Athletic Menus.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 6632, 6 October 1888, Page 2

Athletic Menus.

(By Hutch.)

Harry Laing " showed " at Timoru at the lattor end of last month, and was troll patronised. After the exhibition he was challenged by Maloney (whom I montioned in these notes last week) to a contest for £25 a-sido and all gate money. L&ing clinched there and then, and the match is to come off to-night. The champion seems confident that he can "do " Maloney, who, by the way, was associated in America with that big gun, John L, Sullivan. Laing also wrestled with some of the Timaruites, and won amidst great applause. He does not expect to return to Wanganui for two or three months, as there is every prospect of having his hands full for a considerable time. His latest engagement is a six-round knock-out with Pettengell.

Billy Murphy has gone to Melbourne. Tho celebrated New Zealand Wdllcer and cyclist — D. Libeau — is going in for rowing. The accounts to hand of the GodfreyJackson battle show that the fight Was of a most terrific and determined nature. The Australian had an advantage* of two or three inches in height, and weighed considerably moro than America's coloured champion. The two gladiatori were in perfect condition, Jackson's abony skinshon like satin, while tho muscles of his chest and back stood out in bold relief, his shoulders being particularly fine. Godfrey, in this particular, did not compare well with his opponent, but in other respects his condition was perfect. At 9.25 p.m. the men shook hands, and. the ball was opened by the Australian feeling for Godfrey's ribs with his left, but was short Light exchanges followod, and then the Boatonian showed his hand. He electrified the audience, by the rushing fight he then indulged in. From the first Jackson showed that he had a most telling left. His first determined lead was parried by the Bostonian, who countered him on the jaw with a terrible Bmasher which made his ivories rattle. The round was of the whirlwind ordor till time was called. The second round wes tho most ssveie that was »vcr fought at the Califorian Athletio Club. The Bostonian bashed away at Jackson's, jaw with such determination that the audience thought the Australian would be knocked out straight away, but Jackson parried all theso " sleep-inducers" with wonderful skEl, countering all over Godfrey. At last Jackson assumed the offensive, and drove Godfrey to the ropes, where the latter took the medicine administered by his tall opponent with the best grace. After the first rally, Godfrey sparred at long range, then rushed into half -arm work, but miscalcu-. lating the size of the opening, got a lefthander on the jaw that floored him neatly. He vi as on bis pins in a moment as spry as a lark, tho round ending -without further scoring. The third round was of a much lighter order till nearing the conclusion, when Jackson landed a heavy left-hander on the Bostonian's collar-bone, blood appearing. Tho prevailing smile that had beamed on Godfrey's "phyz." up to this time, faded away, and it was thought that his collarbone waa broken, but his subsequent movements showed that it was not, and just at the conclusion of the round Jackson landed a blow on his opponent's mouth that brought the "ruby." The fourth round was of the lightning order. Godfrey at last gotaright-hand smash on ths kangaroo's neck that made him a couple of inches shorter. "A hundred on Godfrey!" was the result, but was met by cries of " shut up," " put him out," which spoiled' speculation. The men sparred for wind till Godfrey got a heavy counter for his trouble, and had the dose repeated immediately on assuming the aggressive. Another rally took place, Godfrey still trying to get his knock-out blow in, but got so heavily countered on the eye that it bled during the remainder of the fight. The fifth round was a sample of fighting such as seldom has been seen anywhere Godfrey began by spitting out a mouthful of blood as soon as he toed the scratch. It was thought he had lost sonio teeth, but this was not so. Jackson seemed eager for business, and Godfrey accommodated him by trying a left and right-hander, the first of which went home, but the second did not. Jackson caught his man with both fists beforo he could recover, and th» Boatonian's chances for the next minute looked blue. Smash after smash from the huge Australian's fists sonnded'on his face till he changed to the colour of an Indian, and Jackson's gloves grew carmine. It looked as if the Bostonian could never last out tho rouad. Though .fairly slaughtered, he'foiight like a tiger. If the Australian's Jjings had only held out a few moments longer he must have, won thore and then, but bis wind-bags were unequal to the demands of fcbe hurricane fight. " Timo " found both men in a most exhausted condition. From this till the conclusion of the battle Jackson hod matters pretty well his own way. The sixteenth round found Jackfon short of wind, and he again failed to deal the coup d» grace, though tho Bostonian laughed no more, and was bleeding at every pore. Godfrey astonished everyone by remaining on his feet till the eighteenth round, when Jackson, after the usual tactics of drawing him back to the ropes, delivered a right-hander over the region of the heart which ended the. contest. The plucky Bostonian dropped his hands and gave up the fight. On August Brd Woolf Bendoff, an English " pug," sailed for Australia. Upon his arrival in Melbourne ho will issue a challenge to fight or box any man in Australia for the championship. v Bendoff weighs 14et 61b, is 6ft 2in high, and 27 years of age. A wrestling match, Cumberland style, between G. Blackburn, ohampion of Victoria, and Billy Hudson, took placo in Melbourne on the 15th of last' month l . The former, who had muoh the advantage in weight, won. Each man secured two falls, and owing to Hudson sustaining an accident, to his ear he was compelled to withdraw. On September 10th the lQOyds.- Amateur Championship of Now South Wales was decided at the Ashfield Grounds, Sydney. W. T. McPherson, after a close contest, won, G. Maiden second, H. Schwartzkoff third, and C. T. Morath fourth. Time, 10 l-sth see.

London Pastime says :— Tora Ray, who for bo long held the record for pole jumping, has determined to regain it before the season is over. Before the championship he went in for excessive training, and took off a lot of weight; but he has discovered his mistake, and is now engaged in putting it on again. The result is that he is improving every day. At W indsor he oil but cloarcd lift 7£in. In fact, onoe he only just touched the bar with the spikes of his Bhoe and brought it down. At Stourbiidge, where he was set to receive 3 inches from F. L. Stones, he won the handicap, and cleared lift 6in with ease. A record can only be mode in competition, so Ray's opportunities are few. When Ray travels about on country lines, whero the guard's , vans are small, he ties his pole to the engino, and carries about with him several piecos of rope for the purpose. The pole, it may bo mentioned, is 14ffc long, and is made .of hickory wood, specially obtained. On August 6th Hutchens made ■an attempt io lowor tho 250 yds record at .Cambridge. In his first effort he never had a i chance, while in his second he allowed a " ped " named Holmes 25yds, but nevo* caught him, passing the post some yards bohind. , Several persons hold watches, but all differed, tho most roliablo boing those returned by the Sporting Life representative, a shade under 26sec, and Charles Rowell 25 4-sth seo. The ground was the University bicyelo path, which is not suited for an effort of tlus description ; and ,we (Sporting Life), therefore, cannot vouch for the correctness of the course. Still, for all that, tho famous Putney ped accomplished a flno performance. The brst times tot i 230 yds are— 2sJsec, by Hutchonsj 25Jseo, by C. J. Wood, tho .English amateur; and 26500 by L. E. Myers, whtn ho was running as an amateur.

Tho Exhibition Handicap, of 100 soys, run on tho Flomington Grounds, Melbourne, was won by E. Storoy, of South Melbourne (22Jyds), who took TO soys; the second being ii. E. Holpman, of Warranbool (19} yds), 15so>8i and third, P. Kennedy of Carlton (20Jyds), 10 boys; fourth. S, Robertson, of Melbourne (17$ yds), 5 soys. The final was won in 12 l-sth sec.

An oxohange says:— .Mr Iks Weir, the (f Balfast Spider," seoms to be a bit eccentric. Scarcely a day passes without something happoniKg to disturb the even tenor of his way. One of his latest froaks is to practice rillo shooting from the roof of the house in which he lives. There are several factories and warehouses in the immediate neighbour.- -" hood, and Weir makes targots of their window pains. The accuracy of his aim ij attested by the wreck of' glass in the windows within a radius of two hundred or three hundred yards of tho chimney-pots of his placo of residence. This said Weir is ono of the bnntaiqs that Now Zealand's representative, Billy Muvphy, will ask to etsuid before him.