OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume II, Issue 44, 16 July 1881, Page 490

OUT DOOR SPORTS

— Lecky kicked a good goal, for Newton, on Saturday. It was from a try by Bell. — The Ponsonby Second Fifteen plays against the West End Football Chib next Saturday.' — Nicholson and Sims played exceedingly well, at North Shore, on Saturday. — Ryan lacked a difficult goal by a try from Newell, last Saturday. — The Auckland Football Club beaten again ! Grafton was victorious this time. — The raffle of the Yacht Sybil will come oft" shortly, nearly the whole of the necessary subscribers having been obtained. — The weather, last Friday evening, Avas sufficiently bad to cause the Auckland Cricket Club meeting to fall through. — The long-talked-of football match between Kati-kati and Tauranga, comes off at the latter place tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. — The tries at North Shore, last Saturday, were obtained by Burgess and Whitesido. Both attempts at goal were failures. — It is probable that White and Hearn will meet again in the sculling prize offered by Mr Carina. The race takes place at Mercury Bay on December 27. — Was Albert White beaten by eight, ten, or twelve lengths? The reports supplied by the newspapers differ materially. — The newly-formed second fifteen of the Ponsonby Football Clnb sustained an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Newton youths, on Saturday. The score was fourteen, to nothing, — The Napier Footballists leave for Gisborne at the end of July in order to play a match against the local team. It is expected at Gisborne that Napier will win. — Amongst the Ponsonby team, E. and C. Owen, Marsden, Pon, and Damon distinguished themselves, last Saturday, by thoir energetic endeavours to retrieve the fallen fortunes of the western suburb. — The amount lost on White, in Auckland, was very small, betting having been unusually dull. This was due to the fact that very little was known regarding the men. —The forward play of Newton, in last Saturday's match, was excellent, while Whiteside and Morgan, backs, and Leek nnd Donald, half-backs, contributed materially towords the Newton victory. — Betting, at Wellington, last Saturday morning, went as far as 2 to 1 on Hearn, with few takers ; while, in Auckland, there was scarcely a wager of consequence laid after Friday, and then tho betting was 6 to 4 on the Wellington man. — Daniel Courtney has issued a challenge to play Michael Sweeney for Gleeson's cup and the handball championship of Auckland. He also says that he will take O'Brien, and play Sweeney and T. O'Connor for £5 a side upwards. — Within the first half-hour, last Saturday, the Newton team scored the whole of their fourteen points. The Ponsonby men prevented further scoring subsequently, but tho ball was kept well up on the Ponsonby goal line. — Ponsonby played eleven men to North Shore's thirteen last Saturday, and although opposed to a heavier team than themselves they were not beaten. The score was n try on each side, and the match was consequently drawn. — It is considered by good authorities that White's defeat was due, in a large measure, to his want of staying power. He took the lead with a faster stroke than his opponent, but could not keep up the pace. It is well known that half-castes are bad stayers, but White's long practice was supposed to have removed this defect. — There is a great deal of the " I told you so," in connection with Albert's White's defeat, and people who had previously believed him to be invincible, now declare that they always thought he would have been beaten. But so far as White himself is concerned, the defeat should exercise an exceedingly good effect. He had no experience before, and the loss of this match will show him his own weak points.-and enable him to rectify them. He is young, and can afford to be beaten, but I venture to say that if White is sufficiently sensible to profit by the lesson he has received, the next race will not result so greatly in favor of the Wellington man. All accounts show that he was too confident, and had he gone oft with an easier stride, it is more than probnble he would have responded to some purpose when called upon by Hearn. Action.