ATHLETICS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 11, 11 October 1890, Page 4

ATHLETICS.

[By

Nimblefoot.

A fifty mile bicycle road race was run at Christchurch on Monday morning, and won by L. Humm of the Midland Cycling Club, in 3hr 44min issec, including 40mm start. J. Painter, M. was second. His time was 3hr 44mm 3osec, with 25mm start. Painter’s actual running time was 3hr 29mm 3osec, lowering the New Zealand record by Peter Jackson and Frank P. Slavin have been matched to fight for and the championship of the world, at the Melbourne Club. The boxing contest between Frank P. Slavin and Joe McAuliffe, the Californian champion, took place at the Ormonde Club, London, last week. The fight was for and a diamond belt, presented by an American paper. Slavin knocked his opponent out in less than two rounds. Some weeks ago the Speedwell Bicycle Club offered a gold medal to the first member of their Club vho succeeded in putting up a road record on any class of machine for 24hrs. Mr. Chas. Culbosh succeeded in doing 165 miles under the most adverse circumstances, rain coming down heavily most of the time, making the roads very bad. His actual riding time was 2ohrs. Mr. Culbush is confident that with fair luck he can do at least 200 miles. Captain Mark Long of the Sydney Safety Cycling Club has just put up a record for the distance between Goulburn and Sydney, 137 miles, in iB£hrs., his actual riding time being 16ihrs. Peter Jackson has commenced training at the Sydney Athletic Club Rooms for his match with Joseph Goddard, which takes place at the Chrystal Palace, Melbourne, for a purse of . , , A new paper entirely devoted to cycling is about to be published. It will be called the “ Victorian Wheelman,” and will come out every Friday.— Australasian. The following are the handicaps which were issued by Mr. W. H. Johnson for the bicycle road race which takes place to-day. The course is from Panmure to Parnell:—Buchanan, scratch ; Howard, scratch ; Lecky, scratch ; L. E. Hoffmann, |min., Reynolds, |min.; Shortt, imin.; Hammond, 2|min.; C. Waters, 4^-min.; Nicholson, 4imin.; Hill, smm.; Aickin, 6min.; E. Waters, 6£min. ; A. Service, 6|min.; Hazard, Bmin.; Elliott, Bmin.; Dacre, Bmin.; McCallum, Simin. ; Mason, qmin.; Hooper, grain. A match has been arranged between McLean and Stansbury for a side, on the Paramatta, on November 19th. McLean, since his defeat by Kemp, has been trying hard to get on another match with the Champion, but having failed has made this one.

“ Smiler ” in the Sydney Referee states that the Sydney Club has decided to match Abe Willis, the champion bantam-weight pugilist of Australia, against George Dixon, champion of England and America, for a purse of and the championship of the world. Bubear, the ex-champion sculler of England, and D. Kellie, a novice, rowed over the Lower Yarra champion course 100 a side, Bubear conceeding his opponent 3osecs. start. Kellie started in a very slovenly manner, but managed to add 15 lengths to his handicap. Bubear when he got the word to go started with 36 strokes to the minute, and before the course was half over he caught his man and paddled home an easy winner by four lengths. In another column will be found an advertisement announcing that Mr. Mumford has just received a splendid assortment of cricketing materials for the coming season. Mr. Mumford is an old English and Colonial cricketer, and thoroughly knows what is required for the game, and as this shipment has been specially selected for him by Shrewsbury, cricketers may .rely on the articles being all of first-rate quality. This week I have to record some remarkable bicycle' performances, news of which has just been received by the English mail. On the 16th July, at the Paddington track, no less than 10 records were made, the most astonishing of all being that of F. J. Osmond, who rode a mile on an ordinary bicycle in zmin. 28 4-5500., which is the finest bicycle performance the world has ever known. There is only one time of the year when home riders attempt to make records, and that is during the warm English summer evenings. Every year cycle wheels travel faster and faster, and second after second is knocked off records till one wonders if there •is a limit, and when that limit will be reached. For a long time the cream of English and American riders have striven their hardest to ride a mile within z£min., and at last the object has been attained. Wonderful as the present times seem to be, no one would be safe in saying they will not be eclipsed in the near future. F. J. Osmond is undoubtedly a phenomenal rider, and without wishing to detract one iota from his sterling qualities as such, it must be admitted that the constantly improving machines have something to do with the remarkable times recently made. A safety bicycle, fitted with the new pneumatic tires, and ridden by R. J- Mecredy, the Irish cyclist, was the first cycle that ever covered a mile under zmin. 3osec., his time being zmin. 29 4-ssec. This record had been made only a few minutes when Osmond eclipsed it on the ordinary. It is hardly likely that the records will stand long at these figures, for the desire for supremacy between ordinary aad safety riders is very keen, and the struggle now entered upon will be sure to result in faster times. — Australasian. Two or three scandals have lately come to light amongst the wheelmen of Paris. A race for the championship of France was run on Sunday, 15th June, at Bordeaux. On the previous day two crack riders of Paris, who had entered for the great race at Bordeaux, received a telegram : —“ Terrible weather; impossible to hold races; surface entirely soaked; adjourned till 22nd.” Under the circumstances both riders stayed away, at the same time writing to thank the secretary for his thoughtfulness in sending the telegram. The secretary replied that he did not send any telegram, and that it was a hoax. Another wheelman was fonnd out while he was trying to practice deception. He informed the press of his intention to try and put’ up a road record, and invited a number of friends to meet him about the finish of the ride and escort him home. These riders met the “record” man at the finish looking as fresh as a daisy, much to their surprise, and the machine too looked so nice and clean that one doubting Thomas, while the “ record” man took a bowl of soup at the hotel, went off to the nearest railway station, and inquired if a cyclist and machine had come along on the train. The clerk replied, “Yes, sir ; a gentleman arrived about an hour ago with his bicyclette.” The clerk then accompanied the cyclist to the hotel, and with the ticket on which the machine had been registered exposed the fact that the would-be record-smasher had travelled 117 kilometres in the train. He implored the witnesses not to expose him; this was of no avail, for soon all the wheel world knew it, and he was rightly made the laughing stock of all.— Australasian.