SUNDRY SPORTS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 38, 13 February 1913, Page 8

SUNDRY SPORTS.

FOOTBALL. AUSTRALIAN TOURING TEAMS. <By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Press Association.) Sydney, February 12. An Australian Rugby Union team will visit New Zealand in the coming season, as also will Sydney University. GRADED DISTRICTS. Now that the proposed triangular tests have been dropped, Mr J. McLeod, of Now Plymouth, has come forward with a suggestion that is well worthy of consideration (says the Auckland Star). Writing to an Auckland enthusiast, Mr McLeod states that he is endeavouring to arrange for a Taranaki A and B representative team. The A team would play Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago, and perhaps Wanganui ; and the B team, South Auck land, Thames, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, Manawatu, etc. No doubt, continues Mr McLeod, a number of these B teams would be too good for Taranaki, but it would mean more men gaining representative honors,, and more men continuously in training till the conclusion of the season, and if the New Zealand Rugbj Union could be induced to grade the various teams officially, it would lie a decidedly good thing for football. There is no doubt, says Mr McLeod, there is too much football that is played by the same teams. Last yeai Taranaki played ten matches, soim hard, some soft, and if a B team habeen engaged in the latter games, they would have been much more strenuously contested, and much more inter esting.

Mr McLeod’s views are certainly pro gressive, and it is to be hoped he wii push the matter forward. CRICKET. THE THUMPER BENEFIT. Sydney, February 12. The weather was fine, but the wicket heavy for the resumption of the match. The Rest of Australia ir their second innings scored 285 (Arm strong 42, Ryder 71, Crawford 20) New South Wales in their second inn ings have lost 7 wickets for 146 (Bard sley 45, Macartney 10, Trumper 61) The match was drawn. The total takings of the Trumpei Benefit Match were £ls2l. This will be largely augmented by collections made by the Citizens’ Committee which are already in the vicinity o' £BOO. Trumper has scored 17,000 runs ir first-class cricket. In test matches hi has scored 3000 runs. He has made 7350 runs in Englandv,.He has scorer 20Q runs against every country am State he has played against, excep England, but he once made 185 nol out, going'in first, and carrying out his bat. Critical opinion in the three great cricket countries of tat world—England, Australia, and Soutj Africa —classes Trumper as the great est batsman of his time. BOXING. GISBORNE CHAMPIONSHIPS. Gisborne, February 11. Some very good fighting was witnessed at the opening of the Gisborne Association’s tourney to-night. In the amateur six-round contests, Paul McQuarrie (Southland) defeated Viv. Lowe, on points Cate beat Richards, on points; Adair beat Sutherland, on points. The opening stages of the professional featherweight contest between Thompson and Robinson were slow. Robinson had the better cf the exchanges, and established a lead A lot of fighting characterised the bout, and upper cuts formed the majority of the blows struck. In the sixth round both men opened out more, and several good rallies followed. The end came in the tenth round, when Thompson got homo with a right hook to the jaw, and followed it up smartly with a heavy righ cross, which sent Robinson down, and the band played the “Slumber Song.” SCULLING. ARNST’S DEPOSIT WITHDRAWN. Sydney, February 12. Arnst and his backer agreed to withdraw the deposit of £IOO for a match with Barry.