The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-29
HANDBALL.
LaWlor viii Leave for Ireland to
Play Champion Fitzgerald.


According to letter received by prom
inent athlete from John Lawlor, the great
championship game will certainly take
place in Ireland. Ali arrangements for
this much-talked-of match between Lawlor
and Fitzgerald have been made and for
felt has been posted by the players, which
is guarantee of their good intentions.
Lawlor will sail from New York on July 4,
accom- panied by his wife and family, also
his brother and some friends. he will
train at the Patrick-street court, Dublin,
and, as Fitzgerald is the champion of Ire
land and a most wonderful player Lawlor
has big contract on hand. Lawlor's rec
ord is as follows:
A Pennsylvania by birth, but reared at Dub
lin, Ireland arriving there when only 2
years of age. Lawlor is 35 years old, stands
8 feet TX inches and weighs in form 135
pounds. He is man of extraordinary stamina,
hard-hlthng qualities and activity. His move
ments are not by any means graceful, but he
has the get-there quality, and, in his own
He won the championship of Ireland in 1885
by defeating David Browning of Limerick, the
match being the best of 81 games. 81 aces.
In 1886, at q tournament given by the Cork
Randball Club, Lawlor won first prize by de-
feating the following players: Tobin, O'Leary,
Browning, Macroon of Fermoy, and O'Herilhy
OF Cork.
Next came his international match with
Casey for $1,000 side, the best of 81 games,
| 10 in Cork and IL in Brooklyn. The first
August 4, 1887, Lawlor winning games to 4,
scoring 166 aces against 125. The remaining
part was played at the Brooklyn Handball
Clubs court on November 20, 1887, Casey
winning straight games and match. Since
his arrival in this country Lawlor has played a
lew important matches. He and John De-
laney played William Courtney and John NAL
colin at the Brooklyn Handball Clubs court
| on April 9, 1890. for a medal, value $50
The match was a stubborn one throughout,
hat, a.
and last game Lawter and Delaney stood 20 to
| 3. Courtney then went to serve and won the
deciding game In January, 1891, John Grady
| OF Brooklyn challenged him to a series Of
| fifteen games, Grady to receive ten aces each
game, for 800. The first part of the contest
took place at Courtney's court, Brooklyn, Law
lor winning five out of the first seven games.
Two weeks later, at Casey's court, he wound up
| by winning the first second and fourth games
and match. The browning event of Lawlor's
| Brooklyn's champion, William Courtney. The
match consisted OF the best in eleven games of
twenty-one aces, Courtney to receive ten aces
handicap. The match was looked upon by the
best judges as sure thing for Courtney.
The contest took place at Caseys court June
7, 1891, for 500 aside. Courtney won the first
four games, Lawlor the fifth, 81 to 10; the
sixth, 81 to I6, and the seventh, 81 to IS;
Lawlor running the game from ID out. 1t was
| then seen that the wonderful stamina of Law
| lor was asserting itself, he being in as good
condition as at the commencement, while
Courtney was weak but game. Lawlor won the
| eighth game, 81 to IA, Courtney only scoring
four aces, and the ninth, 81 to 10, which only
took two hands to decide, as Courtney failed to
score. The surprise of the match was the tenth
game, which was won by Courtney after the
hardest struggle ever seen in any court This
evened matters
Each man had now won four games. Lawler
had the privilege of using his own ball, and he
ran the game out in the fourth hand, Courtney
only scoring three aces besides his handicap
Score: 21-13. The result placed Lawlor
on equal footing with Casey and q Western
match was looked for; but, Lavlor's hacker
having died in the meantime, negotiations fell
through.
When John Jones, champion OF Australia,
arrived in New York Lawlor challenged any
player in the world, stating that the three
champions were now in New York and that it
would be good time to decide who was cham
| pion of champions. The climate did not agree
! with Jones, he being sick during his stay
there, and ne could not get in condition to
| play. Lawlor then turned to Casey and de-
manded return game; but Casey would not
play the old rule and Lawlor would not play
the new one, and SO matters stand up to the
present time.
As the match just made includes the cham
pfonship OF the world, Casey, II he desires to
hold 1T, must defeat the winner 1t must
not be forgotten that Jones, the Australian
champion, has an eye on the belt, and will
make 1T very interesting for the winner of the
present match, and as Phil Regain, his hacker,
has sent a challenge to Ireland by gentleman
OF this city, it is very likely that some very at
tractiye matches will be played here in the
near future.
Some very good games of handbali will
be played to-day in the San Francisco and
Union courts on Howard street.