In the Open Air.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13738, 31 October 1908, Page 4 (Supplement)

In the Open Air.

_ :SPORTS- AND. PASTIMES. Elizabeth, eays a diligent reader, and had its" origin iflT. rounders and stool-ball.' Lord Chesterfield was the first man of weight to take.it up seriously and Eton-the first public school.. .In those' days scores were notched npon tally-sticks, the ball had heavy cross seams, tlie bats were, curved and.*: tbe fielders, stood • almost: in Indian file. -The early lalws of the game had their inception at the Star and Garter Inn Pall-mall,, and one of ?the few. of these original laws whiek obtains is tba.t of the toss-np. .The wickets were twentytwo , inches high and, the bail .six inches in -teogtb. The : first county : match was wlien Kent played . England, in 1711. and on this occasion vast sums of money changed hands.' ~ The week lias again been disappointing, so far. as tho rain riverf? are-con-cerned, for the late -unsettled weather has kept ; them more or less in flood. As a result trout-fishing has been somewhat disappointing :on most of tlie rivers. The -Rangitata-is, lioweytr, a splendid .exception, -andifish are • reported' to ibe running -very freely and-to" be in great condition for -this-time-of yeair.; It would apjiear' that histoiy. is- likely to repeat; itself,in; so far as the Bangitata' is. the best river to (-ipeud-a'day; or two at. Should ;the weather l>ec6me settled, the smaller rivers Will get a ; chance to fall to. decent level and anglers will then know if the "fish are.' there." Already there are.,some tpd-.wielders who say. that they are not, .'tut as the w.ater lias been, so big since the season opened they, have not much evidence-to. -support- them. . -. A Home paper says: —"It is difficult to see from the ring exactly what; makes 'W.G.'s' innocent-looking slo'iys so .difficult- to play, but . the . batsman knows. Tlie ball remains hidden so long in the capacious hand; it- swims a little in the air. and often seems to die away ill its flight, and drop, sooner than.it lias any right to. ■ Then every ball if a liltle higher or a little lower in tlie air than its. predecessor, but- the change of elevation is so slight that the batsman is often unaware of it until 'it- is too late. . Above all, there is the-immaculate length. *W. G.' is quite a elow .bowler, but .the occasions when the'quickest-footed-among batsmen have lit liim full toss or by lying back have hooked a long hop from him have never ■ exceeded more than : four or five'in a season. . Nor could any amount of hitting knock liini off bis length. If he varied liis' pitch to -a man who was going for him it' was aways done tin purpose, probably to persuade him to have another hit ra'ttienthan to keep liim quiet. This amounts to saving that successful bowling even more than successful batting if) a matter of personality." Mr G-. Bradley, who has instructed many amateurs in tlie aii' rtfr. fly-tyinc, is. ; very clever • witli topls;;ttn^ ;; Australian xyioods, tlie" inaEmg'of rods-'. (sa?s*'t?fi ! # 'Morniin; Herald"). Nowadays, the fancy of anglers runs to neat, light, well-built split cane or split bamboo rods, but anc-lei-s have not to throw their- memories far bade to recall the days wlien the greenheart rods did all the great, work on the rivers, even amongst. the lordly salmon. Mr Bradley exhibited at the Casting Club meeting .recentlv a rode made of Australian wood, which will bear comparison with thoM fashioned from South American greenheart. It was on the whippy side, but in these days of stylish casting anil patience in playing a fish the wliippiness could not be a serious drawback. . Certainly one could nse thl-> rod •. ;dl " day without getting tired, and it is to be hoped that Sir Harry Haw-on, for wliom

it has been made as a memento of the Australasian championship casting tournament. will find it- an effective weapon on the Snowy or some of its tributaries before lie leaves., It would be a -worthy record for an Australian rod to ca|cli an acclimatised . and Australian-born trout weighing over sis pounds. The biggest shock American " pugdom " has sustained for a long while was the defeat of their one and only Stanley Ketchel by lils whilom victim. Bill I'apke. At the first time of meeting. Ketchel got all 'over his nian, and' finally" outed him ! in the tenth round. So .confident were tho knowing ones that he. would repeat the perfonniance that odds of three and four.to~onq were -forthcoming, still the outcome -of- tlie affair fettled the location of the middle-weight title, it was considered important enough to draw a good gate. The. umtsst lasted until the twelfth loutid, '.Vii,; practically won in tile tirst exchanges. How, is well told in tho "li.fciw's" American letter, from which the following extract-s are culled:-—Speak-ing of the previous meeting, I'apko hud said that Ketehel let. go at. him liefore tiny had completed the c-remonv of shaking hands.. Mo evidently believed what, 110 said. too. for in this- most recent, litfiit lie. refused K- t end's pniller-'d hand ui!: I' thtf *1 arming- bell sounded. Ho «as nale-h----ing Keteii.'l's two li.iiu'n now, was the Thunderbi.lt. and looking for an ojH-jiing at the S.-lUK- lime. I( r.ini- >|i--»-,lily Ketchel,- who probably ;iiought lie- had nothing to fear, pawed away with the left a.i though studying tin- -nay liis man guarded him-<-h'. Then I'apkc hit. -diort. a 3>fr, and, with" (1 ash lik<- iqieixl, brought his vigbt aein>»f. '1 In- effect', .if tiiai lil.oi' «ci>- Ketehel all through r4ie titrhi- It- sent bun sniggering, mid it j.Hred him so thai he eotiid not infn-.-111 - u-ual fi.iee into hi- nun.-h*-. V.-iv shortly aficrw.i: :1- the Mid i .uiic. Th>- training "is-rat ..f 1 >..rT t Ani-t and Webh ;■!>- b.-ing w.iieiied mth .ill :ii tt i. -t which is ;;!<•« ins k-. Ie ;• ;>k g'> be :< ;<.; ill tie-WiUiK-'tniti " lb iaM " Ai-ust ■ .'li;inn. - t>. gam fiii-nds: tl>- lie ;r t;i..: -<mi j of hint the lilo;.. f.tvoui «I>?• <i" t nrmii.'i- i r gard h'r, prosp- i-t-. "n : ii.- ~rh-r h-tlid, j tb'"s*-' are" vnni'-- who <l.-< !.:i ■■ ili.< r In • ■'!> I (le\. I" ho|i.--. in lie at \\ <-t>b so h nil,* ie.f. j brial dir.. alld roils l! d'K-t. « (:M1 jile I eri.ii'.MiKM- indulgrs :n f.--a «.|-rai:f. | ■ r. i- w.-il bear :r> ni:nd -'n.i- pri-.r | iii- i-i i; h ll.ii-v - m.my on j li: ' I'Vifr »-.d *i:<i ill-' ilk.- V'.je-t's 'i, U (

whieli was noticeable when lie spurted in , his training sprints, but on v the. day the 'ex-:-, cyclist gave a display which - has been de-. scribed by the .press as magnificent,- and showed that he could row- his" shell' without the suspicion of a roll when he. wanted to. This being - so, jt will not,. do to take much notice of Abe. defects noted in Arnst's style. .* If Jie. rowed; Smiuch gpod sty.lfe on. the. Parramattn.-?against Pearee> he is likely, to do "tatter irti December 15th, by which tirpe he will have Jinvc so much, more experience, -.tJiougli) on the other- handy he .-will: find 'the pace 'much ! more) solid-in ,-the -forthcoming raco ilian it. was in the last contests . ."While-thiu is; the fact, rerhains. thftt-.in- .tlong solid' rows, which - Arnsfc indulges y in. he swings along in a. plesising - manner, and his boat- rues very well.;indeed. ~ He appears. able to keep ..going , very strongly "tight through, and't k evident therefore, that he'is. going to put .A)p< a, big . race. So, far as Webb ..is concerned he contiuvM-s. to progress along the ,aigbt. lino.-r,. and is in the .best of health, and; spirits, to startthe hard training,/which he: will settle' down to almost immediately. ROWING- NOTES. By Sliding Seat. The crews . for the trial fours have been very lax in their traitrSig lately.' On night there was not a crew to leave "the. shed. If niember's want to make a show on slide they must- train,, and train hard. ' / , 1 have not. seen much of Boberts«n't> crew, lately. But what I have' seen of theni' gave me a fair impression. Stroke should- hold ; his slide at the beginning of, his- stroke. If lie sliopt-s his. slide it- stands to reason that- the men' behind him must do • the' same.Three bus done very little training, as .he has Iwcn working from daylight, to dark oh Thomson's new - premises," W. ; , McKay has had to. give .up; hs "place twing to illness, and tho . committee replaced, him. with ;D. Smith. A, Paslie, -the l)ow man, should try and put: a little' more, life into his fitroke.and at the end of his- stroke lie should shoot, his hand# out. If - he doe« that, lie. will find that-, it will carry him up the slide quite easily. Jack- Nicholl's crew I liave .not - seen, out, but' t am led to believe that they ure. training very, eniaiot-eii tly_ t eveiy morning.. Tliey have the .assistance, of, a verr good coach. in m- K- Pries;.. • : Billy Maben has sutfered through 'J'hornson's tire, as liis three .men-have to work on : the new premises, but I hear . lie, lias