The date of the dual games between Andover and Worcester Academies has been definitely set for next Saturday, and the arrangements have been put in charge of Colonel Sam Winslow, who was Captain of the champion Harvard nine of 1885. These games, which were spoken of in greater detail in this Department last week, will take place in Worcester on the same day the Western Massachusetts I.S.A.A. will hold its annual track and field meeting on Pratt Field, Amherst. From the interest already manifest the latter should be the most interesting and profitable sports ever held in that section. Monson Academy has won the championship for the past three years, but the other schools of the League have now determined to make a desperate effort to change the established order of things. My opinion is that they will succeed, and that the pennant will go either to Chicopee or to Springfield. It will be no walk over in any case, for the Amherst, Westfield, and Holyoke High-schools have strong men, and will make a good showing both on the track and in the field.
The 100-yard dash has always been a hard-fought race, and this year it will be closer than ever. E. J. Murphy, of Springfield H.-S., will probably win, however, with Schute of Westfield second, and Phillips of Monson third. The same men will dispute the places in the 220. Kennedy of Springfield H.-S. ought to take the quarter, although he will not, by any means, have an easy victory, for Schute, in spite of his many previous heats in the dashes, will run hard. Thayer of Holyoke is a pretty sure winner in the half-mile. In practice he has covered the distance in 2.07, and I feel confident that he can do better in public. Christy of Monson is the best man for the mile. Last year he ran in 4 min. 38 sec. on time, but injured his ankle just previous to the I.S.A.A. meeting, and then covered the distance in 4 min. 55 sec. Shea of Chicopee H.-S. has covered 19 feet in broad jumping, and ought to win that event Saturday. Scott of Westfield H.-S. will take the high jump, and ought to clear at a good figure, as he did 5 ft. 7-1/2 in. in-doors last winter. The pole vault will furnish a hot struggle between Smith of Springfield H.-S., Bryant of Chicopee H.-S., Austin of Monson Academy, and Scott. The winner will have to go 10 feet, and I should not wonder if the best performance even exceeded that mark.
The Western Massachusetts Association, in addition to a one-mile bicycle race, has a half-mile event for the wheelmen, and Elmer of Chicopee H.-S. is expected to finish first in both of these. Sullivan of Holyoke H.-S. and Pike of Springfield H.-S. will get places. In the hurdles, Phillips of Monson and Baker of Amherst are about even, and their race will be as exciting a contest as the day will afford. They will be closely pushed by Barry of Chicopee H.-S. and Stiler of Westfield H.-S., both of whom are strong runners and clever at clearing the sticks. In the weight events the Monson men will try to maintain the record they established by winning first place in both for the past five years. Austin has put the shot nearly 35 ft., and may do better, but he will have formidable rivals in O'Connor of Holyoke H.-S., Spence of Chicopee H.-S., and Winslow of Amherst H.-S., all of whom can do better than 30 ft. But Chisem will, beyond a doubt, take the hammer event, with O'Connor second, and Bush of Westfield H.-S. third.
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY BASEBALL NINE.
The championship of the Pennsylvania Inter-academic Baseball League was decided on Friday, May 24th, when Germantown Academy defeated the Cheltenham Military Academy nine at Stenton. This is the second consecutive time that the Germantown team has taken the pennant with a clean record of victories, and this last victory of theirs is all the more creditable because of the strength of the opposing team. The feature of the players' work the past season has been the pitching and batting of McCarty, the fielding of Captain Sharpe at short-stop, and the strong batting of the entire nine. All their victories have been won by heavy hitting at opportune moments. On Friday especially McCarty distinguished himself. In addition to making three hits that were factors in the victory, he struck out fifteen of the Cheltenham batters. Lamberton, who was in the box for the soldiers, also pitched a good game, but he was so poorly supported at times that his work did not count for much.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic championship having been settled, there now remains the New England championship, the decisive game of which will be played in Boston on Friday, and the Inter-City championship of the N.Y. and Long Island I.S.B.B. Associations, which will be decided at Eastern Park on Saturday.