Evening star., 1896-01-27
The Whist Match With the Balti-
more Club Team.
IT WAS A MOST EXCITING CONTEST
First One Then the Other Side
Was Ahead.
GENERAL sPORTINa NoT :

The twenty-third match for the trophy of
the American Whist League, which was
played at the club house of the Capital
Bicycle Club Saturday, was won by the Bal
timore Whist Club by four tricks.
The match consisted of forty-eight
boards, divided into two halves of twenty
four boards each. Play began at 2:3O, and
the first half was not finished until 1880.
Then adjournment was taken for dinner,
and play was resumed at S:45, and the
match was not completed until 1:4O The
match was played in twelve rounds of four
boards each. In each round two boards
were played at one table, at which were
opposed two Baltimore and two Washing
ton players, and at another table were two
other Baltimore and two other Washington
players playing the hands Of the two other
boards of the round. AS soon as each table
had played two boards of a round, the
boards were exchanged, and the two boards
played at one table were then played at
the other table by different quartet of
players, and the hands that Washington
players had at one table were held by Bal
t:more players at the other table, and vice
versa. By this means comparisons or the
play and everyday were made every four
hands, and it could be determined which
club was gaining or losing as the match
progressed. In order to bring about as
the pairs of the home club were changed
| every fourth board, and those of the WIS.,
| itors every eighth board.
Capitals Started In the Lead.
The Capital Bicycle Club started in the
lead, having gained two tricks III the first
round. In the next round the Capitals
gained one trick and the Baltimores two.
reducing the lead to one trick. Then ths
Baltimores gained three. tricks to one for
the local club. and took the lead by one
| trick. The fourth round showed gains of
! three singles for the c. b. C's against one
| for the Baltimores, and again they led by
| one trick. The visitors gained double in
the next round against none for the home
| club, which put them one ahead.
In the closing round of the first
half the Baltimores gained a treble, and
| the Capitals a single and double. The
| first half thus closed with the Baltimores
| one ahead. Up to this point 1T was as
pretty a contest as one would want to see.
In the first round Of the second half Bal
t!more gained a single trick, putting them
| two ahead. In the following round the
| Capitals gained double and single to q
| s;rgle for the visitors, and the score was a
| tie and two-thrdS of the match played.
| Then the play of the Washingtons fell off
| the Baltimores gaining three in the next
round and two more in the following one
| which placed them five ahead. This lead
| was reduced one trick in the next round
and In the final round the gains were even
| Good Work of the Orioles.
The Baltimore team played a strong
game. 1t is especially proud of it's SUCCESS
| for the reason that last week the c. Bi. C.'s
| defeated the noted Hamilton Club. The
home club cid not play with the same
| spirit that it did the week previously in the
| match with the Hamilton Club, and after
| the match members of the team pointed
out several places where they missed op-
| portunities.
The Baltimore Whist Club has previously
| proven q stumbling block to the Capital
| Bicycle Club. Last winter, In contests CT
! lights, each club won match, but in the
| Philadelphia League meeting in the year
1894 the Baltimores defeated the Capitals.
| The referee of the occasion was Mr.. A
| G. Stafford, a director of the American
| Whist League, and one of the leading au-
| thorities on whist in the country. He said
that the Saturday match was the closest he
had any recollection of. first one side be-
| Ing one ahead and then the other.
| The teams were as follows: Baltimore
! Thomas A. Whelan captain; A. II. Mckay
e. H. Bouton and B. w. Smith. C. Bi. c.
| H. N. Low, captain; D. j. Karr, C. M Bar
rick and Lindley Fogg.
| Play by Boards.
| The gains in tricks by boards were Is
| follows.