TROTTING.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1250, 13 February 1896, Page 26

TROTTING.

NOTES-

By “Bridoon.” Normanby Trotting' Club v. R. G. Marsh, 5i case in which a good deal of interest has been taken by Normanby people, was before Mr Brabant last week. It is understood to arise out of the allegation that defendant received <£ll or <£l2 of the club’s money, which he disputes his liability to account for, on the ground that if he received it he lost it while acting as treasurer for the club, and that the club hnd not he should bear the loss. When the case was called on at the Court, defendant, who said he regarded the action as an attack on his character, asked for an adjournment until 4th March, on the ground of no liability, and that he had been too busy, owing to intended removal of shop to Hawera, to enter into the case ; also that he had to obtain evidence from outside the district in the person of the secretary of the New Plymouth Trotting Club. Mr Barton, for the. Club, objected to the adjournment, and stated that he had evidence that defendant had admitted the liability. Eventually, Mr Barton agreed to an adjournment on payment by defendant of costs, which was agreed to. Mr Barton, however, opposed a further adjournment until next sitting, and the S.M. said no reason had been shown for further adjournment than that. The case would be set down for hearing at next sitting. The trotting mare Mystery was too good for the cyclist Harris in their match at Moonee Valley, beating the Englishman in the first two heats, thereby crediting her owner with the side wager of <£2s and the .£25 donated by the Australian Trotting Association. Says the Referee : —Mystery was favourite for the first beat, and her driver, F. Batt, instead of attempting a time-run mile, took lmin 14sec to cover the first half mile, Harris being half-a-dozen yards away. Going up the hill the mare suddenly put on pace, and taking Harris surprise beat him easily, the second half mile taking lmin 12 l-ssec to cover, making the time for the mile 2min 26 l-ssec. For the second heat Harris was 3 to 1 on, and he was very confident of winning. Mystery’s driver again refused to make any pace until within a quarter of a mile from home, and then he went along at a great bat.' Harris attempted to get up on the inside 200yds from the winning post, but failed, and having to ease up he was badly beaten. The times recoi’ded were : Quarter 39 3-ssec, half lmin 22 3-ssec, three-quarters 2min 5 l-ssec, and the mile 2min 39 l-ssec, which was slower by Bsec than Mystery’s worst mile in her three tries recently. The last quarter of a mile was run in 34sec. Harris afterwards offered to race Mystery with a tandem as pace-maker, and give her 50yds start, for .£SO, but Mr Robertson would not accept the challenge.