FRENCH FARM ANNUAL SPORTS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 564, 9 December 1881, Page 2

FRENCH FARM ANNUAL SPORTS.

The annual sports and distribution of prizes in connection with Mr T. S. Baker's school at French Farm took place yosterday, on the grounds. A considerable number of visitors, chiefly from Akaroa, responded to Mr and Mrs Baker's invitation to be present, and a most enjoyable afternoon was t spent. The weather was all that could be desired, being fine and at the same time pleasantly cool. The ground was in excellent order, and the youngsters were able to run and jump barefooted without the slightest inconvenience. The steam launch left the Akaroa jetty at a little after one, conveying a number of visitors, among whom were the Rev. H. Stocker and Mrs Stocker, and Mr and Mrs Garwood. Several others had ridden round by land, aud by two o'clock all was ready for a commencement. At Mr Baker's request the Roy 11. Stocker consented to act as judge, and was assisted in his duties by Messrs S. Watkins and J. Robertson. Mr Baker himself officiated as handicapper and starter. The closeness with which many of the events were contested proved the excellent judgment exercised in the handicaps, and there was not a single hitch in any of the starts. The boys entered heartily into the spirit of the contest and ran and jumped gamely throughout. They seemed all to be in good training, and their general form was capital. Wo are not sure that any of the events were timed except tho mile race, which, as will be seen, was run in the very respectable time of eight minutes. This race and the steeple-chase were the two great events of the day. In each of them the contestants displayed great pluck and judgment in husbanding their powers. The latter race caused great amusement, as there were two terrific water jumps in it, and it was a treat to see the way in which the boys, small and great, plunged into it, and scrambled through the water. Altogether Mr Baker is to be congratulated on the gathering having proved a signal success. The following is a list of the the various events :— 1. 100 Yards Race. Open to the whole school. Reeves ... ... ... 1 G. Williams 2 This race brought ten competitors forward, and was very well contested throughout. Fer the greater part of the distance, half a dozen of the competitors ran neck and neck, and neither first nor second had much to spare at the finish, 2. Throwing Cricket Ball. Open to the .vhole school. Sla k (53yds) 1 Temple (50yds) 2 The following also competed ; — W. Williams, Jameson, Reeves, Bowen, Studholme, Cobb, Courage, and A. Williams. 3. 100 Yards Race. For boys under 12. Temple 1 A. Williams 2 Eleven ran. This race was a hollow affair. Temple came away and won as he, liked. There was a fair race for second place. 4. Quarter-mile Handicap. Open to the whole school J imeso:; (24 yds) ... 1 Reeves (5 yds) ... 2 Russell (42 yds) ... 3 Sixteen faced the starter for this race, The result showed the handicap to h.ive been a very fair one, as tho content was a capital one throughout. 5. High JuMr. Open to the whole school. Reeves (3ft 11 in) ... 1 Courage j gf IQ . j % Jameson [ j Nine competed in this event. As will be seen by the above figures, the jumping was good throughout. Conrage and Jameson tied for second place, and as there was no second prize, agreed to divide the honors. 6. One Mile Handicap. Open to the whole school. Temple (74yds) 1 Jameson (43yds) ... 2 G. Williams (scratch) ... 3 The following also ran :—Reeves (10 yds), H, Williams (43yds), A. Williams (74yds). J. Williams (110 yds), and Bow n (120 yds). This was probably the best race of the day. The boys ran carefully at a pace which they were able to sustain. The consequence was that they all ran it out, none gettmg " pumped." The only one who retired before the finish was little Bowen. The course was four times round the ground and a straight run in of 100 yards. For the first couple of rounds the competitors who had received the start maintained their lead pretty fairly. During the the third lap, the binder ones began to close in on the leaders, and all but G. Williams, who had started at scratch, were well together. Billing tbe last round the pace became very hot and the race was run out pluekUy. Temple, however, who evidently knew what ho could do with his antagonists, put on a splendid spurt, came away and won as he liked with any amount in hand. G. Williams jmade a game struggle for second place, but he had waited too long and could not overhaul Jameson. If he had come on a little sooner he might have scored second honors, but nothing in tho race could have come near the winner. 7. Long Jump. Open to tho whole school, j . Courage (13ft) 1 j Temple (12ft sin) ... 2 Seven entered for this contest, and the competition was very keen. The two winners had to jump several times before their lespective positions could be ascertained. 8. Hurdle Race. Open to the whole school. Distance 100 yards ; seven jumps. Reeves ... ... ... 1 Courage 2 Six started. This racn was contested in heats Reeves won the first heat and Courage the. I second. On running off a capital race ensued, resulting as above. 9. Hurdle Race. For boys under 12. Templa ... ... 1 W. Williams ... 2 The course for this race was the same

as in the former one. There were eleven competitors, who were divided into four batches. Temple, W. Williams, Cobb, and Russell came in first in the four heats respectively, In the final heat the whole four made a game struggle, but Temple carried too many guns for his antagonists, and won as he liked. 10. Steeplechase .Handicap. Open to the whole school. Distance—one mile. Across rough country. Russell (240 yds) ... 1 Slack (scratch) 2 B. Williams (250 yds) ... 3 This race was the event of the day The most valuable prize had been appor-' tioned to it, and as it was a handicap and there were three prizes, an unusually large field mustored, there being no less than sixteen starters, The course would have satisfied the most exacting rough rider, being up hill and down dale, across a number of fences, and including two terrific water jumps, one measuring 15ft 6in. in width and about 3ft Gin in depth. Of course jumping over such a chasm was out of the question, and it was refreshing to see how the youngsters plunged in and scrambled out. Of course the field soon became a very straggling one, but the boys all ran it out, though their chance of scoring a place was infinitesimal. The winner appeared, by the way he finished, to have been rather too leniently treated in the handicap, but there is often a dark horse who gets let in too cheaply on account of previous performances or nonperformances, and it is possible that Russell had been laying himself out for this event. Slack, who started at scratch, made a splendid race of it, and managed to secure a well-deserved second place. After the third, the rest were practically nowhere. 11. Sack Race. Open to the whole school. Slack 1 Cobb 2 Nino started, Cobb, who came in second, is a small boy, and instead of jumping, as most of the others had to do, was able to trot along inside his sack. If this race bad lasted a little longer, it looked as if he would have changed places with the winner. 12. Consolation Handicap—loo yds. Fitzgerald (2 yds) ... 1 11. Williams (scratch) ... 2 Five others started, viz., W. Williams, 5 yds; Studholme, 7 yrds; Hall, J. Williams, and Cobb each 10yds. This was the most closely contested run of the day. The result at first was a dead heat between Fitzgerald and H. Williams, Cobb coming very close behind, In the deciding heat the two ran elbow to elbow from start to finish, and it needed the most careful observation on the part of the \niige to unable liim to declare Fitzgerald the winner by not more than a couple of inches.

This concluded tbe sports, and Mr Baker then proceedod to distribute the prizcis which were arranged on a table on the ground. Those awarded for scolastio work consisted of valuable books, and those for the athletic sports comprised hats, balls, boxing gloves, toils, fishing rods, knives, and other articles dear to the boyish fancy. Mr Baker commenced by saying that he had intended giving two prizes in each class. The result of the examination however showed that in each classa one boy was so far ahead of the others th-t he did not think the next boy deserved a second prize. He believed in boys earning their prizes, and the prizes being worth gaining. When a prize had not been earned he did not think it should be given. The first prize in the first class would be awarded to Ileatbrote Williams whose examination was highly creditable. He had done fairly well in all subjects, and had shown exceptional proficiency in many of them. The next boy to him was so far behind him that, as he said before, he did not think it advisable to award a second prize The same remarks would apply to the second class, in which Studholme was a long way ahead of the others'. The only prize given in this class would be awarded to him. He and Mrs Baker had determined to offer a prize for tidiness. For this three boys were equal, that is, they had each received only three bad marks for untidiness. These were H. Williams, W. Williams, and Slack. The prize would be awarded to Slack, as he had been more regularly tidy in former times than the others. Tbere was another class which contained only one boy, A. Williams. This boy bad, however-, worked, ko wtll as to earn v prize, whieo he now awarded him. beiieving that if there had been 12 boys in tho class he would still have carried it off. Mr Watkins had given three prizes fer drawing, which would be awarded as follows :—G. Williams, model drawing, 1 ; H Williams, first in second division, 2 ; Hall and H. Williams were epially deserving for attention, and the prize would be given to tho former. Mr Baker then proceeded to distribute tho prizes won in the athletic sports, the various winners taking their choice in order of merit. He then went on to say that Mr S. Robertson had given a prize for the boy who had scored the moat points during the day. This would bo awarded to Temple who had displayed the best form all round. Mrs Robertson had also kindly given a prize which he would award to Slack, whose running in the steeplechase had been excellent. In conclusion he wished to thank the visitors for ther presence, which had contributed greatly to the success oz the day's sports. Mr J. D. Garwood, in the name of those present, tendered their thanks to Mr and Mrs Baker for their hospitality, and wished them every success. The boys having given three cheers for all and sundry, the proceedings terminated, and the visitors dispersed by their various means of conveyance, all expressing themselves as highly delighted with the afternoon's amusements.