GERALDINE ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPORTS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2341, 9 April 1892, Page 2

GERALDINE ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPORTS.

President —R. H. Pearpoint. Vice- / Presidents —J. Mundell and A. White. Stewards IST. Dunlop, J. Turner, R. Taylor, M. Connolly, J. Pye, F. Wilson Smith, W. Shiers, B. R. Macdonald, J. Farrell, K.J Brophy, J. H. Dean, jun., J, Albert, R. Skinner, W. Beattie, B. Cochrane, A. G. Cox, W. Turner, B. Burke, J. Connolly, G. Turnbull, and J. Allan, and other officers ex officio. Hon. Treasurer—F. Wilson Smith. Hon. Secretary—R. Morrison, jun. Judges Running, Walking, and Bicycle Races : J. W. Pye and M. Connolly. Jumping ; G. Turnbull and M. Connolly. Wrestling and Tossing the Caber: W. Mason, M, Duggan, and D. Henry. Irish. Dancing: K. Brophy, T. Connelly, and T. Maloney. Scotch Music and Dancing: A. M. Clark, R. Skinner, J. Murray, and D. McLeod. Handicappers—D. B. Lewis and, E. S. Smith. Starter—B. R. Macdonald. Timekeepers —A. G. ‘Cox and J. Mcllroy. After several annoying disappointments in attempting to settle upon a suitably day for holding the sports under auspices of the Geraldine St. Patrick’s Day Sports Association, which should have been held on St. Patrick’s Day, the committee at last hit upon a day which suited their taste to a “ tee.” Thursday, like most of the days we have had this month, opened out bright and sunny, and in every respect a true sporting day. Tho Timaru Garrison Band readied Geraldine in good time, and after a march through the town took up their stand on tho grounds, and what with the and the pipers everyone was filled with ' genuine holiday enthusiasm. The arrangements made for holding the sports could not have been bettor. Spectators were stringently barred from, tho oval and the grand stand, with a small plot of ground, was portioned oil for those who desired a nearer view, by payment of an extra fee. The sports were commenced punctually at the hour appointed, and ended exactly at 5.15 p.m. Considering that the number of events was 32, and • that some of them wore run in heats, it is creditable to the president, vice-presidents, and stewards that such a long and varied programme was gone through in so short a time. The judges, the handicappers, the starter, and timekeepers were faithful to theii work, and everything was carried out in “ apple-pie order.” Wo must not forget the secretary, Mr R. Morrison, who was kept hard at work all day at his entry desk, and gave every satisfaction. ; The, attendance in the earlier part of the day was moderately lar;g e , but when the ; places of business had closed at 11 o’clock the attendance began to increase, till, judging from tho amount of money taken at the gates (about £3O), and the number of member’s tickets issued, there must have been between eight and nine hundred people on the ground. Mr J. Riordau had a booth erected on the ground, where refreshments appeared to be in great demand. The track was nicely mown, and favorable to runners. The flat races brought forth some rattling good fields, and, strange to say, the handicapping was so accurate that in one or instances the bulk of tho men were either a dead heat or very near it, and in every case the sprint runners finished in a heap, wins being very short. James Barr A (Oaiuarp) was the lion of the day, and-' carried everything before him in the racing. Hq will probably take tluj

Association’s Cup for most points. The step dancing was an invaluable item on the programme. Staging raised about 4ft. from the ground was provided for the dancing, which gave everyone an opportunity to witness it. W. Urn, created quite a sensation with his brilliant feats in wrestling, and again and again received the plaudits of the pectators as he felled his opponents. Bicycle-racing did not come up to the mark, and the result was that only a local race, got up on the ground, could be sent off, and the Three-Mile Bicycle Handicap was abandoned. The three large national flags recently purchased by the Association, although there was not wind enough to show them off, gave a pleasant holiday appearance to the park. Subjoined are the results of the day’s sport: Tossing the Caber —Prizes, 20s and 10s: S. Thornley (20ft 3jin), 1; J. McKinnon (20ft 2in), 2. The other competitors were J. Dalton,' J. Mee, and W. Angland. 100 Yards Maiden Race Prizes, 40s, 15s, and 5s : Geo. Murdoch, 1; W. Fenton, 2; A. Aitken, 3. Time, 11 2-sth seco. Other starters—W. H. D. Hurst, John Moore, T. E. Brosnahan, W. Major, Jesse Mines, and James Donn. A close race from start to finish. Won by about one yard. _ Bagpipe Music, Pip. hocus and Marches Prizes, 60s and 30s ; D. Campbell, 1; A. McKay, 2; A. Mabiu, 3. Mr Campbell played “ McCrimmon’s Lament ” and “ The Highland Brigade March to Elmer.” Mr McKay played « Mclntosh’s Lament” and the “March of the Sky Crofters.” Mr Mabin did not play pibrochs. 440 Yards Hurdle Handicap Prizes, 60s, 30s, and 10s: Alf. Opie, scratch, 1; L. Thyne, 20yds, 2; James Barr, 10yds, 3. Time, Imin 2 3-sth sec. Alf. Scott, 12yds, James Austin, 17yds, Geo. Murdoch, 20yds, and A. Aitken, 20yds, also started. Thyne kept the lead till the last hurdle was reached, when the scratch man, who had been making good way, jumped with him, and in the final spurt won with a few yards to spare. A protest was lodged by _ Thyne on the grounds that the winner jostled him with his shoulder in jumping the last hurdle, and passed him on the wcong side. At a meeting of the committee later on the protest was thrown out. 100 Yards Handicap Prizes, 60s, 20s, and 10s. First Heat: B. Beckley, 6yds, 1; W. J. Moore, 6yds, 2. Time, 10 4-sth secs. Second Heat: Neil Austin, syds, 1; M. McAuliffe, syds, 2. Time, 10 4-sth secs. Third Heat: T. E. Brosnahan, 7yds, 1; S. Anderson, syds, 2. Time, 10 2-sth secs. Final Heat: M. McAuliffe, syds, 1; E. Beckley, 6yds, 2 ; T. E. Brosnahan, 7yds, 3. Time, 10 2-sth secs. A magnificent race. Beckley took the lead, and was first till within two yards of the tape, when McAuliffe levelled with him, and touched the tape first, winning by about a quarter of a yard. Moore and Brosnahan ran a dead heat, and had to run over again for third place. The other runners were N. Austin, syds, W. Fenton, 6yds, S. Anderson, syds. . 120 Yards Oddellows’ Race —Prizes 20s and 10s; J. Colbert, Byds, 1; A. Scott, 3yds, 2; J. Fietield, Byds, 3. Chas. Pye 2yds, John Scott 3yds, John Mcllroy 4yds, W. W. Pye 6yds, Jos. H. Dean 9yds also started. Colbert led about four yards from start to finish. Vaulting with Pole (minimum 7ft.) —Prizes, 30s and 15s : J. Hoskins, scr. (Bft. 7in.), I; Jas. Barr (Bft. 6in.), 2 ; Neil Austin (Bft. 4in.), 3. Two-Mile Bicycle Race Prizes, trophies : J. Meredith, scr., 1; R. Wray, 45yds, 2 ; W. Campbell, 45yds, 3. J. Mines 55yds also competed. Meredith passed his men midway on the first lap, and was never caught again. Time, lOmin. 9 4-sth sec. 150 Yards Handicap, for boys under 14 —Prizes, 15s, 7s 6d, and 2s 6d : L. Taylor, 1; B. Cochrane, 2; J. Earl, 3. Wrestling, Cumberland Style Prizes, £4 and £2 : First bout, McKinnon 2 falls, Simpson 1; second bout, Urn 2 falls, Thornley 1; third bout, Urn 2 falls, Angland 1; final bout, Uru 2 falls, McKinnon 1. 880 Yards Handicap— Prizes, £3 3 os, 30a, and 10s; Alf. Opie, 1 ; John O’Brien, 2 • James Barr, 3. Geo. King, scratch, R. Orton, 20yds, J. Bright, 30yds, J. H. Anderson, 30yds, A. Aitken, 30yds, and J R. Moore, 36yds. In this race Opie, from 20 yards, made his men go for it, and finished well, with a yard or two to the wood. Several of the competitors fell out at the first lap, and King, at scratch, was nowhere. Running Long Jump, Handicap Prises, 30s and 10s: W. Angland /19ft ilin), 1; W. Uru (19ft lOin), 2; Neil Austin (18ft llin), 3. Irish Jig Prizes, 40s and 20s :M. Amland, 1; W. Fitzgerald, 2; J. Ryan, 3. Maiden Wrestling, Cumberland Style —Prizes, 60s and 30s : Griffin, 1; Thyne 2. First Bout: M. Griffin stood, L. Tyne fell. Second Bout: M. Griffin stood, S. Keenan fell. Final Bout: L. Thyne stood, S. Keenan fell. 200 Yards Football Race— Prizes, 30s and 15s (Trophies) —J. Mundell, 25yds 1; J. Beckley, Iyd, 2; W. T. Turner, 14yds, 3. A. McLean 14yds andJ Fiofield, 11yds, also ran. Mundell had everything his owrnyay and. Turner ran well till the finish, when Beckley

forged ahead. T , Running High Jump* Haneicap Prizes, 30s and 10a. Thornjuy, Bryant, and Urn were equal, being 6ft 2in. The prizes were divided between them. There were a number of other - competitors. 150 Yards Handicap— Prizes, £2 10s, £l, and 10s : First heat, T. E. Brosuahan, Byds, 1; S. Anderson, 7yds, 2 Tune, ir> 3-sths sec. second Heat, ivi. McAuliffe, 6yds, 1; Geo. Murdoch, Byds,. 2. Time, 15 4-sth sec. Final heat, T B Brosuahan, 1; S. Anderson, 2 ; Geo. Murdoch 3. Time, 15 3-sth sec. McAuliffe also ran. It was a very even race, the first and second men finishing in dose order, with Murdoch a good third. 120 Yards Fire Brigade Race, hi uniform— Prizes, £1 10s and 10s : A. Erskine, 6yds, 1; J. Mcllroy scr., 2. Time, 14 3-sth sec. Jos. H. Dean oyds and W. Walton 9yds also ran. Erskine took first place at the hundred yards, with the scratch man working hard to catch him. The race ended in a dose win for Erskine. Bagpipe Music;, Strathspeys and Reels —Prizes, £i 10s and £1 : D. Campbell, 1; A. McKay, 2. A. Mabiu idso competed.

One-Mile Walking Race, Handicap —Prizes, £3, £l, and 10s : Jas. Austin, 25yds, 1; R. Austin, 110yds, 2; H. Patrick, 135yds, 3. Time, 7min. 30sec. At the third lap the men passed the tape 1 in close order, H. Patrick leading, with R. Austin following, and J. Austin at third place. At the half of the final lap J. Austin spurted and passed Patrick, who wa s played out, andled to the finish. A hard tussle took place between R. Austin and Patrick for second place, but the former proved the stronger. Reel o’ Tulloch —Prizes, £1 10s and 10s : A. McKenzie, 1 ; A. McKay, 2. 440 Yards Handicap —Prizes, £3 10s, £1 10s, and 10s : James Barr, 13yds, 1; Alf. Opie, scratch, 2 ; Geo. King, 14yds, 3. Time, 55 2-sth secs. The other starters werr R. Logan, 4yds, R. Orton, 10yds, Alf. Scott, 12yds, A. Aitken, 15yds, L. Thyne, 15yds, J. Bright, 15yds, J. W. Radford, 15yds. This was undoubtedly one of the best races of the day. Opie, the scratch man, made the running warm for those in front of him, and at the finish looked as near winning as anyone, but the Oamaru boy had his mettle up, and proved too much for his opponent, who had rather a long distance to make up. 220 Yards Handicap, For Youths under 16 Years —Prizes, 20s and 10s : B. Cochrane, 1; D. Logan, 2; L. Taylor, 3. Time, 26 2-sth secs. Sword Dance —Prizes, 30s and 10s : A. McKay, 1; A. McKenzie, 2. Only two competitors. Sailor’s Hornhipe —Prizes, 30s and 10s: J. Ryan, 1; W. Fitzgerald, 2. There were only two competitors in tins event. Hop, Step, and Jump, Handicap— Prizes, 30s and 10s : H. Bryan (42ft 7in), 1; W. Austin (41ft Sin), 2 ; W. Fenton (41ft), 3. 250 Yards Handicap —Prizes, £2 10s, £l, and 10s: James Barr, 10yds, 1; E. Beckley, 15yds, 2 ; J. W. Radford, 10yds, 3. Time, 28 3-sth secs. A very close race. Beckley had it all to himself, with Radford second, until coming into the straight, when the undaunted Barr again snowed up, and added another race to his list. The other two finished together. Highland Fling Prizes, 30s and 10s : A. McKay, 1; A. McKenzie, 2; J. Norton, 3. One-Mile Handicap— Prizes, £3 10s, £1 10s, and 10s : J. O’Brien, 55yds, 1 ; B. T. Evans, 60yds, 2 ; W. Cartwright, 25yds, 3. Time, 4min. 38 3-sth sec. Other starters were: Geo. scr., Jas. Barr 60yds, W. H. D. Hurst 65yds, and H. Greaves 70yds. Barr led at the second lap, but at the third lap he was nowhere, while Evans passed the tape first, closely followed by O’Brien, Cartwright bringing up the rear about 160 yards off. There was a tough tussle between Evans and C’Brien, which made a very exciting finish, and a bare win for O’Brien. 200 Yards Handicap— Prizes, £2 10s, £l, and 10s: J. Barr, 7yds, 1; M. McAuliffe, Byds, 2; T. E. Brosnahan, Byds, 3. Time, 22 l-3rd sec. Sack Race, 80yds—Prizes, 15s and 7s Od : N. Austin, 1; J. Lynch, 2. This closed the programme.

THE CONCERT. The Tiinaru Garrison Band played a few airs outside the Volunteer Hall in the evening, and before the concert held in conjunction with the sports commenced the hall was crowded with one of the largest audiences ever seen in Geraldine. The most unfortunate part of the concert was the fact that two of the best performers did not put in an appearance, and their places had to be filled at the last moment; but, taking it all round, if the people at the back part of the hall had not been so restless, the programme was a fairly good one. We cannot say it was one of the best we have heard in Geraldine. The Misses Fish opened the entertainment with a pianoforte selection in their usual brilliant style, and Mr J. McCaskill, in place of Mr T. Jones, who was not present sang “ Steering Home.” “The Minstrel Boy,” by Miss Andrews, was the next item, and was followed by Mr J. Ryan dancing, with some very clever steps, a sailor’s hornpipe to the pipe music by Mr McKay. Mr Ryan had to yield to an imperative demand for a repeittion. Following this was Mrs' Bardsley s song, “Should He Upbraid,” which was well sung. Mrs Bardsley was the recipient of a beautiful bouquet. Mr J. McCaskill was again in demand, and sang “ The Young Brigade.” Mr Purves’ funny Scotch song, “The Wee Thing that Jagget Them a’,” took well, and he responded to an encore r with “The Irishman’s Toast.” Miss McKenna sang next, and was followed by Mr A. G. Cox, with “ Jack’s Yarn.” The “ Highland Fling,” danced by MrNaughton, brought the first part of the programme to an end. The second part was opened by the Misses Fish with an overture on the piano, and then came the best item of the evening, “ Three Sailor Boys,” a song in costume, by Masters Berry, White, and White. This brought down the house, and elicited an encore for the boys. Mj: Bqbson’s singing of “ The Outlaw ” was worth hearing, andmighthave wonhim an encore, but the greater portion of the audience seemed to care more for songs with a good swinging air to them, or full of the comic element. Mrs Bardsley sang “ Cherry Ripe ”in a very sweet tone of voice. Mr Angland’s Irish Jig, to the accompaniment of Mr McKay’s pipes, received loud applause, and Mr Roach, o£ Christchurch,

filled in the place of Mr Stewart, who was I absent, with a comic song, and was recalled, | and sang “ Old Ireland You’re My Darling.” Miss McKenna came next on the programme with “ Better ’Bide a Wee,” after which Mr Purves sang /-‘The Band that I was Born in,” and, responding to an encore, sang “ The Dear Little Shamrock,” Miss Andrews sang “ Robin Adair,” and Mr J. McCaskU! W.as encored for “ Home, Boys, Home,” and sang thp last verse over again. Mr B. R. Macdonald’s song, “ McCarthy,” was very laughable, and, in return tp the request of the audience, sang “Haven’twc Foqght f° r yon/” At the conclusion of the concert Mr 11. H. Pearpoint (President of the Association) made a few remarks, thanking those who had assisted in the concert and those who had attended, “God Saye Jihp Queen” was sung by members of the Association and singers on the platform, accompanied by the audience in the body of the hall, and ; the audience dispersed.

THE DANCE. After the concert the seats were cleared for dancing, and from moonlight to daylight over .100 couples whirled about to the music supplied by Messrs Levens and Oiivcjf. ]vfn B. Ricbardsau ac|.qd as M.C., and a very successful dance held,