OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume 3, Issue 65, 10 December 1881, Page 204

OUT DOOR SPORTS

—Cook is offering tlic yacht Try for sale. —Can- has built ;i twenty foot vachl for N;i pier. — Graydon lias put a centreboard in the small sailing- bout Olive. Tlio Yard was defeated on Saturday, owin" to the wretched fielding of Kay and Bromwick — Nightingale lias built a sixteen foot batten ! carver boat. Sbe will be out about Christinas. —It is reported that several telegraph officials intend purchasing the yacht Sybil. — Owen made a couple of good catches in the Onchunga match. — Ponsonby .Rowing Club hud trial fours contests last Saturday. Further races take place to-morrow. — Robinson got eight wickets last Saturday for eleven runs. — C. 13owden made two good catches last Saturday. —Sports are to he held at Ellerslie on January 2nd. — Edmonds is building an open-sailhi"- boat for Duthie. ° — Gfeorgc Drown was a tower of -trength to the Ponsonbyites oil Saturday. — Ponsonby did very well in getting the Onehunga first eleven out for (SO. — Reynolds has built a twenty-foot cedar boat, which is expected down here at the next regatta. —Auckland defeated Otalruhu last Saturday with twenty runs to spare. — Cox got 1J and Reid 12 in the Otahuhu match. — The Ponsonby boy* say the decisions of the Onehunga umpire last Saturday were grossly unfair. — The Tauranga cricketers are" expected here to-morrow, but they will not play till next week. — The large open-sailing boat Magic is advertised for sale. — Arthur Edwards bowled remarkably well for Ponsonby iv the Onehuiiga match. His pitch astonished the natives. —The Grammar School Rowing Club has secured a site for its shed on the breakwater, next to the Auckland Club's shed. — The Whau Union has gained the prize of a set of cricketing material, offered to them by Mr James Owen, on condition that they should win not less than three matches during the season. —The Domain cricket matches, which were to have taken place to-morrow, have been postponed in consequence of the amateur athletic club sports taking place there. — The recently formed Ponsonby Cricket Club is not deficient iii uluck It tackled the Onehunga first eleven last Saturday, and although easily beaten, the boys did not make a bad show. — The fact of the A.A. Club sports not oeing held on Saturday last, will prevent Harry Davy from taking part, as he went on his travels again this week. It is a great pity such should be the ease, as "Hookey" had a first- class chance of being Victor Ludorum, being iv splendid form and having- trained carefully for the event. Some of the sprinters of the Club are almost sure to be stale to-day as they were about strung- up to concert pitch last Saturday. — A handball match for the championship of Auckland, was played last Saturday between Sweeney, and Healey, of Oiiehunga. Directly Sweeney stripped, men who did not know the game, offered odds against him, and the old adage of " many a good tune on an old fiddle " was not verified, as Sweeney won easily. — A match between the Union and United Cricket Clubs took place at the Whau on Saturday and resulted in a victory for the Union. The scores were, Union, 30, United, 21. The bowling was good on both sides, and accounted iv a great manner for the srnallness of the scores. —A match at handball is most likely to be made between Murphy and Hogan, the chanipions of New Zealand. The Uoromandel men offer to back Murphy and Dan Courtney to play Hogan and Sweeney (champion of the town of Auckland) for a hundred a-side. The challenge would have been accepted for £20 by one of the players, but it remains to be seen if the Aucklanders will back their man. — The wretched state of the weather on Saturday, was the cause of the postponement of the sports of the Amateur Athletic Club. It is a great pity that such

was the case, as the committee had worked hard to make everything appertaining to the meeting a thoroxigh success. The action of the committee has been unlavourably commented on by some, who say that the atternoon was quite fine enough to allow of the sports being held. But the few grumblers will be satisfied when they remember that to get the grounds ready, that is, to paint all the various handicap marks on the grass, to put the post and ropes round the ground, flag tHo course, etc., entails three or four hour's hard work to the secretary. Of course, all this could not be done in tlie midst of a downpour of rain, one reason being that the ram would have obliterated the whitewash marks as soon as they were made, and another being that ladies could not be expected to attend when the long grass on the slopes was dripping with " nature's pearly tears." We trust that the generous public will acknowledge the advisability of the course pursued in the postponement of the affair, and turn out in crowds to witness the sports to-morrow.