ATHLETIC SPORTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8854, 16 April 1892, Page 6

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

FOOTBALL

The annual report of the Auckland Rugby Union must be considered a very satisfactory one on the whole, The credit balance in hand of £275 5s 2d, shows a state of financial soundness, which compares favourably with any similar institution in tho colony.

The proposal to establish a club-room for our local footballers is a good one, and I hope to see a suitable place secured during the present season. Tho committee of the Union had hitherto experienced considerable difficulty in getting a room on reasonable terms, and they hope to be able to join with other athletic clubs iu the matter.

The balance from the 1890 season was £321 13s, as against £275 from last season. The decrease is accounted for by tho fact that we had no foreign matches played in our midst during the last season.

The Union has secured the Epsom Grounds for a period extending over something like five years. At the annual meeting of the Union, tho President, Mr. A. E. Devore, drew special attention to the fact that rule 20, dealing with cases of unseemly language or conduct on the part of players would be rigidly onforced during the coming season. lie stated that last year, on some occasions, the language was so abominable that one could hardly stand near the ropes. A word to the wise is sufficient.

The present season promises to be a more than usually interesting one, for, besides tho club matches, Auckland will probably be visited by at least three foreign teams, viz., teams from Taranaki, Hawkc's Bay, and either Canterbury or Otago. I congratulate the Union on obtaining the services of such a man as Mr. A. E. Devore as president. On being re-elected, he stated that his interest in the game grew with growing years. It the Union wanted anything that lie could get, or assist in getting, they hail only to pat the matter before him to command his assistance. In my opinion Mr. Chapman " struck a wrong note," as an experienced player said, in suggesting club representation upon the committee of management. What is wanted on the committee is trustworthy men, without reference to the clubs to which they may belong, who can be implicitly relied upon as a matter of honour to deal fairly with every club. The committee elected consists of two Graftonites, and the City, Ponsonby, and Parnell have each one representative.

A special meeting of the Union will be field on Thursday next to consider a proposal to alter the Ponsonby and Suburban boundaries, and to elect any new clubs. I am glad to hear that there is every probability of clubs being formed at Onelnuiga, Otahuhu, Panmure, and oilier places round about Auckland.

Tiie suggestion seems to meet with general favour that the Union should make an annual grant to the clubs towards the formation of training schools or gymnasiums. This certainly seems more desirable than giving the individual clubs portions of the gate money.

I am told that Peter Mackio will not play this season. This is a pity, as he would have materially strengthened the City team, as he is living within their district. A meeting of the Management Committee of the Auckland Union has been held, when the question of joining the New Zealand Rugby Union and its rules was discussed. The Committee were in favour of the Utiiou being formed, but suggested several alterations in the proposed by-laws; and, as Mr. d. Halyday was visiting Wellington, it wis decided to ask that gentleman to represent Auckland at the meeting to bo held at Wellington to-day, at which it, is purposed to form the New Zealand Rugby Union. There was a good deal of discussion at the Association meeting in Wellington the other evening with respect to the handsome gift by Mr. Brown, of (ilasgow, of a silver challenge shield to the premier club playing under the Association rules in the colony, and medals tor the winning team iu the same competition. The chairman urged that an effort should lie made to introduce the game amongst the boys of the State schools, as in his opinion it was less dangerous that the Rugby game. Exception was taken by some of the speakers to the competitions taking place iu Christchurch, as Auckland, for instance, would be unlikely to journey so fatsouth to play for the shield, and Wellington was suggested as the most central site. To this answer was made that the game could only take place at Newtown Park, but as the receipts there would not be large, on account of the difficulty in charging for admission, it 'was not desirable that the matches should take place in Wellington. The secretary was of opinion the competitions for the shield ought, to be commenced not later than the end of June or beginning of .July. The annual report of the Otago Rugby Football Union slates that there is a credit balance of £280 (is Sd. Thirty-three clubs are now associated, and there is a likelihood of the number being increased during the year. There is a likelihood of a South Island team visiting New South Wales towards the end of the coining season.

The Clutha Football Club, at the annual meeting, appointed a committee to interview the employers of labour in the township, with the view of making some arrangements whereby members might be given opportunities of attending practice. The Canterbury Rugby Union has decided to test the feeling of the Southern Unions before taking any final steps in regard to becoming affiliated to the New Zealand Rugby Union. The Canterbury Rugby Uaion have uppointed a sub-committee to make inquiries as to the best terms on which Lancaster Park and the old Show (hounds can bo obtained. It was resolved that a competitions for third fifteens should be instituted tor a trophy to be (jailed the President's Cup, with an entrance fee of 10s, and to be played under the junior flag rules. The opening of the season was fixed for the 2i!rd inst. tor senior and junior matches, the Canterbury College to 'take the first bye.

The Otago Rugby Union, for reasons not stated, or perhaps without reason, have d :• eided that the establishment of a N.Z.R.U. is premature, and that they cannot give the proposal any support. Bishop Julius is one of'the vice-presidents of Canterbury College Club. The Otago Rugby Union reports as follows ; — It will be remembered that in the report presented at last annual meeting attention was deservedly drawn to the evils or rough and unfair play and bad language ; it is gratifying to find that the admonition had considerable effect, and that during the season the abuses referred to were much less common than formerly. That there is still room for improvement must, however, be admitted, and your Committee trust that neither delegates nor players will relax their efforts to stamp out everything calculated to bring discredit on the game.

Old Aucklanders seem to be in great request in the South, judging from the career of Charles Caradus, an old Ponaonby player, now in Wellington. lie is, Bays a contemporary, to represent the I'onekes in their mutches with the Merivale and East Christchurch Clubs at Easter. One Southern paper has rhe following :—" C. Caradus, the wellknown Poneke half-back, will not be able to take part in his club's championship fixtures this reason, as he is leaving for Christchurch shortly after Faster. His departure will cause a considerable gap in the Poneke hacks." Another paper says :-" There is some talk of Caradus. the I'oneke halfback, coming to Dunedin and throwing in his lot with the Kaikorai Club." All these statements do not quite seem to tally; but with the following extract from a Wellington paper most Aucklanders will agree: —lie is a "most dashing, hard-working half-back, besides one whose good temper, both on and oil' the field has gained him a host of friends." CRICKET. The cricket season is now fast drawing to a close, the Senior Cup matches having been brought to a termination, and only one match being left to decide the Junior Cup. The competitors left in the field for the latter are the Gordon II and Auckland 11., and they will meet on Saturday next, when a good contest may be expected. The team representing Messrs. A. Clark and Sons, which at present holds the cup annually competed for by the above warehousemen and the warehousemen of Messrs. McArthur and Co.'s establishment, seems destined to keep possession of the trophy for another year. On Saturday last, they put together 47-1 runs, to which .Mills by steady yet brilliant cricket contributed 73, and Lawson also did good service with his 29 not out. llolle played a fine innings, in which he put up 25. The fielding of their opponents was not by any means good. For McArthur and (Jo. the only one to make any show was Bedlington, who showed to advantage with 1(5 not out. The remaining six plavers only put together 21 between them, Fowke being given out l.b.w. without having scored. The total when stumps were drawn was 40 runs for six wickets.

In the match between the Onslow and North Shore, neither of the clubs put up very high figures. Of the 63 runs made; by the former K. Walton (24) and Darby (14) made considerably more than half, the highest scorer amongst the others being A. Walton, with six not out. The only batsmen to make any show at all for the North Shore was Charles (10) and Hill (6). Five failed to make any score, and the total only reached 32.

C. Kissliug and W. T. Kenderdine, each with 12 not out, assisted the Gordon 11. very materially to defeat their opponents, the Wanderers, on Saturday last. Both batsmen deserve credit for their performances.

McPherson (32 not out) and Miller (45 not out) displayed some fine cricket in the match United v. Bentley's Company. The latter have no mean cricketers in- Hill (27), Money (24). and Foster (21). Our old friend, Lieutenant Abdy, who was noted during his stay in Auckland for his big score and brilliant play, is keeping up his reputation at Wellington. In a recent match between H.M.s. Tauranga and the Wellington C.C. he was top scorer with 29 runs. Mr. Woods, chemist, of Cuba-street, Wellington, has generously presented the Midland Cricket Club with a gold medal, valued at £5 ss, to be awarded _to the best all-round player in the senior eleven. Mr. Woods has promised to give a medal every year for five years in the event of the club whining the championship- r T. Lady Harris, wife of the Governor of Bombay, is an ardent cricketer, and in a recent cricket match was captain of the winning eleven. Lord Sheffield's team played 20 matches during their visit to Australia, of which they won 11, lost 2, and drew 13. Eight were cleven-a-side matches, and six of these were won—namely, both matches against Victoria, both agaiust South Australia, and the third test match. The other two test contests were the only matches which the Englishmen failed to win during their tour. W. G. Grace, writing to the New South Wales Association relative to complaints as to his insulting Mr. Briscoe, who was an umpire in the last match played by tho Englishmen at Sydney, says :— The umpiring question will have to be gone iuto thoroughly, and some new plan adopted, or cricket will not be worth playing, as there is not the slightest bit of pleasure in playing under the present system ot umpiring in Australia." The Melbourne Loader has the following with reference to the proposal of Lord Sheffield to bring out another English Eleven to Australia next season :—" Lord Sheffield is undoubtedly true grit. He has by his visit done an immensity of good to Australian cricket, but his team having lost two test matches out of three, ho is prepared to have another tussle instead of yielding the supremacy to Australia. He will studiously avoid the slightest interference with local cricket, and should he carry out his present intention to bring out a team, there will be no long programme of matches, none against the colonies separately, and no provincial matches ; merely three more of those great test contests which have during the present season stirred up unprecedented enthusiasm, throughout all Australia. Lord Sheffield may rest assured that his project will receive the hearty and unanimous support of all Australians, who will bo delighted to welcome him again." On a wind-swept heath, about fourteen miles from Southsea, still stands the oldfashioned wayside inn, with the sign of the Bat and Ball, which, in the opinion of the writer of the interesting artiulo on " Cricket and Cricketers," in Blackwood, should be to all cricketers what ford-on-Avon is to tho poet, or tho old manor house of Pytchley to the hunting man. Fortius humble tavern was the earliest home and nursery of cricket. In other words, here was the gathering-place of the famous Hambledon Club, which flourished here in the last half of the eighteenth century. They played on BroadHalfpenny Down, close to the inn. Pads and gloves were unknown, and torn fingers and bleeding hands were a natural consequence: for the bowling, though underhand, was undeniably swift. The still more illustrious M.C.C. arose, from the ruins of the Hambledon. It was founded by a number of gentlemen, who were all keen cricketers, in 1787. Lord, a famous bowler of the day, gave his name to the original cricket ground of the club in Dorset Square ; and after one or two changes, the members finally settled in the famous ground in St. John's Wood Road, in the year 1814. The club now numbers above 3309 members, and lias an annual income of £30,000, which is entirely devoted to the support and encouragement of the national game. ATHLETICS. The wrestling match, for £25 aside and the light-weight championship of New Zealand, between M. Powloy, of Dunedin, and R. Fisher, West Coast, took place at Dunedin recently. There was not much difference in the weights of the competitors, Powloy having a little advantage at lOst lib, Fisher weighing 9st 101b. The styles agreed upon were Cumberland, Cornish, and catchas-oatch-oan ; Caledonian rules. Fisher winning the toss, chose the Cornish for the start, and, after a short tussle, threw his opponent. I'ouiev got Fisher down in the next bout, and the fall was allowed, although a good number of the spectators thought it was no fall. In the next two rounds the West Coast champion put his man down, but both falls were disallowed. lie wis more lucky in the next bout, throwing the local man fairly. In the Cumberland style I'owley won two falls, and at this stage had a fall to the good. According to the agreement there should have been another round in the Cumberland (Powley's favourite) style, but he goodiitituredly agreed with Ids opponent to decide the match by the two out of three falls in the catch-as-can style. Fisher got the first fall in this style, and I'owley the second. In the final bout they wrestled for almost an hour, and at twelve o'clock, as no fall resulted, tho match was declared drawn by the judge, Mr. J. Capstick. The attendance was very small, and the financial result must have ended in a loss to the promoters. CYCLING. The report of the New South Wales Cyclists' Union stated that the Union was in a flourishing condition, notwithstanding that the past year has been one of the most disastrous in the history of amateur cycling in Australia. The cash-prize principle had, practically, extinguished the amateur unions in Victoria and South Australia; but their union still maintained the amateur principles. Although ho numbers on the roll were considerably less than were returned last year, the finances wore in a much more satisfactory condition. The membership of the union was 429, divided as follow :—Nineteen clubs, 42.'! members, and six members unattached. Last year there were 567 members, divided among 21 clubs, eight unattached. On account of the cyclists' unions of Victoria and South Australia becoming defunct, no international champion events were rim during the year. AQUATICS.

Most of our yachts have departed on their customary Easter cruise, extending until Monday evening.

The Muritai has been receiving an overhaul in the Auckland Graving Dock, and her owner has, I believe, given Sir. Reynolds an order for a new suite of sails. The new suite is not to be any larger than the old one ; consequently, we may not expect the Muritai as a competitor at the next annual regatta.

The Ota go Witness states that Tort Chalmers can now lay claim to possessing the crack yacht of the season. The vessel ill question is the White Wings, which has easily beaten all the Dunedin cracks.

The rowing season has now practically closed in Auckland, and this year's rowing has been very successful. The regatta at Pine Island last Saturday was well managed, and productive of some spirited contests. The St. George's senior gig crew acquitted themselves- most creditably last. Saturday.

The Waitemata Club established a record in annexing four out of the eight events on the programme.

Great interest is centred in the forthcoming match between Stanbury ami Sullivan, and the .Sydney Mail of last week contains the following training notes:—Public interest is great in the championship, and hundreds of visitors have been on the river during the week. Peter Kemp is looking after Stanbury, and appears just as good as ever, showing remarkably fine form. The champion is doing as well as could be wished by his numerous supporters. During the week he did some rowing at top speed, and his style is very good. He drove his boat along in great style, and was seen to advantage as the water was smooth and the tide favourable. Sullivan likewise was doing fast work, and rowing in excellent form, with splendid dash. He was in every respect doing first-rate work, and was going at a fast pace, without any signs of labouring. This row was a marked improvement on his exhibition work, and nearly, if not quite, equal to his rowing when preparing for his match with Dutch last year, Sullivan lias a new boat, which carries him well, but appears to run out of the water rather much at the bow. However, the boat does not sag by the stein, so the trim must be all right, and the high bow may be due to the builder's moulding. We shall have a good race for the championship if both men keep as well as they are now. On Tuesday morning Barry, Nielsen, Bubear, Sullivan, and Stanbury rowed down from Uhr's Point to the mile beacon at a good pace, and did not slacken off much the whole way downstream. Sullivan dropped astern after Putney, and near Gladesville went t; his training quarters. The other men rowed to the end of the course, and finished up strong. The champion was doing solid work, and appeared anxious to draw Sullivan out.

Mr. Samuel Hordern, of Sydney, has had built by Messrs. W. White and Sons, of Cowes, a composite-built steam yacht. She is described by the Yachtsman as one of the neatest little model yachts they have ever seen. Her dimensions are :— Length overall, 75 feet; on water line, CO feet 6 inches; breadth, 11 feet 6 inches; draught, 5 feet 3 inches. The saloon panelling is of polished teak and Hungarian ash, with linerusta Walton in white overhead; and all the lamps, fittings, etc., are of the finest quality of electroplate. The ridge, rope stanchions,

and fittings on deck are of white metal called silveroid, and are dazzlingly handsome, the awnings being most tastefully arranged to suite the antipodean climate. A compact little installation, comprising a small engine of the firm's own make, coupled direct to a 50-volt 15 ampere dynamo, with a set of accumulators, serves to light her with electric light. She is to steam round to London, and be placed on deck of a large • steamer to be conveyed to Sydney. Lynx.

[BY TELEGRAPH.OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Thames, Friday. A football match was played at Parawai this afternoon, between the local Waitemata Club and Parnell 11. (Auckland), when the former won by one point to nil.