THE GREAT PEDESTRIAN MATCH.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 649, 17 March 1870, Page 4

THE GREAT PEDESTRIAN MATCH.

VICTORIA V. ENGLAND. Subjoined is the a; count of the principal i>erforii<3nces of the two men, Barsis and Hewitt. J. G, HARRIS, John Gregory Harris,' the champion runner of the Australian colonies, is a Victorian native. He was born in Colons street, Melbourne, on the site where the Bank of Victoria stands, on the 9th May, 1344 ; and 13 consequently between twenty-five and twenty -six years of age. His height is § feet 10 inches, his running weight 10 st. 11 lb., and Uia ordinary, veiyht 11 st, 1 lb. Since his firsfc appearance as an amateur pedestrian in 3.364, lie has born a most unexceptionally £juod character, and l>is probity has never once been doubted by the Melbourne public. On the contrary, whenever and wherever lie has appeared as a combatant in the pedestrian artna, it was well known that he would win if he possibly could The saying "Harris is pertain to run to •win," has been repeated over and over again in all his many contests, and it is a fact Which tells extremely well in his f aver. Harris's first important appearance before the public was at the amateur athletic sports on the Melbourne Cricket ground, jield on the 16th SefcitemKer, 1864, when^ jie won a maiden plate of 80 yards and a : handicap hurdle-race if 300 yarJs, He followed up these .by winning in the next' week, at the Geelong sports, a 250 yards handicap flat race, and a 300 yards handicap hurdle race. In the same year he won a 440 yards handicap hurdle race at the Warehousemen's spurts, on the Oval, St. Kilda, and a 100 yards flat race at the Civil Service Sports, on the M.C,C. ground, At the Gollingwood sports, in J865, he won a 440 yards- batidicap steeplechase, and a 41C yards "hurdle rape. On 25th November, 1865, the occasion being the amateur athletic sports, on the M.CTc,, he won the 100 yards raoa, which was one' of the events; for the challenge pup. By this time Harris's fame, had iucreased so much that he was considered second only to Mr Harrison, who for many years previously had well and honorably held the position of champion runner iof the colony, Harris's next victories were at the Christmas sports, at Red House, Northcote, where he carried off 4die 440 yards handicap hurdle race, and the 440 yards handicap flat race, starting, from scratch, as be nearly always did 'from this tilhe and; forward. The next, event jwhich Harris won was a 160 yards flat' race match witliTlugh. Bqrfoot, for a trophy value L 6.>, At tte amateur athle* tic sports oh thi M.C.C. giound, 10th November, 1866, he won the 100 yards ' handicap hurdle race at the Aboriginal sports. At the next amateur athletic . sporta-^22.nd April, . 1867, .he won the 100 yards, the 440 yards, and the 88.0 yards races for the challenge cup, the winning of the thi@e entitling him to hold the cupuntil b,e wpn it three times. He heat Mr.Harrißon in this match, aud thus took froni him the champioriahip of the colony. The 100 yarJa race was run in lOjjecpnda, andwoh by a yard, Harrison, being, Second and %rrass third, $tr Harrison, according to the terms oh which the cup was to be held, challenged Harris to run the racts, over again, but Harris defeated him in all levettts, and thus estaW lished the. truth of the .previous running. On the 9th of November;' lß67, at the amateur athletic sports on the Melbourne Cricket Club ground, Mr Harris for the second time won all the events for the Challenge Cub, and at the sports of the same committee, held on the 13th April, 1868, he repeated the same feats for the third titne, : thus winning the cup and making it irrevocably his. Up to that time he had always run aa an amateur, but on the Ist August, 18.68, he ran hia first professional match with J. Hi qlahanj » celebrated Sydney pedestrian. This race waa for L2OO. ft wajTrun at Croxton Park, and was scored by Harris easily. On the Bth August, 1868, he ran W. Braithwaite, the. champion runner of New South Wale 3, 150 yards, for L2OO, also vrinningthat race very easily, aud with it. the championship of the elder Qolony, Next, on 28th September, 1868, he ran ft 150 yards race at Launceaton, for L2OO, with R. Collins, the champion of Tasmania, and again waa winner of both the race and the Tasmahiari championship. At the Ballarat sports, 26th December, 1868, he won a quarter-mile handicap flat race, and a.6OQ yards handicap steeplechase. At the Bendigo sports on the 3rd and sth January, 1869, he won. a 300 yards flat race, and aIQO, : a2QQ, and a 4QD yards flat race, Oh the 28th March, 1869, also at Sandhurst^ he won 'a, 250 yards, a 300 yards, arid a 600 yards 1 handicap race, amongst the prizes he. secured being a beautiful cap, value 25 guineas, with 5 soys in it. His next important race waa on the 18th October, 186.9, with Mat Higgins, distance quarter of a mile, stakes LIOO a-aide, andhe wdn it easily, Oa the 18th • Beceinb^r, 1869, he easily beat J, Boifori, of NewZsatetid> ai Croxtori, distance 150 ya^clsj stakes LIOO, becoming by 1 the vibtory "the.champion runuer of New Zealand,- iMr Harris. {Mva also won. at meetings. of : friendly Societies; in the Zoological; Reserve, and a,t some other places 13 races. In all he has ruli 7.6, races, of which he has won the farms proportion <if 51, aud has run second in 15 others, ' HEWITT, The following account of Hewitt's priiv. cipal niatchißs is'from the Spqiismm ;— "Frank. Hewitt^ the bejat 'all round' man the English foot-racing : iw^na, has pus' nessed for some yeatra, ia a native of Rochester, was born "on the. §th May, 1845, and stands f&ityin in height, Hia flist appearance in the pedestrian areua was in 186^ with SpringhsUJ, i>f L°ndon, a quarter of a mile, for L 5 a^side, at the Bpw Running Grounds., He witit winning easily. Smith was next pitted against him, at the same enclosure, the latter allowing his opponent 10 yards start in 440, for LlO a-side, when Hewitt w^s. ugain successful, Hawkins then opposed Hewitt, the same distance aa in the previous matches, for HO a-side ; the nien met on the Chatham and Maidstoneroad, when Hewitt was again victorious. A silver challenge cup was given to l>e coinpet^d for at Greenwich, which was* also won by Hewitt, beating a Held of l& others, 'in 1866. he went to Sheffield, aud succeeded in carrying off a L4O handicap, his party landing LI2OO m beta. The Marquis- of Qneensberry, Mr Guy Pii» ? and other noblemen and gentle-, men having promoted a 150 yards and a (jiiartur of a niilo handicaps at the Crystal 3'ulacc, Ilowitt vra.s oue of the. men \\\\o

entered. In the 150 yards race he was defeated by W. Brown, of M mchester (to whom he gave a yard aud a half), by a foot. He, however, won tie 440 yards handicap by five yards, taking the first prize, L 25. Behind him w©. i e Siah Albi3on, G. Collier, Gavin Tait, of Carlisle ; f . Small, of Hornsey ; Cobbter Wood, of Sheffield ; Haywood, of Bo.hdale, and otheirs- He next received LU forfeit from J. Heeley, of Lowerhouse, who was matched *o run hiin.2soyards, He also received L 2 of Cobbler Wood, from Sheffield, for their match, distance 150 yarda. They were afterwards matched fpr L 250 a-side to run the same distance, and the race took piacts at Hyde Park, Sheffield, and waa witnessed -by ..upwards of 6000 spectators. The result was" never in doubt, Hewitt winning easily by four yards. Roth well, of Bury, then matched himself with Hewitt to run 4to yards for L 25 a-side, and they met a| /fclie Koyal Oak-park Grounds, . Manchester. Odds of 3 to 1 were laid on Hewitt, who won by a yard. He next competed in Mr Cooper's quarter of a mije swajps ta^ e8 p^ L 5 each, eight of the quickest men in England contesting. Fortune again favored Hewitt, for he won in a most masterly style, and took the first prisjs, L 45, and a splendid silver cup, given by the promoter; <H.aywerd, of Rochdale, was second ; and Mole, of Walsajl, ,thjrd. In September, 1867, he ran Nuttall, of Manchester, 440 yards) for L 2.5 at-side, at Hyde Park, Sheffield, Nuttall allowing his opponeut four yards start, Hewitt won easily. In April, 1868, he won the first priise fn a mile handicap sweepstakes of L 5 each, at Manchester,' to which was added by Mr Cooper a silver challenge cup, value 60 guineas and L3O in money ; Hewitt defeating Albert Bird, who -re* cjived 15 yards start; R,. Hindle, of Paisley, and M'lnstray, of Glasgow, after an exciting struggle, by a foot, in 4m 21s. He shortly afterwards jari second, to B. Buttery, of Sheffield, in an 880 yards handicap, for which LIQO was given by Mr Oopper, at th§ Royal Oak Park grounds, Manchester, Qn 17th August, .last year, he beat J, Ridley, of Gateshead, on handicap terms, distance 880 yards, for L&0 a-side, at Hyde Park, Hewitt having 12 yarda start, and his opponent 25 yards start, The betting was in favor of Hewi^.t.at 5 to 4, a.large amount of money changing hands, and he won a most excitinjg:race by three yards ; time, ttn'in Msec, jri November he met ,7. Nuttall, of Manchester, al the Oity grounds, Manchester, for L 25 a-side ; distance, 500 yards,. Nuttall failed to put in an appearance, consequently Hewitt walked over and claimed the stakes. On sth December he beat Mr Marshall Rook's pony Bess, distance 400 yards, for L2O a-side at the Royal Oak Park grounds, ■ Manchester ; the pony to trot. The betting was 5 to 4 on the quadraped, w.io came in first by three yards, but having broken into a gallop three times during the race, the referee gave his decision in favor of Hewitt, and he received the stakes, viz., L4O. Iv the latter part of year he met J. Dunster, of Sheffield, on the Fair, handicap ; ter jus, distance 200 yards, Dunster having 135 yarda to run, and Hewitt 342 yards, the former staking LIOO to the latter's.LSO, There was. also a bet of 1400 to LSO on the same conditions. Hewitt was, however, beaten, it being his first defeat iv a match.