OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 234, 7 March 1885, Page 6

OUT DOOR SPORTS

BY REFEREE

NOTICES.

Secretaries of all hinds of Clubs for the promotion of out-door sports will confer a favour by eomnuuiicatmg any items of interest connected with their sport, game, or pastime; more especially withrespect to coming events. Short sketches of sporting or pleasure excursions will be welcome, and questions en all matters connected with sports will be gladly answered. All communications must be addressed to "Referee."

EVENTS TO COME

March 17. — Tauranga Regatta. March 17. — Eight-hour Demonstration Sports. March 28 — Haolan v. Beach j £500 a-side and championship. April 11.— A.A. Club Sports, Domain. April 11. — Ten-mile Championship Bicycle Race Domain (probable). April 18 — Intercolonial eight-oared race ; Parramatta River. April 18— E. Hanlan v. T. Clifford j £500 a-side and championship. April 25. — Intercolonial Eight-oar Race ; Parramatta River.

Dave McEune challenges either Swan or Eayner to a 12-hour or 50-mile walk for £50 a-side and gates. McKune's money Aviil be forthcoming- at the United Service Hotel.

W. M. Woodside, of Chicago, has "bust the record " again for fifty miles, on a bicycle, accomplishing the distance in 2hrs 54min., l^secs., thus beating Prince's 2hrs. 59min. losecs. .

The committees of the Athletic Club and Waitemata Bicycle Club met on Wednesday night to jointly arrange a programme for the 11th April, on which date the sports of the A.A.C., are to be, held.

This is awfully steep, don't you think ? J. P. De Coma, of Akron, Ohio, takes exception to the statement that the 64in. bicycle ridden by a wheelman in Union City, Ind., is the largest known. He claims to own and ride a wheel measuring 84in. in diameter.

On the strength of his win against Carnachau, and stirred up by my par a fortnight back, D. Craig, of Cambridge, Waikato. has accepted G-eorge Cutler's challenge to run half-a-inile for £50 a side. The date has not yet been definitely fixed, but will bo announced shortly.

Auckland, commencing their return match with United, won the toss and went in, O'Brien and Robinson commencing. The former got 60, and the latter 26, Howard 24, Dennes" 18, and Gardner 4, being out, and Barton, not out. with 71, at call of time. The total for 5 wickets being- 216.

The cricket was exceptionally interesting in the Domain on Saturday last. Brook's feat of getting all the 9 remaining wickets of Gordon in 45 balls for 18 runs was a record, while Barton, O'Brien, and Eobinson showed what good batsman can do against loose bowling by scoring off the Uuited trundles at a great rate.

The A. A. Club's sports are finally fixed for 11th April. I would advise all intending competitors to go into active training at once, as they have not a day too much to get ready in. Not many of the competitors are careful livers, and it will take a while to work the night gas and " Bull- dog " out of their compositions, and out it all must come before you can run good — and don't you forget it, boys.

Another very successful pigeon match was fired on Thursday last at the New Lynn Hotel, through the enterprise of Mr Clements, the proprietor. Mr li.-S. Chatfield was successful in two principal sweeps, and made more than usually good shooting. Mr Clements is to be heartily congratulated on his pluck in. promoting those happy little reunions. A match has been arranged, arising out of this gathering, between Mr "F. Newell and Mr J. J. Donovan, 32-|yds, xise, 10 birds, £10 aside, which will come off shortly.

West End C.C. won their match with Gordon on Saturday iast in the Domain by 29 runs in the first innings played on Saturday week. Gordon, it will be I'emembered. had one wicket down for 42. Lynch put Brooks and Arneil on the trundle. The dry wicket suited Brooks, and he captured the whole nine wickets for the splendid analysis of 45 balls, 4 maidens, and 18 runs ! West End got 101 for 5 wickets in the second venture. King 21, Lynch 22, Arneil 12. lieid (not out) 27, being the principal scorers.

The Sheffield Christmas Handicap was brought to a conclusion on Dec. 27, and was won by A. Williamson, an old ped. 4(3 years of age. It is sixteen years ago since he was first returned winner of a Sheffield handicap, and now he can boast to have proved successful on four occasions, besides which he' has run second six and third three times. In the race under notice, J. C. BooHi was second and Licldle third. The betting was H to 4 on Liddle, 7 to 4 against Booth, and 10 to 1 against Williamson. Williamson had 85^-yds start, Booth 85yds, and Liddle 87^yds. With this victory Williamson closes his career on.vthe cinder-path. One of the funniest things that I ever heard of in- cricket was the action of Mr W. Y. Milton, Captain of the Christchurch C.C., -fche other day. Nine of his men, playing against Lancaster Park C.C., had scored

61, or, as Millton thought, enough to win. So he stopped his two last men from going in, batting two short, so as two allow time for playing the match out, as it was a cup match and he was very anxious to win. His ruse succeeded, as he got rid of his opposing eleyen for 150, of which Wilding- made 60, and must have frightened Millton a bit. But was the trick legal ? I gravely doubt it the match being between eleven a side. Anyhow, it raises another moot point for disciission by cricket lawmakers.

I wonder whether our lazy-going cricketers are going to dispense with, a net at practice? As long as the net is used, so long will our fielding be notorious, as it now is, for slovenly looseness, and our batting- also, to a considerable extent. lam morally convinced that a net, unless for two. or at most three, men who wish a bit of private practice, is a delusion and a snare, and is in a great measure responsible for one feature of Auckland's batting, viz. , letting off the loose ones. The Association should step in and try to abolish the net at full practices. For till it is abolished we will always have to growl at and suffer from lazy fields and butter-fingered catchers.

West End Second v. I. Zingari concluded in a draw in favour of 1.Z.. Avho put together the score of 126, of which Jordan's 3<S and Poland's 23 were the results of steady play and patience. There was only one duck's egp; in the innings, Milner, Smith, Fisher (10, not out), and Laird each batted very nicely for their scores. In the West End's innings there were 5 wickets down for 47 runs, of which Verney contributed 20 by

Beach's easy win from Clifford, on Saturday last, when rowing for £200 and the championship, proves that his victory over Hanlan was no fluke, as some cranks would have us believe. He beat Clifford^ by all accounts, even more easily than Hanfan did. This victory will give him fresh heart to tackle the Canadian wonder on the 28th instant; and, as things go at present, I expect the championship to remain in Australia.

I have received, a cool request from Mr Chas. F. Hulme, hon. secretary of the Tau-rang-a. Regatta Club, for a subscription to the club funds. For " neck" this takes the cake. If Mr Hulme expects subscriptions, I might suggest that Aye "expect advertisements. Had his forethought gone so far as to remind him of this fact, and induced him to send a decent ad. the proprietary would have been, perhaps, willing to discuss the question of subscriptions with him. As he ignores us in this particular, however, he can hardly expect consideration in the other, and we c:m only tront hit f > o"!?r'""-.iration r.s a mccc of remarkably hard cheek.

The Dream and Mascotte sailed their race for £20 a-side on Saturday. The course was iixed by the referee, Mr Henry Parker, round Clara Hargraves and pilot schooner moorings in Eangitoto Channel, back round Clara again, and home to wharf.

This gave a boat from the hulk to the moorings, the wind beiny light from the north. A good start was effected, and Mascotte led for a few minutes, but Dream soon sliot ahead and led past the hulk. As soon as the heat commenced she fairly romped

The above is an excellent likeness of General and ex -President Grant, who at the present tiui c of writing is reported by cable to be likely to die of cancer in the tongue. His life is too well-known to need any lengthy notice in these columns. He was born in Ohio in 1882, graduated at West Point at 21, served in the Mexican war, and in 185-i engaged in commercial pursuits. But in 18G1 he offered his sei vice to the Federals, and greatly distinguished himself during the war of Secession, rising to the rank of Commander-in-Chief in 18G4, and finally compelling the surrender of the Confederate Forces before Richmond. General Grant was elected President of the United States in 1872. He .afterwards made a tour of the world, and popularised himself by his fiauk and courteous bearing, and the liberality of his sentiments. His death would be universally regretted in America, and by many in other parts of the world.

hardhitting. I.Z.s fielding was too good to permit of much scoring on their opponent's part, Milner making a splendid one-handed catcii, the feature of the whole day's fielding. Donald bowled very well for the West E;m. These one-afternoon matches are very unsatisfactory, indeed, as it is very rarely {•hetwo teams bat in entirety if the first ;u the wickets should make any kind of a stand I hope to see none but two or three days' matches on the programmes of the junior clubs next season.