Sporting Sprints.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 87, 8 November 1912, Page 6

Sporting Sprints.

Hie apotheosis of the Horse. On the return borne of Trafalgar, whose retirement from the turf was announcer] in Sydney, he was greeted like- a hero, and girls strewed his path with rose leaves. a. c <• The death is reported from Queensland of Charlie Samuels, the one-time famous aboriginal footrunning champion. Jerry Jerome, the best aboriginal pug that has ever been "dug up" in Australia, has added another scalp to his belt, beating Ted Whiting, of Melbourne, after 12 rounds. The darkie now intends chasing higher game, and is after a fixture with Bill Lang. The glory of the Melbourne Cup is threatened. In Sydney a few years ago Randwick was considered small potatoes in comparison with Flemington. Most Sydneyites who had any "gay" money went to see the Melbourne Cup run. New South Wales 6till goes to the Cup in big numbers, but tho old charm has vanished. Sydney now ofTerrs the money and possesses tho horses, and the "sport" who is not satisfied with the Randwick Spring Meeting is hard to please.

"What so good, when time is sunny, And the air as sweet as honey, As tho game of crease and wicket, England's popular pastimes-cricket?" * * *

Papke. the American boxer, recently defeated Carpentier, the French champion, in tho seventeenth round of a stubborn and fierce fight in Paris. Papke showed ma.rked superiority, and Carpentier was compelled to sky the wipe.

The South Melbourne cricket team which will tour New Zealand will leave Sydney on December 11. The team will return to Melbourne by January 31.

E. S. Perrett, who recently won the Dunlop Gold Cup cycling road race from Camper-down to Melbourne, has been disqualified by the officials for receiving motor cycle pace during the contest, and the event has been awarded to E. Barrie, who finished second.

Jack Johnson has evidently reached the end of his tether. Since he has been charged with the abduction of a white girl tremendous ill-feeling has been aroused against him, and on one

occasion he narrowly escaped lynching from an infuriated mob. Booker T. Washington, the famous negro educationalist, is asking all negroes to repudiate Johnson, in "consequence of the latter's conduct, while the Chicago City Council has ordered the revocation of his saloon license and the immediate prosecution of all charges against him. Hugh D. Mcintosh, too, has cabled his representative in America to cancel all negotiations with the colored champion, and to return to Australia. At latest. Johnson was being closely guarded by the police, as a race war was feared in consequence of the ill-feeling gen-1 crated. j In the early, days of the Dunlop tyre innumerable inventors claimed to have solved the problem of producing a successful competitor to the air tyre, fi'nce 1888, when J. B. Dunlop invented the Dunlop tyre, hardly a year has gone by without tho announcement that the pneumatic tyre was doomed, but although tens of thousands of patents have been applied for and fortunes wasted on mechanical and other contrivances, ishe pneumatic tyro is to-day going stronger than ever, and from the look of things has a long life before it yet. What a lot cyclists and motorists owe to tho Irish doctor, J. B. Dunlop.

Over £200 has been apportioned for the several events to be contested on December 28 at the eighth annual sports in connection with the .State Colliery. The Runanga Handicap, 100 yards, is the big plum for peds., carrying prizes of £20. £5, £2. and £1; while the 75yds. Dash Handicap has cash awards of £5, £2 and £1 for first, second, and third man respectively. The axemen are well catered for with a Dominion Handicap Chop, underhand, 18----inrh log, for prizes of £50, £15, £5, and £2: and a Handicap Chop, underhand, 15-inch log, for prizes of £20, £5. £2, and £1. A Sawing Handicap. 18-inch log, for prizes of £8, £2 and £1, is another important event, and the other items on the bill of fare are attractive and varied in scope and interest. Nominations for the principal events close on December 2; handicaps will be declared on December 9, and acceptances fall due on December 16. Secretary Jas. Neilson and the committee anticipate) a record entry of romnetitors, with a brilliant and btomful day's sports to follow. So mote it be!

The Northern Boxinar Association of New Zealand is projecting the building of a stadium at Auckland, with a seating capacity of 5000, and the arrangement of several contests with the world's champion' boxers, each for a purse of £1000, for decision in the near future. Mr. Bris Doyle has been commissioned to visit Australia, America and England in furtherance of the project.

Wonderful are the ways of boxers. A little while back Sam Langford and Sam McVea met in Perth, Western Australia, and the big fellow acted in such a manner as to cause the Bostonian to accuse him of having quitted like a dog. When they reached Adelaide, however, on their return journey to the Eastern States, they appeared together in a series of exhibition spars under the management of a local showman. * » * Says an English critic: "People in Australia are now of the opinion that Sam Langford is the cleverest heavyweight in tbe world, and would defeat Johnson if the two could be brought together." Nothing of the sort. Tbe general opinion is that if Johnson is nnvthing like he was when he fought Burns in Sydney it would be almost a one-man affair, with the champion as "tiho man."—"Sun." * * * The five French boxers who are now in Sydney under engagement to H. D. Mcintosh are all picturesque characters, but perhaps the most interesting is Ercole de Balzac.. De Balzac, who has tho blood of one of France's most famous authors in his veins, is an aristocrat, and he fights because he was built as a fighter, and wants to do nothing else. His people are wealthy landowners in tho south of France, and it is not at all his parents' wish that Ercole should be a professional boxer. They would like to see him beoom* a