ATHLETIC SPORTS.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1978, 7 February 1914, Page 13

ATHLETIC SPORTS.

' CRICKET

'AUSTRALIAN MATCH SERE, The biggest matcli played oil, tlio Basin Re-serve tin's season mil take placo oft Friday, Saturday, and Monday, February 13, 14, and 16, between Australia and) Wellington. NO SENIOR MATCHES TO-DAY. There will bo no swiior ericket in the •city to-da.y. The first cloven is away in Napier, and during the week it was found that in order to get a team away to keep tho Hawkc's Bay engagement it would be necessary to postpone tho Saturday senior fixtures.

RIFLE SHOOTING,

IMPERIAL COMPETITIONS, Tho Hon. J'as, Allen (Minister of Defence) has received a letter from Lieu-tenant-Colons! R. W. Schumacher! in t'eforoflCQ to rifle-shooting competitions hieh ho has promoted annually for some years past, and which arc- open to competitors throughout tho Empire, The three principal trophies shot for at these competitions aro tho Empire Day Challenge Cup, and tho Imperial Shields (senior and junior). Lieutenant-Col-onel Schumacher states in his .letter that entries for all three eoiinpetitions last year were most satisfactory, tho increase in tho number of teams in, tho Various boy organisations • in the Imperial Shield competitions . being especially gratifying. There has been an advance from IGS teams., representing 1881 boys, in, lSll, to 6:34 teamß, representing 4376 boys, in 1913. Even bottet results are hoped for in the future, especially in view of the fact that Australia; and Canada ero mate actively interesting themselves in tlio competition's, The result of the Empire Day Challenge' Cup competition showed luiw much the shooting of tho regular forces 1)6,3 improvedj while tho efficiency and interest shown by the Native regiments of India is well evidenced by the number of units of this branch of the service- which entered for this competition, and by tho high places in. the prize- list which."they occupied. The only unsatisfactory feature of tho competition Appears to ba, Lieutenant-Colonel Scbumaohey states, the absence of units of tho auxiliary forces in Great Britain, which, for various reasons, jseem unable- to tnko part, and wFer© they have done so • appear to have failed to show any great efficiency in their markmanship. Lieuteiiant-'Celanel Schumacher expresses a hope that tho New Zealand Minister of Defence will interest himself in these competitions, which have as their object tlio raising of the standard of shooting in tho British Empire, and the encouragement of the coming generation in making itself efficient in this respect. . . . iPride of placo in last year's competition for the Empire Day Challenge Cup wag, won by the Royal Marino Artillery (Portsmouth). In tho Imperial Challenge Shield fsoißOt) competition several New Zealand teams ifi*& placed. The Nelson College Artillery Cadets ._ were placed nineteenth, and won a prize of £3; the No. 1-Company,'New Plymouth High School Cadets were placed twenty ninth, with a prted of. '&% and the No. 61 Company, New Zealand Senior Cadets took thirty-ninth place, arid a prize, of £2. In the Imperial Challenge Shield. (itmior) competition, the No- 7 Cbfflneny, Ck-rlstchiircli Boys' Hjgh. School Cadets, were placed thitty-sisth, with a prize of £2, ■ . THE EABORI DEFENCE CLtJB, ~ The Ka.Tori,R,jf}e. Club wilt conclude ■ itai servicii. il ser,i9s« at.iT ron 'tha'm to-day,!, with matches at 600 yard's, for trophies presented by Mrs. Halpin, Captain Hall, and three prizes allotted from the ' Government subsidy fund. -At the conclusion of tho service matches a stteerh stake match will be fired at {jOQy'ds, CHAMPIONSHIPS, ' ,'B ; y lfcleffrtwh,—T?ross Association.) Nev/ Plymouth, February 6. The Taranaki Hi.no Association's annual meeting' was Concluded to-day. Rifleman Gikhnau (Patea) won tho champi.oijs.hip wirfli a score of 356, Loveday (Woodvillo) being next with 353, and Mayhow, CFeilding); 347. WhaIlgamomona won the tern's match from ten competitors. The entries were a record.

' SWIMMING.

Ilie Wellington junior water .8010 team will play ft Thorndon team at the Te Aro Baths to-day. Tho Wellington team will he; Francis, Crowther, Stratford, Somreervillc, Scott, Rayner, Loader, and Forsyth. CHAMPIONSHIP OF VICTORIA. A WIN FOR BEAUREPAIRE. By aMesrftpli—Frtea Associatisra—Cjopyrighi Melbourne, February G. At tire swimming meeting tho raCp for tho Half-mile Championship of .Victoria .resulted: —F. Beattrepaire, 1; Powell, 2; Morris, 3. ~ Won by fifty yards. /Time, 12-min. 36 2-Ssec, The Four Hundred Yards llace was won by •Wallace, Time, 6min. 46 4-3 sec.

BILLIARDS!

NEWMAN WELL IN 3?RONT. By Mfsreph-'Pross London, February 5. In the billiard match Gray and Newman, at the Holborn Hall, the Australian conceding Newman 4QQO in 3.8,000, tho scores now are:—Newman, 167668; Gray, 12,345. Play was- <ivon in tho afternoon. Gray increased his unfinished break to 234, and made a further break of 264., mostly off tho red., Tho Australian went to pieces in the- evening, and .scored only @4 against Newman's 'spark* ling 888.

LEAGUE FOOTBALL.

NORTHERN UNION'S DEMAND. Bar Sy!«Srapli-'Pft>Sß AssodfclJoiMJsJDiirTisirt Sydney, February 6. Tbo_ Rugby Leagao has roee-ived con* lirmatioii of tlio Northern Union's re- ; fiisal to send a team to Australasia, on . tho terms, ofcrcd. The union objects to the condition permitting tho free, ad-: mission of League members to .matches. A prominent League? . declared that the union's demand rs tho greatest ex* tortion ©y<jr aimed at in tho nhnalß o{ sport, and that, if the League conceded it, it would amount-to a surrender of tho principle and independence that, locally, Would detrimentally affect the well-being of tho ■ Ho anticipated that negotiations .would be broken of. '

BOWLS & BOWLEBB.

'AUSTRALIANS 'AT WANGANUI, 0S» T<s!esr»BS.—Press Assoo!a.tloii,) .Wahganulj February 6, Tho Australian bowlers arrived at Wanganui to-day, having cpmo flown the river f-roiii Taumarunui. They are playing Wanganui to-day.

KOGKEY.

LADIES' TEAM FROM ENGLAND. By Beleffrapli-'l'rc'BS Aireofclatlijn-MDo-.pyrlElit (Roc. February 6, 1Q : C0 p.tn,) tdndon, February 6. A team of lady hockey players will leave hefts hi Juno to play in Kow South Wales sad. Now Zealand.