WOODBURY SPORTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2279, 12 November 1891, Page 3

WOODBURY SPORTS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir. —' It is with interest I read in your paper of to-day an account of the sports gathering held, at Woodbury under the auspices of the Woodbury Athletic Club, and being present there as a spectator I wish to direct your attention to the peculiar manner in which the officials, actuated by best motives of course, in the interests of the public, saw the various events carried out. In describing the bicycle race your reporter says " The scratch men had no show whatever." It was very evident to anyone present, judging by the barefaced manner in which all the local men were thrown into the .handicaps,that outsiders were not intended to have any show of winning, and, as the results will show, the Woodbury sportsmen are to be highly complimented on the successful issue that attended their efforts on behalf of the local men. I should like to ask the Woodbury officials where do they imagine they and their sports would be but for outside Bupport ? It is very. plain they did not intend Gillespie or McLean to win the bicycle race, and when the former could not be prevented from whining by fair means, some of the competitors showed the huge amount of honour, integrity, and British love of fair play they possessed by adopting foul means to prevent his -winning. The many spectators present could easily jndge for themselves as to whether McDonald running his machine across Gillespie was an accident or a premeditated attempt to destroy the latter's chance of winning. I am informed by Gillespie and others that prior to the race he was warned by more than one, entire strangers to him, and who Tvished to see fair play dealt out to the visitors, that determined efforts would be made to upset him. He reported this to the Stewards, prior to the start, and they merely "pooh poohed" attheidea,but when the affair happened they took no no further steps in the matter. To give you some idea how the spill affected Gillespie's chance, I may say that in less than two laps he had pulled off fully 80 yards on each man and then had 1J miles go,but by the spill he was considerably bruised, and any chance, he had of winning was utterly destroyed. The management, handicapping, and general work of the officials came in for very adverse and hostile crticism from many of the spectators, and competitors, and not a few of the latter, made up their niinds that at future Woodbury Sports they would bo conspicious by their absence This is not the only letter that has appeared in your valuable paper on the flame subject, and if the Woodbury Athletic Club wish to extinguish the

dimly burning and faint flckering spark <>f life still alive in their club, and make it a thing of the past much to be regretted,they are on the sure road of success, and in the end can lay the blame of such an unhappy decease on the shoulders of none others than their would-be dignified and philanthropic selves.—l am, &c., A Disinterested Spectator. Temnka, Nov. 11,1891.