The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1882. ATHLETIC.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 653, 17 October 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1882. ATHLETIC.

The cricketing season is now fairly opened, and we warmly congratulate those who got up the Akaroa Club on their success. Tho great difficulty lathe to appears to have been to get a suitable ground to pvctise on, and now, thanks to Mt Bayley, this has been overcome. The great benefit accruing to the young and old alike, by exercising their muscles once a week in a different way than usual, is undoubtedly great, ami it is with great sat is fiction that we hear that at the game on Saturday some ladies were present. The presence of ladies on a cricket ground is of much service. They act not only as an incentive to greater competition on the part of the contestants, but they also check any tendency to rough conduct or vulgar language. Nothing is more pleasing than to see mother, wife, or sister, as the case may b: 1 , taking an interest in the harmless amusements of those d -ar to them, and many a young man has been saved from getting rough, and falling into bad company, thiough their khuliy sympathy. Young fellows must do something. It is no good expecting them to grind away at business, and then go home and read good books in the evening. When they do so, what objectionable creatur-s they become— mere milksops—in most cases quite unfit to fight their way in what, after all, is a pretty rough world. Parents who realise the fact, and encourage all innocent amusements, are sure to be well rewarded by having their children healthier and happier, and therefore, we repeat, let cricket and kindred games flourish, and let a healthy tone be given them by ihe full sanction and approval of the ladies

Speaking of kindred amuse nents we are sorry to sej no steps are being taken to practice by the Akaroa Moving Club. They got a boat last year with a good deal of assistance from the non-rowing residents ; they took a second prize at the Regatta, and then they put their boat in a shed, and there it remains. A meeting was called early this season, and officers were appointed, but from that time to this we have heard nothing more. We see so many muscular young fellows about who could pull well if they tried that we much regret this inactivity, and sincerely hope it will not la.-.t. The Uegitta is fast approaching, and surely after winning a second (and some say very nearly pulling off a first) prize last year we should not be unrepresented this.

There is of course nothing to prevent an I'biiletic sports meeting taking place o;i New Year's Day, but with the Pastoral, Industrial, and Horticultural Exhibition going on, it will certainly only be a minor attraction. Would it not be better for us to concentrate all oar efforts on getting up really good sports on the Queen's Birthday? If everyone were to put their shoulder to the wheel, we might have a really excellent gathering on that date, and get plenty of outside competition as well. It is the autumn of the year, when the hard work of grass seeding is over, and the dairying also, and when a really good ptogramme might attract people from nil parts of the Peninsula. We ask Mr Granger and others who have taken a leading part in athletic matters to give this matter their fullest consideration.