FENCING CHAMPIONSHIP.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 46, 25 February 1915, Page 8

FENCING CHAMPIONSHIP.

A unique sporting event of undoubted interest to all sport-lovers in New Zealand took place at the Home Defence Rifle Clubs concert on last Monday evening, when Lieut. Gray, of [the Territorials, defeated Sergt-Major Winiki, late of the Tahiti Defence Forces in the star item, "the assaut darmes" for championship honors. Both men proved to be first-class swordsmen, and any future aspirant to the championship may rest assured of a very tough contest with the winner of Monday night's bout, or with his not less worthy opponent, the SergtMajor, who, however, is more at home with the heavy "epee do combat" or duelling sword than with the light foil.

The two umpires, Captain J. B. Hine, and Lieutenant Wilson, acquitted themselves very creditably in their difficult task, and their tally of five hits to Lieutenant Gray's score, and three to Sergt-Major Winiki, was acknowledged as just by both combatants. It is to be regretted, however, that the duration of this fine bout was cut down to two rounds of three minutes each instead of being extended to five or six rounds. Possibly though, in the near future, we may again have tho pleasure of seeing these two experts in action, as the Sergt-Major is as keenly, desirious of gaining tho lumdsome championship medal as is the Lieutenant of retaining it. His Worship the Mayor, in presenting the medal to the winner, made a neat little speech, in which he extolled the many virtues of fencing, it being undoubtedly the most elegant of all sports, and one eminently suitable for ladies as well as for gentlemen. Lieutenant Gray, in replying, expressed his readiness to meet any and all bona fide challengers for the championship honors he, had won that evening. Later on in the evening, he boxed a sensational three-round exhibition bout with Sergt-Alajor Winiki, an exciting scientific display, which highly delighted the sport-loving Stratfordit e.s who had rolled up in such numbers, that not a single spare seat was available after the "raising of the curtain." The Lieutenant wishes to acknowledge his worthy opponent's gentlemanly behaviour in the "assaut d'armes," and particularly so in the subsequent boxing exhibition.

The Home .Defence Rifle Club is heartily to be congratulated on its highly successful effort toward raising the money for the establishment of a miniature rifle range.

1 should like to suggest to such a praise-worthy institution as the Home Defence Kifle Club, the suitability as a motto of that well-known old Latin dictum—"Patriae fumus igne alieno luculentior"—"The smoke of one's one's native land is brighter than any foreign fire," of which the moral cannot but be self-evident to all.