MELBOURNE SPORTING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1674, 22 December 1883, Page 25

MELBOURNE SPORTING NOTES.

(By our Special Tors- Correspondent v , . "Wabbiob.") December 12. ]?or tha past eight dayß racing matters here have been a blank. , Tatteraall's Summer Cup or the Normanby Stakes Have scarcely ever been mentioned. The most absorbing topics at present prevailing are the cricket field and ! the river. The three Melbourne daily papers j have been disagreeing with one another as to who should be among the fourth Australian Eleven, to make their first appearance in England, at a match to be played in Sheffield Park, Sussex, on the 12fch of next May. The Argus goes in neck and crop for rising talent, such as H. Soott, P. Lewis, G. M'Shane, W. Bruce, E. Turner, W. Giffen, W. H. Cooper, and J. j Jarvis. Supposing, for argument's sake, that ! these eight gentlemen are chosen, what are we going to do with Palmer and Spofforfch, two of the best bowlers in the world; Murdoch, j the unapproachable batsman ; Blackham, the champion wicketkeeper ; George Giffen, who is acknowledged to be second to none in the Universe as an all-round cricketer ; Bannerman, the prince of batsmen ? Harry Boyle was the bowler, with Spofforth, who sent the far-famed Marylebone team to the right about for 19 runs, and who afterwards amazed, the spectators by securing 7 wickets for eight balls. Boyle's greatest victory was in the match of all matches — All England v. Australian Eleven — when he treated the batsmen roost cruelly, winning the match by clean bowling the last man. Tom Garrett performed well both with the bat and ball on his last visit to England, whilst Midwinter has grown into splendid form, having last week' scored in one innings 113 runs against Hotham. In the same match, Boyle bowled 4 wickets for 26 runs, and Midwinter 5 wickets for 30 runs. The Press critics, by their several articles, have gained for the fourth Australian Eleven more publicity than any other team that has gone before them. Moreover, it has awakened the lovers of the.willow to the fact that the time has arrived when clubs should be looking around for promising colts to fill the places of the Murdochs, Horans, Spofforths Boyles, Evans, and Blackhams. These worthy knights of the willow have each in their time been the heroes of many a hardfought battle, on the cricket field, but like every other sport, they must give way to youth. .The once-champion oarmnan of the world— Harry Kelly— beat J. Messenger for the championship of the Thames in 1857, was defeated by Chambers in 1859, bub six years afterwards he came out again and assumed his old position, which he occupied till he retired in 1867. I only mention this circumstance in favour of the argument used by the writer in the Melbourne Argus, when he urges on the committee, or whoever they may be, the advisability of sending Home some of our promising youths. Cricket, like the turf, is a pasttime I have been endeared to since my boyhood, and should by this time know something about the subject under notice. I therefore hope Mr Argus will allow me and other Australians to have | our say on the separating of the chaff j from the wheat in ehoosipg our next Austra- ! lian Eleven. I submit to my readers one or two most important facts bearing on the subject. On Boxing Day New South Wales will meet Victoria on the Melbourne cricket ground to fight out the anniversary of the thirty-first contest between the sister colonies. Both teams have been chosen, and how many of them have played for Australia in England ? Messrs Murdoch, Spofforth, Bannerman. Massie, Garrett, and .Jones (New South Wales), Blackham, Boyle, Horan, Alexander, Bonnor, Groube, M'Donnell, Palmer, and Slight (Victoria). Here we have 14 tried men in the past, who are still competent enough to play in an intercolonial match. If we, as the Melbourne Age argues, are going to send home our best cricketers, let them be experienced ones. We have had enough of the colt element, and so has the Old Country. What did the Sydney . crack, Jones, do in England, or the Victorians, Groube, Slight, or. Moule ? Nothing. Up to the time of the steamer's departure for New Zealand, the teamhad not been selected, sol will giye my tip of the names of the gentlemen who will be found playing against Sussex in May next, which is as follows -.—Messrs Alexander (manager), Percy M'Donuell, Murdoch, and Spofforth (providing they can leave their business), Palmer, W. H. Cooper (selector of Association teams, and one of our most puzzling bowlers), Bannerman (should he get leave), Blackham, Giffen (South Australia), Boyle, Midwinter, Bonnor, Scott, and Tom Garrett. Should any of the above be unable to leave the Colony, I should certainly place the East Melbourne champion batsman P. Lowis (who has achieved wonders since the opening of the season), Bruce, M'Shane, or A. Gregory of Sydney. To be fairly entitled to be called an Australian Eleven, they should have included in the team a representative from New Zealand, Tasmania, and Queensland.

# On Friday afternoon the entries for the principal events to be run at the Victoria Racing Club Summer meeting on New Year's day closed" punctually at 4 o'clock, and wore anything but satisfactory. For the Standish Plate, for Which the C]ub subscribes £500 added money, there are only 38 entries, when there should have been fully 70, considering that the distance is only one- mile. The Midsummer Handicap, with £200 added money, Derby distance, closed with 29 entries. The V.R.C. made a great mistake when (ihey advertised their programme, stating

that the Midsummer Handicap would be run after the Standish Plate. Some of our best cattle have been entered for both prizes, and it will be impossible for most of them to show up after such a short spell. One of these events must suffer, and therefore I predict it will be the Midsummer. The following h orses ha ve en tered for the mile and the mile and a-half : — Commotion, Fryingpan, Claptrap, Malua (late Bagot), Boisterous, Branch's Little Sister, Branch's Dukedom, Branch's Athena, Anglesey, tf Wallace's Chuckster, Sir W. J. Clarke's Vernet, Loughlin's Game. The Bagot Plate, the. only weigh-for-age race of the meeting, filled up very badly ; no doubt the distance, one mile and a-quarter, having a great deal to do with it. Tbe conditions of the race were very tempting — a sweep of 5 soys each (half forfeit), with £250 added, the second and third horses to receive £50 and £30. Although the entries are small (15) we may rely upon witnessing a good finish, the cattle being first-class— namely, Commotion, Archie, Dirk Hatteraick, Fryingpan, Boolka, Sir Thomas Elder's Achilles, Dukedom, Wallace's Duenna, Ike, Little Sister, Vernet, Athena, Hurricane, and Prince Regent. Among the 17 candidates for the New Year's Day Hurdle Race I find very few maiden jumpers. Corrigan has two (Prospect and Lady Hampden). Then we have the Tas-manian-bred horseßingwood, and Don Quixote, Vanguard, Avalanche, Sparke, Belle Brandon, Lady Teazel, Schimer, Agitation, Triplet, Sensation, Blazeway, Gambler, and Matador. The two-year-old race— Criterion Stakes— with the exception of Brown and Rose. The Bohemian, The Broker, Bonnie Fortune, and Invictus, closed with nothing but second-raters, an<l those I have mentioned may not show up after the Normanby Stakes has been decided. New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania will be represented in either the Standish Plate or Midsummer Handicap by Mr A. F. Smart's Archie or Countryman, Sir Thomas Elder's Guesswork and his three-year-old colt Umberto, Mr C. H. T. Hart's St. John, Messrs S. Barnard's Dirk Hatteraick, J. Pile's Nicholas, and Tothill's Prince Patrick, Mr S. M. Wilson's Prodigal will do his best for the "tight little island." Ballarat will send down to the metropolis Stockwell, Linda, Suwarrow, Odd Trick, and Malua. Wagga Wagga has in Hawkesbury a good enough, filly for the Plate,, should the Victorian handicapper treat her kindly. Josephine is going to have another slap in, the mile being about her distance, Coriolanus, Aide-de-camp, and Capri are fair representatives of the Caulfield training-ground. For the first time for many years I fail to see an entry bearing the name of Mr De Meetre. Although we may expecb to see the fields small, they are certain to be well contested. If Archie starts he will win the Bagot Plate, but in the absence of the " 1883 Derby boilover," Commotioa should be the winner. Well and fit, and Mr Barnard treats either Prospect or Sparke leniently, one of them will prove victorious in the Hurdle Race. It would be nonsense to predict the likely winners of the other races before the weights ara published. The Victorian Trotting' Club intend going in for plenty of publicity, so as to try and cultivate the taste of Victorians to the love of trotting. Posters are to be placed on every hoarding in the city and suburbs, any amount of advertisements in the daily and country papers, &c, &c. A reduction will be made in the price to the stand and paddock, and special trains run to the course. The Club will offer handsome prizes, which no doubt, after a time, will- command large fields and interesting contests. On Saturday, the 29th mat, the Club will provide a capital day's sport on their loyely course at Elsternwick, when the Boccaccio Two-year-old Trot, of three soys each and a purse of 50 soys,— a three-mile trotting match for £200 a side— (Leithamstead v. Nellie), will be decided; after which the public will be treated to a hurdle race and two flat race 3. I wish Mr Gibney and the Club every success.

When it became known on Saturday evening last that Beach had beaten the ex-champion of the world, Edward Trickett, by 12 lengths in the final heat for the Hunt Sculling Prize of £150, JNIr W. A. Long, the most fortunate efentleman connected with the Australian turf, became the laughing stock of every youngster in Melbourne who knows anything about rowing. And why ? Because Mr Long, who is now in London, only a couple of days ago had the madness to offer to back Trickett, Edwards (a second-rater), or Rush (the veteran oarsman) against Hanlan for £1000 a side and the championship of the world. Here's Colonial blow with a vengeance. To make matters worse, Mr Long is not ignorant of aquatics, for there is sparcely an important sculling match on the Parramatta River but he follows in the umpires' steamer. The only way I can account for Mr Long making such a ridiculous offer is that the English climate must be rather too severe for the Sydneyite, and that one of the slates in the roof of his head must have got out of its place, — more than likely the consequence of his five yeareld Tonans running second in the Cambridgeshire Stakes, beating three-and-twenty others. Come home, Mr Long, and help us to back Beach or Laycock against the Canadian. When I was in Sydney some three weeks ago Mr Forrester invited me to Me A. F. Smart's stables. The first colt to catch my eye was Archie, who had just come over from Melbourne. The rest he had received since his last appearance, which was "in the Cup, seems to havß improved him ; he had completely thrown off the sluggish look he had after the terrible drilling he received at the hands of Gough, when we saw his last gallop. I was informed that he would be sent to Victoriafor the New Year's Day meeting, but that if his stable companion, Warwick, proved his master in his gallops he would not be persevered with until the A.J.C, St. Leger. I was delighted to see my old friend, who, by-the-bye, in my articles on " Horses Likely to Win Big Events," I preferred to Archie. The son of Mar^yrnong— The Fawn, has grown into a perfect gentleman,. and I couldn't help remarking to Mr Forrester how very much alike Warwick was to Bosworth. I have seen something like 20 first-class horses by the same sire, but not one of them came up to Warwick, and I think Mr Smart has, in the winner of the V.R.C. Sires' Produce Stakes, a very hard nut for the Hon. Mr White to crack. Looking at him stripped, he appears the ideal of a racehorse, and I vouch to say, that if any colt should lower the colours of Martini-Henry, it must be a Warwick. I have another reason for fancying Mr Smart's colt. In 1871 Maribyrnong's first three-year-olds came before the public, and conspicuous among them was Hamlet, who, like Warwick, won the Australian Jockey Club Champagne Stakes and Sires' Produce Stakes, and consequently during the winter months was backed very heavily by the stable and public to win the Victorian Derby and Melbourne Cup. Like Warwick, he went crooked, ran nowhero in the Derby, and was scratched for tho Cup. Mr Lewis then treated the son of Maribyrnong to a long rest, similar to Mr Smart's colt j and with what resultfi ? Why Hamlet, four months afterwards, romped home with the Victorian St. Leger and Sydney St. Leger, was defeated by Prophet jn the' Sydney Cup by a nose, and '.yon

the A. J.C. All-aged Stakes and Queen's Plate hands down. Then we have Horatio running very unkindly in the spring and autumn, and winning the Metropolitan and running third for the Melbourne Cup as a four-year-old ; Richmond and Boswoth (full brothers to Warwick) winning the Champion Race and the V.R.C. St. Leger and A.J.C. Leger at midaummer and autumn ; and Imperial and Cunnamulla winning the Sydney Cup as rising four-year-olds. All this goes to prove that the sons of Maribyrnong have failed as young three-year-olds, but proved better stayers and performers when rising four-year-olds. Mr Forrester assured me that Warwick would be Mr Smart's trump card for the rest of the season, and hoped to have him at Flejnington before the end of January. Brown and Ross didw't seem at all put out, the V.R.C. and V.A.T.C. campaign having taken little effect on her.

I have much pleasure in having to record the speedy rec very of Mr Redfearn's valuable racer The Plunger, who, my readers may remember, caused the death of Mr Smart's filly and the smash-up of Paddy Pigott. The son of Argus Scandal — Lady Ellen Mr Redfearn hopea to see running at Flemington before the Winter Steeplechase meeting comes round. Before the accident the owner of The Plunger could have realised £1200 cash for him. Therefore, such a loss to the turf would be irreparable.

Joe Thompson, or Mr Joseph Thompson, has now been in Australia and New Zealand considerably over 20 years, and has never treated himself to a trip across the ocean to the other side of the world. But he has at last made up his mind to visit the Old Country — the home of his boyhood, — and will start from Sydney, via San Francisco, at the close of the A.J.C. Autumn meeting. Mr Thompson I have known for the past 18 years, and I can say, as an honest bookmaker and a kind friend to the widows and orphans, there is no better man connected with the turf in Australia than the leviathan Joe. I have always found Thompson most courteous and obliging when requiring information on sporting matters, and I therefore wish him bon voyage*