Part 12

The brief series of Christmas Shows which begin at Norwich, are continued at Birmingham and Edinburgh, and terminate at Islington, have not presented any feature of very special importance, but the interest in them has been well maintained and the quality of the exhibits up to the average. The Norwich Show has for many years been the first, and it is always a very pleasant one, though it would be still more so if the final phase of the judging, when the champion prizes are awarded, was not unduly prolonged, a number of visitors being obliged to leave the Hall to catch their trains before the prizes have been allotted. The exhibitors included, as usual, His Majesty the King, who sent several entries of cattle from Sandringham with which he was moderately successful, and two or three pens of Southdowns, with one of which he won the championship for the best pen of sheep in the Show. This same pen of Southdowns, it may be added, went on to Birmingham, and, after winning first prize in its class, was given the reserve number for the championship, the actual winners being a pen of Hampshire Down lambs from the flock of Mr. James Flower, who is almost invincible with this breed. But the rubber game had to be played at Islington, and the King’s Southdowns came victorious out of the contest, for they were first in their class, first for the cup given to the best of the breed, first for the champion plate given to the best pen of short-woolled sheep, and finally took the Prince of Wales’ challenge cup for the best pen of sheep in the whole Show. As His Majesty won this cup last year with another pen of Southdowns, it has now become his absolute property.

To revert to the Norwich Show, in the contest for the champion prize for cattle the issue was narrowed down to Mr. E. T. Learner’s cross-bred (Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus) heifer Luxury and one of the many good animals which Mr. R. W. Hudson sent from Danesfield. The verdict was given in favour of Mr. Learner’s cross-bred. Mr. Learner’s heifer and Mr. Hudson’s exhibit both went on to Birmingham, where, by the way, the Norwich judgment was reversed, Mr. Hudson’s beast being greatly admired for its admirable quality. The Norwich Show always has three or four classes for the red-polled breeds, and the competition is not altogether confined to the Eastern counties, for Sir Walter Corbet generally sends some of his Shropshire herd, and he did so with marked success on the present occasion, his principal opponent being Lord Amherst of Hackney.

Not a few of the Norwich exhibits went on to Birmingham, where the Show opened, as usual, on the Saturday week following Norwich, that is to say, on November 25th, and there was a notable gathering of Midland agriculturists, though Lord Bradford, the President for the year, was not well enough to attend, while by a melancholy coincidence the late President, Sir Henry Wiggin, had died a few days before the Show. The most salient feature of the Birmingham Show was the unbroken success of His Majesty the King, who sent from Windsor ten entries of Herefords, Shorthorns, and Devons, and won with them four first prizes, a second, and two thirds, while in addition to this he was awarded three special prizes for the best of each breed, and the President’s prize of £25 for the best of the exhibits in the cattle classes. After all these awards had been made the contest for the three challenge cups began, being presented by Messrs. Elkington, Thorley, and Webb, for the best animal in the Show; but while the Elkington challenge up has no restriction as to breeder, it is stipulated in the conditions of the two others that they shall be given to animals which have not passed out of their breeders’ hands. This did not prove any obstacle to the King winning all three, for he makes it a rule to exhibit only home-bred stock, so that the Hereford steer, the Shorthorn heifer, and the Devon steer, which had each been proclaimed the best of its breed, were all three in the ring to compete for these valued trophies. They had to meet two or three very fine specimens of the Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn cross-breds, exhibited by Mr. R. W. Hudson and by Mr. Learner, to which reference has already been made in connection with the Norwich Show. The judges, however, gave the preference to the King’s trio, and, after eliminating the Devon, they dwelt for a long time between the two others, their ultimate decision being in favour of the Hereford steer, which scaled nearly 18 cwt., and was preferred to the Shorthorn heifer. Thus the King won all that was possible in the cattle section at Bingley Hall.

While it was in progress the Scottish National Show was being held in Edinburgh, and the principal winner there was a heifer of the Aberdeen-Angus breed, which, as will be seen below, not only carried all before her at Edinburgh, but followed up this by winning the Championship at Islington. This heifer, bred, and still owned, by Colonel McInroy, C.B., of the Burn, Edzell, has a remarkable record, and at the age of two years nine months her live weight was just over 16 cwt., which for an Aberdeen-Angus is very good. Burn Bellona, as this heifer was called, was much admired at Edinburgh, but it was scarcely to be expected that she would secure so complete a triumph at Islington, especially with such a strong opposition to face as she had in the Norwich and Birmingham champions, to say nothing of the King’s other representatives. His Majesty, strongly as he has been represented on previous occasions, has never had so many entries at Islington as this winter, he having sent nineteen head of cattle, sheep, and pigs from Sandringham, several cattle from Windsor, two of Aberdeen-Angus from Ballater. It was generally expected that His Majesty would follow up his Bingley Hall triumph, an impression which was strengthened when it was seen that the Hereford and the Shorthorn had won the Cup as the best of their breeds. These prizes had been won before the arrival of the King, who had, at considerable personal inconvenience, arranged, upon the eve of a political crisis, to come up and see the Show. His Majesty was received on his arrival from Sandringham, shortly before three o’clock, by Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, Lord Tredegar, the President of the Smithfield Club, Sir Walter Gilbey, Chairman of the Royal Agricultural Hall Company, the Earl of Coventry, Sir R. Nigel Kingscote, and Sir John Swinburne, and he paid a visit to the avenues in which the Devons, Herefords, and Shorthorns were placed, these being the classes in which his most successful exhibits were located. After he had inspected them, his pens of Southdown sheep, one of which had already been awarded the Championship, were brought out for the King to see, and not the least interesting feature of his visit was the presentation of some of the New Zealand football players, who had been invited to lunch by the Council of the Smithfield Club, and who could scarcely have anticipated being accorded such an honour. His Majesty’s engagements did not admit of his remaining to see the championship for cattle decided, the judges having been so much retarded by the even quality of the competitors, and had he been able to stay, he would not have had the satisfaction of witnessing a repetition of the Birmingham triumph, as the Hereford steer and the Shorthorn heifer were both beaten by Colonel McInroy’s Aberdeen-Angus heifer referred to above. Moreover, the Hereford steer, which had been placed in front of the Shorthorn heifer, had lost flesh a trifle since Birmingham, and their respective positions were reversed, the Shorthorn heifer being the “runner up.”

There was a general meeting of the Club on Tuesday, when Lord Tredegar, whose elevation in the peerage will give general satisfaction, took the chair for the last time, and will be succeeded by the Prince of Wales, whose term of office now begins, so that all bodes well for the Smithfield Club Show in 1906.

SPORT AT THE UNIVERSITIES.

Unlike wild partridges after their flight, it does not take Light and Dark Blue athletes long to settle down. Reinforced by an exceptionally smart lot of all-round Freshmen, they got to work betimes this year, and with admirable results. Rarely, if ever, have the respective prospects been so rosy in most departments of sport at this stage. And October Term, 1905, will long be remembered for the many fresh records accomplished during the preliminary and (so to speak) educational period of preparation and practice. “Wet-bobs” on both rivers have been very busy. Magdalen (Oxford) and Third Trinity (Cambridge) carried off the Coxwainless Fours, the last-named “for the sixth successive year”—a record, by the way. They won with great ease, but Magdalen only just snatched the Oxford race from New College, after a magnificent finish. Racing on the Cam for the Colquhoun Sculls was of the sensational order. In heat 1, President R. V. Powell (Eton and Third Trinity) won with great ease in the grand time of 7 min. 49 sec., or eight seconds better than R. H. Nelson’s 1902 record. D. C. Stuart (Cheltenham and Trinity Hall) qualified to meet him in the final, and the well-known L. R. C. man only succumbed by one second in the truly marvellous time of 7 min. 46 sec. This record is likely to stand for many a long year. Both the Trial Eights races were rowed on December 3rd, the Dark Blues’ at Moulsford, and the Light Blues’ at Ely. H. C. Bucknall’s crew had an easy victory on the Thames, and Lewis’s crew even an easier on the Ouse, but, individually, some promising work was shown. It is probable that Messrs. Kirby, Illingworth, Wilson, Arbuthnot (Oxford), and Cochrane, Donaldson, Lewis, Shimwell (Cambridge), will receive ample trial for the representative eights early in the new year. As several Old Blues and Seniors otherwise are also available this year, a stubborn fight is thus early anticipated for either March 31st or April 7th.

Athletes proper have been equally busy. The Oxford Freshmen’s Sports unearthed some promising talent in Messrs. Lloyd (Ramsgate), Stevens (an American Rhodes Scholar), Hallowes (a distance runner above the average), Doorly (another Rhodes Scholar, high jumper), and Darling (the Old Winchester quarter-miler). On the whole the performances were fully average, as proved later by the L.A.C. _v._ O.U.A.C. meeting result. The Dark Blues won by the odd event, despite the fact that they were mainly represented by junior men. As President Cornwallis will be assisted by numerous Old Blues in the spring, he ought to put a strong team against Cambridge on March 30th or April 6th. The Cambridge Freshmens’ performances _in toto_ were hardly so good, but Messrs. Halliday (Harrow), K. G. Macleod (Fettes), Horfield (Harrow), and Just (St. Paul’s), all shone out individually. Some of the Old Blues have already been giving a foretaste of later quality. R. P. Crabbe (Corpus) created a new half-mile record for Fenner’s ground by running that distance in the splendid time of 1 min. 56½ sec. on November 15th. Other fine performances have been done with the hammer, at long-jumping and distance running. On November 29th, F. M. Edwards (Queen’s) won the Sidney College Strangers’ Three Miles Race in 14 min. 42⅖ sec., or only four seconds outside H. W. Gregson’s record. The Trinity College _v._ Racing Club de France International meeting at Fenner’s was won by the Light Blues by 6 events to 3. For the Collegians, Messrs. Welsh, Just, Ryle, and the Hon. G. W. Lyttelton did best. The latter’s “put” of 38 ft. 5½ in. was exceptional for this early stage of the season. Messrs. Soalhat, Molinie, and De Fleurac showed fine form for the Frenchmen, who, by the way, were not at full strength.

Two Inter-’Varsity contests have been decided before Christmas, as usual, _i.e._, the cross-country race at Roehampton on December 9th, and the Rugby football match at Queen’s Club three days later. As generally expected, the Cantabs excelled at hare and hounds work, winning by 23 points to 32. A. H. Pearson (Westminster and Cambridge) finished first, and in the grand time of 41 min. 11 sec., which creates another record. The previous best was A. R. Churchill’s 42 min. 17⅕ sec. last year. Although beaten, the Oxonians made a big fight of it, and F. O. Huyshe, their captain, gets his full Blue for finishing in the first three, an honour also attained by Pearson (Cambridge). The cross-country records now read: Cambridge, 16 wins; Oxford, 10 wins. Cambridge were very strong favourites for the Rugby football match, many critics anticipating a record score for them. In the result, however, Oxford put their detractors to the blush by holding their own splendidly from start to finish. The Light Blues won by 15 points (3 goals) to 13 points (2 goals and 1 try)—merely a matter of place-kicking as will be seen. It was a most interesting game, full of incident, surprise, and fluctuating fortune, in which the Oxford forwards were always in evidence. They beat their heavier Cambridge rivals fairly and squarely, and at half-back, too, the Oxonians were the smarter. The Cantab “threes” line was vastly superior, but rarely did they get the upper hand, thanks to excellent generalship by “Captain” Munro (Oxford) who, personally, was a class by himself. So far, Oxford claim 13 wins in these matches, Cambridge 12, and there have been 8 drawn games. The records of the two clubs after the match read:—

│ │ For. │ Against. ───────────┼───────────────────────┼─────────────────┼───────────────── │ P. W. L. D. │ G. T. P. │ G. T. P. Oxford │ 14 5 9 0 │ 24 18 179 │ 30 27 229 Cambridge │ 15 8 7 0 │ 40 23 271 │ 20 17 150

These emphatically show that records of any sort are “a slender plank to lean upon”—as Sterne has it.

Appreciable progress has also been made at Association football, golf, hockey, boxing and fencing, billiards, lacrosse, &c. Space will not permit detailed comment, but, so far, Oxford appear stronger at “Soccer” football, billiards and fencing. Both Universities are strong in boxers this year, and Cambridge appear smarter at golf, in particular, and lacrosse. As at present arranged, the dates of next term’s Inter-’Varsity contests read thus: Association football, at Queen’s Club, February 17th; Hockey match, at Surbiton, February 21st; Lacrosse match, at Lord’s, March 3rd; Sports, at Queen’s Club, March 30th or April 6th; and Boat Race, from Putney to Mortlake, March 31st or April 7th. Of all-round progress I hope to chat with readers of Baily later. As in the last, so in the present ministry, many ex-’Varsity athletes of renown find place, notably Sir Robert Reid, the new Lord Chancellor. Other prominent University athletes have been honoured by the King in various ways, and everybody congratulates Mr. W. H. Grenfell, M.P.—the modern Admirable Crichton of Sport—upon his accession to the peerage. Alas! that it should be so, one has also to extend the hearty sympathy of all University sportsmen to that fine old English gentleman and prince of good fellows, Mr. Albert Brassey, M.P., M.F.H., of the Heythrop Hounds, upon the death of his son. He was _persona grata_ at Oxford and Cambridge alike, and played polo _v._ the Light Blues at Hurlingham only last year. His death at Huntingdon came as a shock to hundreds of his friends who will mourn him long.

GOLF.

The course of the Royal St. George’s Club at Sandwich has been reconstructed on lines calculated to meet the new conditions brought about by the rubber-cored ball. Large tracts of new ground have been brought into requisition, and several of the holes have been greatly changed, though the first and last remain as of yore. It is expected that when next a championship meeting is held at Sandwich the scores will be higher than heretofore.

The congestion on the golf course at North Berwick is to be relieved by the creation of new links at the East end of the town. The ground has been gone over by James Braid and Bernard Sayers, who have laid out a course nearly 3½ miles in length. At present the ground is rough, but experts are agreed that it can be put into excellent condition for golf. If the new links prove a success, they will increase the popularity of North Berwick vastly, for at present there is great difficulty in getting a comfortable game.

The Batty Tuke Cup has been won this season by Edinburgh University, who playing at North Berwick defeated somewhat easily St. Andrew’s University. Each University has now won the Cup twice.

Andrew and Jack Kirkaldy, of St. Andrew’s, played a match over the old course at Gullane against Bernard and George Sayers, of North Berwick, and won by 8 up and 7 to play on the two rounds.

THE LONDON PLAYING FIELDS’ SOCIETY.

The London Playing Fields’ Society, which already possess permanent playing fields in the south-west, north-west and south-east of London, is endeavouring to secure a permanent playing field in the east, so that each district of London may have its own field. An opportunity now presents itself of acquiring forty acres of suitable land close to Fairlop Station, on the Great Eastern Railway. The sum of £6,000 is required for the purchase and laying out of the field, towards which the M.C.C. have promised £200 and a member of the Society has offered £1,000. An appeal is now being issued for the balance of the sum required. The scheme is being warmly supported by many influential men, and the G.E.R. has already consented to make a reduction in fares for cricketers and football players using the ground when it is completed.

“THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER” AT THE COMEDY THEATRE.

Mr. Huntley Wright has so often made us happy and merry in his studies of musical comedy, under the banner of Mr. George Edwardes, that it was with feelings of deep interest that we went to see him play unmusically at the Comedy Theatre.

“The Little Father of the Wilderness,” a comedy in one act by Messrs. Lloyd Osbourne and Austin Strong, presents Mr. Huntley Wright as Père Marlotte, a Jesuit priest of the period of Louis Quinze. He has done enormously good work as a missionary in North America, and has been summoned to the Court of the flippant monarch in connection, as he presumes, with the work of his life. It turned out otherwise, however, and to his sorrowful amazement, the Little Father finds that his presence at Court is only commanded in order that he may decide a bet of the merry monarch as to the height of the Falls of Niagara. The heart-broken little priest is disappearing from the Court for ever, but for the sudden appearance of a most important Canadian dignitary, who recognises in the priest “The Little Father of the Wilderness,” and explains to the King some of the wonderful services that Père Marlotte has rendered to the world.

The sketch closes with Père Marlotte, momentarily translated to the See of Toulouse, blessing the entire company, including the King. Mr. Huntley Wright is extremely good as the Little Father, and it would be very difficult to find another part less like those in which we have been accustomed to see him at Daly’s Theatre.

Of “The Mountain Climber” we have not much to say, but all that we have to say is in praise of the performance. Any one in search of a hearty laugh should go to the Comedy Theatre “again and again and again”; for Miss Lottie Venne is playing there, and she is always worth taking a lot of pains to see, and in this production she has much to answer for. Mr. Huntley Wright as the spurious “Mountain Climber” is most actively amusing, and a great source of laughter throughout the play; but to some of us his acrobatic antics, expressive of mental distress, become somewhat upsetting, and one could have half wished that a rest-cure could have been instituted for this too highly strung hero. Mr. Wright is always funny, and we have no doubt but that a short experience of what we suppose we must style _un_musical comedy will bring him to a stage of less restlessness. At any rate, even if the entertainment is now just the same as it was upon the first night, we can confidently recommend it to readers of BAILY as a most amusing entertainment. And we have been told it is better than that!

“MR. POPPLE (OF IPPLETON)” AT THE APOLLO THEATRE.

Mr. Paul Rubens is a young gentleman of proved ability, and he has accomplished a feat of exceptional difficulty: he has produced a new and original comedy with music, in three acts, written and composed entirely by himself. That is a feat, but it need not be exceptional—the exceptional part of Mr. Paul Ruben’s performance is that his comedy is drawing crowded houses at every performance, and competition for stalls is quite fierce.

Mr. Popple is none other than our valued friend Mr. G. P. Huntley, very much at home in clothes of country cut and material, with fine pocket accommodation for apples and such country produce; in fact, at the finish of the play we are disappointed that he has not produced a ferret from some pocket. Mr. Popple is at home in his ulster and travelling cap, but he is certainly not at home either at the Hotel Blitz, Piccadilly, nor at the flat in Fount Street, kindly lent to him by an eminent actress, La Bolero, played by the charming Miss Ethel Irving.

And here is another important factor which makes for success, and much of the popularity of the production could be traced to the personality and charming singing of Miss Irving. Moreover, Miss Marie Illington is here with that artistic method of hers which gives point to any lines she has to speak. Miss Coralie Blythe also is good as the maid to La Bolero, and in the scene at the Motor Carnival scores a success with a song about “Bah! said the Black Sheep.”

There is a definite story running through the piece, and there are some tuneful musical numbers of the Rubens school. Probably the majority of the admirers of the author-composer would prefer more of his composition, without there being less of his authorship, if such a consummation could be arrived at. But at all events, so long as Freddy Popple is none other than Mr. G. P. Huntley, we fancy that his stay in town is likely to be a prolonged one. And probably by the time he is able to return to Ippleton he will find an improved train service, which will do away with that tiresome change of trains at East Wobsley.

Well done, Mr. Huntley, and well done, Mr. Rubens.

Sporting Intelligence. [During November—December, 1905.]

We regret to record the death, from heart disease, of Mr. Harvey Combe, which occurred on November 27th. On the death of his father, Mr. R. H. Combe, the deceased took his colours and had since kept some horses in training. Mr. Combe was only 44 years of age.

The sad accident which happened to Mr. Ralph A. Brassey whilst riding Carrigdown at the Cambridge University Steeplechases, on November 28th, we regret to say terminated fatally on the morning of December 4th, at the Huntingdon Hospital, the unfortunate young gentleman never having recovered consciousness. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Brassey, and was only 22 years of age, whilst he had been four years at New College, Oxford. The deceased was Master of the University Draghounds, and in other branches of outdoor sports and pastimes was more or less prominent, indeed, he for the two past years represented his University against Cambridge in the polo matches.

The Ystrad and Pentyrch Hounds had a marvellous escape on November 28th. While crossing the Great Western Railway an express train dashed into the pack, but fortunately only one hound out of seventeen couples was killed.