CYCLING

New Zealand Mail, 21 February 1901, Page 48

CYCLING

The liandicapper to the League of Victorian Wheelmen (Mr G. Broadbent) has a dispute with the Melbourne Bicycle Club. Mr Broadbent asked £SO for handicapping the races in connection with the Austral meeting. The usual cost for this work is said to be about £3O, but hitherto three handicappers have done the work. He explains that he put in ten weeks oil the work. He places the value of liis services at £3 10s per week, besides which he paid away £8 for clerical assistance. The Melborune Club has offered him £27 10s to settle the matter, which the liandicapper has refused.

At a. race meeting at Essendon, Victoria, last month, a misunderstanding arose between W. Martin and one of the officials, into which the question of betting is said to have entered. The official regarded his interview with the American as unsatisfactory, and reported the unpleasantness to the L.V.W., and the interested parties have been summoned to appear before the executive at its next meeting, when the matter is to be thoroughly investigated. When Jack Green, the English crack, fell at the East Melbourne meeting in November, a benefit race meeting was spoken of, but owing to trouble in securing a date it was abandoned, and a subscription list opened. According to a reliable Melbourne report , £IOO has been collected, and will be handed to Green shortly.

A rather peculiar matter has occurred at White Cliffs, N.S.W. It appears that a committee was formed in that tow>i at the end of last year called the Commemoration Day sports committee, which decided to hold a sports meeting in aid of the local hospital. Among other items on the programme were some bicycle races, the sanction to run which was duly given by the proper authorities, th© day for holding the sports being January 1. The programme was advertised, showing that the two bicycle races had £7 as prize money. For one of these races only four nominations were received, and three for the other, and when the acceptances were made it was found that there were only three in each race, the other competitor not accepting. The sports committee then held a "meeting, and! struck the races out, as so few entries were received, for if they ran them they would lose £5 14s. The secretary of the Bicycle Club then called a meeting of his committee, and they were of opinion that the races could not be struck out by the sports committee, and that it was the intention of the cyclists who had nominated to ride over the course, and then claim the money. The White Cliffs Club referred the matter to th© headquarters in Sydney, and the matter . has been handed over to the. league's licitor for his opinion on the subject. ■