"A Letter from Home."

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 32, 6 August 1896, Page 2

" A Letter from Home."

♦ - A settler from this district who left for England a few months ago, writes us from London under date of June 22nd : — I enclose you the Hurlingham Club programme of ladies' and gentlemen's bicycle competition (weather permitting) and polo matches, which may be interesting to some of your readers. The bicycle events for ladies are Hurdle race over six flights of hurdles. Hoop race, to trundle a wooden hoop, distance one hundred yards more or less. Tortoise race, one hundred yards, the last to win. If either foot touches the ground during the competition, the rider will be disqualified. Flat race H laps round the course,. For gentlemen flat race 3 laps round the course. The polo matches 9th Lancers v. Hurlingham Club, and Bth Hussars v. Hurlingham Club were interesting and the men ride well, especially the Lancers, but they hit no better than a medium New Zealand team. The ponies are " works of art " indeed, many pure Arabs costing the owners up to 800 guineas each. I am glad to say I shall hare a game myself next Saturday to which I look forward very much, not having been on quadruped (bar a donkey at Fort Said) since I left New Zealand. I cannot give any good news at Dresem to farmers re mutton. The market is awful. I could certainly sell a million carcases to-morrow, but not at a payable price. My boat, the Rakaia, is just in, ten days over her time, or nearly, and cannot unload her meat for over a week as all the storerooms are full, but I hope to get mine off the ship and straight away to my purchasers without any storeage, thus effecting a great saving. I hope everything is well with you in New Zealand." It would make our local bicycle sports more interesting if some of the events mentioned were incorporated into next season's programme.