. The team ie expected to be a fairly strong one, containing five or six representatives. Their wish was to play the three principal clubs, but in Auckland this < is :i difficulty, as we have so many Email Sclubs—3o members in each, being I should imagine about the average of the six largest, ».* so that it was thought advisable to choose .<■-,!* £ three teams to play them three two days' -$'■ matche?. They will, therefore only meet the " * same pUyers once. Two of the matches will be against towD teams and one against a copntry team, probably Northern Wairoa and Waikato combined, if arrangements can H be made. After the business of the meeting was over, a move wat: made in the right direction to form a Cricket Association. That an association ia wanted I think every cricketer believes. Those who have had the management of cricket here for years past, naturally feel that it will take responsibility i ,and trouble off their shoulders, and those younger members will have the satisfaction of knowing that the delegates of their clubs will be able to inform them exactly what Iβ taking place, and they will always have their interests properly looked after. It is to be hoped that all clubs will do their utmost to forward the Association, p- and not let any little trivial consideration keep them from joining, as it is solely for ' the furtherance of the game which of all others has taken a great hold on the youth not only of Great Britain but all her colonies. The Southern provinces have Associations, and we' have a Football Union, and I may state that the Southern matches which were played lately were all arranged in 1e33 than a week, through having an energetic Secretary and an Association. "Why we should not have one I cannot see, and if the subscription is kept as low an 7.~'iS possible to allow our junior clubs to join, s,- ; ■ 'Tjj "it would probably be the means of increasing ' '■. ths number to a great extent. The North Shore Club played eight . . matches, won two, lost one, and five were _.j__j;-- drawn. Thifl-Sdburbaii club is wonderfully -'strongjn bowling, with.the two Lankhams, the two Wynyards, Gill, Slinn, aud Sims. The veteran, G. Lankham, heads the battiug ' ; average3 with 19 - 3, assisted by 3 not-outs. 4 His play was, as usnal, noted for steadiness just whun required. W.Lankhamimproved in his batting very much last season, as his average of 17 - 2 denotes. R. Wy nyard comes next with 13'9. At times, this player shows as good form as anyone in Auckland. Gill, the two Lankhams, and G. Wynyard have ddne their club good service with the ball. ijlj Batons Avehaoes. Name Inn"gs. Buns. Not oat. Hig'et. A'ge. Lankham (senr.) 8 93 3 24 193 ', srswrtt $ o • I si JTM Sims ..13 95 1 *33 711 Geo. Wynyard.. 9 67 0 35 Vi E.\V.Burges« .. 6 13 1 *0 53 T. Wells ..5 17 2 10 5-2 J. Johnson .. S 23 0 £1? Swanson.. ..2 9 0 9 41 'T. B. Slinn .. 4 W 0 10 4' W. Sibbin .-5 13 19 3-1 J GUI .. .. 6 10 0 6 24 Dalgleish ..4 ft 0 6 1"2 BOWXIKd ANALYSIS. Name. Balls. Buns. W'kta, Was. STdns. A'ge. W Lankham 56S 178 47 1 36 337 T. B. Sltnn.. 35 18 3 0 J *' ,a t » J. GUI ..477 170 28 0 32 6.2 #-g ■ J. M. Sims ..106 48 7 0 6 6-6 ""■* G. Lankham 312 73 10 2 23 73 %. WVDTurd 450 123 10 0 22 711 R. Wynjjird 183 78 i> 1 U B<S 'Denotes not out. At the annual meeting of the Melbourne C.C., Messrs. A. F. Robinaon and H. S. Barlow were elected life members, and a bonus of £200 was set aside for Mr. Alexander. The above recognitions were on account of the trouble and expeose these gentlemen had been put to through superintending the arrangements in connection with the Hon. Ivo. Bligh'a team. Morley, the celebrated Notts left-hsnded bowler, has been missed from the cricketfield this season, on account of the broken rib from which he suffered so much pain when in Australia last summer. Henderson, who made 67 when playing for Suirey against Lancashire, is only 17 years of age. A short time ago he was a ..„ ..S little boy selling newspapers in the streets of Croydon. Barlow got five wickets for 27 runs in the 3ame match. Harrison, the new Yorkshire fast bowler,took five .Lancashire wickets for 22 runs, and Ulyett three for 37. Yorkshire seems the nursery for fast bowlers. They always appear to have one at least. Nearly 20,000 people witnessed each day's play in the above matches, while less than 500 looked ..on at Maidstone; while Kent beat Sussex, Showing the difference between the way sport * is supported in the North and South of England outside of London. FOOTBALL. j Owing to the wet weather on Saturday, several matches which had been arranged did not come off. The telegram that the Wellington Union had refused to accede to the request of the Auckland Union to refer the dispute to the other New Zealand unions surprised me very much, and I must say I am disappointed in ~ -■ ' ' men whom I gave credit for better feeling. I thought at firet there might be a possibility of our men being in the wrong, ard that, carried away by the excitement of the f game, they had made a mistake. But now, : '&S, when the other side is afraid to submit to ■ -•" arbitration, even when it has nothing to lose as far as the match is concerned, I must say it looks a very bad case. There was a great deal heard ' about courteous behaviour on the part of the Wellington captain waiviDg his right to the try. I wish I could write the same about the Union referring this dispute, which everyone is sick of, and having it finally settled. It would be plenty of time to send it to England if Otago and Canterbury could not agree. AQUATICS. The Magic ie haying lOcwt. of lead put on to her keel. -■■?■• The Jessie Logan is being overhauled by her builder, who is also turning out a new wbaleboat. The North Shore Rowing Club are not likely to send a orew to the Wb.au Regatta. At the meeting of the Canterbury Rowing Club, the Rev. E. A. Liugard suggested the adSiaability of introducing bumping races. He also a<ivised members of the clnb to break down the coldness which existed between them and the Union and Trades Cluba and throwopen the races to all crews V who cared to present themselves. ** The North" Club have not sufficient funds to build a whaleboat for the > ■• Regatta Club's face, which ia a pity, as they 'have men from ighom a good crew might be picked, while on tho other hand I do not think the Auokland Club have the men to form ,& good whaleboat crew, Ponsonby will

I ;.y ..''■ ~ - iaviLond(Qat, and will do doubt enter, and put (tutfc'a good fair orew for tbe contest. Thl North Shore Rowing Club boatshed is being repaired. 1 believe the New Zealand Tfinber Company are assisting them in Dome wajv ' Mr. J. \H. Want, of Sydney, has bought the 42-ton' cotter yacht Terpsichore. This clipper has just won the £50 prize for cruisers, any rie, exceeding 40 tons, in the International Regatta at Oatend. The following competed :— IreDe, yawl, 54 tonn ; Psyche, cutter, 48 tons; Alerte, cutter, 56 tow. f An interesting trial trip of- the electrical launch built by Messrs. Yarrow and Co., Poplar, took 1 place from Templar Pier to Greenwich. iThis launch vi propelled by one of Messrs. Siemens Bros, dynamo machines. The were rewarded by seeing their craft perform, fully up to their highest expectations. the dark, forbidding aapict of the clouds, the rough state of the river, and tho occasional sharp rain, tho trip was made successfully enough to meet the unqualified approval of the Press' and the scientific experts on board. CYCLING-. The two bicyale <;lubs, •[ am glad to see, have arranged to hold their Opening run on the same day, viz., next Saturday/ when no doubt most of our local crack wheelmen will show up.,. Unattached riders are invited to join-in the procession. The meet will take place at half-past two p.m., and start from the junction of Queen and Grey Streets, down Queen-street to Customhouse-street, along the reclaimed road towards Freeman's Bay, up College-road to the Three Lamps, then along Ponsonby and Karangahape Roads, up Symonds-street, into Kyber Pass to road and down, turning into Park-road, crossing Kyber Pass again at Seccombe's brewery, then up the Mount Eden-road, passing Firth's, down by Owen's corner to the Epsom-road, along to Browning' 3 corner, then turning into Market-road, through Retnuera, Newmarket, and Parnell down the Manukau-road to Customhouse-street and up Queen-street to the starting place. It is expected that the procession will arrive at Browning's corner about b quarter to four, and will finish at five o'clock. Several riders went over the run last Saturday, and pronounce the going to be very good. It is not expected to be a fast run, as there will no doubt be a lot of novices out. Should the weather prove favourable, there should be fifty or sixty cyclists at the meet. It has become fashionable in some places to have a cycling tournament by electric light. This would be a novelty in Auckland, and on a fine night would be a pretty sight. POLO. It will be remembered that about twelve months ago a Polo Club wag formed by a few gentlemen in Anckland, and several matches were played during last season, which were very interesting not only to the playera but to the spectators. The number of members gradually increased through the season, which ended on the 30th of April last. No doubt this exciting and fascinating game will become fashionable here as it gets better understood. At present the right stamp of pony is difficult to obtain, but Wanganui and Waikato districts both possess the breed, and if encouragement be given no doubt the deficiency will soon be supplied, and as a good polo pony should be a good hack for those who like " little-uns " —and who does not who has to go a long journey' or get up and down very often ? At a meeting of the club that took place recently, Messrs. S* Williamson, A. Wallace, Bingham, Manweribg, Cochrane, Webster,, and T. Brown were elected members. The club now numbers upwards of 50, and among other business it was arranged that a£s trophy be given to the winner of a pony race, ponies to be the property of members of the Auokland Polo Club for af; least one month previous to the race, the distance to be half a mile, weight 12 stone or over, members up, entrance ss. Ponies to be ridden in colours. This race will in all probability come off at the Pakuranga Hunt Club meeting, and as no height is stipulated, I presume all ponies that have been used as polo ponies by members of the club are eligible for this, unless there is any by-law that a p"lo pony must be under a certain standard. The season will commence on Saturday, the 3rd of November. Major Shepherd, Messrs. Percival, Dunnett, jun., Donclley, and Burtt were elected a sub-gommittee to arrange matters concerning annual sports of the club, and to report at the general meeting on the second Friday in what steps hava,been taken in that direction. I believe the playing field will be the centre of the racecourse, which should be a very suitablo place, as it is level, close to tho railway station, and nicely situated for both town and country players. As this sport does not require many to make up a aide, there should be a good season for the " pony hockeyists." RIFLE SHOOTING. At the last Wimbledon Meeting a Greenook volunteer, when firing at the 600-yards" range, challenged his last shot. While the officer was making inquiries by telephone, this shootist coolly popped in a cartridge, | and fired an eighth shot. This stupid attempt at fraud was of course discovered, and he was disqualified from Wimbledon for ever, and was at once dismiesed'-.from the volunteer force by his commanding officer, Colonel Latham, Ist Renfrew RiJJes. Mr. J. Dunehea won the President's gold trophy for the year 1883, at the Rosehill Bowling Club's Meeting, held at Parramatta. The Irish team won the Elcho Shield, at the Wimbledon Meeting, scoring 1600 points, Scotland came next with 1589, England fol- ! lowing with 1564. This match is fired at! 800, 900, and 1000 yards. , The challenge trophy, presented by the gentleman with the short name, the late Maharajah of Vizayanajaran, to be competed for by the Lords andCommone, resulted in a victory for tho Lower House, who scored 361 against 351. There were only four aside—twenty shots at 500 yards. One of tho features of tbe Wimbledon meeting has been the extraordinary success which has attended tho Scotch contingent, the memhers of which have had matters pretty much their own way. They have not only secured the principal event —the Queen's Prize —but the silver medal of the associatioD, the National Trophy, the Dominion of Canada challenge trophy for the best aggregate of the meeting, and many of the leaser competitions. The St. George's Tase was, however, eecured by a Southerner —Wilson, ot the Queen's Westminster. Sergeant Mackay won the Queen's Prize at Wimbledon. In tho match Ew»hnd v. America, which was eventually won by the former by 45 points, the American's started off with a good lead, but they broke down at the 900 yards range, the Britishers gaining 34 points on them. The weather was very blowy and wef, which is supposed to havo put tho Yankees off. MISCELLANEOUS. I am surprised to see bares hanging up in dealers' shops at this time of the year, but I trust the taste of the Anckland public is not so depraved as to eat them, as the does are either with leveret or suckling, so they are not likely to be very fat, and as for the flavour, a person must have about as much taete as a Hottentot to think them nice. A match for the billiard championship of Australia and £200 will take place during the Caul field Cup meeting in Melbourne between Weiss, of Glen Ino.es (bettor known as " The Boy"), and Byrne, of Melbourne. The half-mile amateur swimming championship was won by David Ainsworth, captain Serpentine Club. Twelve started. Ainsworth, time, 14min, 23Jsec. (fastest amateur record), 1 ; A. E. France, Myddolton C, 14min. 401 sec, 2 ; W. Henry, Zephyr, 15<nin. lse., 3. Ainsworth, who has been racing for thirteen years, is an overhead stroke swimmer, and faster than ever, and now takes the cup right out. Aegcs.