ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 34, 21 March 1891, Page 1

ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.

Queen’s weather is proverbial, and so is the A.A.A.C’s good luck, so of course Saturday the 14th of March, proved as perfect a day as anyone could wish. A large and enthusiastic crowd of spectators,,gathered on the grassy slopes to witness a good day’s sport, and no one was disappointed. His Excellency and Lady Onslow, Lord and Lady Scott, and party, arrived in time to see some of the best events, and appeared to take a lively interest in the races, getting up half-crown sweeps, and discussing the merits and performances of their respective ‘ horses.’ The management was, save in one respect, as perfect as we always expect in meetings controlled by A.A.A.C. officials. In the Obstacle Race, crowds, of youngsters principally, invaded the enclosure, obstructing the view of the great mass of the spectators and creating a precedent which we trust will be 'upset at the next and. all future meetings 1 Enough tars and marines wereavailable to have formed a cordon and nipped in the bud a breach of discipline for which we were quite unprepared. We noticed an improvement on the telegraph frame by which lookerson were informed of the times of the various performances. Tractions of seconds have been painted upon tin squares, which are now added tothe larged numbers. This is capital; but having solved the problem so far, the officials should see that the ingenious device is properly utilised. In the heats for the 200 yards handicap the official time was on several occasions omitted to be posted. Now, onlookers like to compare the times of the several preliminary heats in a handicap before the final heat is run. The time, weighed in conjunction with the winner’s start and running, must be an important factor in picking the winner of the final heat. In the longer bicycle races, too, we were sorry to notice that the convenient practice of putting up each mile as completed was not followed. A telegraph man should be appointed whose sole duty it should be to attend to such details. To afford the greatest interest to the greatest number is a praiseworthy maxim.

Looking broadly at the results of the meeting, no very startling performance is noticeable. The two dark horses, Buchanan and Lewis, won their races at least, if they did not accomplish the wonderful feats hinted at in our article last week. Buchanan’s time for the 200yds final, 20 2-ath secs., with 7|yds start, is creditable, while Lewis won the mile easily from the 90yds mark in 4min. 39secs. Clark rah gamely and well, but was not in first-rate fettle. At his best we doubt his ability to give away 90yds to the winner, who is a good runner, with a curiously spasmodic way of easing off and putting it on again at certain points in the distance. He should practice a more even pace throughout, if he is ambitious to improve his time. His failure in the halfmile was in no small measure due to bad judgment and ignorance of pace. Bull’s performance in the event last mentioned was perhaps the ! best at the meeting. With twenty yards start he covered the distance in 2min. 3 3-sth secs., which does not look so bad when compared with Davy Wood’s Championship record of 2min.

It will be interesting to compare the performances at our meeting with those just to hand in the principal events accomplished at Wellington on the same day :— AUCKLAND. Start. Time. 100yds—Buchanan.;3jyds 10 2-ssec. 120yds. Hurdles—Roberts 4 yds 18 l-ssec. Half-mile—Bull 20 yds 2m. 3 3-ssec. Q,uarter-mile—Lundon 25 yds 532-ssec. Mile—Lewis 90 Y dB 39sec - WELLINGTON. 100yds—Richardson 9yds 10 2-ssec. 120yds. Hurdles—Gore (Hdcp. not given) 19sec. (?) Half mile—Cooper .30 yds 2m. 7 4-ssee. Quarter-mile—Richardson...... 30 yds 511-ssec. Mile- |^ p^ mt ° h deadheat { 4m. Msec. In all these events, with the exception of the Quarter, Auckland seems to have considerably the best of the running. Comparison in the Bicycle and other events, owing to discrepancies in handicaps and distances is practically impossible. Of course we had a fine day, whereas a disagreeable Nor’wester was blowing at Wellington, and this element must not be forgotten. Our visitors from the Squadron entered heartily into the events provided for competition among them, and afforded great amusement to a sympathising crowd. It is true that no officers faced the obstacle race, but a large number of tars and marines started in the one set apart for them. In this race a sad catastrophe was only averted bya happyaccident One of the committee fortunately discovered that a swarm of bees had taken possession of one of the barrels through which the competitors had to dive. Of course a writ of ejectment was promptly served upon? the trespassers —who would otherwise doubtless have proved the most formidable obstacle of the lot. After the race, a gentleman of tender years emulating the feats of Samson, managed to pull down a huge frame upon himself and his companions in mischief, but happily no serious damage was done. Some of the costumes —notably an arrangement in cretonne —were as original as they were effective. Much to the disappointment of the ladies, “ cretonne breeches ” did not win, but he ran well and came in fourth.

On St. Patrick’s Day, Professor Pannell’s Benefit drew a large concourse of spectators who thronged the sides of the Graving Dock, and applauded with enthusiasm the excellent performances of the Professor and his pupils. Of course the main interest of this exhibition of swimming centred in the “little ducks” who proved themselves in every sense worthy of such a title. Professor Pannell’s efforts to popularise swimming as a healthy exercise and useful accomplishment for ladies of all ages, deserve every encouragement. We are constantly shocked by heart-rending accounts of deaths in the water which the capacity to swim a few yards, or even to keep afloat a few minutes would have averted. One had only to see the ease and confidence displayed by the Professor’s young lady pupils to feel assured that they at least may under ordinary circumstances, be trusted to save their own lives —and possibly assist in saving others—should they be called upon to do so. Some twenty lady pupils performed on St. Patrick’s Day, but many more were too shy to face the ordeal of so large a crowd. Still, now that the first plunge has been made, and every person is convinced that modesty will not be shocked in the slightest degree, we hope on future occasions to see many more lady competitors of riper age than the very young girls who surprised all by

their grace and skill in the art of natation.; One of the prettiest sights was the competition for the neatest header, in which four little maids from school took part. The plunge was from the top of a large packing case. Each little maid in turn posed like Galatea upon her pedestal, and at the bidding of Pygmalion (Mr. Cook) launched herself headlong into the elastic element. A tiny dot, Miss Mattie Webb, arayed in a becoming costume of Cambridge blue, executed her three dives almost faultlessly < and won enthusiastic plaudits from the assembly. The other competitors also dived well, but did not enter the water so cleanly—the amount of splash being the chief test in such contests. Among the older girls Miss Newton and Miss Pascoe are two pupils of whom Professor Pannell may justly be proud. They both swim with grace and power—the latter being superior in pace, the former in endurance. The exhibition of fancy swimming and floating by the Professor and several girl-pupils delighted and am azed all who witnessed it, and the subsequent feats by the Professor and his adept pupil, Mr.- C. Dalton, must be seen to be believed. The double revolution, in which, the. head of each clasped by the feet of the other alternately appears on the surface, the two bodies forming a wheel revolving in the water, is not only a clever and comical feat, but one demanding great endurance and adroit management of breath. In a word, the gala proved an unqualified success.

Auckand C.C. met United in an all-day match on St. Patrick’s Day, winning easily by 64 > runs in the first innings. The wicket having been watered on the previous evening proved difficult, and the scores were small. A powerful . sun improved matters for the A.C.C., giving ■ them perhaps a bit the best of luck. Still United in their second innings, when the wicket was at its best, could only put together 74 for eight wickets. This match is to count for the Cup, being by consent substituted for. the unsatisfactory one which went to Auckland by default on the part of United. Auckland meet Gordon next Saturday, and if victorious we shall have a renewed interest in the Senior Cup matches, as each Club will then have suffered two defeats, which will necessitate the ties being played off.

To-morrow (Saturday) the A,A. Rowing Association hold their annual regatta on the Waitemata. Should a calm day and smooth water favour them, numerous entries for the various interesting events promise a good day’s sport, but rowing on our harbour is always what mathematicians term an “imaginary quantity.”

During the sale on Monday, March 3, Mr. Archie Yuille, the compiler of the “ Australian 4 Stud Book,” made the extraordinary statement > that all trace had been lost of at least two hundred mares imported from England to the colonies. He hinted that on account of the contiguity of Gippsland to New South Wales, it was very probable that many of these mares had reached this side of the Murray. The Hon. Geo. Davis, however, repudiated the idea absolutely on the part of Gippsland.— Melbourne Sportsman. ,