WAIRARAPA CALEDONIAN SOCIETY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 657, 3 January 1881, Page 2

WAIRARAPA CALEDONIAN SOCIETY.

SATURDAY, Ist JANUARY, 1881,

Prebident-C. A,' Vallance.' Vioe-Presi-DENT—W. Sellar. TREASURER—F. W. Haies, Seoretart-J, M. Girdleatone.

■ Directors.' • W, 0. Cnfi, G. Drummond, A. Elkins, F. Gray, A. W. Harrison, T. H. HiU, J.lorns, G. H. Lister-Rayo, J. MagBton, H. McMaster.D.McMaster'Jas. Macara; John Maoara, J. Payt" j, W. Perry, J. Snodgrass, T. L. Thompson,- , E.A.S.¥yllie I H.S.'Wa«i Judoeb-F. Gray, T. H, Hill, J. Livingston, G- H. Lister-Kaye, H McJlaster, W. Perry, T.L.Thompson. ) S tamer—A. A, Elkins. /

The annual gathering under the auspices of the above society, Wok place in Mr John Drummond's padfock, Musterton, on New Year's day, M considering the unfavorable weatW up to, and on, the mornipg of that day; was a very success-. ful meeting, betwee't 700 and 800 people being on the groun-i during the afternoon. When the first -V' load of people arrived o,n the. ground the rain came down in torrents, causing great dismay to those who had purchased the privileges, It was almost revived to postpone the sports to the 22i j*>'.j)Ufc the booth holders preferring to t»Ve tluTchance of the weather clearing up, it was decided to go on with the pro- . gramme, though at this time there were only ajdut forty people present, flow/ ever, -"tor the rain had continued aboui,' three quartera of an hour, PhtviuS seemad to tjink he had had a pretty good iunings, an/drew off his forces, allowing tiw sun [n/iave ii' turn at the head of affairs"atmospherical, The cheerful orb having Ithus assumed control, kept it, and the day proved as fine as could bo wished, only one very slight shoivor occurring all through. As the President and many of the Directors did not romain on the ground while the heavy shower was on, the Vice President and the few who were there, set to work, when it was to proceed, and got off the first race as soon as the rain was over. By this time the President, and most of the Stewards arrived.' Mr James Macara was appointed marshall of the ground, ably'assisted by the Directors present, and through 'their efforts and those of the over geuial and energetic secretary, the whole affair passed off smoothly and iri good time, not a single hitch occuring, and all the spectators seemed to thoroughly enjoy, the d*ys enjoyment, Tho starting of the various races was very good in every instance, andj-except in the walking match, the iudges' decisions were not questioned. In that event they disqualified tho first man for having broken repeatedly, thoir decision' being confirmed by the directors. : -The booths, after all, did a very good business; '■ Mr T. Thompson and Mr H. loiighlinj- dispensing good liquors from the two'publican's booths, Mr A. L. Whyte'baker and confectioner, of Carterton, (who also provided the stewards' lunch) supplying the more substantial refreshments; Mr E, G. Jones, with a variety of choice fruit, Mr E. Quick supplying the youngsters with toys; sportsmen "tried" to make bulls eyes at the ■ shooting, range, and the Mexican Novelty man kept the ball rolling throughout the day.

Towards the. close,of the proceedings, people beaan to feel so gay under the influence of.the fino weather and the good music provided by the band, that a quadrille party was.forraed, and dancing on. the green was entered with great Bpirit by many of the lads and lassies.

The entries were not so numerous as at the Forester's gathering on Boxing Day. in some instances it being difficult to get three competitors to enable the second prize money to be won. No : doubt this was caused to a great extent, by .the weather preventing many who would be likely to cpmnete./•"""fining to the sports at all, Of course the gtouuu,.. ;i3ver y alippory' after so much rain, and tmo'pfeveli'ceif both tho running and jumping from being us good as it might have been had the ground been firm.

The vaulting was again very "good, though through the bending nature of the pole, oven this wag not as good as those who competed could accomplish, the height of 10ft 2in, however, being .again reached by that crack Maori athlete, Bob Ngatuere. Tossing the caber was marred by the caber provided not being a suitable one, and not one of the competitors could turn it over, the prize being given to the man who made the best attempt. The maiden race brought out a field of nine, and as the course would not permit of Ihem all running together the race was run in heats. Through the ground being so slippery two fell in the first heat, and one in thesecond, Of coursethetime was slow as no pace could be put on for fear of falling. The 100 yds. was done iii faster time, and they all kept pretty close, the first three passing the judge in a cluster, rendering it difficultto adjudge the award, but the judges verdict was received without' dpmu.r. ■ ■ ' ■ The hurdle race wag a very gqod match aud it was a pretty sight to see tho active young fellows bounding lightly over the closely set hurdles, the jumping of all being very neat. • Thepublicwereentertainedby some very good dancing in the Highland fling, all the competitors ■ exhibiting considerable grace and Bkill, one of tliem appearing in full Highland costume, "TKoy'hVd not the inspiring tones' of tho bagpipes to rouse them to enthusiasm, nevertheless they danced with great Hpirit to the more humblo notes of the German concertina.

The walking match was a very unsatisfactory affair, only two of .the competitors appearing to be roally walking, and these were awarded the prizes, much to the disgust of the others who were disqualified. The wheelbarrow race (blindfolded) win a very amusing.affair, the black bags in which the competitors heads were enveloped, givingthem amostgrotesque appearance; On the report of the pistol; two; of them took abeoline for the stewards, tent, one of them pulling up iii the sawdust by the jumping place, and the other not stopping till he ran the barrow under the rope of the ring and over the leg of a boy who had not time to get out of the way. Fortunately the latter was hot much hurt, The other two competitors hit upon a •tolerably straight course, one of them passing fairly between the judges, and the other, just outside* when he took a turn to the right, and headed .straight for the creek, into which be would have gone but for some charitable bystander. The"44Q yards race was a well contested event, ill being very close 'at' the finish, but Moran was too good by just a yard. The latter had less trouble with the 880 yards, winning that as he liked. The mile race was a gift to him, though the veteran Tlule entered and tried to make the pace sufficiently warm to run him down. It was evident, however, that the Wellington man was too good for them, and he won very easily. The sack race was, as usual, very amusing, 'and brought put a gooa! number of competitors, the' various tumbles, and peculiar action of the competitors causing considerable merriment. Another laughable thing was a scramble for the boys, got up by the secretary and stewards, the spectators aho contributing sundry small i;coins, - These.were mixed.up; with saw--dust, and about fifteen or twenty, small boys told to go in arid win, and they did, with a will; very: quickly clearing.the Lsawduat.of its .treasure. '•■ k The Consolation handicap closed .the lay's proceedings, and the promoters of

the Society/have foel satis-' Bed at the way off after the great and theydireptors who carried the programme through so efficiently, rftay feel proud that their efforts met withAch great succeßS and.appreciation. . -V. '?'.;■-•.■ '.'■'; The following a?a the Events and prize1. Mail* Race, 220 'yards\ ',' y Entrance, 2/, . first Prize £2; seepnd pri-f £l./ Isaac King (native)... '..,!• A. Welch .... : .... v --2 There were nine entries, and it was run in heats-five in the first and four in the second batch. A. & W. .Welch were Ist and 2nd in the first heat, Isaac King and J. Hessey Ist and 2nd inihe second heat. These four ran off with the Rbove result. 2. Youth's Bace yards. Entrance. 1/..' First/ prize, £1; second prize 10/.. I A. King / ... ... 1 '"" H. Hounskw 2 There were My three entries, and a very fair ra/e between the first and second; but/vhea it was getting interesting Hounß/iiw slipped, and his opponent went on M was. not got near again. '3 1 Sop/ Step and Jump. Entrance 2/, prize, £llO/-; second prize 16/. (My one other native was in this—the pr% being taken with 30ft lOin. //Throwing Heavy Hammer, Entrance 72/, First Prize, £1 10/-: second prize, " 15/. J. Jackson, ?3ft 1it).... ... 1 G. Jackson, 71ft 6in. .... 2 Only one other entry.

5. Men's Rate, 100 yards. Entrance 2/6. : First Prize, £2; seend prize,- £l. J. Liardet 1 F. Bright • 2 C. F. Hare ... ' ... ... 3 Six entries, This was a good race, all being very close, Hare and Bright being almost a tie. » r 7. Tossing the Caber. Entrance 2/. First" ' "Prize £llO/ j Becond prize 15/. W. Kibblewhite 1 J. Harvey ... ... .... 2 ' The caber was a young tawa-tree—and there are no giants in these days. It was' not" tossed." The best attempts took the prize. 8. Hurdle Race, 110 yds, over 10 hurdles, Entrance 2s 6d. First Prize, £2; second; £l. C. F. Hare ... 1 T.Dixon ... .... ... 2 Four entries. This was a very well contested race, and being straight across the course, there was plenty of room for the leapers, They kept well together, Hare, having a slight lead from the start, which he'kept to the finish—coming in about a yard ahead. One of the competitors' (Liardett) slipped two hurdles from the winning, place and hurt his leg, but fortunately it was only a passing Btrain. ■ ..-..'" •'"

9. Highland Fling... Entrance, Is, First prize, £l. A, Henries'(in costume) ... 1 J. Farquhar';;'. • ■........,.,... .2 '

Three entries. The dancing Wasvery; good,- the other competitor (Miller) being considered efjuallvaß neat a dancer.ajt the others, but, as we7under«tand,:d.i.d not execute'as many steps.'~T .\ .■'.'. 10. Tkm-kgged 2act.'-\lfcyovbfa under 15). Entrance, Free.'■'EirsT Prize, £l. Only two entries, Welchßrbsy winning easily. ■ . • •'■ ■■-■'■' ' 11. Walking Handicap, 2 miles, Entrance, 2s Gd. First Prize, £3;- Second-Prize* £2,' .:'.

Marsh ' ... ... ' 1 Olirao ... ... ... .... 2 There were four competitors for thiß event, Sennix coming in first, but was disqualified on' the ground that he was not doing fair walking. He lodged a protest, but after being considered it was not '. , " u wed,- The time was rather slow, 12 1 %m and Batkt Race, 50yds, En"'tnce, 2s! First prize, £2. Second * Wyeth 1 J; Watson ... 2 / or 'his thor'o wero four entriei, but Moran im onl n f ter picking up a few stones, and after some i,.„, r i ty tj, e other three the match , 0V8) in very good time, 13. Standing High Jump. Entj, ano0) 2s, First Prize, £1 10s; Second Prr., ig 8i Only two entries, J, Jackson i<fa[ a a Ist prize, 6, Jackson 2nd. \

14. Men's Rant, ■ 44()yds, Entranco, fy First Prize, £2; Second prize, £l, \ J. Moran ... 1 / J, Tidswell 2 / X Lairdett ... 3' This waß a very good race, a/ yard separating the first and second, arfd about a foot the second and thjiitjf^Tidswell passiug Lairdett oh 15. Vaulting with IW, Entranco, 2s 6d. Firßt prize, £2 prize, £l. B. Ngatufa,ioft2in' ... 1 6, Jackson, p liQ ... 2 Rawbonea (native) -vyija t))e only other competitor. 'Ngatiiore got oyor this height very cleanly, but the pole seemed to bend too much with Jackson, and he could not rise to;the occasion.

16. Scotch Reel Entrance, Ib, Firßt prize, £1 j second, 10a, J. Farquhar ~. 1 Miller ..". " '.'.'. '.'.. 2

Some very pretty dancing was displayed, and the prizes awarded deserv-, ingly. The.same competitors afterwards gave some very Rood word danoing—"jiwt for the fun of the thing."

17. Men's Race, B%ds, Entrance, 2s. First Prize, £2; Second Prize, £1 Moran ...» 1 ■ Tidswell .... 2

Three entries—won easily. .18. Wheelbarrow Race, 150 yds (blindfolded, competitors to find (heir own barrows). .' Entrance,- Sja. First iPtize, £1; second, W. Kibblewhite,' ,;. ' ...1 Manning •' ,/ ... .., 2 A very laughable woe, won cleverly. 19, Running High Jump. Entrance, 2«, First Prize, £ t flOs j •Second Prize, 16a. i - J. Jackson, sft 2in ... ...'1 B. Ngatuere, sft lin ..'..-2 Three entries,' The ground was too slippery for a good contest. 20. Boys' Race, (under 12), Entrance free. Firefc Prize, 15s; Second, 7s 6d. I. Ridgway " "■ 1 Purcelf : ... ;:: ;:; 2 12 started, and a smart race spread them out with the shove result. 21. Mens' Race, 1 mile. Entrance 2« 63, First prize £4 j Second £B.. . Moran * ... 1 J.Tidswell ... 2 7 entries,. Moran winning, as he liked, Time—smin'2sec. 22, Putting the Sione, Entrance 2s. First Prize 10s j Second IBs. .W. Welch, 34fi4Jin : ... 1 ■ A, MoPhee, 28ft Uin ..;'2 Five entries; G.Jaokson.was a pretty closetliird. ' ,|p»; '^ 23,t0i Hace, 100 i/ttris. EntraiflM . First Prize £1; Second lOj. " '. Miller ' .-.. H :T.Wyeth ( .r. .... *■ | There were leven other entries,

good race waa jumped, Miller wtttW^^M . : A scratch boys' race was Rift up by Directpra,'for which about 15 started, f,. an amusing race between th'e little folio «H| was : won'by Harold Wardell, B. GifHH 24, Sunning Lvitg\ hmp. Entrance 2«H - First ?mo £110s; Second 15a. ,^H J. Waterson,l6ftloin* ...''l. JH Six entries.. ..This was fairly, and ,W. Waterson would frobablylHHH won it, but he hurt his lei; at the jump, and though not seriously, he, not jump again, l^^fi 25, Consolation Handicap, 200 yards, 28/ First ... L. Sveudaen, Iyd TflW Ijflfiß '"'■' F. Bright', scratch ... J. .ti.Reid, scratch 3 'jß There were G> on tries. F.-Bright disqualified for 2nd place as he had a second prize that'day, Reid taking thflH Becond money. ._ JHI The champion prize is taken by JHI Jackson. (Greytown) .with 10 points, JHH Moran (Wellington) 2nd, with 8 points. B9 This concluded the Caledpnian g<fejHH for New Years' Day, 1881. , HH