The San Francisco call., 1896-06-16
TWO nJIMS" IN THE
HANDBALL COURT.
Corbett Defeats the Pride
of the Occidental
Club.
j. NEALON'S WATERLOO
He Falls an Easy Victim to
the Champion Among
PugiliStS.
BEST TWO GAMES IN THREE.
Hampton, the Coasts Best Man, Was
Also Defeated Two Exciting
Games in Four.
BEST TWO GAMES IN THREE.

James c. Nealon, the "pet" of the Occl-
dental Handball Club, and one OF the best
players of that exciting game on this
coast, had a few tail feathers plucked out
of him Sunday by James ]. Corbett, the
champion pugilist of the world.
To say that Neslon is crestfallen would
be putting it lightly. He is actually,
though unreasonably, humiliated.
Corbett does not profess to be hand
ball player, and he INDUCES in that sport
only for exercise preparatory to his conf
ing match with Tom Sharkey.
He usually devotes an hour or so each
morning between sparring with his train
ers and punching the bag to chasing the
small and hard handball. Already he has
met nearly every man in the Olympic Club
who knows anything OF the game, and
when he learned that his old friend, James
Nealon, was a master in that line he
eagerly accepted def to meet him.
Nealon rode downtown early on q
Hayes-street car and passing the residence
of P. J. Corbett, Champion Jim's father,
he saw the old gentleman on the side
walk.
Come along with usr' he shouted.
"Come along, Mr.. Corbett. Jim and L are
going to have game of handball.'
Mr. Corbett shook his head and Nealon
turned to his friend and fellow w-balItosser,
Jack Bonnet, saying:
"The old gentleman don't want to see
me do Jim up"
Il didn't like very much to hear myself
talk" Champion Jim said yesterday after
noon, "but Nealon did string me out in
great shape. l was afraid to open my
mouth, he seemed to know he had things
so much his own way. But l stuck to him
and at the end of the first game, although
he beat me by a score OF Is to 81, l saw
could get away with him in the best two
out of three.
ooh but didn't begin to string him,
thought L felt I had him going and you
bet l made him suffer for the hammering
he gave me at the start.
Jim Nealon is a very fast and good
player, I'll admit, but managed to out
last him ali right.
''In the second game he only scored
twelve and in the thIrd he only scored
fourteen points to my twenty-one. How
is that for my friend Nealon who wanted
the old man to come and see him wipe the
court up with me?'
OF course, something was wrong with
James Neaion, the Occidental Clubs
crackerjack. The ball was shade too
soft or a trife too hard. He mas not yet
declared himself which as yet, but in the
challenge he intends soon to issue for 2
return match his ideas will be made clear.
Yesterday morning Jim Corbett played
a tie match two to two, against Albert
Hampton, the amateur champion hand
ball player OF the State.
The games took place in the Olympic
Club court, Hampton winning the first
two and losing the two last" said Corbett
al had Hampton plumb tired out when
we quit, and l actually think 1 could have
beaten him in the fifth game, but l felt
I'd tire myself too much and would get nc
benefit out of my boxing bouts.
81 will confess, on the quiet, that [ did
play a little dirty BALI against Hampton
in the last game. He's as lively as cat
and l told him he could not expect me to
keep out of his way all the time" A,
Corbett related this he laughed heartily
illustrating how he doubled himself up a.
times so as to force Hampton 20 rur
around him.
Hampton is dandy player" the cham
pion continued, "and / want to have
some more games with him. I promise
I'll play good ball. But sure with Nealor
Iplayed nice, clean ball, and 1 beat him
on my merits"