SPORTING NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11980, 31 January 1903, Page 4 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

RACING FIXTUBES. 1903. Feb. 3 and 4—Wairoa County B.C. Annual. Feb. 5 and 6—Maniototo J.C. Annual. Feb. 11 and 12—Taranaki J.C. Summer. Feb. 11 and 12—Tuapeka County J.C. nurdFeb. 12 and 13—Gisborne B.C. Summer. leb. 12 and 14—C.J.C. Summer. Feb. 18 and 19—Egmont R.C. Summer. Feb. 19 and 20—Poverty Bay T.C. Annual. Feb. 21—Forburv Park R.C. Autumn. Feb. 25 and 2&-AYuodville J.C. Autumn. Feb. 25, 27 and 28—Dunedin J.C Autumu. March 5 and 6—Wanganui J.C. Autumn. March 6 and 7—Westport J.C. Autumn. March 7—Waiapu R.C. Annsal. March 17 —Hoiowhenua Hack B.C. Annual. March 17 and I&—Gore R.C. Summer. March 19 and 20—Masterton B.C. Summer. April 1 and 2—Xelson J.C. Annual. April 11 and 13-r-Wairarapa R.C. Autumn. April 11, 13 arid 14—Auckland B.C. Autumn. ' April 13 and 14—C.J.C. Autumn. At the cricket match England v. Wairarapa at Greytown last week, a policeman ■watched a Maori climbing the back fence into the reserve, and waited upon him for his entrance money. The native tendered a cheque for £ll 17s 9d, and asked for the change. The policeman sent him on to the officials. English cricketer J. R. Mason has announced his intention of resigning the captainship of the Kent County team, owing to other calls on his time. It is believed that the post will be offered to Mr C. J. Burnup, at present touring New Zealand with Lord Hawke's team of English cricketers. . Cash Sloan, who visited his brother Tod ia France just before sailing for America, dsclared the reports which had reached the States concerning the one-time premiere jockey of two continents had been very much exaggerated. " Tod isn't broke: — far from it," said Sloan. "He's had a couple of -hard raps, perhaps, but I imagine he'g holding his own in France." Jack Keen, an American trainer, whose home is in. old Kentucky, is back, after a highly successful season in the land of the Czar. Asked what the outlook is in that part of the world, Keen said: "If a skilled American horse trainer is looking only to making money like a Chinaman that comes to this country, Bussia is the greatest land in the world for him to follow his profession." Quite a flutter was caused in angling circles this week by the news that the lakes at the Lower Opihi were at last to he opened, and the ford at O'Mara's and th« fishing there and at Bourke's improved. The fords have been very dangerous for a long time owing to the level of the river keeping so high, due to the frequent rains, and have not been crossable after

dark. So far as we understand it, a new channel is to be cut at a point above the Maori hole. This will allow of the water getting away to sea, and will make the fords so shallow that they will be easily crossable at any time. The stream will be more rapid than it is at present, and this will improve the fishing, and put the big fish on the move. The work will be carried out next week, and should, if at all effective—in fact, there is no doubt on this head—be a source of gratification to all concerned.

Tom Richardson has been giving his opinion to an interviewer for the ""Daily hxpress " regarding the proposal 'to -widen Ihe -wickets from Bin to 9in. The Surrey •jipress does not believe in the suggestion nt all, and much prefers patting 2in on the length. "If a bit. -were shaved off the hata it would make a difference, but what is necessary is to make the wickets higher. Two inches would do it, and I'll bet you that if you asked all the leading bowlers they would be of the same opinion." Tom thinks the best professionals should be consulted in regard to alterations in cricket rules. "Itis a great pity," he says, '" new cricket laws are made without consulting leading professionals like Arthur Shrewsbury, William Gnnn, Abel, and plenty of others who are in the first row of players, and whose experience is twice that of many of the younger amateurs who make the laws of cricketers. . . The leading professionals who live on the game and breathe the air of cricket all the year round should have a voice in the matter." The one great feature of the recent New South Wales v. South Australian match was the batting of Trumper and Duff. It was a partnership of wonderful brilliance and remarkable beauty of play. The bowlers were powerless to prevent the runs coming from almost every ball, and had the fieldsmen not exerted themselves to their utmost, and shown fine ability in getting to and stopping the hardest of hits, the score of 298 runs in two hours 13 minutes must have been materially greater. In this innings we were given (says "* Not Out" in '* Sydney Referee") a better opportunity of studying

Victor Trmnper's cricket than lie afforded tts in the Australian Eleven engagement, despite bis fine batting on that occasion. Xow, as then, we ask ourselves : Has his batting improved in any way? One is *ure. that he has improved in judgment. The mind is now the master force in his cricket; at tiroes —not always—in the past it seemed as though in the multiplicity of his strokes the bat lured him into trying to accomplish almost the impossible. He often did it, for there is genius jn his cricket. That ball well up on the middle stump, which he used to flick to fine-leg (and sometimes used to miss) often with but half or quarter of the blade's face showing to the bowler, is now met with the full blade, and hit at will to either off or on with a power that few present-day csjcketers can equal. No recognised batsman of the day hits harder, no batsman has so many strokes, and, more wonderful than all, no batsman makes those strokes in so many different ways. And no one places the ball as Trumper does. The practical elimination of the famous and often fatal fine-teg flick to a half-volley on the middle stump vastly strengthens ~ his cricket on fast wickets. Victor Trmnper now brings to bear on his batting the best qualities of mind and body, with the result that he is the embodiment of perfection in batting. Weeks ago we suggested in this column that the South Canterbury Cricket Association should meet and choose a team (number to be decided on by the Association) to go into steady and" hard practice in view of the important match with Lord Hawke's team, at the end of nest month. The suggestion was very heartily apptoved by all lovers of the game, bat up t» time of writing nothing has been tlone. Last week in conversation with oue of the delegates to the Association we were assured that a team would be selected '" a: r-nre."' But it turns out that the Association cannot get a meeting; and some very ugly rumours, from a purely unselfish sportsmen's point of view, ;ire rife as to the reason why the delegates do not come together. It would serve no good end to put such reasons in this column: but for the cricket honour of South Canterbury we would ask of all clubs to .sink petty jealousies and unite in making this match the great one it undoubtedly should be: The whole matter lies entirely" with the cricketers, but if nothing is done within the next week. we would respectfully suggest that the Mayors of Tiniaru. Temuka, and Waimate. and the chairman of the Town Board at Geraldine. should meet, take over the contract, and select .a team to meet our distinguished visitors from the H&ne of the Royal game. The public are amciouslv koking forward to the great match, and if the weather is at all tine .the" attendance is sure to be very large. We are ijuite «ure that a team selected by the local authorities would give quite "as good a dixplay of cricket as the active members of clubs, whose practices of late have been of .the schnol-girl order. In fact, so sick are some of the players of the Tiniaru A. and 8.-Civil tJervjce-Temqka-Wincbester

matches, so wearisome have become the I "ringing of the changes," - so dreary are I . the same old teams, that they have made J all sorts of excuses for not playing. If ; [mm any cause this very important match falls through, and we must, confess that j at present things aie very sickly-looking, j then good-bye to cricket in South Canter- ' i bury. It may be interesting to some of our readers "to know exactly how the proprietors of the "tote shops " think they can circumvent any Act which may be passed to wipe them cut of existence (says au Adelaide writer). The leading " shops " are now incorporated and registered as clubs. They give each member a certificate for his subscription of 2s, and issue with the certificates " memoranda of association." These set out the objects, which \ are those of an ordinary club, with certain special additions. Amongst the latter i i.;: "To provide horse-racing and other j sports and pastimes." The promoters I reckon that if betting is stopped at these clubs, then the police will have to raid Tattersall's and other clubs also. It is said that if Court proceedings are taken against the new " clubs." and are successful, a test will be taken to the Privy Council. There is one amusing aspect of the whole case. The Attorney-Genctal. Mr J. H. Gordon, is, with the Commissioner of Police, drawing up a Bill designed to smash up the '" tote shops," while at the same time his pariner-in-law. Mr J. B. Anderson, has been drawing up the rules by which the clubs hope to defeat any law which may be passed. A correspondent of the English " Evening Xews " writes:—A long - standing friend of the late Colcnel Harry McCalmont has related to me a romantic story of the manner in which the late millionaire became heir to his uncle's fortune. On the morning of the day appointed for the reading of the will Captain McCalmout confided to his friend that he was " broke," and that he had not the slightest hope that his uncle would leave him anything, unless it was a small souvenir. The same evening Captain McCalmont again met his friend, to whom he described his experiences at the reading of the will, and related how he very nearly fell asleep from the monotonous droning of the family lawyer, but woke up on hearing his name and the words: "To my nephew Harry McCalmont I leave my watch and chain." The nephew ungratefully reflected that this would not help him much. The reading of the will having ended, Captain McCalmont rose to leave, when he noticed everyone in the room looking at him. Then the lawyer advanced, and said, " I congratulate yon, sir." "Why!" asked Captain McCalmont. "You are residuary legatee," responded the solicitor. "What is that?" queried the captain, very much puzzled. "It means," said the lawyer solemnly, " that you will have £4OOO annually for the first five years from this date, and afterwards vou will inherit »£4,0C0,C00."