CALEDONIAN SPORTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 10488, 28 December 1929, Page 3

CALEDONIAN SPORTS.

GATHERING AT TEMUKA. A GREAT SUCCESS. The fortieth annual sports gathering of the Temuka Caledonian Society was held in the Temuka Domain on Thursday (Boxing Day), the climatic conditions being ideal. The weather certainly was threatening at times, and there were a few drops of rain, which made those who had not come prepared, somewhat apprehensive. The attendance during the early part of the proceedings was poor, probably not more than 300 being present, but as the day wore on the crowd increased, and by 4 p.m. there must have been quite 3000 people in attendance.

Officials: —Patron, Mr W. McCallum; president, Mr J. Freddy; vicepresidents, Messrs George Ward and W. F. Ev.ins; treasurer, Mr George Hancox; secretary, Mr It. 11. Taylor; standard-bearer, Mr 11. H. Hutheson. Sports Officials:-—Referee, Mr J. Freddy; starter, Mr W. J. Moore: timekeepers, Messrs W. I'. Evans and G. V. Tozer; lap-scorer, Mr J. Henry; handicapper for running, cycling and field events, Mr G. V. Tozer; handicapper for wood-chopping events, Mr 11. Wooffindin. Stewards: —Ticket box, Mr George Hancox; press, Mr W. Seeler; course, Messrs A. Russell and 11. 11. Hutcheson: competitors’, Messrs S. Goddard and W. Shand: megaphone, Mr W. D. McCallum; blackboard, Mr W. D. McCallum; woodchopping, Messrs K T. E. Shiels, H. Wooffindin, A. JF Rain and C. L. Eraser: piping and dancing, Mr C. F. de Joux. Judges:—Running and cycling, Messrs .1. Henry, W. F. Eva.ns, T. E. Shiels, L. J. Grant, G. A. Paterson, C. L. Fraser, J. C. Bisdec, and H. P. Dunne; wrestling, hammer, caber and stone, Messrs W. Mason, J. •!. O’Connell and A. Bain: dancing, Mr W. 11. Bell: Scotch music, Mr W. Cargo; jumping. Messrs G. Higinbollom. H. 11. Hutcheson, G. Ward and C. IL Hancox. The attendance was much in excess of that of 1 !»2S. ami there must, have been several hundred's more if

one may gaitee it from the gate teceipls, which were several pounds better than the. previous years. It liad also to bo taken into consideration that there has been a decided increase in the number of members: a member’s ticket carrying with it certain privileges regarding the •idmission of members of the holder’s family. There were quite a number of patrons present from I imam, all of whom were loud in their praises of the meeting, and the manner in which it was conducted. The. entries were (inite up to expectations, and the two championship events doubtless added to the Jttractiveiiess of the gathering. One Was the half-mile New Zealand championship, and the other the one and a-half mile South Island championship—both cycling events. This latter attracted a largo number of riders from Christchurch and elsewhere, and made Hie event an interesting one even to non-riders. Amongst, the visitors present, were Messrs J. Cameron and A. Hammond. of the Mackenzie Society; Mr Anderson, of the Otago Society, and Messrs W. Hall and Rodgers (Timarti), ami representatives from Pleasant Point and Geraldine. The management of the sports left nothing to be desired, and a > great deal of praise is due to the officials for the efficient manner, in which they carried out their duties. The president (Mr Jesse Freddy) was (inite a host in himself, and had a general oversight of the whole of the proceedings; but. every official seemed to know his place, and the result was that all the arrangements worked admirably. Mi R. 11. Taylor, as secretary, carried out his duties as to the manner born, and he was ably assisted byMr .1. IE Denison, who tilled the position of assistant secretary. At a quarter to eleven, a procession was formed a.i Gunnion’s corner This was headed by the Temuka Pipe Band, in full strength, led by Drum-Major 11. H. Hutcheson. It was followed by a number of officials, and inarched down King street, into High street, and thence to the Domain, where the sports were held. The Domain was looking its best, Mr Uden. the curator. having spared no effort to see that everything was in order, and the complimentary remarks passed as to the splendid order in which the lawns and (lower-beds were kept, must have been, to say the least of it.

.something the curator ami his assistants might have been promt 01. The- Mayor (Mr T. E. Gunmon). too. was warmly complimented on the appearance of the Park. I lie natural features were certainly pleasing. blit the colour lent to the surroundings by the lavish display of flags and bunting, made the Domain look very gay. and was. very charming, to say the least of it. As usual, the cycling events were the. principal attraction, the chief event, being the half-mile New Zealaud championship, which was won ~ hy A. C. Ritchie, after a ding-dong ilsiish with the veteran Phil. O’Shea, who, by the way. seemed to lack dash on this occasion. E. B. Taylor, the local crack, showed up prominently at one stage of the race, but faded out before the finishing post was reached. In the one and a-half mile South Island championship. L. W. Hill scored a victory over

O’Shea. In the one mile Caledonian Wheel Race, the latter was placed first after a spectacular finish, the four leaders flashing past the finishing post barely six inches separating them. O’Shea had a popular win in the quarter-mile handicap, and so did E. B. Taylor in the halfmile handicap, which he won comparatively easily. With the halfmile and one and a-half mile championship events went handsome gold medals, and these were duly presented by the president (Mr Jesse Preddy), after which cheers were

given for the champions. There was a slight falling-off in the running events, but nevertheless the interest taken in these events was keen, and showed that despite counter-attractions, pedestrianism is not yet dead. Some verygood times were registered, showing that some good performers are still to bo found. The principal event of the day, the Sheffield Handicap, was won by A. J. Cameron, who started off the 7 J yards mark and completed the journey in 12sec. The final was keenly contested, the six men being practically in a line at the tape. M. V. Brown annexed the 880 yards handicap, with six yards to spare, and N. Cartwright, from scratch, won the 440 yards, repealing his performance of last year. W. J. Douglas, who competed

at Temuka seven years ago, accounted for the 220 event. The mile event was annexed by J. T. O’Bcilly. who beat G. T. Cain and N. E. Preddy by less than a yard. In the Hold events, the wood

chopping and sawing again proved very attractive, there being no less

than thirteen entries in each event, these including some of the best South Island axemen. The timber apparently was not to the liking of some of the competitors, but the selector of Hie logs may nevertheless be congratulated on the wood used. >

The piping events were quite a feature, and the dancing display' was the best seen at a similar gathering for many years past. N. Spavin had several wins to her credit, among them being the South Island Highland Fling championship for boys and girls under 16 yea rs. The following are the details: — RUNNING. 1-0 YARDS SHEFFIELD HANDICAP, .£lO. .£3, .£1 10s.—First heat: R. S. Thomson (scr) 1, J. E. Ry.all (7yds) 2, NV. 11. Smith (SJyds) 3. The only competitors. Won by inches. Time —12sec. Second heat: A. .1. Cameron (71yds) 1, AV. J. Douglas (SJyds) 2, M. Mallett t Syds i 3. Won by inches. Time — 12 :i-ssec. Final. A. .1. Cameron . . . . 1 J. 11. Williams .. - . 2 W. .J. Douglas .. .. 3 All started. A great race. Two yards separated the six men at the tape. Time —12sec. SSO YARDS HANDICAP: .£3. .£1 10s, 10s. —M. V. Brown (30yds) 1. A. Gaffaney (32yds) 2, N. Cartwright (scr) 3, A, Bennison (10yds) I. Also competed: H. Mahan (5), J. T. O'Reilly (20), N. E. Preddy (25), G. C. Foster (30), C. S. Sturrock (30). The scratch man ran gamely, but the winner had a lot to spare al the finish, and won by six yards, the same distance separating second and third. Time —2min 2 sec.

220 YARDS HANDICAP: £2 10s, £1 10s, 10s. — First heat: W. ,1. Douglas (11yds) 1, A. M. Jamieson (Syds) 2, M. Dudley (9Xyds) 3. Also started: G. C. Foster (14yds). Won by two yards. Time —23 3-5 see. Second heat: J. IT. Williams (i)lyds) 1, R. S'. Thomson (scr) 2, .1. E. Byall (11yds) 3. Also started: W. 11. Smith (14yds). Won by inches. Time —24sec. Final. W. .1. Douglas . . • • 1 .1. 11. Williams . . • • 2 R. S. Thomson . . • • 3 All started The scratch man made a great effort, but just failed to gel through. Won by a yard, inches separating second and third. Time —22 4-ssec. ONE MILE HANDICAP: £l. £2, 10s.-—J. T. O’Reilly (20yds) 1, G. T. Cain (35yds) 2, N. E. Freddy (20yds) 3. Also started: A. Bennison (scr). 11. Mahan (syds), M. V. Brown (30yds). A. Gaffaney (35yds). The limit men made the pace a cracker at Hie start, and the two back-markers did not complete the journey. The three placed men were together in the straight, and a. yard separated them at the tape. Freddy made a great effort, but just failed. Time —4 min 4 9sec.

•140 YARDS HANDICAP (Open): £3, £1 10s, 10s. —N. Cartwright (scr) 1, W. 11. Smith (15yds) and R. S. Thomson (scr) (equal) 2. AV. J. Douglas (7yds) also competed. A great race. Time —56 2-ssec.

CYCLING. 1-MILE DASH HANDICAP (Open), £2 10s, £1 10s, 10s.—First heat: L. AV. Hill (syds) 1, P. O’Shea (scr) 2, T. Dalton (40yds) 3. Also started: H. G. Watson (18yds). Won on the post. Time —31 2-ssec. Second heat: N. Hawke (40yds) 1, G. Batchelor (20yds) 2, A. C. Ritchie (scr) 3. AVon by a length. Time —31sec. Third heat: C. Bright (Syds) 1, J. I’Anson (scr) 2, AV. J. Tod (35yds) 3- Won by two lengths. Time —31 2-ssec. Final. Phil. O’Shea . . ■ • 1 G. Batchelor . . ■ ■ 2 C. Bright . . • • 3 All started. 6n entering the straight the winner was in fourth place. The three men in front went wide, and O’Shea shot through on the Inside and won by a clear length. Time—3l l-ssec. HALF-MILE HANDICAP (Open); £3 10s, £2, £1 10s.—First heat: E. B. Taylor (20yds) 1, A. C. Ritchie (scr) 2, G. Batchelor (45yds) 3. Also started: N. Hawke (Byds) and H. G. Watson (35yds). AVon by a length. Time —Imin 5 3-ssec. Second heat: C. Bright (15yds) 1, AV. J. Tod (70yds) 2, AV. L. Watts (85yds) 3. Won on the post. Time —65sec. Third heat: L. AV. Hill (10yds) 1, P. O'Shea (scr) 2, R. Chamberlain (45yds) 3. Also started: S. A. Jordan (25yds), R. Bellam (80yds), T. Dalton (80yds). Won by half a wheel. Time —62 l-ssec. Final. E. B. Taylor ... . . 1 L. AV. Hill . . • • 2 Phil. O’Shea . . • • 3 All started. Tod was well in front at the bell. On rounding the back stretch the field closed, and a great race ended in the local champion winning by a clear length, inches separating second and third. Time —61sec.

HALF-MILE NEAV ZEALAND CHAMPIONSHIP; £4 and medal. £2, £l.—First heat: J. I’Anson 1, P. O’Shea 2, C. Bright 3. Also started: H. G. Watson. A good race. AVon by inches. Time- —6 6sec. Second heat: E. B. Taylor 1, A. C. Ritchie 2, L. AV. Hill 3. Also started: S. A. Jordan, G. Batchelor and AV. L. Watts. The race developed into a crawl for the first three laps. (On coming round the back, Taylor took charge and won easily by a length. Time —Imin Usee. Final. A. C. Ritchie . . ■ • 1 Phil. O’Shea . . • ■ 2 C. Bright 3 All started. Hill led the way round, and was still in the same position when Hie bell went, with Taylor bringing up the rear. With half a lap to go, Taylor moved up to third place, but on entering the straight he eased up, and a great race between Ritchie and O’Shea ended in the former gaining the verdict by inches, a wheel separating second and third. Time —22 4-ssec.

ONE MILE CALEDONIAN WHEEL RACE: £lO, £3, £1 10s.—First heat: J. I’Anson (scr) 1. E. B. Taylor (35yds) 2, 11. G. Watson (65yd) 3, P. O’Shea, (scr) 4. Also started: j AV. .1. Tod (130yds), C. S. Sturrock (150yds). W. L. AVatts (165yds). Won easily by two lengths, the same distance separating second and third. Time —2min 10 2-ssec. Second heat: L. W. Hill (15yds) 1. A. C. Ritchie (scr) 2, S. A. Jordan (45yds) 3, R. Chamberlain (SOyds) 4. Also started: C. Bright (25yds), F. Poole (70yds), G. Batchelor (90yds). AVon by three lengths. Time —2min 13 2-ssec. Final. Phil. O'Shea. ■ • ■ • 1 L. AV. Hill • • • • 2 A. C. Ritchie . . • • ’’ E. B. Taylor • • •• '• All started. For the first two laps the pace was very slow. On entering the third time round the pace had increased considerably, and when the bell went Jordan and Taylor were, leading, with O’Shea, and Ritchie handy. The final lap was a cracker, less than half a wheel separating the first four men. Many thought that Ritchie had won. with O’Shea in third place, and were surprised when the numbers went up. Time —2min 20sec. IA-MILE SOUTH ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIP: £4, £2, £l—- — AV. Hill . . • • 1 Phil. O’Shea . . . . 2 A. C. Ritchie . • • • 3 Also competed: J. I’Anson, E. B. Taylor, C. Bright. S. A. Jordan, H. G. Watson, R. Chamberlain, G. Batchelor, and AV. L. AVatts. Batchelor crashed after leaving the post, but did not get injured. The pace was a cracker for the first three laps, and several riders pulled out. When Ihe bell went I here were only six left in the race. Going round the back, Taylor ami O’Shea were placed third and fourth, with Hill leading. On entering the straight O'Shea challenged Hill, but just failed to get home by inches. Time —3min 35 2-ssec.

FIELD EVENTS. THROWING I Gib HAMMER (Standing); £l. 10s.—A. Scott (scr) 82ft 2in 1, J. O'Connell (7ft Gin) SOft lin 2. Five competed.

TOSSING THE CABER; £l. 10s. _AV. Shea (2ft bhd.) 40ft lin 1, J. O’Connell (scr) 37ft 2in 2.

WRESTLING (Cumberland), list 71b and under; £2, £l.—A'. R. Beck 1, A. Scott 2.

PUTTING 16lb STONE; £1 10s. — A. Scott (Ift) 35ft 2in 1, J. O’Connell (scr) 35ft Sin 2.

RUNNING HIGH JUMP; £2. £l. —E. R. O’Neill (Ain) 51ft 1, J Orton (scr) sft 4in 2. Four competed.

RUNNING LONG JUMP; £2, £l—- — Gaffaney (30in) 20ft lOin 1, G. Rangi (33in) 20ft 4in 2. Ten competed. HOP, STEP AND JUMP; £1 10s, 10s. —Q. Keenan (30in) 4l£t Ilin 1, A. Gaffaney (30in) 40ft 2. Six competed. DANCING. HIGHLAND FLING (Boys and Girls under 12), Local (Miss Spavin’s medal). —M. Henry 1, N. Findlay 2. Fourteen competed. SWORD DANCE (Boys under 16), £l, 10s. —C. Campbell 1. SAILOR’S HORNPIPE (Open); £l, 10s. —N. Drew 1, N. Spavin 2. Six competed. HIGHLAND FLING (Boys and Girls under 16), South Island Championship; £l, 10s,—N. Spavin 1, V. Skilling and B. Kearney (equal) 2. Eight competed. HIGHLAND FLING (Boys and Girls under 14); 15s, ss.—M. Duncan 1, J. Gourdie 2. Four competed. SAVORD DANCE (Boys and Girls under 15); £l, 10s. —N. Spavin 1, M. Fraser 2. REEL (Open); £l, 10s.—J. Maclachlan 1, B. Kearney

IRISH JIG (Boys and Girls), Open; £l, 10s.—M. Kyle 1, B. Kearney 2. HIGHLAND FLING (Boys and Girls under 12 years): 10s, ss.—K. Plever 1, M. Stevens 2. Three competed.

SEAN TRUIBHAS (Boys land Girls under 15); £l, 10s.—N. Spavin 1, M. Fraser 2. Four competed. IRISH REEL (Open); £l, 10s.— G. Bushell, N. Spavin, B. Kearney, and N. Drew (all equal). SEAN TRUIBHAS (Boys and Girls under 12); 10s, 5s. —G. Maclachlan 1. J. Fraser 2. MOST POINTS IN DANCING (Mr Kilgour’s medal). —Miss Spavin. BAGPIPE MUSIC. STRATHSPEYS AND REELS, S.I. CHAMPIONSHIP: £2 ss. £1 ss.— G. Robertson 1, J. Maclachlan 2. MARCHES; £2 ss, £1 ss.—G. Robertson 1, J. Maclachlan 2. PIBROCHS; £2 ss, £1 ss.—G. Robertson 1. SELECTION, “Maggie Cameron,” local: £2 2s, £1 Is. —H. Harrison 1, J. Coll 2. Seven competed. AVOODCRAFT. HANDICAP STANDING CHOP, 15in logs; £4, £2, £l.—D. L. Stuart, (ser) and J. S. Stuart (15sec) (equal) 1. B. Kelberg (20sec) and C. Home :(20sec) (equal) 3. Also competed: AV. Maloney (lOsec), A. .1. Templeton lOsec, A. Brogden 20sec. R. Brogden 25sec. V. Highet 2 ssce. J. McDonald 3 osec. HANDICAP UNDERHAND CHOP, 15in logs; £5, £2. £l.—C. Horne (25sec) 1, AV. IT. AVilson (20see) 2, A. J. Templeton (lOsec) 3. Also competed: D. L. Stuart scr. AV. Maloney ssee. J. S. Stuart 10see. A. Brogden ISsec. B. Kelberg ISsec. R. Brogden 25sec, AC Highet 25sec, J McDonald 25sec. Time —53sec. lIANDTCA P DOUBLE-HANDED SAAVING. 15in logs: £4. £2. £1. — AV. Maloney and AV. H. AVilson (ssec) 1. Stuart Bros, (scr) 2, Kelberg and Stuart. 3. Time —18 2-ssec. In the evening, a grand Cinderella. dance was held in the Temuka Drill Hall, when there was a crowded floor. The liveliest of dance music was provided by Kellaiid’s orchestra, and Mt AV. Seeler was a capable M.C.