Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-09
SOME CURIOUS CONTESTS
EVENTS ARRANGED BY sPORTSMEN
WITH LIVELY VACCINATIONS.
Duke of QueeEsberry Past Master in
Arranging Queer Trials of Skill
Novel Game of Golf.


At the beginning of last year an account
was published in of the sporting papers
of foot ball match on bicycles which took
place near Wolverhampton. The attempt to
revolutionize great winter game COM
pleteIy failed, owing to its many inherent
mpossibilities, but it was interesting as
showing a tendency of certain orders of
mind. There has always been a large num-
Der of so-called sportsmen who are never
content with recognized forms of sport.
They are perpetually on the lookout for
some bizarre contest. As a general rule
the more ridiculous the conditions under
which such contests take place the better
they are pleased. Any one who cares to
take the trouble to look through the files
of Bells Life can find ample evidence of
this for himself.
"OId Q'-the famous Duke of Queens
berry-had an extraordinary fertile imagi-
nation for weird and novel contests. Pass
ing a wheelwright's shop one day, he no
ticed one of the workmen trundhng big
wheel into the yard. The man was running
at good pace, and it Immediately occurred
to "Old O. that here was an opportunity
for, in the words of the modern penny
weekly, absolutely novel competition.
After some conversation with the wheel
wright he learned that could prob
ably run faster with a wheel than without
one, the Wneel no uOuDl dClIIlS DIS d soIl vi
pacemaker. Having obtained this valuable
piece of information, the duke promptly ar
ranged match between the wheelwright
and certain feet-footed barber of Oxford
street, and offered a very substantial prize
to the winner The conditions were that
the wheelwright should trundle one of the
back wheels of the dukes carriage, while
the barber, of course. should run unincum-
bered. Just before the match came off
the duke made the unpleasant discovery
that his nominee could only show his best
turn of speed with wheel a foot higher
than that of the dukes carriage. But "Old
O. wasn't TO be baffled by an obstacle of
this kind. He had sort of platform or
dais a foot high erected along the course
where the race was to be run. BY trund-
ling the carriage wheel along the top of
this dais while he himself ran on the ground
beside it, the wheelwright was no longer
handicapped and won the race easily. The
winner, by the way, must have been some
thing of an acrobat as well as a sprinter
to have balanced the wheel on a narrow
platform while travelling at full speed.
All true golfers must have read with pain
an account of the dastardly attempt which
was made two years ago to tamper with
the sacred game. In a most reprehenS,ble
spirit of levity two golfers, in July. 1893.
arranged match of which the conditions
were that one of them should go around
the links with the ordinary ball and clubs,
while the other should go round with bow
and arrow. The superior driving powers of
the bow and arrow won the day. AS a put
ter the bow proved cOntemptibly ineffect-
i've implement, but it amply compensated
for this inferiority by the certainty with
which 1t sent the arrow soaring over the
bunkers.
AS lawn tennis players are not nearly
such seriOus-minded race golfers, it is
only to be expected that lawn tennis should
suffer where even golf cannot escape. Tie
writer remembers seeing some ten years
ago weird contest between a most distin-
guished Irish lawn tennis player and an OPP
DOuent to whom under ordinary cfrp,In-
stances he could give enormous odds. On
this occasion, in lieu of the usual odds lie
undertook to play him with soda water
bottle instead of a racket. The match
proved infinitely more exciting to look at
than 1t appears on paper. The accuracy of
the wielder of the soda water bottle was
something extraordinary, and in the end he
Won fairiy easily. The experiment was also
interesting as showing the fmpossiblity of
handlcapping player of the highest class
ana nfth-rate performer. But though
this match had something to recommend it.
the same cannot be said of ridiculous cor
test which took place in the early days of
lawn tennis at Brighton. In this match one
OF the players rode a pony which was shod
with leather shoes for the occasion and is
said to have appeared to take personal in
terest in the affair, while his opponent. a
HE guardSman, was arrayed in the full
panopiy of the uniform of that corps in
best of five sets, and the mounted player
won by three sets to two, his opponent at
the end being absolutely exhausted
"A match which excited a considerable
amount of interest at the time was played
forty years ago between John Roberts
father of the present billiard champion, al d
an amateur who was a very fair PLAYER
Roberts played with an old umbrella in
stead OF cue, his opponent being equipped
IN the normal fashion. To appreciate fully
the difficulty of Roberts task let any one
try the experiment for himself. He will
be lucky II he can make the ball travel
even approximately in the direction which
he intends. Old Roberts. who, my the way,
lost the umbrella against cue match had
great fancy for similar experiments. 1t is
on record that when he met very inferior
player he would abjure the cue altogether
and play with his nose.
As an inventor of absurd contests, the late
Sir John Ashley was almost as distinguished
as the Duke of Queensberry. His great
forte was arranging races between animals
which nature had apparently made most
unsuitable for the purpose. When quarter
ed at windsor he instituted the only race
that ever took place between chickens. This
peculiar contest came about in the following
way: While on a visit to a friend near
windsor who kept hen run, Sir John
noticed how rapidly the chickens used to
scurry to their mother when food was
thrown to her. Here was the germ of an
idea for a good sporting match, and at mess
a few nights afterWard Sir John Astley
expounded to his brother officers his plans
for the great chicken race. He had bought
from farmer a hen and a brood Of chick
ems Each oHcer was to choose chicken
and mark II with ribbon so that he could
easily recognize it. The chickens were to
be placed about fifty yards away from their
mother and whichever of them reached her
first In answer to her cackle when food
was thrown to her was to be adjudged the
winner. Each officer paid a sovereign for
the privilege of entering chicken for this
extraordinary race, and the whole OF the
entrance money was to go to the officer
whose colors the winning chicken carried.
The Hen Derby came off In the barracks
at Windsor, and was witnessed by nearly
the whole brigade of guards. who Travelled
down specially from London. The race
was such success that 1t was arranged
to repeat It In the following week. 1t
might possibly have become a regular fix
ture. and racing stable of chickens been
added to the attractions at Windsor, II Sir
John Astley's chicken had not won on each
occasion with such consummate ease as to
create a suspicion among the other COM
petitors. 1t was then found that in both
races Sir John had selected sturdy young
cock, who was much too speedy for his