Sports Games & Pastimes

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 3, 18 November 1893, Page 16

Sports Games & Pastimes

We publish this week a portrait of Mr. R. 0. Koch, one of our local Lawn Tennis players and a member of the Thorndon and Parliamentary Recess Tennis Clubs in Wellington. He commenced his Tennis career in 1885. For four years in succession he won the handicap singles of the latter, and in 1889 the championship singles of the former club. The championship singles and handicap singles of the Otago Lawn Tennis Club were gained by him in 1890. In 1892 he was champion of Invercargill. Mr Koch has also played in all the New Zealand. Lawn Tennis Association Tournaments since 1888. In 1891 and 1892 he reached the semi-finals of the championship singles, beating at Napier in 1891, Mr M. Fenwicke, the present holder of the championship singles, and with Mr H. Macdonald, of Invercargill, he won the handicap doubles in 1892. Mr Koch’s strong points are a tremendous "reach, untiring energy and a very strong uppercut across the court. He also “serves” and “ places ” with great accuracy. Mr Koch intends to visit Aucldand shortly and compete at the championship meeting there. He is certain to give a good

account of himself, in~fact, the Empire city could not be better represented. Mr Koch is also a cricketer of no mean repute.

A team consisting of twelve members of the Wellington Cycling Club, will visit Feilding on Boxing Day, and five of the number will take part in the sports to be held there. The trip will be made through the Wairarapa district and a most enjoyable outing is expected.

Things are very quiet in rowing circles at present. There are ho matches on in the near future, but the' boys of both the Wellington and Star Boating Clubs are training for all they are worth, in anticipation of the championship meeting at Picton. The coaches state that their men are getting into splendid form, and feel confident of wresting the honours from the southern clubs, at the coming meeting.

We are glad to announce that Mr Weston has stated that he will tender an apology to Mr L. A, Cuff. hon. secretary of the New Zealand Association, for his indiscreet telegram. It is the manly course for Mr Weston to take.

The final match between the South Canterbury Cricket Association and the Lancaster Park team in Christchurch, took place last Saturday, the former club winning after an exciting contest, by eight runs on the first innings.

A very interesting chess match was played in Christchurch last week between teams from the Canterbury and North Canterbury Chess Clubs. Only six out of the 10 games were finished, five being won by Christchurch and one by Rangiora. Amongst the winners was Mr J. Plunkett, late sub-editor of the New Zealand Times of this city.

The great event of the week has been the championship meeting in Melbourne. Other than that there has been very little done or tallied of in amateur athletic circles. As anticipated in last week’s issue the championship colony is New South Wales, but not *by nearly so great a margin ,as most people expected, in fact, had it not been for the presence of “Billy Mac,” who consented to go only at the last minute, the cornstalks would not have been in it.

The mostTremarkable falling off in the New South]; Wales team is the case of Dalrymple. After the way this runner has been puffed in th e Sydney Referee, we expected to see him annex, at any rate, the half, and one mile, but in the one he did not run and in the mile he came only second, Black of Victoria, downing him.

One of the features of the meeting has been the good form displayed by the Victorian runners. Little was expected from them and so the surprise is greater when we hear that they were only two points behind New South Wales in the hammer competition. On the first day they secured the three-mile walk, Barrett just beating Galloway ; the 120yds hurdles won by Davis, Matson, the New Zealand man, coming second, while Black, the Melbourne harrier, won the mile. On the second day they were again successful, Herbert winning the three-mile flat in the good time of 15min. 33secs., and Gleeson taking the pole jumping.

New Zealand took only three events, two of which fall to O’Connor. His ‘put’ of 38 feet 4fin. on the first day is a splendid performance and so was his throw of 86 feet Bin. The other win fell to Matson, of Christchurch, who put up 61 l-sth secs, for the 440 hurdles, this tune being 2-sth of a second faster than Batger’s record which has heretofore constituted the colonial record. This time was done on the second day, and it is noticeable that the times all through are much better on the second day than on the first.

Cricket is booming in Wellington at present and hardly a day passes that one or two matches are not played at the Basin Reserve. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings the Rival and Wellington first elevens tried conclusions. Fuller and Dryden both batted well for Rivals and Kriker did some good bowling for the Wellingtons. On Thursday teams from Sargood’s and the D.I.C. Cricket Clubs played at No. 4 pitch; The Stars v. The Wellington 2nd, at No. 1 wicket; The Midland 2nd v. the Phoenix, at No. 2 wicket, and Kirkcaldie and Stains v. Ross and Glendining. We, unfortuanately, are unable to give the results of the different matches as we went to press before they were concluded.