THE TERRITORIALS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 253, 25 April 1912, Page 8

THE TERRITORIALS.

Spo::T .. v? TIII , CAMP j By Telegraph—Special to News; J. HawiTii, Lust Xiglit. f

Heavy rain is still falling, and the ground is very wet under foot. To-day was, on this account, auother slack day, ( and the visitors were few and far be- j tween. In consequence, the sports events j had to be postponed till to-morrow morn- , ing. In the morning General Godlcy, ac- , eompanied by Lieut.-Colonel Chaytor and Lieutenant Richmond, paid a short visit ■ to the camp and inspected the whole regiment, which paraded in the grand- , stand. Tn complimenting the commanding officer (Colonel Malone) and his officers on the fine body of men who composed the camp, the General regretted that the weather conditions had been so disadvantageous. From what he had seen of them at work in the field, and from what Colonel Malone had told him of the spirit in which the men had done their work, he was perfectly satisfied that next year the llth Regiment would be a very effective battalion. Coneluding, he congratulated the regiment upon the splendid muster at the camp, and said that lie was pleased to see that they were all doing their little bit for the defence of their country and of the Empire. He also complimented the officers and non-commissioned officers on the highly creditable display of the troops that morning. The wrestling tournament last night was an outstanding success. The contests, which were held in the messroom, were witnessed by a dense crowd of officers and men, besides visitors. Practically in every instance strength triumphed to the failure of science, and some of the bouts lasted a considerable i time. Much interest centred in the meet- ! ing of Mo'.loy (R Company) and Sails- I bury (D Company) for the heavy-weight j championship. The latter won his heat by throwing Molloy, and the two met I each other in the final. It took Salis- 1 bury a long time to secure his win, but quite early in the proceedings it was manifest that his giant strength and .splendid condition were too much for his clever opponent's scientific tactics. Superior strength was also responsible ; for Lavcrty (II Company) carrying off the middle-weight contest. Another in- J teresting set-to was provided by the | light-weights. In his heat, Wills, a young and strong specimen, ousted,' Davis. Wills was heavier than his op-1 ponent, and a.lso displayed some know- ' ledge of the sport. Davis's exhibition' was made up of much clever defensive work, his twisting and turning being his forte. In the end he threw up the sponge, though he had not been thrown. In the final he met McLoughlin (B Company). Wills proved himself the stronger man, and after a rather stodgy bout of three-quarters of an hour, the referee ( (Mr. P. Skoglund) gave his decision in his favor. It is understood that it is possible that Molloy and Salisbury may meet each other at Stratford at an •early date. This afternoon judging took place in connection with the squad competitions, each company being represented by a picked team of 20 men. On the whole, the exhibitions were surprisingly good, and fhe judges (Captains Lamp'en and Hamilton) speak in high terms of the display. In rifle exercises the A Company were easily first, with a magnifi- ' cent display. B Company was awarded : second place. The squad drill was very evenly contested, so much so that the |

judges were unable to decide between A and E Companies, leaving the final decision in the contest to the commanding officer, who has yet to make his award. The honors in physical drill were carried off by H Company. A Company, who were second, looked, at the outset, almost certain winners. The aggregate cup goes to A Company. This company, which is commanded by Captain W. H. Fletcher and Lieut. T. L. Buxton, is the crack corps in the encampment, having, in addition, won tho trophy presented to the company keeping the neatest and cleanest lines. Owing to the state of the weather, the boxing events have been postponed till a later date. They will be fought out at New Plymouth, either in the Theatre Royal or in the Drill Hall.