SPORTING ITEMS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1138, 22 May 1880, Page 3

SPORTING ITEMS.

. ["from English and American files.] € The celebrated rifle shot, Dr Carver lias challedged any member of the Paris Cerele des Patineura to shoot the : beat of 100 pigeons, for £2OO or .£4OO ■a side, or he has offered to hold his iovm against the best ten gun's, at 300 birds, for £4OO or £BOO a side. A Snatch will probably result during the .present month. Daniel O'Leary has beaten J2. P\ Weston in a six days' go-as-as-you-please contest at San Francisco. Mr Wm. Blaikie, referee in the "Courtney-Hanlon boat race, Bays that there is no doubt that a race between these two oarsmen will come off at Washington on or about May 15th. Trickett, the Australian sculler, recently cabled Hanlon, " Will go to England if you meet me there in July. Answer." Hanlon answered : " CanhOt: will write." This matter has been referred to before, on the occasion tif Hanlon receiving a letter from Trickett a few weeks ago to the same purport as the cablegram. The reasons were then stated why the champion finds it impossible to accommodate his Australian rival until late in the Fall t)r during next Winter. Those reasons remain the same now as they were then, and consequently there is no chance of Hanlon and Trickett coming together the ensuing Summer. Cambridge beat Oxford by throe gaols to one in the annual inter-Uni-versity football match at Kennington. Tt would be exceedingly interesting (says " Rapier'*') to know the precise difference in the speed of a boat race made by the intvodnction of sliding seats ; but of course, this can never he ascertained exactly, as no crew ever rows at quite the same pace or over two tides which flow without variation, even if tile identical course Could be kept. One of the best authorities on the subject, writing in the Pall Mai) Gazette says—" Fifteen years ago it ■was considered a fair performance far Oxford to row the race in 22min 30sec on dead and smooth water, the tide being at the standstill when the crews got away. This year they do the surne i course, or possibly a slightly longer onp, .' in 21min. 22sec. on similar water and 'with a slight head breeze ; such is the effect of sliding seats." This would maße a difference of" about-a minute in Some four'and a half miles. : I was on

board the Oxford launch with the coaches when the crews were practicing last year, however, and a famous Oxford stroke told me that he did not think sliding seats made quite so much difference as in the above calculation. It is certain that an improvement in speed is gained by the use of sliding seats, and it is difficnl't to see why there should be a falling off in style, and why old stagers should shake their heads, as we are tcld they do, and say, " This may be propulsion, but it is no longer rowing." Why not. The annual billiard contests between representative players of Oxford and Cambridge took place last month. The double-handed game on the first night was well patronised ; but the singlehanded Contest was witnessed by very few persons. It will be seen that Oxford won very easily on both occasions.

For remainder of news see last page,