LAND & WATER.

Otago Witness, Issue 181, 6 August 1886, Page 22

LAND & WATER.

It has been definitely decided to hold the intcrproviucial football match this year on the Garisbrook ground. The match will probably be played on the 28th inst.

The following are the prize-takers of the Caledonian Bowling Club for tho season of 1885-6 : — President's prize, Mr J. Yafces ; run-ner-up, Mr W. Sutcliffe ; vice-president's No. 1, Mr J. V. Lonsdale ; vice-president's No. 2, Mr MrJ. Yates; Mr Greenslade's, Mr J. Blaney; Mr Blaney's Mr H. Fenwick ; Mr Halo's, Mr J. Yates ; Mr Ogg's, Mr J. Yates ; Mr Mathieson'f, Mr W. M. White ; Mrs Speight's, Mr J. Ogg ; runner-up, Mr J. Yates. The rink prize fell to Messrs Mitchell and Yates.

W. 11. Gilbert, the well-known Gloucestershire cricketer (says a Home paper), was charged at Cheltenham Police Court, on June 7, with stealing a guinea belonging to the members of fche East Gloucestershire Cricket Club. Evidence was given by members that they had lost money from their clothing while hanging in the dressing room, and on June 5 a policeman, having secreted himself, saw Gilbert take a halfsovoreigu from the waistcoat of one member, and a half-sovereign and a shilling from the waistcoat of another. When charged he admitted the offence, and said if forgiven he would go to Australia. His advocate pleaded for a fine, on the ground that the accused would be virtually transported, his only means of livelihood being to go abroad. Th« bench, however, said they must punish with imprisonment, and sentenced tho prisoner to a month's hard labour. The prisoner appeared to feel his position acutely.

The entries for the dog .show to be held in the Garrison Hall on Saturday next are considerably more numerous than last year. In fox-terriers there are 45 entries, including all firsf the prize winners at last year's show, at the Canterbury show last November, and at the last Wellington show. We are asked to state that the dogs will be shown in the hall itself, and the cats in the lower hall, and that the whole show will be thoroughly disinfected.

A disgraceful pugilistic encounter between two women, apparently factory hands, took place recently iv East Melbourne. According to an eyewitness the affair was a regular prize fight, with "pickers-up " and all the necessary accessories, jimrl the combatants were surrounded by some hundreds of male and female spectators They fought until they fell senseless to the ground. It is further stated that the fight was apparently pre-arranged, as the crowd came swarming to the spot from Oollingwood, and saw the girls fighting for nearly an hour.

A Chicago correspondent of the New York World tells the following highly improbable story : — " If the plans which have been laid and which tho American champion is a party to, are successfully carried out, John L. Sullivan will fight James Smith, the British champion, in England, inside of three months. The men are anxious to meat. Duriug his career Sullivan has made many influential friends, men who take great interest in prize-fighting, but who do not wish to figure in connection with an affair of the ring. Among these, ib is said, is Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Two weeks ago three prominent friends of the American champion sent a communication to the Prince asking his intervention in order that the men might fight without interference. Sullivan's proposition is that ho shall go to England, provided that it be guaranteed that he can meet Smith iv a private room with only twenty spectators, the stakes to be 1 0,000dols a side. It is intended that five of the spectators shall be Americans. The expectation is that the Prince of Wales will affix his seal to the letter, thus insuring fair play, and it is even believed that he will become one of the spectators.

William Muldoon tried to throw Evan Lewis, " The) Strangler," twice at Grieco-Roman wrestling inhide of nu hour, at Minneapolis, Minn., on May 28. He failed to accomplish the feat. Muldoon had reduced his weight and tipped the beam at 207 pounds, while Lewis weighed 28 pounds less. The men went at it at twenty minutes past nine o'clock. Lewis acted entirely on the defensive. The match was brought to a close after they had wrestled 45 minutes. Lewis got fi body hold on Muldoon, who went to the floor, and in dropping threw Lewis over his shoulders. Lewis attempted to trip him, but he failed. Muldoon retired to his room, and then sent out Mr Hilton to make the announcement that the task was too much for him, and that he would not try another fall. One thousand people paid Idol apiece to see the match.

The Muldoon-Cannon Grrcco-Roman wrestling match at the Grand Opera House, Cincinnati, Juno 17, ended in a draw. Muldoon gained the first fall in 35m in, and Cannon the second in Bmiu. They then wrestled 56min without success, and the referee declared the match a draw ; 2500 people witnessed the struggle.

J. W. Uaby, of Elland, the walker who went over from the amateur to the professional ranks after winning the amateur championship a few years ago, has perpetrated a huge joke. He has just written a letter to Mr Walter Platt, the secretary of the Northern Counties A.A.A., askiug in all seriousness if he would bo allowed to compete as an amateur runner. He knows that ho has lost his amateur status as a walker, but thought that would not affect him as a j unncr.

A correspondent in the Lake County Press suggests that a trophy fo? sculling on either Lake Wakatipu, Lake Hayes, or Lake Wanaka should be arranged on Beach's return to the colonies from England. He says : — I am sure Beach is anxious to visit New Zealand — and the Lake district in particulai 1 , where po many of his relatives reside. Then, if he does, why not let the public have an opportunity of witnessing the powers of this extraordinary oarsman ? Why should not the lakes bo the convincing ground if any New Zealander fancies himself ? Surely there must be some anxious New Zealander who would like to try conclusions with him. . . . The idea would be to catch Beach at Aucklaud on his return from England. At tho annual meeting of the Southland Bowling Club, held on Friday evening last, the presentation of prizes was made. Thechairmnn in a few happy remarks handing tho silver cup presented by the club to Mr J. E. Hannah as the champion for the season, amid general applause. To Mr Wm. Smith was handed the vice-president's prize, a silver-mounted inkstand, and Mr Ham was the recipient of a fine aneroid barometer as the best lawn tennis player of the season.

The annual curlers' "beef and greens" at Naseby was attended by between 90 and 100 persons. The Mount Ida Chronicles says the cup provided by the Mount Ida and Otago Central clubs*, to be won twice in succession, is still to bo played for. It will be romombertd that the Mount Ida Club won the first competition last yetir, and i[ successful at the next attempt will become tho owners oi' the trophy,

WALLACE HUNT CLUB.

As the old cockney huntsman said when asked to describe a good mn that he had had} " The 'ounds went like 'ell and the old niare carried me like hile," is a short but very expressive way of describing what a really good run is like. There is no doubt that the former part of that speech would well apply to the way the Wallace County hounds ran at Otautau on Friday. The muster was not large, but those present were well repaid for their trouble. At the start a tedious delay of something more than half an-hour took place— which we trust the secretary will try and prevent in future— before the little pack were allowed to go, but when they did start and had faily picked up their line it was a case of " sit down and send him along," without anything approaching a check, for a good three miles over some splendid hunting country A slight halt was then made, enabling horses and riders to get a much-needed breather, as both the pace and the day were decidedly warm. In the first run there were some very stiff fences, which were taken in grand style by the first flight, but those on less pretentious mounts had to make several attempts before placing them to their credit. The Master on Ginger, Miss Drabble on her black, Mrs Spencer of Armadale, Mrs Smith, of Bayswater, and Messrs Tennant, Drabble, Ritchie, Edrklgo, Bridge, Smith, and Gardiner, of the Otautau, were always well up, tho latter, for a welter, being right well mounted and held his own throughout against many lighter and younger men. Some little excitement was caused during this check by the hounds starting a rabbit, and the merry way in which they gave tongue showed their decided preference for real game over the proverbial red herring. In the second run the pace was even faster than before and the jumps good. I noticed one into the Otautau road, over some slip rails in a nasty slippery roadway, that was taken in grand style by the huntsman on Pre-emptive Right, and most of the above-named gentlemen — little Ginger only hesitating whether to go under or over, but with that mutual consideration for each other's welfare existing between himself and his plucky rider, he took tho latter and more difficult course. Mr Lindsay (over whose country, as well as Messrs CarmichaePs and Thompson's, we principally hunted) was at the hunt, and kindly piloted the field over some nasty swamps that lay in our way. At the close of the run an adjournment was made to Seehof's, where champagne was frpely dispensed by that worthy host, and after three cheers had been given for the master and the hounds we trotted off home well pleased with our day's outing. All Foues, in the Western Star.