The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-07-18 00:00:00

THE WIMBLEDON MEETING.

"An infernally all-over-the-shop sort of day" was
a marksman's criticism of the opening day of the
Wimbledon meeting of 1885, and his definition is one
that it would be hard to improve on. The first half-
hour or so after the third gun had signalled the com-
mencement of firing was all that could have been
desired, the light being soft, yet bright, and the wind
blowing softly from the north-west. As the sun rose
in the lie.vens, however, matters began to alter for
the worse. The wind, without attaining any very
high velocity, began to develope that fish-tailed forki-
ness which is so aggravating to the marksman, and to
blow in gusts, alternated by deceptive intervals of
calm. The effect of some of those ravines which
play the part of air gutters and generate b94ling
currents also began to be felt, and as the sun
shone out strongly that peculiar optical illusion
known as the mirage asserted itself. The Wimbledon
range are famous for "their tricks and manners,"
and many of those coming up to shoot at them are
apt to be sorely baffled by these local peculiarities.
Men who have been making magnificent scores at
their local ranges are not above admitting ,that they
find it quite impossible to keep up their average
darinc, the first few days at Wimbledon, and that it
is not nntil the meeting is drawing to a close that
they hays thoroughly recovered their form. Under
these circumstances exceptionally tall scoring was not
to be looked for during the major part of Monday,
whilst, on the other hend, the average was decidedly
better than on some of those very wet and windy days
with which the meeting is at times favoured. Matters
did not mend to any very great extent during the
afternoon, the wind being tricky and the mirage
troublesome from half-past three up to five o'clock,
after which things took a turn for the better.
The common and ranges presented their old
familiar features. There was the same thro.9g of
marksmen in every variety of unifoi'm and shooting
costame, clustering as thickly as a swarm of bees
about the firing points of the pool targets, and bent
upon a few experimental shots to test whether their
eye had lost any of its accuracy or their trigger-
finger its cunning since last they glanced along the
sights at Wimbledon. There .were the same steady
streams of goers and comers to or from the ranges at
the farther end of the common, at which the compe-
tition for the 325 prizes, classified under the head of
the Alexandra, was in progress. This being the all-
corners competition, and being also included in the
grand and all-corners' aggregates, secures a large num-
ber of entries. There were the smart gallopers of the
15th Hussars dashing backwards and forwards
between the firing points and the blue-bloused
boys prowling amongst the prone competitors and deftly
harpooning the stray papers that had served to envelope
packets of cartridges. There were the white-Jacketed
fatigue parties of Marines " trekking " the ammuni-
tion carts across tilt; common, and the " Wharncliffe "
rattling along the, tramway with its train of closely-
packed cars behind. Visitors were co-nparatively
few, and were indeed lost in the number of those on
serious and shooting thoughts intent who mustered so
strongly all along the line.
On the first day in the contest for the Humphrey,
Challenge Cup, Oxford obtained a victory over Cam-
bridge by 42 points, the scores being 706 and 602 re-
spectively. For the Alexandra, Corporal Loach, Ist
Notts, and Private Kydd, 2nd Forfar, each made 64.
The first prize in the Kynoch was won by Private
Yates, Ist Edinburgh. _ _

Firing in the first stage of the Queen's Prize com-
menced on Tuesday at Wimbledon, the average of
scor:ng being high. The competition for the Alfred
was concluded, but the result was not officially issued.
The first prize in the Alexandra has been taken by
Corporal Loach, Ist Notts, and the second by Private
Kydd, 2nd Forfar.