SPORTING NOTES.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXX, Issue 12367, 7 May 1904, Page 4 (Supplement)

SPORTING NOTES.

RACING FIXTURES. M uv 7—Christchurch B.C. Autumn Jtlay 11 and 12—Hawkes Bay J.C. Autumn May 12 and 13—Ashburton County B.C. 'Autumn Mav 21 and 24—Takapuun J.b. VYi-ntei May 24 and 26—North Otago J.C. Winter May 3-1 and 23—Wanganui J.C. Winter June 3 and 4—Dunedin J.C. Winter June 3 and 4—Otaki Maori R.C. Winter Juro 3, 8, and 11—Auckland K.C. Great Northern Steeplechase Meeting Juno 22 and 23—Hawkes liny J.C. Winter

The captain of the English Rugby team that is to tour Australia is I). It. l.edellSivricht. a brilliant Scotch international forward, who has also played for Cambridge. Vow jockevs iu Australasia have been lHOiiiiueiitiv liefme the piibV lor such a. tc::-nh ff Vune as 11. Pewett. He rode Ltsrline to victory in the Canterbury I.up of 1872.

is showing go".! form in this sea-en's internalional tc.otball matchea. At lilaiklie.iih in February, lieland was beaten bv 19 points to nil. the Englishmen far. ly ri'mniiv: over their opponents. lp to jHi'.n'i, 'Ulul and Wales wer? Cv|U.u b the international series, each having won ami thmvn a watch.

\ number of wives writing in the "Weekly Scotsman" strongly criticise golf as u married man's game. They asserv that it diverts the energies of the breadwinner from their proper channel. Due writes • " Golf is no game for married men unless they be advanced in years," because " a voung' woman looks a more charming and' fascinating figure than ever on the golf-course." . the Wairarapa C.O. have stocked then , enclosure with the necessary hares and are now hard at work preparing for their -May meeting. The Club have received 69 nominations for their Wairarapa Cup of £IGO ments" have been made to the grounds since last season, amongst them being that the hares are kept behind the escapes m place of at the side as was the case last Reason. That fact contributed a great deal to the heavy mortality that the Club had at their initial meeting, and it is to be hoped that there will be a low percei'taee of kills this season on the Show Grounds at Masterton. The Wairarapa fixtures are always very enjoyable and this forthcoming May meeting promises to eclipse its predecessors. With a " boom " in professional athletics it- is only natural (writes " Prodigal" in the " Sydney Referee,") that a larger than usual number of men who have been in the "trophv" class should go over to the " cash " —in other words, forfeit their amateur status and join the professional ranks. It is something we look for, and, far from finding fault with the secedeis, they must be commended. It- is not with the man who straightforwardly states that lie hopes to make money out of his athletic ability that amateurism lias to beware; it is the man who makes money by betting, fixing up heats, and 44 working" athletics for all there is in it by various methods, all the time managing to keep in the amateur class. The quasi amateur is a thousand times more harmful to amateurism than the straightout pro. The announcement that the English football team will visit New Zealand has b;en hailed with much satisfaction all oyer the colony. The first and only English team to visit these parts was Stoddart's team, which was here in 1888. Their record read: nineteen matches play£d, two lost and four drawn. They were defeated by Auckland and Taranalii, and drew with Auckland, Otago, Wellington and Wanganui. They defeated a South Island team twice, but never played a New Zealand team. The only New Zealand combination t» visit the Old Country was the Native team in 1888-89. Their record was : Matches played, 74; won, 49; ilrr.wti, 5; lost, 20." Points: For, 394; ftgai.'i-t, IPfi- They defeated Irc!nnd_ l\v 1$ jM.iuis to 4. but w:re beaten by Wales by 5 points to nil, and by England by 7 fo nil.

•'Ganiebig" in the Wellington "Pust" says : " Xbs fact of tiie opening-day of the sheeting sea mi fulling on a Susihiy does' not appear likely to tlaior sportsmen from making an organised assault oa tiie ducks m that day. It is likely that by next year ]>ri;vi'ii.ii v.iU bs made to .secure that I lie i.jasou shall i:ivt open nn a Sunday. It lias l«ea suggested, hi the cooi-e of the conti< yoisy on the .subjert, that the season sh<m!d'b» lix:d to commence on the first Monday in May, but this will entail Sunday excursions to the scene of action. .411 the discussion appears unreasonable, as the first Sunday is only one Sunday amongst many, and it was not suggested that the Government should legislate to prevent the Sundays throughout the seasons from being taken advantage of by the many nport-men whose outing amoDg the ducks can only take place at week ends." Right up to the end of the season the fishing ut Rotorua was magnificent. From £9th March to the 4th April, 227 trout were taken from the streams and lake 3 around Rotorua, the aggregate weight of which was 25431b. Among these were some fine ■peciinens, fish weighing 17£ ib and 16j!b being secured. Lake Rotorua provided 115, weighing 489 jib; the Xgongotaiia stream 67, weighing 3261b; the remainder beins obtained in tho Awahou, Waiteri, and Utuhin streams, ar.d at Okere. The majority of the fish were taken with the minnow. Many visitors—indeed all—have been greatly pleased with their angling, and intimated their intention of returning next season, accompanied by friends. A fair number of fish have been secured with the fly, but the bulk has been caught with the mitiEOir. From 12th to 15th April, 174 fish were taken, the aggregate weight of -which was 786iib, among which 11, 12, and 13 pounders were quite common.

L. Corbett, who was placed first by the judges in the .Sydney Thousand and afterwards deprived of the prize of £750 through being disqualified, together with other riders, for alleged collusion, and the first prize awarded to A. E. O'Brien, the second rider, does not intend to quietly submit to the ruling of the League's Council who disqualified him. Ho will trnke a big effort to recover the first prize which he won by being first past the post, and has served the promoters of the race, the Summer Nights Amustments, Limited, with a writ. The promoters, although they have received a letter from Mr Hugh D. Mcintosh instiucting them to pay the prize to O'Brien, do not intend to do so, and will hold the prize money in abeyance pending the decision of the Court on the matter. O'Brien, although anxious to obtain the prize awarded him, wilL not go to law, and will have to await developments. The case is arousing great interest in cycling circles. A prominent American racing man tells the following story on himself:—His jockey fell ill on the evo of an important race, and left him without a rider for the horse which lie had entered for the event. In looking about for a substitute he decided that his stable-boy, who was thoroughly familiar with Spitfire's way:;, would fill the bill very acceptably. "Now, you must be careful," he warned him, "to n-e Arizona, as a pacer; ho is a wonder, •and will lead the track ; follow him closely until just bifore the finish—don't, pass him in any circumstances until you get within ■a few lengths of tho line; then let Spitfire out for all you're worth." The capitalist paused in his recital, and turned his cigar meditatively in his fingers. "Well, did In obey your instruction*?" asked one of his li-teneis. "Yes," answered the owner, "to the letter. He kept just behind Arizona until they were almost at tho finish line, and then he spurted ahead in great shape, but unfortunately there were four horses ahead of Arizona."

'l'lie existence of ti strong ling of bookmakers, jockeys, and trainers, which is supposod to be rich enough to control any woe thut is run on the Indian Turf, id, according to an i'.'astcrn paper, causing tho Calcutta Turf Club some concern, ami drastic atop* [or itH suppression are expected shortly. It in Htated that several races since the commencement of tlve year have been affected by the machinations of the cr,inbine, but fortunately it is not implied that any mischief was attempted in connection with the Viceroy's Cup, run in last, a race of which the Indian sporting public have every right to be proud. Tho stewards of the Calcutta Turf Club are blainej for want of vigilnnce in. detecting cases of stiff running, which it now uppears must have been the outcome of Ihc arrangements of the suspected bookmakers truiners, and jockeys. The names <>i the offenders are understood to be known to the committee of the club, which is said to strongly favour the establishment at Calcutta of tho totalisator, which will supersede the bookmakers, and, it is hoped, exterminate a very serious evil.

Just before last Saturday's matches at Wellington it was found that of one senior team of iifteen men all but one were on the defaulters' list, and their last year's " subs." liad to be paid bcforo the team could play. 11l it note on footballers who do not pay their subscriptions a Wellington writer (~,ys ; —'• Looking at the defaulters' list in oeucrnl, its abnormal proportions mustcommand astonishment. It is clear that not all, nor half, nor even quarter of these names could have got on the list by mistake if the writer started to count ihs names individually this article would scarce'v bo finished in time for the press. In one co In in 11 there are sixty-eight names, and ihsie are nine such columns, which works out at about 592. That is to Kay, ne iriv 6CO Wellington City footballers ( !) —for' the country districts are not under the Union—did not pay Uieir club subsuiptions last year, and had not paid them when the list was compiled ihis year."

WOIM.D'S RKCOIM.It;. A iv.pitul dart depicting various methods of cuverirg a miU in record time aup::v.s in the latest issue of the Sydney "*Heiei>:e," ami is mentioned as jnoving useful to would-be tscord-breakers. The distance is cvveted in the following times : Mins. Sees. Swimming . , ... 24 35 1-5 Walking ... ••• 6 23 It .wing !>*. Running 4 12 3-5 Skating 2 41 1-3 Steamer 2 Trotting 1 Racing 1 Cycling-motor ... 1 24 Cycling 1 20 Motoring ™ Train Electric Train ... - 274