ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8020, 6 August 1887, Page 6

ATHLETICS.

FIXTURES. FOOTBALL. IU'OBY. Aug. 6, and 13.— Practice Matches— V. Possibles Anirust 17—Canterbury v. Auckland i August 26.— Otsgo v. AuckUnd Association; August 6,—TUnuore v. Hornets. Links v. Carlton Saracens v. Beresford Kllerslle v. Doronport. August 6.— Amateur Road Race. Aug. 6.—Hare and Hound* Chase to Otahuhu. AQUATICS. Nov. mber 28—Beach v. Iranian, Championship ol the World, Nepean River. The praotice m»tch last week has had the effoct of making considerable alterations in the team of probable players, and the fifteen chosen is, in my opinion, a good one, although in one or two instances the committee have made a mistake. The most noticeable is the omission of Lecky's name from the probable fifteen. I consider that I am expressing the general opinion of footballers when I say he is as fit and well as any forward in Auckland. Of course it may be answered that be is only pat out for this week's practice because of having an injured arm. Bat, if snob was the reason for excluding him, why did it not also apply to J. Poland, who has so serious and a more recent injury, and ie yet named as one of those to play ? Murphy is a player who may complain of some injustice, for although he has not been lately playing quite up to what I have seen him play, yet he is better than some left in. Concerning Braund, without making any comparison between him and Lnak, 1 must eay that I think the team would have been stronger with both men in it than with only one. Concerning the weekday afternoon practices and«evening walks, etc., arranged as a course of training, they have been up to date, to say the least, very desultory and unsatisfactory, the latter being almost, if not quite, a dead letter. No doubt the primary blame for this apathy is to be found in the players themselves, but a large amount of it most certainly appertains to the Selection Committee for their delay or neglect in naming a definite team. The matter stands thus:—For some six or eight weeks the oommittee have been aware of the approaching iuterprovinoial contest, and have been, or were supposed to have been, taking notes and forming ideas of the men's play; and what has been actually done? They have named 40 players, and have played one scratch match ; and now when the match is but ten days' distant there are e fil l some 34 players included in the possible and pro bable teams, any one of whom may be put in at this late hour, or, after fancying that he would be inoluded, may be left out; at the last minute. No wonder the players have shown no disposition to exert themselves in the way of training. If at the conclusion of the club matches a fortnight ago, fifteen men had been selected as a team, and about five or so emergencies, they would have most likely put themselves at an inoonvenience to practice and train regularly ; but when one week a man plays for a probable team and next for a possible, and vice versa, it certainly does not conduce to make him satisfied. I presume that after to-day's scratch match the committee will no longer hesitate to make a decided, and to some extent at least a final selection, so that our " reps" may have at least one practice together, so that they can get accustomed (?) to each other's play, and learn that combined game which the Canterbury men are supposed to possess in such a high degree. The Hamilton Football Club has lately been strengthened by several good players, who have come to live in the district. Formerly there was a great difficulty in getting a team together to play a match, but now the selection committee has a choice of some thirty players. All the club needs to make it one of the best country teams is a permanent captain, one who will stick to the game all the season, hunt up members, and work up young players. Of the latter there is a good number, who only want coaching to be good men. Practices are now held on Sydney Square every night. To-day (Saturday) a team comes down from Te Euiti to play the Hamilton Club. The following play for Hamilton :— Guird, Keep, Box, Wright, O'Neill, Odium, Mays, Molntyre, Lawson, Rutherford, Von Sturmer, Hammond, Manktelow, Hiatoa, Pilling, Steele, Hopkins. Jolly, Gribble. H.M. writes as follows : "I would suggest to remedy the apparent unwillingness to train by the whole thirty selected players, that a match be arranged between the fifteen not picked and a team chosen from the Waikato clubii, to be played about the same time an the Canterbury match, so that all thirty may have some object in training. The project is not a bad one, but it is hardly feasible with the time at disposal. My opinions re training are given above. Two very interesting matches are get down for this afternoon in the games between the employes of Messrs. Macky, Logan, Steen and Co. and the Civil Service, and that be* tween the teams representing the Nkw Zkaland Hkralu and the Auckland Star. These matches, although they do not produce perhaps as clever football as the club matches, are always great fun to > the players and beholders, and tend to create a healthy rivalry between those engaged, and a spirit of unison among the staffs represented. A team from Onehunga Wanderers will go to Helensville to-day to play the local team, wiio have put a strong fifteen in the field, and hope to retrieve the laurels lost on their recent visit. Auckland Second will be represented by the following te&m against the second fifteen of North Shore, whither they proceed by the qnartor-past two boat : — Downey (2), Parker (2), Moore (2), Bishop (2). Mays, Wilsted, Bailey, Reeves, Payne, MoDormott, Murphy, Pritohard. The Association match between the Links and Carlton Clubs is expected to be a big struggle this afternoon at llemuera. The teams are : —Links : Heather, Harvey, Douglas, Mercer, Matthie, Mcllwraith, Newcombe, Massey, Pheney, McDonald, .Naylor (sub), and Hunt. Carlton: Barton, Car« miohael, Edwards, Hill, Hudson, Marriner, Perring, Ryburn, Sanderson, Shannon, H. Wright (sub), and Charter. CRICKET. At the annual meeting of the Auckland Cricket Club, which won the Senior Cup last season, it was ahown by the secretary report that the first eleven had played nine matches, of which it had won six and lost three, and that the average innings of each member during the year was over 14 runs as against an average of 12 scored against them. W. E. Barton won Mr. D. Kemp's medal for the highest batting average, and C. F. Reed carried off Mr. Cheeaeman's medal for best allround fielding, while J. Arneil come oat best in bowling. Subjoined are the best of the averages :— BATTING. No. Times Moat of not in T . . AveInnings, out. Innings. J -°'" 1 » rage. W. E. Barton ..11 I 84 208 26-8 J. Arneil ..11 0 105 2522 8 C. P. Hold .. 11 2 HI 184 20 A.Atkinson ..4 1 26 72 18 C Gardner .. 10 3 35 1,25 17 6 W. W. Robinson 4 0 40 61 151 Hev. I. Richard* 12 1 50 157 143 R. Nelll ..1 0 12 12 12A. O'Brien ..9 0 64 80 9 5 W. H. Hawkins 8 2 26 61 8-3 A. E. Dowes ..11 1 13 67 67 BOWLING ANALYSIS. Name. lun'g-j. Ov'rs. Mdng. Wkts. Rus. Av'ge. C. P. Reid .. 8 70-4 80 13 110 812 A. E. I>*we» ..3 7 0 2 19 91 J. Arueil .. 12 233 3 52 47 4aß 1018 a. K. Toralin.. 2 6 1 2 21 10 1 W. W. Robinson 3 23 6 3 37 12*1 A. M. Baale .. 14 28S'2 107 33 460 13.31 A. O'Brien 3 13 4 1 83 33 W. B. Barton 6 22-2 3 2 86 43 The following are the principal batting and bowling averages of Wellington players for the past cricket season in interprovincial matoh?a :—Bitting:—C. G. Heenau, 28*8 runs ; J. R. Riley, 23 ; A. Motley, 227 ; H. Laweon, 19.7. Bowling: J. Creeks, 92 rung per wicket; R. G. Hoyle, 135 ; A. Gore, 14-6; E. Dryden, 14-8. In the Senior Cup matches the averages were as follow :— Batting : M. Moorhouse, 37 runs ; A. Motley, 32 6 ; W. Collins, 31'8 ; G. Heenan, 28. Bowling: J. Creeks, 6 8 runs per wicket; H. Roberts, 7-1; E. Duret, 7 1; C. Dryden, 7.3. For the Junior Cup matches :—Batting: A. Merlet, 34 3 runs; J. Cole, 26. Bowling: Hart, 4 rune per wicket; J, Edwards, 4-3. HARE AND HOUNDS. Owing to the very threatening weather about midday last Saturday the committee of the Waitemata Bicycle Club considered it advisable to postpone their projeotad hare and hounds chase to Otahuhu, and it will come off this afternoon. The harts, Messrs. Stewart and Buchanan, are well tried longdistance runners, and being well acquainted with the country of the proponed route will

no doubt lead the hounds a meTrT^ A large number of the UtteJ have L^ 0 !' and a hard run is expected Ahr i red ' carry all the various* irn^dimtnU* t T competitors from the Domain ath.it ha two, calling at the football ground X* three o'clock, and then going eSTtoOUhSI* where a dinner will be given, and a m≥ evening spent. a muaica, (BY. TELEGHAPS.-OWN OOBEESPOBDesT.j Hamiltjn, Fridft A match between the Hamilton snd L rohanga Football Teams came off to dav t Sydney Square—a full fifteen pl»yi n / i n either side. John Clarkin capS ß J? Otorohanga team, and Hamilton was e»« tamed by Odium. The game was pl aw d £ a friendly spirit, and resulted in a draw eUv team scoring a try. ' **'