SPORTING ITEMS

Waikato Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 2352, 6 August 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

SPORTING ITEMS

(From The Sydney Enforce, July 21st.) Sai.vo has been scratched for tho Melbourne Cup. A 11 Unitarian of the name, of Lowestoek, walked (KK) miles iu 2S days, C. Wood, English .Ineke.y, is said to have given f2o,of)ij for Upper llare Park. 1 learue, the N./. sculler, wishes to row anv man in Now /calami for 11100. Thu English (londwood Gup will ho run on the 2St.li. All tho host horses aro ougaged iu the event. A II nut t lliil) is bo started at Cootainmidra, and funds aro being canvassed for to buy a pack of hounds. Watts, the English jockey, receives a retainer of I'.'iOOO a year from Mr Abington. Ifo was presented with .111000 for whining the Derby. Ormonde, the English champion, was fully stretched in the Hardwickc Stakes at Ascot by Minting, Bendigo and Phil. Ormonde beat Minting by a short neck. Both had list. 101b. up. Hove d’Or, who started an oven money favourite, for the Prince of Wales’ Slakes, won ou the second day of the Ascot meeting liy the Duchess of Montrose’s Claymore, could not get within half a dozen lengths of the winner. Claymore started at 8 to 1. Gay Hermit, who is also owned by the Duchess of Montrose, won the Royal Hunt Cup on tho third day, starting at 5 to 1 in a company of 10. The Melbourne Cup is now the. most valuable handicap in the world, it is the richest, because not a sovereign is extracted from tho pockets of owners to make up the 2500 sovereigns, all of which is given by the club. The Eclipse Stakes in England’, and the Futurity Stakes in America, both are much more valuable to tho winner, but all the money is extracted from owners’ pockets, and neither has handicap conditions.

Should tho Now Zealanders persist in backing their representatives with as much zeal as they have up to the present they will make very warm favourites of them before the day arrives. Silver Prince, who has only won a couple of minor events up to tho present, has been the medium of great speculation from the first, and was again brought into the market on Monday night, and hacked for £3OOO more at 100’s to 7. Niagara also claimed the attention of speculators, and after several fifties were written opposite his name, an even .i’oOO was ollcrud that ho would heat Abercorn in tho Derby, Lawrence Donovan, who some time ago jumped from Brooklyn Bridge and from Niagara Bridge, recently plunged into tho Thames from London Bridge, in the presence of five hundred spectators. A subscription was made for him, hut he refused to accept it, saying that the feat was a “Jubilee jump.' 1 After striking the water Donovan swam about 200 yards, and was picked up by a passing boat, which landed him at Old Swan Pier. Donovan contemplates jumping from Clifton Bridge. Advices from England relative to the running of the Grand Prix de Paris, throw some light on that event, for which Merry Hamilton, the Derby winner, started a warm favourite at 2to 1. After the cult’s performance in tho Derby people naturally expected to hear of his getting a place at least, and wore very much surprised at hearing that The Baron defeated him for a position. It appears, however, that Merry Hampton was severely humped during Hie race by Erapotel, which will in some measure account for his defeat. The stakes were worth £'5031, and the downfall of the English horses was loudly applauded hy the frog-eaters.

Advices from Melbourne inform ns that Mr Yowlos has resigned his position as judge of tho Victoria Amateur Turf Chib, and of other meetings at which he acted in a similar capacity. This stop was brought about owing to him placing Gnelpha first in tho Klslcrnwick Park Handicap, in which race the marc ran last and Childo Harold won. ft is also stated that Mr J. L. Purves, the well-known banister, has been secured to resist the claims of the owner of Childo Harold in taking legal proceedings against the cln'o for the recovery of the stakes, and that tlio club {have decided nut to pay. A writer in an English paper gives somo interesting particulars relative to Queen of the Hoses, the dam of Rove d’Or, winner of this year’s One Thousand Guineas and Oaks. He says “ I was indirectly the means of Rove d’Or’s entrance into the world, for I rescued her dam, Queen of the Roses, from utter obscurity. This marc having proved a failure on the turf, more from bad management than anything else, came into tho hands of a small trainer named Rudd, at Richards Castle, in Herefordshire, who tried ineffectually to make her jump. Being also hard up, ho parted with her for some corn to feed {as he thought) two or three better ones. I was asked by the farmer who thus got possession of her to come and buy her, as thoroughbred ones wore not much in his line. She was supposed to bo in foal to Acton, by Lacydes. After some bargaining, I gave a rick of bay for her, which I valued at between £25 and £3O, and she went to join my other mares—Gold Dust, Doduna, Doculettcc, Ragman Roll, and Bignonia—at my little stud-farm. Liking the mare, I determined to send her to Lord Ronald, then at Badminton. Her foal died almost as soon as born, as one other had already done before, but she thus caught the oyo of a good judge in tho Duke of Beaufort, who asked me about her, and bought her from me at Doncaster, in foal with Lord Stralhnairn, the only other living foal she has had until this season. A finertempered mare could not have been, always showing a great deal of West Australian sort about her—a Melbourne with quality.”

A GOOD GOAL KICKING RECORD.

Now that accurate goal kicking appears to bo at such a low ebb in this colony, the following record will be road with pleasure by everyone having tho interest of this imDortanl branch at heart. I refer to Mr Geo. Crisp, of the Sydney Club, whom I might rightly call tho champion goal kicker of this season's champion team. His record for Ibis your is fourteen goals out of bis team’s lorty-lhree goals, tho most impeltant performances being three against Newcastle City, and two against both East and West Sydney. Of the nine matches played by the Sydney team, Mr Crisp has scored in all but two. Last season, also, this player distinguished himself by scoring five goals against the Quoens'and representative team, and has for somo seasons past secured the highest aggregate for each year.

AN AUSTRALIAN TEAM FOR ENGLAND IN ISSS.

Positive information has been received, through the courtesy of Mr P. Sheridan, managing trustee of the Association Cricket (.■round, to the effect that another team of Australian cricketers will visit England during the summer ofISSS. This, the sixth combination, promises, it the names of those mentioned prove correct, to be one of the strongest that has been got together. Mr P. S. M’Oonnell, the dashing hitter, who captained the combined Australia sides against Shaw’s team last season, will act as captain. Prom the following summary it will be soon at a glance that a splendid all-round side has been selected ; I>. S. M‘ Donnell, N.S.W. (captain), 1880, 1382, 13*1. K. Allan, N.S.AVA. llannerni.nl, X,S.W„ IS7S, ISSO,ISS2, 18S1. J. Jl'C. Hl.ickh.nu, V., 1878, ISSO, 1882, 1831, laid. tl. F. Hoyle, V., 1878, 1880, 1882, 1884. I, !'-ais. VS.W. T- Oar-,-11. X.S.W., IS7S. ISS2, ISS6. (I (lill'i'ii. ."i, A., 1882,1384.1880. \V. tlilln.i. S A. J-'lo. trri.SA. M. V. Jones, N.H.W., 1.532,1886. . <;. 1,. Lyons, S.A. f Jl. Ml, SOS, N.S.W. (I. !•;. Palmar, V., ISBO, 1832, ISSI, JSSG. !>'. K. IspulTarlli. V., 1878, 1880, 1882, 1884, 1880. C. T. Turner, N.S.W. ( \V, Ileal. N.S.W., 1882. X i in' tiym cs following the names indicate j'vars in which the players have visited Jing-