THE WORLD OF SPORT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10777, 24 May 1913, Page 3

THE WORLD OF SPORT.

SPORTING.

Pea ' »*at«nra rode in this year'* Liver- - pi Grand National Steeplechase. , The twenty-two startors for the Liverpool ■ Arand National Steeplechase this year .tanged in ages from six to twelve years. R. Derrett's active team at Riccarton has been strengthened by the sddition of two f?ss!ish-br«i fillies, Idadwina and Flower oi •tii» Wert. £fcUlia, who won. Otots. Welter Hanone mile and a quarter, at Boulder, West Australia, recently, is a four-year-old by Obligado—Mis» Simon, by Soult—Pikau, flam of Loch Fyne. -; Mr W. F. M'Beth,- who owned Crucinella when she won the Wellington Cup, Feildinf* ■ Cup and other rices in the North Island, iied in the Wanganui Hospital on Saturday, »fter.a long .illness. The sliding scale of apprentice allowances : Is not appreciated by Australian handicapL pers, for if any allowance is made a horse for a defeat when ridden by a full-blown jockey, there ie the fetr the concession will ■ be made greater by putting up some lad Mho. though a fair rider, may not have totalled twenty winning mounts. Then, again, when, a horse, is ■ beaten with Sib, slb or 7lb leas than the handicapper originally allotted it, Ibat- will be eomelhingr further on which many owners will found a grievance, more especially if, on readjusting his weights, iha handicapper does not : depart to any extent from. hia original figures. Word has been received from Hastings of the death of a -well-known breeder and Uteward of tie Hawke's Bay Jockey Club in the person of Mr Louis de Pelichet. The deceased was for many years manager of Mr S.H. Gollan's Manpataxata stud, which ■ wag. sitaated a few miles out of Hasting*. While in control of the stud llr de Pe'.ichet bred many sood racehorses, and included in the number were Tiro (Napier Park and Hawke's Bay Cups). .Norton (18&4 New Zea- . land Grand National Steeplechase), Tiralleur .(New Zealand Cup and Canterbury Cup), and Tirant d'Eau (New Zealand Cup). Prior to Mr Gollan's departure for England Mr de Pelichet resigned his position as manager, and since then he had bean in business as an auctioneer and woolbioker m Hestinjcs. . • „ . ; The following remarks, by Terlinga, in the last number of the "Australasian,* are epecially interesting in view of Midnight Bun's Victory in the Adelaide Cup this week: At the time of writing there is another acceptance for the Goodwood Handicap and Adelaide Cup. Last week there were thirtythree left in the skort race and twenty-seven In the Cup. . It is said that Martyre, Moon'bria, Midnight Sun, Bridge and Ballista 'were left in by mistake. .1). J. Price was, ire were told, under the, impre«sion that to ret out he had to fail to accept, not scratch, the " silence gives* consent" plan has been in force with thwe races for some time past. However, it may be.that no mistake was 'mads as . regards leaving .in Midnight Sun, "although he can, have no chance whatever on recent runninp. ' The Boy&l Calcutta' Turf Club has deelded to 'have nothing further to do with 4 racing in Rangoon. The "Asian" says this ' did not oome as a surprise, in fact it waa ' almost a matter for wonder that the decree of severance Has not been paased before. t Slat Bangoon racing has Beri»u»ly deteriorated during the'last few years was obvious. True, fields rule vwy large, with one or two -exceptions, but if the fields had increased in eize, 60, too, lad the number of disagreeable incidents in tke skape of pulling, in ana , out running, the ringing in of Walers as Burma-breds, and eo forth, with the result , 'thrtt the . local stewards, not being invested with plenary powers, frequent references 'had to be made to Calcutta. It is doubtles8 > in consequence of the inoreased woik thus imposed upon the ruling body on thi« aide of, j the Bay at Bengal that the present d«ci*i®n . . has been arrived at. • • ..-Opinions differ as to the olass of man likely to make a good starter, but it is interesting to note tliat one prominent English writer reckons that a cavalry sergeant, accustomed to lick into shape a lot of recruits, and, more important still, a lot of .raw horses every year, would fill such P°" .'■ition, satisfactorily. It doc* not follow, however, that such would be tie case, as .drilling recruits and raw horses is a very different thing to dealing with / alert jockeys and spirited thoroughbreds. The cavalry sergeant might be just a trifle 1 too slow thinking for the latter class of work, no mat- , ter how might shine in his own line. You cannot look ,to any particular class .and eay that you are bound to get'a'good starter from it. Trials of ex-jockeys and trainers have demonstrated that, while, on the other hand, men who have had no close association with horses have met with, more than .average succeaa as starters. > A London writer, remarks, that one of the

most important studs in the United Kingdom is that of Colonel "W. Hall Walker, M.P., at Tully County Kildare, in Ireland, .the produoe of which, has during the current century won collectively in stakes a large 'proportion of £300,000 —truly a splendid re■cord for a private breeding establishment. Among the classic * runners turned out from this famous haraa hare been Minora, who was leased for his racing oareer to- his Majesty the late King Edward, and -won a seneatiemal Derby; Prince Palatine,. who wm purchased as a yearling by Mp. PiDrington, and, in addition to'the St Leger, came home 'first for the' Ascot Gold Cup, the Newmarket Stakes, the., Jtckey Club Stakes and the Stakes. at Ssndown, andi the Princess of -Wales Stakes at Newmarket; Cherry Lass, winner of the One Thousand Guineas ard Oaks; and Witch Elm, wh« won the former race. Other great winners may "be mentioned in. Keyal Realm, White Eajle, Charles O'Malley, Sandboy,' Challenger, Coionia, Black Arrow, Polar Star and Ulster Kinjj; while Charles O'Malley' ran third for the Derby •and second for the Aecot" Gold Cup; White Eagle third for the Two Thousand Guineas, "eeoond 'fof the St Leger and second for the Coronation Cup at Epsom; Eoyal Realm was ••econd for the Halipse Stakes, third for the Jockey Club Stakes'' and second for the Jockey Club Cup. NOTES, . Last week a paragraph came along, from the Auckland correspondent of this, paper to the effect that Mr Har- . rey Patterson, a prominent breeder and owner in Victoria, had purchased a property in Canterbury 3 with the object of taking up his residence here. . It is now announced that Mr Pattereon has secured Mr George Rhodes's Meadowbank property, in the Ellesmere district. I hear, by the way, that he has also secured a property at Riccar- , ton for a training establishment, and as it is understood he intends to breed and race on an extensive scale, his presence in our midst will be very welcome. The establishment of another big breeding stud will add interest in that department, as will the advent of another owner, as -it is to be presumed Mr Patterson will be a supporter of our. best raoes, in which : oompe- ' tition is at .times all too limited. Preluxiably, Menschikoff will once more . return to the land' of his birth, as the •on of Stepniak—Pibroch is the leading aire at Mr Patterson's stud in Victoria, where he has at a mat* the Eng-lisb-Drßd stallion Vmco." by Velasquez —Seabreeze, purchased last year at the clearing sale of Mr J. B. Reid's Elderslie stud. Among the mares in Mr Pat- ~ fcerson t, collection is Mowbray's dam, t Lady Melton, by Bill of PortlandLitigant, while the others represent very successful breeding strains. I suppose we will hear further particulars shortly concerning the shipment of Mr Patterson's horses to Oanter- • fcury.^ •'Sir Bedivere," of the "Evening Post," has been enjoying a holiday in Australia for several weeks, but it due back this week. While in Sydney he had a good look round, and from a contribution he sent to his journal I tako the following:—"Whilst out watching the work at Randwick one morning, J. Burton called me over to have a look ■ at his yearling*!, two of which belong to Mr G. D. Greenwood. One is a stylish black colt, whose breeding I unfortunately failed to make a note of and cannot now remember. Anyway, he cost some 560 guineas, or more than twice as much as Mowbray's younger brother, who, however, I much prefoi There were about eight yearlings in the bunch, and each time they were lined up and hopped off Mowbray's relative was by far the quickest to get busy. It is any odds that ho gallops, and Mr Greenwood has assuredly secured a aheap colt. Burton, by the way. frequently puts his yearlings through an evolution that I have not eeen practised' by any other trainer. They are Biade to thread in and out at the walk, a'' la grande ohain in tho Lancers, and ' are thus taught to become handy. It is their trainer's opinion that this kind of bending competition, such as one sees at a gymkhana, makes.the youngsters more amenable to discipline at the barrier, and all I can say is that the eight yer~ i; —" T "uite content to

TOPICS OF THE TIME.

lino up and stand as still as a lot of old troop horses. . ~ The "Bloodstock Breeders' Review a quarterly illustrated magazine devoted to the British thoroughbred, wm first published last year, and it has sinco grown into a most useful journal, containing a great deal that is of interest and value to breeders and racing men. Prominent in the April number is an article by Mr Somervillc Tattersall, giving Rome opinions on Dr H. E. Piatt's contribution to the previous number of the " Review," on " The classification of Derby winners. After a woll-reasoned review of the situation, Mr Tattcrsall concludes with the following summary: greatest racehorse which I have seen is St Simon, and next to him Ormonde. This was also the opinion—as I found out after coming to this conclusion of Matthew Dawson and Fred Archer. The statement that it was never really known whether St Simon stayed, for he-won nil his races by speed, his opEonents being unable to extend him, as appeared in print several times, and always amuses me. St Simon at the end of the Ascot Cup and Goodwood Oup had the same electric dash of speed which he showed in his five-fur-long races. He had also won the Prince of Wales' Nursery at Doncaster, after making all the running. Tins seems to me the highest type of stayer. He .evidently galloped,. without any effort, any reasonable racing distance. TTie attempt to win an Ascot or Goodwood Oup on the part of speedy horses lacking stamina, such as Energy ? Eager and Thrush, would have led to disaster, as their owners were wise enough to know." The "Review" contains a series of interesting tables showing the leading stallions in all countries m 1912. A summary gives the most successful sires in their respective countries: —Old Man, by Orbit (Argentina) £47,519; Simonian, by St Simon (France) £38,080 j'Malstor, by Bill of Portland (Australia) £32,957; Hannibal, by Trachenberg (Germany) £24,987; Persimmon, by St Simon (England) £2l,993Signorino, by Best Man (Italy) £19,765; Raeburn, by St Simon (Austria-Hungary) £17,185; Soult, by St Simon (New Zealand) £16,678; Star Shoot, by Isinglass (United States) £15,995; Talion, by Fripon (Belgium) £12,132; Greatorex, by Carbine (South Africa) £7,030; Palmiste, by Ire Sancy (Russia) £5,644. The April "Review" also provides plenty of interesting, reading on other subjects, among the articles being one by J. B. Robertson on " Twinning, in Thoroughbred Mares," while general turf eubjects are also dealt with. A sporting' challenge was oris of th© outcrop* of the last Lincolnshire Handicap, which, as wai mentioned at the time, went to Berrildon, owing to the disqualification of Cuthbert, who finished first. According to one of the accounts of the race, Outhbsrt not_only edged so persistently towards Berrildon in the race as to prevent the latter's rider getting at his mount to _rid« him in the last furlong, but, in addition, delivered him a distinct bump close on the post. An objection for boring followed, and, being sustained, carried with it many . thousands of pounds in bets for Berrildon's sporting owner, Mr A. E. Barton. There was considerable heartburning over the protest, and, as is always the case in auch matters, the owner of the horse from whom the race was taken thought himself much illused. The owner concerned in this instance was Mr Hall Walkerj one of th© best-knotrn men racing in England to-day. The other owner, Mr A. E. Barton, would have felt decidedly sore if the stewards had not upheld his objection, and, as if to display the courage of his conviction that his horse would have won the Lincolnshire Handicap outright but for the interference referred to, he lost no time in launching a challenge to run Berrildon against Cutkbert at the same weights, over the game distance, and with the same riders up, as in the. Lincolnshire Handicap,' for £IOOO. If the match comes off ic will serve to remind Englishmen of what their forefathers did for the turf when racing was ! indulged in only among gentlemen for the sake of the sport that was to be got out of it. Matches were the rule then, while when more than two horses engaged in a race it was merely for .a sweepistake of usually 100 guineas each, the winner to take the lot. Of . late yea.rs, gays a Sydney writer, genuine matches have not been common, one of the few in this direction being that between Mr E. E, D. Clarke's Wolawa, who won, against Mr R. M. Hawker's Tadanga, at Flemington last season. . Eachowner wa,s convinced that he had the fastest two-year-old of the time, and, being eager for a friendly test of the merits of the two horses, ran six furlongs for a stake of £SOO a-side. Most owners prefer to engage in a field, and take bookmakers' odds to their money,, but it was more for the test, of supremacy, than for the actual niotujy that Messrs Clarke and Hawker ratified the match. In tho early days of racing in Australia matches for money were quite the common thing. Frequently they were of inter-State importance, ana at the-old Homebush courso, which was the chief battleground of the time, many such were determined. Perhaps the most remarkable match of those days was that between Veno, owned, by the late Mr G. T; Rowe, father of the secretary of Rosehill Racing Clubhand Alice Hawthorn, owned by Mr Chirnside, ridden respectively by J. Higgerson and Mahon. They ran three miles, for £2OOO, on October 3, 1857, each carrying 10st lib, and Veno won. One of the first matches for money in this State was in 1829, at Parramatta when Bennelong and Spring Gun met m two heats. Bennelong won the first heat by a head, and Spring Gun, falling lame, was distanced in the wcond. At what in those times was known as Sydney racecourse, Mr gutter's Slasher, 9st 101b (M'Grath), heat Mr Egan's Shanager, 9st (Dickisson), for £IOOO, one© round, but from 1864 for some years Homebush was the recognised battleground for the big matches. It was there that Mr C. T. Roberts's Dora, £>st 91b, beat Mr A. Green's Van Tromp, 9at 91b, over two miles: and Mr J. Tait's Sportsman lowered tho colours of Mr Eales on Cooramin for a bet of £IOOO a side. £IOOO to £SOO was wagered on Cardinal Wiseman, 12st 4lh, beating Alice Hawthorn, 12st lib, in a two miles and a half match, but Higgerson, who rode tho latter, beat the favourite by lengths. Other big matches of those times included Mr G. T. Rowe's . Cooramin beating Mr Frazer's Tomboy, one mile and a half, 10st lib each; Mr Rowe's Veno heating Mr Fraser's Van Tromp for £BOO, three miles. lOstllb each ; Mr J. Rowe's Lnuristina, Bst 111b, beating Mr J. Atkinson's Veno, 9st 21b, two miles, for £2000; Ben Bolt beating Lauristina ; and Gratis doing likewise with Chevalier. All these were great events of their time, and drew together every sportsman within easy reach. It is not to say, however, that the matches were the only attraction of the day. There were others which in these tim«s would not be tolerated. But ihev were fine sportsmen, those men of the old school, and it might be better for the sport to-dav if a little mors of the spirit were introduced into it which prompted the matches of olden times.

TROTTING. Emmelin® was in great form laat week and she would nave put up an exceptional performance in the H.M.S. New Zealand Trotting Cup if it had been necessary. As matters turned out, the task &et her waa much too easy. All the same, I feel sure most people were delighted to see the bonny Ashburton mare win. The arrangements in connection with .—'--Htion trottl"?; last week

were not altogether satisfactory in some respects. Tho idea of a secret handicap was all right, but it was carried too far. The drivers were not fully posted regarding the starts, the result being that tho start was anything but a good one. This starting question will obtrude itself. Tho present system is bad and its weakness was forcibly demonstrated in last week's race.

From present indications tho winter meeting of the Canterbury Park Trotting Club should be more than, usually successful. The nominations received last week are exceptionally large, and record fields should result. Class is also well represented, while further interest will bo given to the proceedings by the presence of a largo crowd of visiting horses, among them being Mandarene, Haldane, Albertorious, Hovft, Kirikiriroa, Roosevelt and Bvookbell. Altogether, we should have some fine sport at th© approaching fixture.

Prince Wilkin, who died last week, was a horse by Princo Imperial.—Miss ' Wilkin. He was a. well-known performer on local tracks and was a pacer much abovo tho average, though he had never quite come up to anticipations, formed of him.

Mr Frederick Angustus Millsom, who wa-s run over by a train and killed in Sydney on May 5, was the leading trainer and driver of trotters and pacers in New South Wales. Among th® horses hj« brought out and handled in most of his raoes was Denver Huon, one of the fastest pacers ever seen in Australia. Mr Millsom brought a team of horees to Christchurch in the spring of 1906 and competed at the Exhibition meeting of the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club, winning the New Zealand Cup Handicap with Belmont M, a brother to Almont. E. Crotty, who was for a time a successful .trainer and rider in Auckland, is back in Christchurch. I understand he has entered the employ of N. Price, under whom he served some years ago. H. Hendricksen lifts returned to Christchurch, having under his care the five-year-old mare Sylvie, by Franz— D.I.C. She claims engagements at tho winter meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club. A movement, is on foot among follower® of trotting in Christchurch to erect a memorial over the grave of E. M'Kewen, one of the finest horsemen ever seen on a trotting track in New Zealand, and .who died-in Dunedin this month. Rothschild received a great advertisement in connection with the exhibition race last week, when his progeny filled the three places in the fastest class mile and a half race ever run in New Zealand.

Lord IHllon showed a lot of pace in tin* early stag«« of the exhibition race last wook, and at the end of six furlongs he had a nice lead of about three lengths. Then his driver, R. M'Millan, began to grow uneasy and Lord Dillon tangled badly, dropping _ right out of the contest. Harold Dillon certainly endows his stock with speed in a marked d<?sree, hut they cannot be described as solid horses.

In Sydney a new institution, the New South Wales Trotting Association, has been formed, "for tho benefit of breeders, trainers, owners, riders and drivers of trotting horses, and for the benefit of the sport generally."

AMERICAN NOTES. (From Latest Exchanges.)

An exchange alludes to The Philistine/ p. 2.06| as " ono of the most famous of tho busted phenoms." Yes —and the pity of it is that there was never any reason in tho world why he ghould have been " busted."

In Russia they pav for speed. When Centurian, by the American sire, Wilburn M., and out of a Russian mare, lowered the record for two and twothirds miles on the ice from 6.17£ to 8.9 J. his owner was paid £3OOO by the trotting club, the amount corresponding with the reduction. America has produced thus far nine trotting stallions with records of 2.5 or better, of which only four will make stud eeaaons to publio mares this spring and summer in America. The quartette are The Harvester 2.1. John A. M'Kerron 2.4£, Colorado E. (3) 2.4| and Maineheet 2.5.

Tho New York State Fair Commission will offer £BOOO in purses for the Grand Circuit meeting to be held in Syracuse from September 8 to 13, an increase of £IOOO over the total amount offered in any previous year. Turn the mare and foal into a pasture whera the grass is always good and the water supply ample, or place them in a lot where nothing but grass roots can be found and slow starvation is certain —which?

Ten pounds a month training bill with a competent trainer and 'satisfactory re»ults, or £4 a. rnooth training bill from the man that never did and never, will get a horse ready to race in good company—which ? Some day it will not be at all surprising if a ml© is passed compelling all pacers to wear hobbles. This is the age of progressiveness—backwards—and we must all " get there." It does not make any matter how, you know. Whenever the veteran John Splan has anything to offer on harness racing affairs it is invariably pertinent and to the point. He has expressed his views on the limitation rule adopted, but afterward rescinded by the stewards of the Grand- Circuit, and though they were uttered in a personal letter and were not> intended for publication, they are so apt that we risk a violation of the proprieties in making them public. He writes: "They are now trying to make it a sin for the horse to win over £3OOO. Had that law been in force when Goldsmith Maid was on earth, she and Mr Doble would probably have died from hunger and want. And just think, if they had put ft stop-order on the long black horse Rarus, from Long Island when his bank account got to be £3OOO, how many good times and good dinners your humble servant would have missed." Goldsmith Maid won, £73,000 during her _ career, and iii doing so established a fame that has been worth _ half that many millions to the trotting horse and the aport he represents, for the more she won the more the people flooked to see her. It was the same to only a less degree., with Rarus, and it would have been the same with Baden had ho remained on these shores and appeared in public this season. And the'important thing to remember is the fact that the horse of the greatest fame which can draw the greatest number of people is tho most valuable asset of tlio sport- _ A letter received from Dayton, Ohio, •states that The Director General, one of the most famous trotting sires in tho country, died there. _ Tho animal succumbed" to pnueznonia, contracted during the flood last week. He was owned by Mr Frank M'Cloud, and valued at £4OOO. Tho Director General has the distinction of being the only horse, living or dead, that has sired performers to take records of 2.05 or better. Of all the great sires we have and have had to achieve this distinction it is of more than passing interest. The season of 1912 wa-s a banner one for him, and from the opening until the close of tho Grand Circuit, week after week, some 6on or daughter of The Director General was making turf history. The performances of Don Pronto 2.02J, world's champion five-year-old pacer, Wy-Drad (4) 2.014, champion green pacer of 1912, Chatty Direct 2.07 i, and Deuchoster 2.07, throughout the season are .still fresh in the minds of all, and it is doubtful if any sire was ever represented in any one year by four of his get, the equal of the quartette named above. Tho

Director General never bad tlio best of opportunities, and was groat merely because bo bad someone to boom bun and provide for him tbo best that was to bo had in the way of mares. His sons are also beginning to attention as sires, as Mainsheet 2.05 is the sire of Mainleaf, 3, 2.08Jt, and others, while his son, The Captain Gen Bra 1, 2.17}, is the sire of Capitannia, 2, 2.23}, trial, 3, 2.112, and of ,T. 0., 3, 2.23. trial 2.11. The Director General sired eight in 2.10 list. He was by Director 2.17 out of Win if rede, by William L. (brother to Guy Wilkes 2.1 - r >i, etc.); second dam Princess Eloise, bv Mambrino King; third dam Flora Wilkes, by George Wilkes. Ho was foaled in IS9I and has spent tbo major portion of his life in Kentucky. Ho was recently sold to Mr M'Cloud, who was determined to give him all the opportunities possible in the breeding. The death of this magnificent stallion is.a great loss to the trotting horse industry everywhere.

hockey.

The entries reoeived for the annual five-a-sido tournament, to be held at Sydenham Park on June 2, constitute a record, seventy-six having been received. All tho local clubs have entered teams, and teams from Ashburton, Timaru and Akaroa will also compete. The tournament promises to be the most successful yot held. Any explayers willing to act as referees are requested to forward their names to the secretary of tho Association. Hookey playors on Saturday had fine weather and very fast grounds for the various matches.. The Sydenham B-Addington-A match was a fine display, some clever play being shown by the members of both teams. Sydenham's weakness lay in their circle work. They failed to take advantage of good openings, while the Addington forwards were very smart at getting in a shot in the circle.

Of the Addington backs Morton and Arnold played well, the latter being smart on attack. The forward line all played well, though Clarke was inclined to wait off-side.

Skelton and W. Duffield were the pick of the Sydenham rearguard, getting in some useful work. Of the' front line Cummings and Holland showed out prominently in the open work. The players in this game were too fond of appealing, at times sliowing little knowledge of the finer points of the rules.

Sydenham A easily accounted, for the new St Luke's team, which is composed of several young players, finally winning by seven goals. Woods and Crawford both did well in the backs for St Luke's, while Bufton was the best of the forwards. The Sydenham team gave a fine display of stick work in eome of their rushes. Olirisftchurch secured their first win this season against the St Albans representatives. St Albans badly want BOine new men in their ranks to bring them up to the strength of the leading Senior teams. Ridley, Brown and Hutohings were the best of the Christchurch team, whilst Luxton, Earwaker and J". Hale played well for the Saints.

The referseing in the St AlbansChristchurch game was not up to the usual standard of Senior refereeing, the referee, failing to put the proper construction of the rules into his decisions.

The game between Selwyn Street and Bible Class, played on the Adding ton Reserve, resulted in a draw, each side scoring two goals. This makes the third consecutive drawn game that Bible Class have played. The teams were evenly matched. Bible Class had the best of the first spell, and at halftime wer© leading by two to nil. During the second half, however, Sehvyn Street held the upper hand and were attacking most of the time, but something generally went wrong at the critical moment. The closing stages of the game were very exciting, and some good play resulted. M'Donald was a, tower of strength in the Bible Class backs. His powerful hitting gave his forwards plenty of chances, but they did not make the best of them. Joe and Napier were the best of the forwards. The former player also distinguished himself by continually talking and appealing. Hay and Quinten were the pick of Selwyn Street's backs. Brown in goal did not play at all well. As in previous games he was too slow in clearing. Instead of relying on his stick to stop the ball, he should use his pads and kick more. Williamson at bully played a very willing game, but ho threw away several chances through over-eagerness to score. LADIES' HOOKEY. Some difficulty is .at times experienced in ' obtaining the results of matches played on outside grounds. On Saturday last games were played at Lytteltoii, Woolston, Hornby, Kaiapoi, Papanui and' the Polo Ground. The majority of players are anxious that the results of the games in which they play shall appear in the late editions of the evening newspapers on Saturday evenings; indeed, some players have expressed very pronounced indignation when results have not been promptly published; and its up to captains or all teams to make it their business to do what they can to see that a correct notification of the results of matches are supplied. One or two of the captains and referees do this regularly. A few of the captains attend to it when they win, and a number do nothing to liolp in the matter at all. The latter are generally the indignant ones referred to. Tt is perhaps early to speak of the beat game of the season, but if an improvement on the Waimairi-Hinemoa game on Saturday last is going to take place later on in the season. Senior hockey will be well worth going to seo. There was, on the general play, absolutely nothing to pick between the two elevens, except that the Waimairi shooting war, better. Their circle play showed a knowledge of the ground that to some might have seemed a slight advantage, but considering the prowess of the Hinemoa vanguard in the circle* in former years, the teams were on an even footing. The goal-keeping on both sides was excellent, Misses Oade (Waimairi) and Wilson (Hinemoa) both repeatedly stopping shots that'kept the scores within reasonable figures. With less skilful custodians, over a dozen goals might easily have been registered. The Hinemoa goal-keeper had the misfortune to have a penalty bully awarded against her, and, with such a doughty opponent as Miss Kruso with whom to contest it, the result was practically a foregone conclusion. Penalty bullies are as cordially dreaded by referees as by the defending players, but the one on Saturday was the only solution of a position where a goalkeeper was on the ball on the goal-line between the posts. There was one feature _in connection with the game that might with advantage have been a little,less pronounced. The pace of a game and the amount of rigour imparted into it are often influenced and increased by the "barrack"' from the spectators- So long as that consists of the mere calling out of the names of either team, either b\ r individuals or in chorus, tlio encouragement to each team is_ quite legitimate, and very often effective; but when individuals, whose knowledge of the rules may be questioned—-or who at least would' hardly pass a referee's examination—insist 011 supplying advice gratis and in a loud voice to the referee, the performance does not make that official's business one whit easier, and there is nothing more offensive in sport than a one-eyed partisan spirit given expression to in the emphatic tones of an excited barracker. On one occasion, when a free hit was given, an individual on. the line called out "time they got something." One felt that it Was time he got something—a horse blister on his tongue, for preference.

The Waimairi forward lino played

very evenly. Miss I\ruso, at contro, gob more to do than in the previous game, and her clever stick play was much in evidence. The opposing halves and backs found her control of the ball puzzling at all times, wlule her pace made it difficult for a beaten opponent to recover when once she was past. Misses Coornber and Fulton kept their positions well, and' supported their captain in all the forward rushes. There was a noticeable lack of marking of the Waimairi wings by the Hinomoa back division, and this might with advantage have been made more use of by tho Waimairi inside forwards. Had they played more frequently to their wings instead of so much to their centre and to one another, their attack would have been even more effective than it avus. The wings, Misses L. Horner and G. Hudson, kept well out and although the half line gave them their work they were not kept well enough supplied considering their opportunities for attack. A strong reaturo of their play was the way in which they kept well out when play was in Hinemoa's circle. This enabled their side to sustain an attack, and return tho ball to the circle when their opponents' backs attempted to dear. The half line had a busy afternoon but kept too far away from their forwards for the most part. The best defence is attack always, and by keeping some distance from the front rank the halves repeatedly got into a defensive position. Misses D. Horner, F. Hudson and D. Chapman put in a very busy hour and performed very creditably. The two backs, Misses M'Cullough and F. Horner, owe the successful defence of their circle as much to their accurate fielding as to their hitting. They took no risks on the uneven surface and both played coolly. The Hinemoa forward line was not so even in general formation as that of their opponents. Miss I. Bur nip on the left gave a splendid exhibition ot the game suited to that .position. Her line work was good, and her centring hard and accurate. Misses P. and M. Pearco occupied inside left and centre, and alternated in those positions. |ne former did not play the hockey that she is capable of by any means, an frequently struck short of the bail with her stick. Her sister played a hard, game and earned all the success she had. The changing of positions did not strike the writer as ■ a successful manoeuvre. At one stage both stood, each waiting for the other to take on the ball.- As neither moved a Waimairi half quickly snapped it,, , al | stopped at least one Hinemoa. attack. Miss Ashley, in tho right_ inside position, kept busy, and was instrumental in causing the W aimairi left defence a lot of work. Miss Poole was. at times an ideal right winger, and again adopted roving tactics that resulted in passes intended for her going over the side line. The halves worked hard, Miss M. Burnip with the most success. That success was of the greatest assistance to her sister in the forwards, and made the left the medium of attack. Miss Carrodus, on the right, gave an excellent account of herself, when everybody was in position, but when her wing forward oame back into the half's territory there was trouble. The two Hinemoa backs, Misses Wells and D. Pearce, hit hard and frequently changed defence'into attack for their side. They would have done so more frequently had thev fielded the, ball cftener and not relied on speculative hitting on an uneven ground. Flying shots are at all times risky on defence. To have even a small chance of having two chances in tho one instance, a player must be wonderfully quick at recovering, and the more power put into the shot tlie less chance the back has of recovering for another shot. On a true surface a good player might in time dispense altogether with hand and foot fielding, but never on the average ground played on in Canterbury. A pleasing feature of ladies' Senior hockey is the absence of talking. Although the game at Papanui was just as strenuous as it could comfortably be, there was a total absence of anything among the players to which one might "raise a linger, and the absence of appealing undoubtedly makes a game more enjoyable for all concerned. There still appears to be an impression that flying shots at goal from coiners and penalty corners are pelmitted. under the amended rule. Tlii# is not so. The ball must be stopped—• but not necessarily motionless on the ground—before the shot is made. A very decided attempt at stopping it must be made. It stands to reason that a ball swinging in from a corner hit and driven, on the fly, straight among onrushing players would be extremely dangerous, and the amended rule does not permit dangerous play any more than it did last year.

FOOTBALL.

JUNIOR NOTES. TIIO fifth round was played 011 Saturday in splendid weather 3 on grounds in first-class order. The best game was that between Richmond and Christ-church, Richmond winning, after an exciting contest, hv sis points to nil. Old Boys and Marists played-a solid, hard game, in which Old Boys won by twelve points to nil. Merivale maintained their lead for the Flag by beating Sydenham by seventeen points to nine. Linwood easily disposed of Canterbury College by twenty-four points to nil. The following table shows the positions of the various teams in the Junior Flag competition:

Richmond owe their win over Christchurch to the good play of their forwards, whose fast loose rushes completely guard. At the same time the backs also deserve special mention for their sound defence. Christchurch, who have been unfortunate in losing several of their promising players, played below form. Prcbble at half was Richmond's best back. His passing from the scrum was clean and smart, whilst he was quite a-s solid on defence. Bell was the best of the three-quarters. His taking of the ball was always safe, as were his defence and attacking capabilities. which considerably strengthened his side. The Haughoy Brothers did all that was a«kcd of them. Geary at full-back was anything but-safe, and had the Christchurch forwards made the most of their chances they certainly should have scored from Geary's blunders. The forwards, who were in the pink of condition, were exceptionally good on the line-out, in which department their opponents were quite the opposite. Wilson was like a back and forward in one; he played very cleanly as well as doing good work in the tight and line>-out, whilst liis kicking nnd fielding equalled the form of any of the backs. He was well supported by Sincoek and Donaldson.

Of the losers' backs. Barrell was the mainstay, but he was watched too closely by H. Haughey to show up on attack. Philips at - half played well, but his passing lias room for improvement. Mat so u at full-back was not on his best behaviour. When finding the line he wants to be sure of getting it, in order to save the forwards. Watkins, ' Burrell and Murray were very faulty, especially the latter. His catching of the ball was wretched. Ingils and Binnio were easily the beet of -the pack. These players got very little assistance from the remaining forwards in the looso work. Robinson and De Maus also went well. The game between Old Boys and Marists wa..; fast and open. Practically flic whole of the first spell was fought out in the Marists' half, but the fine defence and tackling of their backs saved them while at the same time Old Boys lost several opportunities ,Uv wild

and erratic passing. The Old Boys' backs hammered away in their efforts to cross their opponents' line, but the first spell ended without a score. In the second spoil Marists woke up. The Old Boys' backs seemed to be all out of place and had Marists had bettor combination they would undoubtedly have scored, for they had several splendid chances of doing so. _ Old Boys scored their twelve points in tho. second half, but the play was even and Old Boys had the luck to cross the line while Marists had several chances given them which Avero lost by faulty handling. For Old Boys Guthrie was very safe at full-back, and his line kicking was a feature of tho game. 0. Young on the wing played well. He put more dash into his play. N. Down's defensive work was good, saving his side many times. G. Owles played a splendid game at five-eighths. Blackmore played well behind the scrum but the opposing forwards wero sometimes too guick for liim. Of the forwards Livingstone, Petre and Syme were the best of a good lot. Of tho Marists' backs Donohue was very safe at full-back and bis taokliug was really good. R. Maloney was their best back, but he did not strike one as talcing the game seriously. Parker on the wing played well. He is quick and put in a great deal of good work. He would be a power of strength to his side if he played closer to the scrum. Woodham did not play as well as usual. The half-bgek was also very good and put in some very creditable defensive work, but his forwards being beaten in the scrums failed to give him many chances with the ball. The forwards are fair. They did not work together enough to be dangerous. Marists were much superior in the line-outs.

The display of football given by Merivale and Sydenham was good, both teams working hard and intelligently. The Merivale forwards played a splendid gamo and worked well together, and beat Svdenham every time in the scrums. The Sydenham forwards are a very willing and untiring lot, but they have not got the knack of hooking the ball from the 6crums. Sydenham would do far better if they made the game more open, for their back division is good, and their tacklingand kicking are all that could be desired, For Merivale Evans and Dickie at five-eighths were very safe, while Jerred at three-quarters was responsible for some good work. Allen is very good at following up, and through this he was rewarded by scoring just on time, the Sydenham full-back mulling the ball from a kick over the line. Of the forwards Piercy, Gregg and Seator were the best of a really first-class pack. Of tho Sydenham backs Hamilton was fairly safe as full-back. Clemens played a good game as half-back, and Guy put in some splendid work at fiveeighths, his kicking • being extremely good. Clements, as wing-forward, played a dashing game, and his tackling was really good. Frame. Pollock and Cunningham were the pick of the forwards. Cunningham kicked a splendid goal from a penalty. PRESIDENT'S CUP. The Sydenham-Kaiapoi match was very ordinary, and at time inclined to be rough, the referee having to caution players on both sides more than, once. The Kaiapoi team put up a good fight, considering they played three men short. .For Kaiapoi Higgins t as full-back, was very safe, and he is a good all-round player. Miller, at three-quarters, had more than his share of wonr, but he stuck to it well. _ Josling and Mitchell showed up prominently in the forwards. Of the Sydenham backs, L- Clemens, L. Hamilton and Kennedy put in some good work. Le Comtc, who was promoted from Fourth Grade, played a good game. Gibbs, Mills and Thornton Were the pick of the forwards. Merivale B caused a surprise amongst tlieir supporters by defeating their A by thirteen points to nil, after a very fast and open game. As is usual when the A and B teams meet of any club a great deal of unnecessary talk is indulged 1 in. Casson, of the winners' backs, played a fino game, although if he was to get his kick in earlier he would avoid getting knocked about. Jones, Marriott and Velvin also played well. Sisson, Willcox and Ashton, of the forwards, gave a good account of themselves.

For the losers, Donaldson and Ihiggan in the 'backs, and Drake and Male in the forwards were the, pick. The Old Boys-Marists game was very uninteresting. Neither side showed any combination whatever, and to kick the ball was about all that they could do. The Marist forwards showed an advantage over Old Boys, but the latter were better in the backs. Canterbury College are still one of the teams in the lead for the President's Cup and if they maintain their combination, as exhibited 011 Saturday, they will prove a very tough propositionI was pleased to see Binnie again playing for the Christchurch Juniors after his accident, which necessitated his absence for four Saturdays. ASSOCIATION GAME. The League Competition was advanced another stage on Saturday in ideal football weather. It was fully expected that Sydenham would lower Y.M.C.A.'s colours, and so_ make the competition even more interesting. The Y.M.C.A., however, got home by the , odd goal, and still maintain their lead.

A very fine game of "Soccer" was witnessed at Sunnyside between the local team and Lytt-elton. Sunnyside are a team that may defeat the best teams in the competition at any time. They have some very skilful players, and are all tryers right through the game. The diminutive Wardell was a host in himself in defence, and played his best game to date. He covered a lot of ground, and never made a miskick. Curtis, the Sunnyside goalkeeper forsook his place between the posts on Saturday, and played right full-back in the absence of Frank Newell, and gave quite a good account of himself, and the way he headed the ball must have been an eye-opener to his clubmates. Norman was the most scientific player on the ground, and he sent the ball out to his winginen in a style quite above the average. Porter proved himself quit-e an effective right-winger, and three goals came off his centres. Peters came to light as a scoring forward, and claimed three goals. Rogers, at inside-left, covered a lot of ground and scored Sunnyside's first goal. He narrowly missed another from a high centre by Porter, which he headed magnificently, but the ball struck the cross-bar and went out.

Lyttelton were unfortunate in being without the services of May, who has injured his back, and has permanently retired from the game. Not only Lyttelton, but the Association as a whole will miss him, as he was a 'keeper of very high order. Watson and Hutchings did yeoman service for their side, and gave their forwards many good chances to score, chiefly the two wingers, but they were too slow to act, and got beaten for the ball. ■ Crawshaw was indeed weak at outside left. He would do well to remember that a winder's duty is to take the ball up the line, and centre, but not to run it round the corner flag. Warsdale mads many good attempts, and scored from a piece of pood individual work. Williamson was always trying, and_ just missed on several occasions, his shots being: too high. A word of praise is due to Mr Stark for the way in which he controlled the g^mo.

On the South Park, Nomads proved their superiority over Linwood by defeating them by six goals to" one. NomacJs possess a line of forwards that would do credit to any eleven, and each one is capable of scoring goals. Taylor and Grant played very prettily together and quite outplayed the opposition. " Bobby " Woods made some fine runs up the right wing, and scored two goals. Tanner played up to his reputation and ir- one of the most unselfish players in the competition. Webster and Williamson had a vfrv light afternoon's work.

Linwood found themselves at Nomads' mercy from the kick-off, and never looked like winning. The newteam are enthusiastic to a degree, and possessing as they 4<> <> ne or two good players, the wonder is that they do not try and cultivate some combination, without which any team's chances are ml.

On St Albans Park Y.M.C.A. " got home" against Sydenham by two goals to one. The game had only been. in progress a few moments when Metcalfe stumbled on the ball and Referee Brice (who has become notorious as a penalty-giver) awarded a penalty to Y.M.C.A., which Bruerton promptly netted. when appealed to he made the startling assertion that he can give onty penalty-kicks in the penalty area. It is quite a common occurrence to see free-kicks in the penalty area. While on this question of the refereeing of this particular match, I would like to point out another injustice to the Sydenham team] Conquest sent the ball up the line to J. Wainscott, who was driven almost to the corner flag by M'Donald, but he beat the last-named and got in a fine centre from about two yards off the corner, and Beasley, running up, netted the pall, which by some stretch of imagination was ruled off-side. However, there it is, and Y.M.C.A. still maintain their reputation of being a lucky team. M'Donald played brilliantly for Y.M.C.A., his kicking being very powerful and always well directed. Bcriven, too, played a great game, his head-work being; first-class. Howie was in his best form, and in company with Scriven- and M'Donald was a tower of strength. Williams is a very fast left-winger, and was not well marked by Smith, who appears to be more suited for a forward than a half-back. Bruerton scored a penalt'y goal for Y.M.C.A., but was very patchy in the open play. He was completely nonplussed by Baxter at times. Brunt has resumed his duties as outside right and is always effective, although he comes too much into the centre of the field.

Perry had a very oasy time in goal for Sydenham, ana only touched the ball twice in the whole of the second spell. Cornish and Conquest were again at .their best at full-back, and work together like a piece' of machinery. Baxter held the opposing forwards at all times, but the other two half-baeks were weak. Metcalfe hangs on too long, and invariably loses the ball. Ward was too well marked to do much good, but, nevertheless, made some fine runs, and his goal was a magnificent effort. Bcasloy, at inside right, was very much off colour. I would suggest that he would do better at right-half, and Smith come forward, as the last-named was playing a forwaid game all through the, match. Hawkins and A. Wainscott were not too good, in fact, the three inside men missed ridiculously easy chances at goal, and excellent centres by Ward and A. Wainscott went begging. During the progress of this match, Bropkes and Baxter collided, with the result that the former sustained a severe injury to his wrist, and had to retire from the field. The following table shows the positions of the teams engaged in the Senior League competition up to Saturday last:— ■

The Wellington Football Association has received challenges for the Brown Shield from Otago, Taranaki, Canterbury and Manawatu. It was decided that Wellington should be asked to play Otago on Juno 23, and that all other matches should'be played within three •weeks of each other. At the Association meeting on May 13, a protest w;is received from the Nomads in regard to the Junior match, Nomads v. Lj'ttelton, in which the latter team played a member who was un'der suspension till the end of June, also an player. _ After discussion tho Association decided that its duty was plain, and that Lyttelton should forfeit the points.

LEAGUE GAME. It came as no surprise to learn that Dr Thaeker would accompany the team to Australia. It had been previously stated in these columns that the local president had been asked to go, and Dr Thaeker stated on Saturday that he had been asked by the New Zealand Council if his services were available. . . The arrangements for the visit to Okain's Bay on June 2 are in the hands of the Centre secretary. It is estimated that a large number of the League members will make the trip. The ex-Petone forward and member of the dominion team_ to England, Con Byrne, _ is now a resident of Takaka, Nelson," and, writing to a friend .here recently, he stated tlfat now associated with the game in Nelson is a promising back, whom Byrne regards as a future champion. . The Canterbury Centre has received an invitation to play _ at Rotorua and in the Waikato district. It is probable that during the visit of the local representatives to the Nor tit Island at the end of the season a visit may be possible at either Rotorua or Hamilton. As the. Canterbury team will be playing Auckland, Wanganui and Wellington, it will mean a long; tour. Owing to a bye occurring m the Second Division, the local Centre, at its last meeting, withdrew the St Albans B. team from the competition. I will ensure a better competition,, and the clubs will now be able to give their members a game each week. A large number of the players are married. In last Saturday's First Division players there were no fewer that fifteen married members taking PS The Second Division players will be gratified to learn that in future games capable referees will take control. For the benefit of the players and their lady friends and supporters, the Centre has made arrangements to provide tea during the interval at the Show Grounds. A committee has been elected to carry out the arrangements. The membership roll is being added to weekly, and the code has now a strong following. I understand that m one of last week's games the ■ controlling official had a limited knowledge of the playing rules, and the committee made a change during the interval. _ For the future at least one of the First Division referees will control the Second Division games. In the Addington-St Albans game on Saturday the pace was a cracker, first one side and then the other going from end to end with some fine passing rushes, and it was only the sound defence, and at times brilliant stopping, that kept the score sheet down. Addington opened out with confidence right from the beginning, and as their forwards were getting possession, Watts kept his rear division very busy. Mutton was handling splendidly, and, going at top speed, would send on to Sanders, and from the letter the ball was reaching Batstone and Hardingham on the wings, c.nd only the brilliant defensive tactics of Mitchell kept Aldington out. The passing by the Addington backs was very fine, and now that they have settled down the team should give many further good displays. The forwards were always handy, and did their share. The Saints were handicapped by not getting control from the scrums, and, consequently, did not take the risks of throwing the ball about as in their former games. However, when in possession, they gave the opposition a hot time. Had a little more unselfishness been shown, the Saints must have won, as on two occasions two splendid runs bv Mitchell found him grassed in the vicinity of the Addington line, when a pass out meant a try. Shadbolt also was noticeable for this. For the winners. Stevens cave liis

best display at full-back, and though. : A' he had some hard rushes to stop and:| a lot of collaring to do, he was alwaya'.w sure. The three-quarter line, Bat- •" stone, Sanders and Hardingham, a speedy trio, and though light, each player pluckily stopped the that came their way, Hardingham in l ,j particular playing a solid game." ton resumed his place as outside half with advantage to the team, and his"3 fielding, passing and stopping: were feature of the game. I havepreviously jj, seen Watts play some good games,»but >-_f on Saturday last his display was* the vbest yet given. The only fault noticeable was that now and again he should % have had ago on his own. It was only | on account of want of experience thaf>-= -, he was not nominated for Now Zealand .jr representative honours. Amongst th« forwards Pearce, Lagan, Fatman and,>& O'Keefe were always prominent, former giving some capital exhibitions of footwork. • -sj Aston, the S&rnta' half-back; has f played better, though his tackling was ;> distinctly good. It was letting the** ball bounce that marred his display, v;. The three-quarters, Manihera, Mitchell s -r, and Pool, made some desperate effortsS{? to get over, but Mitchells game over-'.* shadowed eveiyfching. C. and Kruse, at outside and scrum half re- 'i; spectively, were prominent for a-lpt of work, and the display given by the ex- | Merivale players was distinctly'good.-'ij Among the forwards Shadbolt, .Read',";'! Breerley, Rolton and Nuttall were very ; h prominent. I have previously witnessed good displays" from W. Mitchell,v.cbiefly on Lancaster Park, v. hen playing for Merivale. His display last season".;/ against New South Wales was also.dis^V 1 , tmctly good. Last week Mitchell waa ,1 at his best, and he played a fine jgamol' -C It was on defence that ho caught mostrS attention, and time and again ne saved "'" J his side by his fine smoth< tackles. Wlien in the humour the burly Saints' V three-quarter has few equals onfootball field. One of the outstanding features of 1 ? the Addington-St Albans fixture waa-<'| the good all-round display given by'J Hardmgham. Usually known as' an tacking player only, the light ex- \-- t Albion player has improved out of a 11% knowledge, and his good tackling stopping was a great surprise. . L. Barrett was unable to play for Sfc'„f Alans last week, owing to a severed; strain met with the previous week."'# Huria was also unable to turn out, and.jf this made a difference to the backs. '' ',v Sydenham were perhaps fortunate ib,'§ being returned winners over' The game was a hard-fought throughout, and interesting to witness. Sydenham attacked • practically the 1 " whole of the first spell, but the first' score went to Linwood, who ' swept' r * down the field in one fine rush;<j| Linwood in all their games take some time. to settle down to their workjfiFand]yV on Saturday it was not till the secondly spell had commenced that they themselves felt. Sydenham moanwhilovj taxed the Linwood defence to thflf litmost, ~ the forwards breaking time after time in loose rushes, giv-i ing, Stokes, Koskella and Lavery plenty of defensive work to do. secured the ball in the majority of earlier scrums, but Linwood later obtained their share. Thero were;** plenty of good passing rushes nn'both:? sides, quick, short transfers, sound tackling, Matthews and' 1 M.&? Smith for Sydenham and C. and A. Morris for Linwood sound collaring. Lmwoiid strenuously in the second and 4 "; the honours were easily theirs, Sydenham tackled like Trojans. • Smith, the Sydenham full-back, inclined to allow the ball to bounce',*!,* but otherwise played u ell. M. Smith, centre three-quarter, r;ave a fine <?x- v "£. hibition of running,, kicking ing. His services to the southern teamTi are invaluable. On Saturday, his-.sgoal-'.s. kicking was really good. Roohe^lata,-« of Albion Seniors, retired at the eud-v£ of the first spell through an injury,"': and Robinson took his place. \\ TJheV latter has a fine turn of speed/^vith'; possibilities for the League game/'Sin-r 4. clair pleased the onlookers with''hiaSi dash and kicking. W. Patrick' played fairly well, but did not have'a? great . deal to do. F. Matthews played splen- '■ didly at half-back, and was always iti; r \ the thick of the fray. Of a hard-'... - working set of forwards, Auld^.Cainp^':;. 1 bell and Brunsden were the picjp" J„ Lavery, full-back for - Linwood,' \ played well, kicking nicely. C. Koskclla did' a lot of work, stopping rushes in u fine style, while his kicking: waspowcr- V ful. M'Donald, who hails from-lnyer-. cargill, was disappointing. He fields •. the; ball well, but does not seem to*; run at the right moment. J.: Morris played safely. Stokes was back on the ground, and jf dodging in fine style. Cross at * performed well, opening up the I _ganjeip: at every opportunity. The forwards showed great dash, especially in the y second spell, A. Morris and H. Shanks .; being the best, although Carroll-'waSj|i often conspicuous. _ ■' Linwood are certainly weak in-goal- v-, kicking. Numerous free-kicks ,within' j'. comfortable range were missed with.!-? ridiculous monotony. This is ,a: .. partment in which they should tise, and a good goal-kicker on day must liav ß reversed the scores. x .' ( Matthews was again absent from - -> tho Sydenham pack, not having re-' covered from the injurj* to his received last week. - Mr D. M'Gregor, who refereed in"; the above match, found it his" to frequently penalise Svdenham _ for"?: lifting in the scrums, and I am given to understand that Ivirton was,'the;,:; worst offender. Despite the given against them, the was carried on during almost the whole of the game. A pleasing feature was ■. the strictness shown by the official in. .' charge, who controlled the game - throughout with more than average , judgment. j * r „ Some of the onlookers m the grand, stand watching the Linwood-Sydenham ' encounter showed very bad taste in dissenting from Mr M'Gregor's sions in regard to the lifting adopted'.; by Sydenham in the scrums. Such f remarks us £e Don't niak© i*fc "too hot, referee," were quite uncalled for, es-,' pecially as I am given to understand that this remark came from a promi- . nent member of. the Sydenham committee. Throughout the contest the i feree was strict and fair to both sides,' .. and is undoubtedly the most competent official refereeing in League matches" in Christchurch.

Quite a feature of the game wai the exhibitions given by Stokes, ■ of Lin wood, and M. Smith, of Syden- ' ham. Both are certainly the -mamstays in the back division of theirrespective sides, and should have ft successful future., as the League gam« suits their style of play. . ' A cable message has been received by the New Zealand Rugby League officials stating that arrangements have been made for the New Zealand team to play four matches in Sydney and one in / Brisbane. The team will leave Wei- '' lington on May 30. The message also ■ stated that the New * South Wales Le/igue had definitely decided to send a team to tour New Zealand this sea60X1. Tlie N.S.W. Rugby League has fixed the following dates for the New Zealand team's matches against New South Wales:—June 7, 9, 21 and 23. The New Zealanders will visit Brisbane ana play Queensland on June 14 and 18.- ■, The Council of the New Zealand Rugby League met on A cable , message was received from New Soutn Wales, stating tKai the New Zealand = team would play four matches in Sydney and one in Brisbane. It was decided to send only twenty men and - to appoint managers this week. With regard, to the visit of an Australian team, 'it was suggested that efforts should be i made to play matches in . centres south of Christchurch. The New South Wales League team, whioh will visit New Zealand this season, will play two matches in Christchuroh, one against Canterbury and the other against New Zealand. ;

"i d $ ■i c? (S g. ? £ d s £= o s K Merivala i 4 0 0 46 18 4 Albion 4 3 1 0 31 9 8 Richmond . 5 3 2 0 42 20 3 Linwood 4 2 1 1 51 27 Mari.vts 5 2 2 1 12 21 2j Old Boys . i 1 2 1 30 32 H Christchurch 4 1 2 1 23 29 1A (Jantby, College 5 1 4 0 27 78 1" Sydenham . 5 0 3 2 30 58 1

i n !►> <1 . s Won. o J OS D "5 o C5 "d O U "3 o ■Pj Y.M.C.A. . 4 4 0 0 24 3 8 Burnham . 4 3 l o8 4 6 Sunnyside . 4 2 .1 1 9 7 5 Nomads . . 4 2 2 0 14 10 4 liyttelton . 4 2 2 0 15 13 4 Sydenfiam . 4 1 2 1 10 11 3 Linwood . . 4 1 3 0 9 19 2 l.C.S. . A 0 4 0 3 23 0