OUT DOOR SPORTS

Observer, Volume II, Issue 40, 18 June 1881, Page 441

OUT DOOR SPORTS

— There is .some talk of starting a new football club to compote with the best in Auckland. — Auckland played three men less than their opponents, last Saturday. — Innis played a very good game for the North Shore, and the secondary was secured by him. — Swanson and Reid botli obtained tries in tli j match between Auckland and North Shore. — During the last season, the United Cricket Club lost 118 wickets for 1767 runs, being- an average of 15 runs per wicket. — Testro made the best score in one innings nrnongst the United players, last season, viz : 82. Ivens had 81. — O'Connor played remai-kably well for North Shore, last Saturday. He secured one of the tries. — Grafton plays against the North Shore, next Saturday, and leave tl:e Queen-street Wharf by the 2.30 p.m. boat. — The bad weather last Saturday frightened the Ponsonby and Grafton football teams' Their match was postponed till to-morrow (Saturday). —The United Cricket Club played fourteen matches last season, and did not suffer a single defeat? Eleven were won by the chib, and three drawn. — During the last season, Lankharn, junior, bowled 990 balls for 28t runs and 8A wickets. He had 76 maidens and no wides, and his average per wicket was 332. — The Christchurch footballers played a novel match, last Saturday, viz : Tall v. Short. The men all toed the line, and the players were then picked out. — Ye "champion!" cyclist is returning to the land of his fathers. He says winnning races at home and felling bush out here are not quite one and the same thing. — North Shore got no less than six tries, last Saturday, but not a single goal was kicked. This wns attributable to the heavy gusts of wind which were blowing across the ground. — The shabby trick played upon Mr Mills, the owner of the little sailing boat Spray, has been generally condemned, and it is to be hoped that the efforts to discover the culprit may be successful. — The Auckland Football Club got a rather severe beating from the North Shore, last Saturday. The score of the North Shoreites was 12 points (6 tries), •while Auckland did not score. — Wellington, Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago are each requested to furnish four men for the team to visit Australia. The other two players are to l>e added irrespective of unions and province's. — rC. E. McCorinick headed the batting averages of the United Cricket Club for last season. He played 10 innings, and was not out 4 time 3. The total number of runs was 175, and the most in an innings was 50 (not out). His average was 291. — Mr Gleeson, thinking the gentlemen of Auckland might wish to form a Bacquot Club, sent Home an order for several gross of racquet balls, which were received the other day, and are of the very best description, made by Pi osser and Son, of London! —Mr Camball, of Newmarket, has through the Star challenged Mr Sandal, butcher, of Symondsstreet, to run, for £25 or upwards, his saplinjr against the lntter's aged dog. Stakes to be deposited at the Junction Hotel with Mr Ellis. — The Wellington Footballers are endeavouring to form a New Zealand representative team to visit Australia, this season. They pz-opose tbnt the players should leave this Colony before the end of June, and play three matches at Sydney, one at Newcastle, and one at Bathurst, or five in all. — The Tauranga fire has extinguished for a time nt least, the sporting interest at that place. The local athletic club held a meeting last week and decided to postpone their sports which were to have been held to-morrow (Saturday). They will be incorporated with the annual sports to be held on November 9th. —There was some talk, during the week, of a small regatta being arranged to take place during the visit of the squadron. There is now only a fortnight to spare, and it would be almost impossible to got up a series of races in that time. It must also be remembered that most of the sailing boats are now hauled up for the winter season. — Immediately after Tauranga had been almost completely wiped out of existence by fire, the Kati-kati Football Club sent a challenge to the footballists of the unfortunate township to play a match with them on the following Saturday. If they relied on a refusal, they were disappointed, for the challenge was accepted off-hand by the Tauranga men. —The race between the open boats Loto, Niafie, and Alert (late of Auckland), at Vavau (Friendly Islands), resnlted in the defeat of the Alert by 10 seconds, and not by 10 minutes as stilted in the morning contemporary. The Alert was sailed by an amateur crew and not by professionals. Had it not been for the rotten state of her canvas, she would have won the race easily. — Now that the boating season is over, it is only right that some mention should be made of the enterprise displayed by Messrs J. "Waymouth, sen J. Graham, T. Halstead, J. Bigelow, and other gentlemen in arranging for and carrying out the series of Saturday afternoon boat races. They have given an impetus to |boating interests in Auckland that will be strongly felt next season. —A short time back Mr Gleeson received a challenge from Mr Dillon, of the Eisin? Sun Hotel Sydney, to play a match at handball. Mr G. has accepted the challenge, and picked two Axickland men to play against the Sydney one for £200. To make matters more exciting Mr G. challenged Oamaru for a like sum, and is daily expecting to receive a reply accepting the trial, as the Oamaru men are the champions of New Zealand, having beaten Timaru, luvercar»ill and Dunedin. —The meeting to consider the advisability of forming a New Zealand Football Team to visit New South Wales was held last evening (Thursday). It does look very mnch as if the game is hnrdly worth the candle. That a team of eighteen men should be got together from various parts of the Colony to play three matches at Sydney, one at Bathurst, and one at Newcastle, appears simply absurd. If so much trouble is gone to, why should not the team also visit Melbourne Adelaide, and other Australian towns of importance ? ' — The open sailing-boat Observer was hauled up for the season last Wednesday. Some people still appear inclined to sneer at her chances of successfully contesting a race against the Hattie May, Imp and Madge ; but should she take part in one of these contests next season, I would certainly recommend them not to be too rash in investing their money. There cannot be the slightest doubt that the recent alterations to her centreboard— which cause it to fall straight from the case in a level position instead of beino- finshaped—has improved the boat wonderfully, and"this was made apparent in several rung which, she lrnd np and down the harbour on resent occasions, when she •' showed her heels " properly to some other boats. — The Coursing Season opened on the Ist June with a match between J. Walters' r.d. " Snider " and H. Wheland's blk. d. " Musket " for £20 a-side Walters' dog had an easy victory. Mr J. B. O'Keeffe as

usual, was appointed by both parties as judge, and gave satisfaction to all concerned. James Fergusson was slipper on this occasion. SlrMcLoughlan, of Papatotoe, kindly threw open his preserves for this. The trial between Messrs. Buckland's, McCabe's, and Alexander's bloods came off on Saturday, the 4th, but, as Mr O'Keeffe was not able to be there, I cannot give the scoring of the respective dogs. However. lam told the wind did not blow half so hard on the road home as Mr Alexander did about "Venus." There were a great many hare 3, all in splendid condition. — A special correspondent in London, whom we have asked to send us a little gossip re outdoor sports now and then, writes : — " The perpetual east winds have put cricket practising at present quite out of the question, and only one or two Easter Monday colts' matches have taken plnce so far. — In the University contests you will have sesn that Oxford won the boat race, as everyone expected, though there was a hint about of their being overtrained and ' ready too soon.' — In theathletio sports they also carried off the old event, both being equal till the last event — the 3 Mile fiace — which vyas won by Benson for Oxford, the Cambridge man falling exhausted, completely pnuiped out. — In the Eacquet matches Cambridge won the four-handed match by four games to one, C. T. Studd and A. G. Steel beating C. A. li. Laslie and M. P. Kemp. In the single match, however, Oxfcnrd were revenged, for Leslie easily beat Studd by, I think, four games to love. — The Football Association challenge cup was won by the Old Carthusians, who bext the old Etonians in the final tie. — The Empress of Austria took up her quarters at Comberm ere" Abbey to do some hunting- in the Cheshire country. Owing to the bad weather, however, she had very poor sport and many blank days. She was very energetic however, and out every day. She was present at the Grand National. — Captain Middleton, whom yon may remember as a first ratecros3-coimtry gentleman rider, and who piloted the Empress of Austria when hunting in Cheshire, had a bad fall at the Towcester Steeplechases last Monday (18th Apjil), and is, I hear, badly hurt, his horse falling or rolling on him and crushing him severely."