This (Seventh) Day.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1897, 1 February 1875, Page 2

This (Seventh) Day.

NINTH INFANTE* MAtfC&II BUTWEKN SsPBISftVTATOItVOF Noftnt as* South Isiaitj*. > j (1.) The tent BepmeoUtirn of -,faeli island who make-the highest aggregate . scores in the . seven (Cfaampioaship) Batches will alone toajpete 'is tfcis match; (2.) Banitw »OQ,6eO,aiid 600 yards; (3.) Seren shots at each raage; (4) In the erent of tkert beinf 'a tie in the apgrejiate «c©rei, both »idte« will fire shot for shot at the 600yaraVra1r»ge. The North and Soath Island Challenge Cup and ten new Snider Bifles will be presented 1 to the'winning team. The Challenge Cup to be held by the highest acoret;vin: the winning team until the next Competition. If the Challenge Cap is won two years ia succession (or three years, at jnterrals) .. v ]oy the js.ame person, it will^becomejthe " absolute property of such wirinek/Jlf The highest scorer of each team will receive the sum of-£o;*-:&:>£ c-ti' •>?•>>* Armed Constabulary liepresentatires will : be, deemed to belong *to .the North , Islttfid. 'Vi ''■ J' v - '': "{ '■' The ninth match—ten Representative! from each island who made the highest aggregate scores in the Championship Matches-—commenced at 9.30 this morning. The,following .are the scares: —-' : !

128 Aggregate Scobbs. N obth. Armstrong, Thames ... 61 Chase, A.C 56 Skinner, Auckland ... 56 Elder, A.C. 65. Gilbert, A.C 53 Hoskins, Thames ... 52 Gallagher, A.C. ... ... 50 Blythe, A.C 47 Leigh, Auckland . ... 46 Sykes, Thames 45 Total 521 South. r Richardson, Otago ... 64 .' McLaren, Otago ... 58 Munyard, Westland ... 57, Goldie, Otapo ... ..,53 Fox, Canterbury ... 50 Wilson, Otago ... ... 49 Sutton, Marlborough ... 49 Christie, Otago ... ... 45 * Blatch, Otago ... ... 44 Tomlinson, Nelson ... 40 Total 509 Next to the competition for, the Cham* pion Belt, the great erent is the above match, decided this morning by 12 o'clock. The only reason, indeed, that so much greater interest seems to be taken in the Champion Belt Matches is by reason of an arbitrary rule which has determined that the highest scorer in such matches shall be the Champion shot of New Zealand for one year, and that a practical and 1 urimistakeable manifestation of the same shall be in his possession for such length of time in the shape of a handsome Belt. Tbe " 9th Mutch between the Nortbl and South of New Zealand," some are disposed to look upon as one of infinitely greater importance than, the matches which decided the ownership of the. Champion Belt, inasmuch as it is a docisive trial between picked men from the two bodies of men representing the two Islands in the contests now going forward; and consequently, the victory of one of these picked lots of men over the other is a better and a more decisive answer to the question " which of the two Islands is the best? " Last year, the North beat the South, and the result has been the tame this year, and the northern volunteers are to be congratulated upon such result. To-day the northern men beat by 12 points; last year they beat by 22 points. We append, the following scores of the men who represent each side made in the Champion aggregate: — r ...JTOBTH. Skinner, Auckland ... 313 Elder, A.C. ... 313 Hoskin, Thames ... 306 Armstrong, Thames ... 305 Gilbert, A.C. ... 304 Blythft,A.C. ... 299 Leigh, Auckland ... 298 Sykes, Thames ... 297. Chase, A.C. ... 296 Gallagher, A.C. ... 295 , , .Total ... , ... 3026 soum -. Wilson, OUgo .;. 310 Goldie, Otago ... 308 . Blatch, Otago ... 282 Christie, Otago ... 282 .Sutton, Marlborough ... 280 Tomlinson, Nelson ... 280 Richardson, Otago ... 278 McLaren, Otago ... 273 Munyard, Westland ' ... 266 Fox, Canterbury ( ... 264 . . Total ... ... 2833 From the above table it will be observed that the Northern team includes five of the Armed Constabulary men whose services were valuable, and did /£Hch towards winning for the North in '' %»iis match the w,reath of victory. The total, score of the AC. men amounted to 261 points, each' man making thereby an average of over 56. Immense interest was taken in this match, both by those of the general public who were present and the representatives themselves. At the commencement of the match' the chance of winning appeared to be with the Southerners; and indeed a mistake appeared to have pervaded the firing ground from first to last, as when the firing had ceased, the match being completed, some impression seemed to have been made upon the minds'of most that the South ' had won by some odd points, and our reporter was informed py a brother in the x profession, confidengly, that the Southerners had won by three points exactly. How he arrived at such a remarkably nice calculation mnst remain a mystery. The result was soon known, however, when the iquad officers compared notes regarding the scores, and the totals being added up, the Northern side was declared to have won by 12 points, v.c: the> highest scOrer on' the iwinning^side being '- Seaman* Armstrong of the Thames Na*al Brigade, 61; highest scorer oh the losing side, Bichardsdn (Otago), with 64 points. Major Gordon then detailed the pfizes won/ a description of which wilj. be " seen itf the intreductipn tp'^his niatcK.

l_ Nobts.

-■.■■:■■■ -■•.-■• 216 „ . . v South.

V, ... „. ( NOBTH. .

.. • .166 South. .** * •'' ■ *

170 .-, :v> ■.-.-.No^th.v/. .-, .fa ■?

._ ' Soxjfh. :