THE POTATO-DIGGING MATCH.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11126, 27 July 1907, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE POTATO-DIGGING MATCH.

Irish prestige has seldom received such a blow as Was dealt to it on Mr Daniel Armstrong's farm at Dunnstown ■- the other day (writes Oriel m the Argus. There was a, grand international contest m the shape of two hours. potato digging. Ireland had challenged the world, and a rival came forward m the person of Abdul Kheen or Kreen, who hails from a land which does not regard the potato as one of the brightest jewels m its crown. The story is told :—

There was Regan an' Bhool Hamid wid , their watches tuk the toime, There was Doyle an' Chundra Dass to weigh the shpuds, An* O'Dea* and Paddy Phelan on the fences did cloimb, An' hilped Neranda Singh to hould the duds. And Ooireland's champion Ryan, wid an aspict full ay pluck, Sbtud waitin' mid the praties" loike a shtork, While the Injun brown' an' bulky, m his own allotment shtuck, Made bedivillin' magic motions wid his fork. They shtarted hot an' lusty, and the mud flew on their hair, Till you'd har-rdly tell the ginger from the black; And the Oirish fork was fasther, and Dan Hogan raised a chare,, Whin it haped the hundredth murphy on the shtack. But the Oirish shweat was pourin', and the Oirish arms got shlow, Whoile the Pathan's pile it grew and grew agen ; '.'•>.■ Till says Bunda Lai to Fogarty, "You betting me? ho! ho! My lay you seven bob one roosterhen!" . " And m vain the Bregans barracked, and m vain the Regans roared, In vain Maginnis/whispered wurrds ay cheer, Far fasht as Ryan hustled, shtill more fast the haythen shcored, And Maginnis went away and ordhered beer. And the two-hour finish, witnessed all the Oirish sunk m woe, Whoile ivr"y Afghan gathered m his bet, For the Injun won the batle by half a bag or so, And left the son av'Erin digging yet.