SPORTS AT HOME

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5288, 28 May 1904, Page 14

SPORTS AT HOME

CRICKET. Sport in England, especially as it concerns the doings of some Australasians now in the Old Country, is dealt with at length by the London correspondent of this newspaper under date of April 15th. He first deals with cricket, and writes apropos of tho welcome home given to Warner’s men on their arrival from Australia. Our correspondent says:— Tho event of the week, to the mind of sportsmen not particularly - concerned with tho “sport of kings,” has been the return of Captain Warner’s celebrated troupe of ash hunters, whose performances in Australia recently were so entirely to tho satisfaction of us who viewed them afar off that it became a question whether they were lo ho rewarded on their return with earldoms, baronetcies and knighthoods, in accordance with their respective averages, or with

a popular reception of the usual pattern. Honours in the way of alphabetical prefixes and affixes, however, have become so “cheap” of late that it was decided to adopt the alternative, and, accordingly, on Sunday arrangements were made to give the ash hunters a warm welcome, first at Dover and then at Victoria station. "What hapnened at Dover I leave the “Daily Chronicle’* to roll you:— ”'Good old Warner!’ It was a bluff, hearty, honest welcome —a welcome that a king might have been proud of. The white cliffs of tho Old Country must havo spoken deep to tho little band of English cricketers as they neared homo again after their triumphant tour. An immense crowd had gathered on the Admiralty Pier at Dover, and as ono by one tho bronzed cricketers stopped down the gangway from the turbine steamer Queen, cheer after cheer rang from a thousand throats. Aten and women clustered round the victors .shaking a hand wherever they could, and following fast upon one another’s heels to the train that was waiting alongside, to cheer again when it steamed away on tho last part of the journey to home and friends.” At Victoria there was a huge crowd, and as much confusion as could he desired. Tho main-lino arrival platform was packed witli people eager to catch a glimpse of the cricketers at five o’clock, though it was not until the station timepiece showed iho hour hand past seven that the .second portion of the Dover mail containing Warner and his men steamed into tho station. And when it did come it pulled up at a platform where it was not expected. The people cheered wildly when the first portion of the mail came in sight, and laughed heartily at themselves when they discovered that their enthusiasm had been wasted on a train load of more people. Soon, however, another train puffed laboriously into tho station, and a moment later there was a wild rush for it. Excitement ran high when it was realised that the team had really arrived ; in fact the only cool person present was a sweet-faced, white-haired old lady who was sitting on a chair near the harrier. It was “Plummy’s” mother. Her face lighted up when shouts of “Good old Warner.” and “Bravo Plum’U denoted the arrival of her son. hut otherwise she remained to all outward appearances calm, until, piloted by an official, her boy reached her side and gave her tho salutations dear to every mother’s heart. Aloanwiiile the rest of the team wore having their backs patted and bail'; wrung by scores of onthus’asts as they vainly endeavoured to seek the safe** of hansoms and four wheelers, and tho station rang with shouts of “Good old Hirst,” “Well done Rhodes,” “Who's got the ashes?” etc. Some of the men could not be seen. Forster was among the missing: he was, so the übiquitous quid nunc told us in a loud voice, “in Paris along of ’is missis.” But where were the other missing ones? By the time the crowd had discovered their absence they were safely out of the station, having got off tli© train on the off-side and sneaked away quietly. The rest suffered for their defection, for besides belong en, tbusiasts ono and all, tho welcomers-wero apparently mainly interviewers bent on “copy.” Warner was, of course, the centre of a mob of journalists while he stood watching las luggage being rescued and placed on a cab, and was plied fast and furiously with questions such as ‘What do you think of your team ?” “Are you glad to got Homo?” ‘What about the barracking?” etc. From his answers, as given by different papers on the morrow, Warner wasn't particularly certain of anything except that his team was the best over seen in Australia; that ‘Tho ashes” had been, won by merit; that Noble is a very fine fellow indeed; that tho Sydney barrackers’ bark is worse than their bite, and that the A1.G.0. is making a great mistake in trying to fix the proposed match between the Ash Hunters and the Rest of England for a date in Alay instead of June.

The English cricketers were entertained at a dinner of welcome at the Trocadero last night. Lord Alverstono presided, and among the large company present were Lord Jersey, Sir A. Conan Doyle, the Hon. R. H. Lyttelton, Mr A. G. Steele. Mr F. R. Spofforth, Mr A. E. Stoddart, Mr F. E. Lacey (secretary to the A 1.0.0.), Captain E. W. Wynyard. H. D. G. Loveson-Gower, and other “giants of tho game,” both past and present. The chairman announced that the Prince of Wales had desired him to congratulate the team on his behalf, and ,to say that ho bad watched their doings with the greatest interest. It was a team, added the chairman, wMch had done the greatest honour to the country which it had gone out to repre. sent. Tho real key to their success was that they were an all-round side, and that each member had done his best, not for himself, but for his side. He desired to enforce the feeling of satisfaction that this success had attended a team sent out by the M.C.C., which could speak with the voice of the greatest authority and independence in the cricket world. Lord Alverstone also paid a tribute to Warner’s captaincy. Warner, in replying for the team, said he was sure the M.C-O. were the one and only body who should send a team to Australia. In referring to the “barracking” in the first test match at Sydney, Warner said that there were extenuating circumstances, for Australia had gone in a long way behind, and when Hill was run out Trumper was playing in his best style. Considering the splendid reception which the team gob everywhere, he was only too ready to forgive the “barracking” incident. In regard to county cricket in England, Warner thought that it occupied too prominent a position at the present day, for it. was only a means to an end—the improvement of cricket generally. He wished that test matches could be played to a finish in this country, for England v. Australia was the greatest cricket match in the world. The Australians were great fighters. In the first test match they went in 292 runs behind, and they played as if they were going to win. He paid a tribute to Noble, who, he said, at least in Australia, was the best all-round cricketer iu the world, an cl was one of the most sportsmanlike of men; and ho thanked Murdoch for his great services as assistant manager. What he had tried to do in captaining tho team was to make each man play for the side and not for himself. No one had been a failure, and every one had done his best towards the splendid result. He. had tried to instil into them that, when being beaten, they must play until the last ball was bowled, and when winning they must give no quarter. HORSE RACING. ’ Mr Spencer Gollan’s Australian Star has. it seems, a particular partiality for the Alexandra Park course. Twice he has won the London Cup over a mile and a quarter on this course, and last Saturday he ran away from five fair class animals in the Alexandra Welter Handicap of £274. winning in the hollowest possible fashion by three lengths under the steadier of 9st 121 b. The black son of .Australian Peer and Colours was giving 191 b to the runner-up. Pitch Battle, 71b to Gilbert Orme. and a stone to Ventriloquist. In spite of many disappointing displays over the sticks during tho win-

ter Mr Gollan’s horse started favourite for the race at IX to 8, PEDESTRIANISM. TJio long distance amateur running and walking championships promoted by the A.A.A. were decided at Rochdale last Saturday under unpropitious climatic conditions, snow and a keen high wind precluding any chance of record breaking. In the Ten Aides Running Championship the famous South London harrier, A. Sbrubb, had a very easy task to continue tho sequence of victories he has placed to his credit in this event since 1960. Ho took the lead from the start, lapped Ms field at 51miles, and finally won by GOO yards from Butterfield of Darlington in 54min 30 2-ssec. Tho Walking Championship, decided over seven miles, brought ' out a very fair field, including the holder J. Butler. He, however, was unwell, and, finding himself unable to go tne pace sot by G. E. Lamer, of tho Brighton and County Harriers, retired in tbo third mile. Lamer, walking very fast and fairly from beginning to end, won easily in tbo splendid time of 52min 57 2-sse"c, the runnor-up, Carter of Queen’s Park, Doing beaten by 2min 40scc. Larner’s' time under the conditions prevailing was row trkable. and if lie progresses the right way. ho should, under favourable circumstances, bo capable of putting up a fresh record for seven miles. The present record, made in 1895, stands at Slinin 27sec, and is to the credit .-of W. J. Sturgess. Somo very remarkable walking was seen on the Brighton road last Saturday, when tho Rauolagh Harriers and the Blackheath Harriers brought off their inter-club match. Tbo contestants walked from tho Clock Tower at Westminster Bridge to tho Aquarium at Brighton, a distance or 52 miles. T. E. Hammond, of the Blackheath pack, who was third to F. E. Broad in the Stock Exchange walk to Brighton last spring, put up a great performance. Walking in beautiful stylo he took the load soon after passing Croydon and at Crawley (291 miles) was well ahead of all his competitors and previous records up to that point. Going on, he continued to gain on his pursuers and on “Time,” and finally ■ reached the goal a mile ahead of Thompson, of the Ranolagli pack, in the marvellous time of Shr 26min 57 2-osec, thus beating J. A. Butler’s record by over 16 minutes. Thompson, who finished over ten minutes after Hammond, also beat the previous best, and no fewer than nine of the ten men to finish got inside Broad’s time. Blackheath won the inter-team race by. 25 points to 30. FOOTBALL. Kent won the Rugby county championship at Blackheath last Saturday by beating Durham in the final match by a goal and a try to two tries. The game was a very hard one tiiroughout. but a gusty wind of considerable strength made anything like precision in passing and kicking impossible, and the hard ground caused the ball to come off at most baffling angles and paces. During the greater part of the game Durham had all the luck that was going, and it was only in the last twenty minutes that the Kentish men wore able to gain tho tries which gave them tho victory. For the winners O’Brien and McEvedy, the New Zealanders, played a good game at three-quarters, but Morgan, the Welsh international, and E. l W. Dillon, in the same line, were really brilliant during the latter part of the game. Mr G. W. McArthur is to be congratulated on having managed in the very limited time at his disposal to get together a very good team of Rugby footballers for the tour in Australia and New Zealand arranged by the N. S. Wales Union. At present some twentyfour names are before the Committee of selection and a definite decision as to the components of the team is to he arrived at on Tuesday next. Among the men who are what we may call “moral certainties” are the Guy’s Hospital trio of three-ouarter backs. A. B. O’Brien, P. F. McEvedy, and E. Morgan; E .W. Baker. F. C; Hulme S. M’K. Saunders, D. Dobson, R. W. Edwards R. J. Rogers C. D. Patterson. R. T. Gahe, Percy Bush, D. N. Bedell-Sivright, C. N. Crowther, S. Bevan and D. H. Traill.