AUCKLAND SPORTING.

NZ Truth, Issue 65, 15 September 1906, Page 3

AUCKLAND SPORTING.

AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION. .

The Federal Hall was well filled on Friday last for, the first part of the two night's tourney promoted by the Auckland Amateur Boxing Association. And let it he said at once that thds Association is to be complimented oh I , the Way it kept faith with the public. Seven events were set down on the programme for decision and seven events it was, -too. There wer« mo disappointments at all ; competitors came up smiling every time, and from eight until a few minutes after the pubs closed things went merrily. After the miserable disappointments which have been chronicled m connection with some shows, muchly boomed, Secretary Cross and 'his confreres are to -be congratulated on the success which attended their efforts last Friday and The public very qjuickly cottons on to the show that gives value for money, and the Auckland Association has only to follow on with another tourney or two as successfull as the last and all appeals to Parliament by jealous rival clubs to wet-nurse ..the .manly art m New Zealand won't out it. Certainly, most of the boxing- was not of,/ the highest, Al at Lloyd's description, but it was very good all the same, and the "class" will improve as time goes on. "Smiler' ? Dixon Ward opened the ball with a few encouraging words on Friday night ; said tfie younsr men who couldn't use their dukes, and hadn't the grit to learn .weren't worth a, tinker's cuss. Those were not his words, but he meant the same thing. ( He said that the fighting instincts' of the British nation bad kept it to the fore, and always would to which the crowd self-consciously yelled, "Hear! hear!" E. Donovan was referee and the bouts were four rounds of two minutes each.

FRIDAY'S EVENTS.; LIGHT-WEIGHTS. Harvord and Elliott put up a good go, the curly-locked little 'un having the best of it, although Elliott scored a few points, In the second round Elliott was m trouble, although he got through to the third, when a heavy left oufced him for good. Hardie and Goddard's meeting was sensational. Science was very much non est, the pair nVhting from the jump. Both have a long reach and swunc; at each other like semaphores. In the second round Hardie caught the moustached gent, one that downed him, but he came up again smiling. The third round found Hardie m la bad way, and Goddard, following up, smashed him out with a swing that knocked all the wind out of him.,

Welon and Henderson kept going the four rounds, owing chiefly to the fact that both were good sprinters. A bloody nose belonging to Welon came m view m the third round and Henderson, always having something m hand, got the verdict at the finish. '

The leather-weight bout between J. McGovern, 8.8, and A. Gault, 9.0, was tipped as the tit-bit of the evening. The lighter man is a protege of the younger Murphy, but his display didn't add to his trainer's laurels by a Ions: chalk. The big event was decided m two'hits, riven m something Jess tha.n half a minute, GauJt get-

ting home on his opponent's dial m so decisive a style as to floor him for 7 seconds and when he. reluctantly clambered up, he was downed again m su«h uncompromising fashion that the protege decided to get m out of the hail storm., So Gault was the winner. *

Donovan and Jackson, 'also feathers,, followed. The latter looks like a walking skeleton, and might be a Wood relative of Georgey George, he is so thin. First round was even ; but m the second Jackson stopped a business-like left from Donovan that got him counted out and Donovan the Verdict.

BANTAM WEIGHTS. Pooley and Jack fought a good fieht and (kept the faith— of their trainers) to such an extent that the referee could not tell t'other from which as top dog and so declared it an honorable draw. A 100-yard sprint should have been fixed up to decide it !

MIDDLE WEIGHTS. Hunter met Harrington m the last event of the evening. The first named pug had the best of the go, but did not seem able to get that dirty left, for which he is renowned, to work. The second round saw the two fooling, which the public, did not appreciate. The last two rounds were m 'favor of Harrington, so the referee said, and he. secured the verdict. A match between these two might prove of interest, if there was something substantial at stake.

SATURDAY'S EVENTS : The Federal Hall was crowded on Saturday night for the second part of the A-A.B.C.'s tourney. ' ,

' HEAVY WEIGHTS. 1 Harrington and Buckley met to decide this class. Harrington is a particularly jovial soul, who seems to fancy the audience prefers funny, business to the same proper. Still, the fir^t round wasn't a bad, show, and had the best of it. In the second round, however, he fouled and | Harrington got the final word.

LIGHT WEIGHTS, Maloney and Rolston put up a very fair bout, gbing the full four rounds. There wasn't much m it, but Maloney notched a few points m the last lap and was declared winner.

When Wakefield and Stevenson met they came together with a clash of arms right enough. Hammer and tongs it was right through the four rounds, first one and then the other getting m and scoring. "A draw" was the referee's decision.

.The tit-bit of the programme was a 10-round contest between the two professional pugs, Cripps and Batchelor. Cripps is built-in true bulldog fashion. In the first, second and third rounds matters were even, the two lads boxing with vigor and vim. Like that force-ful gay beggar, our. friend Sunny Jim, Cripps' dial looked as though it wanted repairing some. In the fourth round Batclielor pot one home on the right spot and Cripps was counted out. The contest was a good one, and the best exhibition < seen m Auckland for some time. It is very much to be regretted, however, that any fifth-rate man should assume the honorable name of Cripps, as his defeats are likely to be debited, abroad, to the brilliant Australian middle-weight, Arthur Cripps, who beat /McCall the other day.