AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 67

AUSTRALASIAN CHAMPIONSHIP.

[ The. daily reports of proceedings in -Bris* , bane Were "very meagre and poor. Mr J. A. Bcreham played through th« tourney without losing a - ; game. A river trip waa to take place on the conclusion of the tourney, _ with" a- - smoke concert and presentation of , prizes' following ' j in_, the evening. .' Among the visitors at the tourney was the Hon. A. Fisher, Leader o! the F-ederal , I Opposition, who contested * game with Mr Boreharn ; ' and Hi I>. Bowman,' Leader of ' Opposition in State Parliament. The Otago Club will hold a social in honour of Mr Boreham, the cub's president, on his return from Australia, to congratulate hin? on his victory in Brisbane. I Mr H. Egian, Victorian champion, in speaking of the then pending »ourney prior ', to his departure for Brisbane, is reported .to have expressed ths opinion that ha • " would rather meet Boreham than Armstrong although he hoped to meat Armstrong in the final." To us in New Zealand this, l . if correct, would seem to imply a surprising; want of knowledge of New Zealand players. < If there were no other means of judging/ j than games and problems in the newspaper draughts columns, that should be suffici-en*; to give Australians r better idea, of Boreham;" that is indicated in the above statom«i.. ; « We cannot at the moment think of any player in Australia whose experience and perform-?, ance in match a.nd tourney play can com- - pare with Boreham's record. For example :| . Four time? (and present) champion of "New* I Zealand; four consecutive yews (and present f, ' champion of Otago, in which he has always had to contend against two oi three ciV champions of New Zealand. Out of the com- . petitors in the last New Zealand* championship a team could be selected tiat wouldhave as much chance of defeating' a teans of Australian State champions as Borehani had of winning the Australasian title in. , Brisbane when he left this _ Dominion. And yet Mir Boreham scored 23 J" points out of n possible 30 in winning the New Zealand titl< ■ — 19 wins, 2 losses. 1 and 9 .draws. Theße illus-f"' ' trations show both quantity .and quality. Mr H. Egan. who' only attained his* majority -.on May 12 last, bids fair to. bo Australia's leading ' pjayer in .the near future.