SPORTS, GAMES AND PASTIMES.

Fair Play, Volume I, Issue 11, 13 January 1894, Page 14

SPORTS, GAMES AND PASTIMES.

THE WELLINGTON CHESS RLAYERS. Once again Wellington carries off the palm of victory and her representatives at the Chess Congress, recently ; held at Dunedin, have proved themselves the champions. It was a very close match at the finish; and the final game was naturally watched with the most intense excitement. If an actual win was made it meant that one of the competitors would be the victor and the other unplaced, whereas if the result of the game was a draw, Mr. R. J. Barnes of Wellington would have again been champion, as his score stood seven wins, to three losses while the two final competitors,- Messrs. Edwards and Hookham had each scored 6£ wins and 2£ losses. As everybody knows now, Mr. Edwards won the game,making him champion and unplaoing Mr. Hookham. _ The four •leading players were as follows; —Mr. J. Edwards, first (Wellington); Mr. R. J, Barnes, second (Wellington) ; Mr. Cleland, third (Dunedin) ; and Mr. W. Brown, fourth (Wellington). We publish the portraits of the three Wellington contestants, Messrs Edwards, Barnes, and Brown.

As we go to press the. cricket match between the Wellington and Auckland teams seems anything but a sure thing for the former. It was thought at - first 'that after the defeat experienced by Auckland in Christchurch, Wellington would have a “ walk over." This, however, has been anything but the case, the game haying been a close one from the start to its present stage. By to-day. it will be known who is the winner. Wellington may come with a rush at the finish, but judging by the'present prospect the game will be a tightly contested one, and Wellington will win by a very few points. To-morrow (Saturday) afternoon, the Wellington and Thorndon Bowling Clubs will try conclusions in a four rink match which will be played on the Wellington Clubs Green. The following Saturday afternoon will be “Lady’s Day,” when the annual inatoh between teams seleoted by the President'and Vice-President of the Wellington Club will be played.

It is probable that the annual bowling match between the Nelson and Wellington Bowling Clubs will take place on Anniversary Day, as that would be the most convenient day for the match. A cricketing picnic was held at Kilbirnie on Wednesday by the Te Aro House Cricket Club. The crews for the Junior Pair-oar competition, Wellington Rowing Club, are as follow:—W. H. Jackson (bow) and W. Ross (stroke), J. R. Crawford (bow) and S. G. Ross (stroke), A. Purdie (bow) and J. Brophy (stroke), F. Fitzgerald (bow) and A. W. Smith (stroke), W. StrangeMure (bow) and J. S. Swan (stroke),®F. Ross (bow) and A. McLaren (stroke), A. Mallett (bow) and E. Nicholson (stroke), B. J. Finucane (bow) and J. N. Barrie (stroke); W. Fountain (bow) and A. Minogue (stroke), T. E. Butler (bow) and ,J. Naylor (stroke). The first heats will be rowed on the 15th inst. In the final heat of the Senior Sculls at the South Yarra regatta a foul occurred between S. H. Gollan and S. Morrell, and, the former protesting, the committee decided that the heat should be sculled • again. Accordingly, the scullers met again, but they had not covered more than 300yds when Morrell steered into his opponent’s course, and the boats being almost level a collision occurred. After the foul Gollan did not attempt to race, but followed Morrell slowly over the course. Subsequently a protest was entered on behalf of Gollan, and upon consideration by the committee Morrell was disqualified. The W.R.C. have suffered a great loss through 0. McCormack, No. ,8 of their maiden crew, being temporarily transferred to Blenheim.

In the Star Boating Club’s Senior Sculls the following heats have been drawn First Round: A. W. Newton rows A. G. Hume, G. C. Fache rows C. W. Palmer, E. W. G. Strange rows R. W. Wallace. E. L. Bumes, W. H. Morrah, F. Pownall, and R. D. Duncan have drawn byes, the first named in - each heat should prove the winner. Second Round (winners): No. 1 heat rows Morrah, No. 2 heat rows Bumes,

No. 3 heat rows R. D. Duncan, No. 4 heat rows Pownall. In the same Club’s Junior Pairs Duncan rows Trimnell, Shearman rows Pope, and the two winners row off for the final, which we think will be won by Shearman. The Harriers mile road handicap race, run last Saturday afternoon, produced a contest well worth seeing. Twelve started for the event, and six finished in the following order, viz., D. McKay 1, C. W. Palmer 2, M. G. Dodwell 3, Nicooll 4, Wallace 5, and Hawthorne 6. McKay won by about syds., but a splendid race took place between Dodwell and Palmer for second place, the latter winning by six inches. Wallace showed good form for three-quarters of a mile, but want of condition found him out at the finish. The course was along the Hutt road between Nghauranga and Kaiwarra. No less than fourteen racing clubs in New Zealand held races on Boxing Day last year. Of this number five club’s meeting extended over the Wednesday also. In the Star Boating Club’s Senior "Sculls, rowed on Wednesday, G. C. Fache defeated E. L. Bumes after a close race by. a length. A. G. Hume easily defeated W. H. Morrah by five or six lengths. Mr. A. S. Biss, deputycaptain, acted as starter, and Mr. George Bethune, secretary, as judge. The Port Nicholson Yacht. Club have prepared a particularly attractive programme for Anniversary Day, there being no less than 10 events. The New South Wales’ cricketing win of an innings and 158 runs to spare, over South Australia, was rather a severe defeat fbr the latter. The fielding of the New South Welshmen, it is stated, was magnificent. On Saturday afternoon last the Christchurch Polo Club held a match, which was patronised by a large number of visitors. The contest was 1 with a representative team from H.M.S. “ Curacoa.” The visitors were defeated by • two goals; Several other games were"' indulged, in afterwards by mixed teams. Gollan, who is a well-known Hawkes Bay: sportsman, returned to New Zealand, lastweek,

• Mr. Ernest Loughnan Burnes, whose portrait appears above, and commonly known amongst his friends as the “ Doctor,” is the fourth son of the late Mr. Adam Burnes, who came to this colony early in the seventies to take charge of the National Bank of New Zealand. The subject of our sketch is at the present time one of the most successful oarsmen of the Star Boating Club, having won the last three Club races, which, when one considers the very large membership of the Club, is indeed a splendid performance. He has won the following Club races —Novice pairs, Trial Maiden Fours, Trial Junior Fours, Senior Pairs, Senior Double" Sculls, (three times), Senior Fours, (twice), and McLean Fours. At the Lake Forsyth Regatta (Canterbury) he'won the Maiden Fours, and at the Wellington Regatta won the Junior Fours. Besides being- a first-class oarsman the “ Doctor” was at one time well known on the football field, was a fair cricketer, and was fairly successful on the running track, but has given these up and now devotes all his leisure time to rowing.

The absorbing topic of conversation in cricket circles has been the phenomenal score attained by Canterbury against Auckland. From a spectator’s point of view the termination was unsatisfactory. Why the visitors frittered away a week doing nothing, and then allocated only two days for a Canterbury match on their hard true wickets appeMS inexplicable. These fragmentary and. drawn games are

the cause of much disgust among followers and supporters of the game. Already two most important matches; the Northern v. Southern and Midland contest, and the Auckland-Wellington representative match resulted in draws, and now when a revival of interest and enthusiasm arises, consequent upon a desire to see brilliant and record batting, the stem necessity arises of declaring the the innings closed when but one half completed. This line of action is not calculated to promote the popularity of the' game. The Wellington executive have adopted a similar course, and probably we mall only see half our cracks bat, that is if the bowling of the Auoldanders at practice is any criterion of their match form. The veteran Salmon was in evidence on Saturday. His passages between the wickets were very vigorous. In this respect it would be well for our juniors to emulate him. Tucker signalised his entry into double harness by compiling'- a hard hit 89. Everyone is pleased to see him score, for there is no greater enthusiast in Wellington. . The popular skipper of the rival second found himself isolated in fame by scoring 28 against the Stars. “ Tim” deserves to succeed. Good steady practice is bound to assert itself sooner or later. We.noticed Goff Warren with a- cow of “ How to bat, by-W. G. Grace” in ms possession. We may look forward now with confidence to some ** cricket-extra-

ordinary.” Warren of the Stars should join the senior club. Fast bowlers at the present day are in universal request, and he is reported by those who have played against" him to be exceptionally ‘slick.”

Young O’Sullivan again distinguished himself. This player has a pretty taking style, and at the present rate of development will be shortly parading his skill m the solution of our coming representative matches.

The Wellingtons deserve the highest enconiums for their splendid all round fielding. Gore and Ryburn in particular being übiquitous. The attendance at the Basin constituted a record this season. Sooroely any interest was token in the Rival-Phoenix heat, the former having it all their own way. Ramsay is aoquinng plenty of confidence and is now one of the most reliable bats in the team.

Don Fuller played a slashing innings, one of his hits, thanks to the fieldsman’s want of knowledge as to boundaries, resulting in seven being run. Apropos of boundaries, a lot of iiime was wasted in a dispute between the captain and umpire, which practically resolved itself into the question, “Does the captain or the umpire control the gome ?” The umpire aoting under instructions'from the Association declared oertain boundaries which were contrary to the arrangements previously made by the oaptoins. The matter was not settled until reference had been madfe to the umpire aoting in the other match. We have hitherto been under the impression that the captains and the Marylebone rules were the controllers of the game. Barney Ogier played with freedom, he is batting very consistently. A pathetic story is told by two nurses in a book which they have published called “Adventures'in Mashonaland," of how they tendeed the well-known English orioketer Mr. Montague Bowdon, until his death, while in the deathly stillness a man kept watoh at the windows, wide open on acoount of the heat v with a loaded revolver in his hand to proteot the body from wild beasts;The Aucklanders speak highly of Lawrence’s phenomenal sooring ,in the Canterbury match. Old identities oonsider it the finest display of oorreot and scientific batting ever seen ‘in Canterbury- Lawrence had been “ threatening ” for a long time to come off, but his nervousness has been an insuperable bar. A bit of information brought up by the Aucklanders is to the effect that Canterbury will supply at least six towards the New Zealand team. By the time this is in print Wellington may have similar exalted notions. .The foot* that large scoring has been the rule in Canterbury, this season does not • imply T that their batting is when it is taken into consideration that their bo,wling,Jto notoriously ureak.. : \ - Given a fine .day and true wicket we have little doubtthatWellington will keep the score warm. : =