Sport in Australia.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIII, Issue 769, 1 December 1904, Page 10

Sport in Australia.

(By

“Atlas.”)

Sydney, November 23. The principal attraction for racing men on Saturday was the November Meeting of the Australian Jockey Club. It is a peculiar fact, but nevertheless true, that many of the events at the meetings of the parent club are nfot better patronised than those of the proprietary clubs, although the A.J.C. give away fully twice as much money. The sweepstakes attached to each event, I have no doubt, tends to diminish the fields, but when the owifer pays up the sweep it is in a measure a guarantee that his neddy is on the job, and as a rule we get straighter running than on the proprietary courses. The programme submitted on Saturday was an attractive one, the sum of 775 sovs, in addition to the sweeps, being divided between the six events, but the meeting was not well patronised, although the weather was beautiful, and it is estimated that the attendance did not exceed 4000. For some time bookmakers have had considerably the best of the deal, but matters took a turn in favour of the punters on Saturday, four first favourites and one warm second favourite getting home. The ex-New Zealander, P. Nolan, had the pleasure of leading in the winner of the Hurdle Race, Mechlin, by Albemarle out of Real Lace. Mechlirt carried top-weight, 10st 7fb, and won easily from four others. The stable of the Waverly Aiderman, E. Keys, has been in winning form of late, and supplied the winner of the Stockbridge Handicap with Victory, but the win was not quite expectes, a.“> Victory went out at 10 to 1. He showed pace as he carried his 7st 121 b to the end of six furlongs in imin 14sec. The Lochiel horse, Fhilifccg, who has hitherto been a disappointment, was made a strong fancy in the Trial Handicap and won cleverly, but he had not much to beat. A big crowd of maiden two-year-olds went out for the Tyro Stakes. They were a green lot, and Sweetness, by Lochiel —Silver Hair, who won, did not observe a very straight course, but she was straichtened up in time to win by half a length from Relish, with Bonnie Elsie in the other place. There were only two horses solidly tacked for the event of the afternoon, the Salisbury Handican, one mile and three furlongs. These were Raeburn and Fanshawe, and the f.nish was between them, the first-named win-, nfing a great ra'-e by a neck. Marie Corelli brought the day’s proceedings to a close by winning the Welter Handicap.

At a meeting af the V.A.T.C. at Caulfield on Saturday, Cynic stumbled on the fiat in the Hurdle Race, and broke his leg, rendering his destruction necessary. Wyesby fell in the Steeplechase and broke his neck. The Stansmore Two-year-old Handicap at Caulfield, on Saturday, was won by Decollette, by Haut Brion out of the New Zealand-bred mare Necklet, who, if I remember rightly, was brought over from Auckland by Mr John Marshall. Regio, bv Medallion—Welcome Queenie, has been showing improved form of late, and cn Saturday, at Caulfield, won the Rosstown Plate from a pretty fair field. The Auci land-bred Grey Seaton, was a starter in this event, but he was not placed. A sad accident happened at Kensington last Wednesday. In the Hurdle Race the pony, Montpellier, fell at one of the jumps and was killed. His rider, M’Nally, was fearfully injured about the head and died in a few minutes. It is remarkable that some time ago a man was decapitated on the Goulburn railway, and the remains were identified as tboie of McNally, who, however, subsequently turned up all right, but only to meet almost as violent a death as that which he was at first supposed to have met with. McNally, at one time, role fcr the late W. Kelso’s stable, and I think he must have been in New Zealand at one time, as the advertisement announcing his untimely end add : '‘New Zealand papers please copy.” Accounts have been made up in connection with the late Melbourne Cup Meeting, and it has been found that Jh? jrofits exceed £7OOO. Wairiki is still at Flemington, but ‘the veterinary surgeon attending him has expressed the definite opinion that he will be saved for use at the stud. It will be some time, however, before he .•an be removed from Flemington. Meanwthile, Mr S. Bradley remains in Melbourne. In conversation with a press representative the other day, he is represented to have said that he had rereived several offers for Wairiki, but people would have to talk to him in thousands, not hundreds, before Im would think of parting with him. After the price paid for Can ccn. Ihc

opinion was expressed here that Mr S. Griffiths, in getting Grand Rapids for 500 sovs, had made a bargain ; but the astute Victorian, who had at first bought Grand Rapids for South Africa, soon disposed of the horse at a material advance on what he gave for him, the buyer being Mr firen, who won the Caulfield Cup with Murmur. Grand Rapids will, therefore, in future be raced in Victoria.

“Diavolo, King of the Loop,” made his first appearance at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday, when he gave two performances, one in the afternoon and one at night. His daring

feat of looping the loop is certainly exciting, but it is all over in a few seconds, and the patrons of the ground have to find other entertainment. The bill is generally made up of cycling events, but the public do not take to cycling with so much enthusiasm as they used to do. Diavolo, besides his feat of looping the loop, gives a clever display of trick riding. After ih? Sydney V.heel Race most of our leading bike riders departed for Melbourne, where some good prizes are hung up just now. G. R. Morgan is ma ntainirg the good form he showed in Sydney, and on Saturday 7 at the East Melbourne club’s Meeting he won the Half-mile Scratch Race and the St. Kilfia Plate Scratch Race, three miles. He had some good ones to beat in each event, including Eon walker and Ivor Lawson, the great American' rider, who recently passed through Auckland. Lawsen finished sixth in the three mile event, but he has not had time to get into form.

The Sydney 7 amateur cyclists paid a visit to Brisbane on Saturday, but the banana-landers proved too good for them.

As the season advances interest in cricket seems to increase, and there is no doubt the formation of the next Australian Eleven has a great deal to do with that interest, and who should be, and who should not be included in the team is discussed by everyone, from the grave politician down to the noisy street arab. The match between South Australia and Victoria has ended in a decisive victory 7 for the latter, and New South Wales critics have begun to crow that the South Australians without Clem Hill would n'ot be a match for the Second Eleven of this Colony. The next big contest will be between Victoria and New South Wales. On Saturday, L. O. S. Poidevin made his first big score since his return from England. Playing for Redfern against Waverly, he put up 152, not out, without giving a chance. 1 cannot see how he can be overlooked, either fcr the N.S.W. Eleven or the Australian Eleven. There was some tall scoring in the match in which Poidevin made his runs, Redfern losing four wickets only' fcr 405 run’s, to which H. Coddard contributed 118, and F. Midlane 1(6.

The black fellow, Marsh, who has been consistently overlooked by the selectors of our cricket teams, just as consistently 7 puts up good performances when he can get the opportunity. Playing for Sydney against the strong batting team of North Sydney on Saturday, he obtained seven wickets for 105 runs, out of a grand total of 292. Among the North Shore players were such batsmen as Iredale, Hopkins, Duff, and Hickson. The performances of the Sydney 7 fast bowler, Cotter, paled before that of the black fellow, as playing for Glebe against Burwood his one wicket cost him 57 runs. Yet the selectors pick him and leave the black fellow out. There was some tall scoring in Melbourne on Saturday. In their second innings against Carlton the M.C.C. scored 211 without loss. Of that number W. W. Armstrong made 136, and Vaughan 104. The championships in connection with the Annual Meeting of the Victorian Lawn Tennis Association resulted as follows :—Singles : Brookes beat Murphy, 6 —o, 6—2, 6—o ; Double Championshin : Brookes and Fraser beat Barnard and Spence, 6 —l, 6 —4, ll—9 ; Ladies’ an!d Gentlemen’s Double Championship : Pockley 7 (N.S.W.) and Miss Addison heat C. Heath and Miss M’Laurin, 6 —3, 3—6, 6—4. Pocklev was the only 7 representative of New South Wales left in Ihe finals.