ATHLETIC NOTES

Observer, Volume 7, Issue 333, 25 April 1885, Page 10

ATHLETIC NOTES

The Arawa and Waitemata Football Clubs play at tbe Thames on Queeu's Birthday. The former play,the Star (late Shortland) and the latter the Moonlighters. The football season was opened on Saturday by the Albert and Grafton Football Clubs. The former played 19 new v. 14 old members. The veterans were victorious by o points to 2. A meeting of the secretaries of the various junior football clubs was held in the club room of the United Service Hotel last evening, when a programme for the ensuing season was arranged. The Ponsonby, Grafton, Auckland, Newton, North Shore, and Albert Football Clubs ■intend having junior fifteens in the field this season. I think some effort should be i made to have them attached to the Association, V The great intercolonial one-hour pedestrian contest, between Joseph O'Brien and * John Backhouse, for £200 a-side, took place - at Bega, N.S.W., on Monday, April 6, and resulted in a rather easy victory for O'Brien, who won with 300 yards to spare. The distance covered was nearly 10£ miles. Edward Donovan and William Murphy are to meet once more to decide the lightweight championship. Should the Theatre be obtainable, the affair will take place tomorrow night. The stakes are said to be £20 a-side, and the contest will be fought under the Marquis of Queensbury rules. The half-mile running contest between Cutler, of Auckland, and Craig, of Cambridge, came«off in the Government paddock, Cambridge, on Tuesday, before a large number of spectators. Cutler was slightly the favourite in Auckland, but the Cambridge people backed Craig to a man. Craig led from the start, and won easily by about six yards. Time, 2min. 12^sec. A Sydney paper contains the following : — t: The largest scare ever made in a cricket match in New Zealand was recently put together by C. Strange, who scored 220, wiien playing at Christchurch with the Banks against the Insurance Companies. The highest previous score was 190, made by W. E. Barton, in Auckland, during the present season. Barton, who seems to be quite the crack bat of Maoriland. also put togther during the season a score of 133. The annual meeting of t the Manukau Football Club was held in Onehunga on Wednesday evening last. Mr A. Howard was voted to the chair. The secretary's report showed that out of 11 matches played during last season 6 were won, 4 lost, and 1 drawn ; a very successful record, considering the club was only formed at the beginning of last season. The following new members were elected: — Messrs Brookfield, Stevenson, Suiter, Otway, Brown (2), Galbraith, Mathieson, Black, Drum, and Harris. Mr Jas. -E. Leahy was elected captain and secretary. The Albert Football Club will play a! x match in the Domain on Saturday; members from Ato Lv.Mto Z. Ato L: Austin, Binney, Bruce, Buchanan, Burns, Cole, Cesson, Carry, Danks, Dewar, Done, Dixon, Firth, Goodacre, Goodman (2), Gillespie, Hardwick, Jones, Lawrie, and Lincoln. M to Z : Miller, Marshall, Maynard, Martin, May, Mark, McKiriley, McConnell, McDerniott, Nightingale, Pulman, Page, Eidings (2), Rowe, Rotherham, Stewart, Smart, Smith, Slator, Wilkie, and Wheatley.