ITEMS OF SPORT

New Zealand Tablet, 5 February 1914, Page 31

ITEMS OF SPORT

GENERAL. The Irish Athletic Society of Southland has issued the programme for its 29th- annual meeting, which is to be held on March 18. Nominations for the 75yds Flying and Sheffield Handicaps close on February 28, and entries for all other events on March 7. There are 24 events altogether, and the varied programme is sure to attract a large number of competitors. Pat Ryan, the gigantic Limerick man who wears the winged fist of the Irish-American Athletic Club, broke another world’s record—or, fo be more accurate, America record — the fall games of his club at Celtic Park, New York. He threw the 121 b hammer as far as many men, or alleged men, could throw an ivory button, or a jackstone (they call jackstones ‘gobs’ in Pallasgreen, Ryan’s native place). He hurled the leaden ball a distance of 213 feet 9£ inches, which is just .6 feet and £ of an inch, better than that other herculean Limerick man, John Flanagan, did on the same field on October 25, 1910,

Tennis is undoubtedly the oldest of all existing ball games. Its origin is buried in "antiquity. Rut it was played largely in Europe during the middle ages in the parks and ditches of feudal castles. The French learned the game from the Italians, the British from the French. Golf is popularly said to be a Scottish game,, but there is good reason to suppose that, in the first instance, it came from Holland. Cricket, however, is essentially all British. The first mention of the game is found in a thirteenth century manuscript, and it derives its name from the Saxon word ‘ cric,’ or ‘ cryc,’ meaning ‘ a staff.’ Billiards is believed to have been brought.from the East by the Crusaders; though some people say that the French developed it from an ancient German game. Chess, however, which is the most intellectual of all games, is also the most ancient. _ CRICKET. Owing to the heavy rain which commenced to fall early on Saturday afternoon all local cricket in Dunedin was postponed. The Auckland v. Wellington cricket match was concluded at Wellington on Saturday, when the visitors won by 33 runs. The seventh round of the cricket championship was concluded in Auckland on Saturday. Results: North Shore, 302 runs, defeated Eden B, 144 (J. Alexander 52) and 163 (M. Gilmore 48, J. Alexander not out 48), by 158 runs on the first innings. Bowling for North Shore, Stewart took four wickets for 20 runs, Townsend four for 39 and three for 47, and Howden four for 37. — Ponsonby, 325 runs for seven wickets, defeated Eden A, 118 (G. Mills 37, Savuerm not out 34) and 88 for three wickets (Burton 50), by 207 runs on .first innings. — University, 351 for nine wickets, defeated Grafton, 231 (W. Horspool 60, D. Hay 37, F. HorspQoh.,,33) and 47 for six wickets, by 120 runs on the first 'innings. For the University, Jacobsen took three wickets for 56 runs and four for 21Waitemata, 351, defeated Parnell, 135 (Breese not out 84) and 106 (Anthony 38, Breese not out 37, by an innings and 110 runs.