OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume XXIII, Issue 2, 27 September 1902, Page 10

OUT DOOR SPORTS

By Harrier.

NEARLY all our cricket dubs have held their annual meetings and are making preparations to start the season. With such vile weather as we have been having it will be impossible to start practising for some time in the Domain.

A testimonial to Trumper is being raised in Sydney and is being largely subscribed to. Sale, a well-known English player, will most likely be seen playing for Auckland this season. The idea of having two grades in Senior Cup cricket is very favourably received by local players. F. Clayton has decided to relinquish the game this year and no doubt will be seen standing as umpire. Present Australian team's record of 23 matches won and 2 lost beats Murdoch's famous 1882 team's record of 23 matches won and 4 lost. Barclay, of the London Cricket Club, who came out to the colonies in the Paparoa, may play for P;;rnell this season. He Is at present in the South. " The best batsman Australia has ever sent to England, judged by either the standard of style or the standard of run-getting, is the opinion of Victor Trumper by a leading English newspaper. R. W. Barry, jun., has decided to throw in his lot with United. He had an average of 30 in Senior Cup cricket in Christchurch last season, and represented Canterbury against Hawke's Bay. He should be an acquisition to local cricket. The Auckland Cricket Association was to have held its annual meeting last night (Wednesday). The imances are in a healthy state, the balance at credit being £34 17s 9d. This season we should have visits from Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Canterbury, so we can look forward to some interesting games.

The North-South Island match is now past history, bus the following remarks by " Touchline," in Wellington Lance, should be interesting to our readers :— Neither of the full-backs — McKenzie (North) and Booth (South) —were up to interprovincial form, let alone intercolonial. The former I fully expected to have an interest in the New Zealand team, but he has allowed himself to put on too much weight. with the result that his movements are altogether too Plow. In the three-quarter line, the Canterbury McGregor was a shining light, his attacking work being brilliant. Tregear took the ball finely, ran straight, and was a success, but a weakness in finding touch weighs against him. Wallace was variable, taking well and finding touch in good style, but his passing was erratic. Harper, barring a couple of bad fumbles at the beginning of the game, was solid, and, on the day's play, was sihead of Wallace. Asher was clever, and did many acrobatic feats and dodgy runs, and was stronger than Smith. R. McGregor has not forgotten much. All that- came his way was done in workmanlike style. He was accused of holding on too long at times, but, from my view-point, it was only because he was beaten in his endeavour to make the opening a good one that caused the .apparent selfishness. Wood was like a bundle of crackers —he was going off here, there, and everywhere. A feature of his play— and an old one. too, but not much practised by other backs, Duncan, perhaps being an exception — is the way in which he gets in among the forwards in the dribbl-

tog rushes, and when he gets on to the ball, helping it along with a friendly kick till the opening he wants presents itself. Kiernan is a clever half-back, a feature of his play in which lam much in love with being the way he marks knocks-on from the line-out His passing is clean, .but when be has given the pass he does not wait for the next scrummage to get the ballhe quickly gets into line, and expects a pass in the forward' march to the opposing goal. I don't say he is a Harry Roberts or a Pat Keogh, but he is head and shoulders above any half-back at present playing in the colony. Harvey was playing well till his accident, and Roberts, who took his place, did a lot of stopping in the second half. Porteous was cleverer than Laing on the wing, and Brunsden was lost altogether — Armstrong completely overshadowed him. Why Cross was emergency in the South Island team is best known to the selectors of the team. Anyway, his game was worth a place in any New Zealand team. Roddick was a shining light and Cook was ever on the ball, although inclined to deal in the second spell. Wylie took Tyler's place in the front of the scrummage, and worked well with Dodd. He was prominent throughout. Long, McDuff and Cunningham did their best to avert defeat, although McDuff was not so conspicuous on the line-out as I expected from the glowing accounts I had heard of him.

Grafton are sending a fairly strong team to meet Whangarei on Saturday next. " Bob " Oliphant is in town but still has his arm in a sling as the result of his accident in the CanterburyHawke's Bay match. J. Irons, of the Christchurch F.C., and an ex-Graftonite, is now in Auckland, having been transferred to the Union Steamship Company's office here. Fifty-two football matches have been played between New South Wales and Queensland, N.S.W. winning 31, Queensland 18, three being; drawn. D. Me Gregor, the Canterbury wing three-quarter, has gained a great reputation this season a.; a trygetter, says " Dropkick," having scored in every representative match in which he has taken part. On the Northern tour he scored 34 points, his tally including one try in Wellington, two in Nelson, one in /Vuckland, a try and a potted goal in Taranaki, two tries in Wairarapa, and three in Hawke's Bay. In the four matches in which he has played since, he has registered nine tries— four against South Canterbury, one against Otago, two against Southland, and two against the North Island. This brings his score for representative matches to 61 points, a total that should take some beating.

Yachtsmen should bear in mind that the Ponsonby Cruising Club holds its annual meeting in the Ponsonby Club Hotel to- night (Thursday). The annual meeting of the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club will be held in the Amateur Sports Club-room on Friday night. The business will embrace the report and balance-sheet, and election of officers for the ensuing season. All members and intending members are requested to attend, and the secretary, Mr P. J. Ohlson, will be in attendance from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to enrol members. At the end of last yachting season it will be remembered that a yachtsman named Alfred Moore was drowned off Freeman's Bay while coming ashore in a punt. The deceased was a member of the Ponsonby Cruising Club, and the members of the club have subscribed enough funds to secure a handsome tombstone, and it will be placed over their late comrade's grave. The Auckland Public Schools' Rugby Union will send a team to Helensville on Saturday to meet the Northern Wairoa combined schools' team. The following will represent the Aucklanders :— Young, G. Dacre, C. Brett, R. Besley, A. Grant, P. Thomas, Matthews, Otter, P. Skinner, W. Tapp, A. Skinner, R. Hamilton, R. Philson, R. Cotterall, McLeod, i emergencies, Howell, Grant, Hardwick and McConnell.