WITH THE AXE. SPORTS GATHERING AT UPPER HUTT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 90, 18 April 1911, Page 4

WITH THE AXE. SPORTS GATHERING AT UPPER HUTT.

A thoroughly enjoyable rural sports gathering was the Axemen's Carnival held in Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt, yesterday. The postponement of the event from Saturday proved a wise move, for the weather yesterday, after a shower or two in "the morning, was warm and pleasant in the afternoon. There was a total att«ndance approaching a thousand, of whom about a hundred came up from town. The novelty of the chopping matches in the valley, where no axemanship has been in public for many yeare, drew a great crowd of local enthusiasts, whose whole-hearted support of their favourite axemen was not_ the least pleasant feature of a happy holiday. The number of axemen competing was about a score, most of whom were purely local men. Their performances with ordinary standard bushmen's axes, not with the ( special professional competitor's hollow-ground razor-edge, were very creditable indeed. Additional interest was lent to the meeting by the presence of W. Weston, an ex-New Zealand champion axeman, who has settled in the district and fostered thefe a love of bush-craft ;n; n tho art of using the axe. The Axemen's Carnival owes a great deal to his influence. He competed in the open events and, though handicapped enormously, succeeded with a splendid exhibition of chopping in winning both the standing chop and the underhand chop. His performance, with the axe excited great admiration' among tho spectators, and was indeed a treat to the veriest ■ layman to watch. He won not by the speed of swinging the axe so mucn as by the skill and accuracy with which ho placed his blows. Some of his "chips" were simply huge, and one of them, a first cut about a foot long aud two -inches through and nine inches wide, -was preserved as a 'memento of the first axemen's carnival at the Upper Hutt. Frank Whiteman and G. Fothergill stood' out in Lhe other events. Whiteman and iris Lrother Fred are both very promising exponents rof the art. On the programme of the day \ wer© a number of field events in the shape of running and wrestling, but the public interest wae all with the axemen. The wrestling bouts in catch-as-catch-can style wer© not without excitement, however, especially when the veteran O'Leary, who had just risen from the sick bed of influenza, threw the lusty Harry Sandow, whose professional exploits are well known. Youth will tell though, and O'Leary had to acknowledge two falls out of three. - . His skill and cleverness' in evading defeat so long evoked great applause from the crowd. A young man named Sullivan also J put up a good performance against the redoubtable Sandotf. Th© management of the meeting was very meritorious indeed," events being got off with reasonable punctuality throughout. The secretary was ' ' Mr. 11.I 1 . C. O'Leary, and the committee Messrs. E. Burrell (chairman), Wi WeSton, E. Pelling, F. A. Whiteman, F. Whiteman, Tuke Whiteman, F. Standish," F. Kilkolly, A. Edwards, G. Fotbergill,' J. Berling, A. Southie, T. Franzke," J. Alexander, G. Granthaan, A. Palmer, and A Gorrie. Handicappers : Messrs J. Kennedy, W. Wesfcon, and A. Hansen. Judges : Messrs. P. Da.vis, J. Doyle, T. Edwards, W. Barrell, and R. Quinn. Following are the details of events :—: — Foot Cut, 12in standing block of white pine (upright chop).— First heat : Frank Whiteman (scr), 1; A. Southie (7sec), 2; W. H. Southie (15sec), 3. Time, 46 4-saec. Second heat : G. Fothergill (15sec),l; F. A. Whiteman (Ysec), 2; W. Auckrane (15sec), 3. Tim©, 46 sec. Final : Frank Whiteman, 1 ; F. A. Whiteman, 2; G. Fothergill, 3. Tim©, 44 l-ssec. lOOydsi Handicap Race.— First heat : D. Greig (9yds), 1; G. E. Downing (9£yds), 2. Tim«, lOsec. Second heat : G. Parker (6ydß)," 1 ; E. Pelling (11yds), 2; A. Greig (Siyde), 3. Time, 10 3-5 i sec. Final : G. Parker; 1; D. Greig, 2; G. E. Downing, 3. Time, 10 2-ssec. Local Chopping Handicap, 18in standing block.— First heat : Frank Whiteman (bet), 1; W. Johnston (scr), 2; G. Fothergill (20sec), ?. Times, 2min 27 j 2-ssec. Second heat '. F. B. Oheetham I (10sec)/l; A. Southie (lOsec), 2; r. A. Whiteman (lOsec), 3. Time, Imin 36 see. Final: G. Fothergill, 1; F. B. Cheetham, 2; A. Southie, 3. Tim©, 2inin 11 l-ssec. Wrestling, "eatoh-as-catch-can," two out of three. — H. Sandow beat O'Leary and Sullivan, 2 falls each ; O'LeaTy got one fall from Sandow. 220yds_ Handicap Race. — J. M. Scott (13yds), 1; F. C. Hnbbard (scr), 2; A. Cunningham (Byds), 3. Time, 23 4-'ssec. Double Sawing. — James Judge and W. Johnston (ssec), 1 ; W. Grantham and — Olsen (scr), 2; J. Castley and W. Clifton (7see), 3. Time, 18see. 440 yds Handicap Race. — L. M'Donald (25yds), Ij — Hnbbard (scr), 2; C. Aston (12yds), 3. Time, 53 2-ssec. Tug-o'-war. — Benge's team defeated Craig's team after an exciting contest.! Open Handicap Chop, 18in standing block. — W. Weston (scr), 1; Frank Whiteman (30sec), 2; W. Johnston 30see)', 3. Time, Imin 57 4-ssec. 880 yds Handicap Race.— L. M'Donald j (55yds), 1 ; J. Finn (65yds), 2. Time, 2min ssec. Only two of the field finished. Single S»*ing. — W. Grantham, 1; J. Judge, 2. Time, Imin 30 3-ssec. Open Handicap Underhand Chop (standin gon log). — W. Weston (scr), 1 ,* W. Johnston (32sec), 2; E. Cossgrove (35sec), 3. Time, Imin 39 2-ssec.