THE third amateur handicap of the season promoted by Mr. W. Fielding was commenced at the Post Office-Hotel, Barnes-street, Market-street, Manchester, on Monday, the 30th ult., and terminated on Saturday evening last. The prizes were again handsome, the first being of the value of £40, the second of £9, and the third of £4. The event was confined to twenty-four players, all of whom are locally well known, and the heats were 150 up, but compared with the two former handicaps there was a great falling-off in the attendance, and consequently the present will in all probability be the last at the above hotel for this season. W. Wrigley, received 73 points, who won the first heat in the opening round by one point only, beating T. Carmichael, received 75, made his way to the final, in which he was opposed by B. Ashton, who had a start of 55. The latter was made the favourite, but he had a run of bad luck throughout, and although he managed to get in front in the last ten, Wrigley, aided with a fluke, won a very slow game by five. The following is a full return:
First round.-W. Wrigley, received 73, beat T. Carmichael, 75, by 1; B. Ashton, 55, beat C. Walker, 70, by 38; J. Warren, 55, beat J. Gorman, 43, by 22; G. Martin, scratch (a bye), H. Jackson, 10 (absent); W. Hurst, 8, beat J. Ricketts, 38, by 9; W. Cunningham, 63, beat S. Appleton, 75, by 5; Dickens, 37, beat H. Murray, 73, by 1 only; C. Coleman, 57, beat W. Wood, scratch, by 37; A. Finn, 78, beat W. Cross, 38, by 41; J. Querney, 73 (a bye), J. Ward, 73 (absent); T. Ashton, owed 5 (a bye), W. Smith, 12 (absent); and T. Barlow, 30, beat D. Crawford, 83, by 16.
Second round.-Dickens beat Martin by 35, Wrigley beat Querney by 2, B. Ashton beat Finn by 7, Barlow beat Coleman by 7, Cunningham beat T. Ashton by 44, and Warren beat Hurst by 23.
Third round.-Warren beat Dickens by 14, Wrigley beat Cunningham by 12, and B. Ashton beat Barlow by 33.
Fourth round.-Wrigley beat Warren by 24, and Ashton had the bye.
Final heat.-W. Wrigley beat B. Ashton by 5. Odds of 6 to 4 were laid on the latter at start, but Wrigley kept increasing his lead, and with a break of 17, the best made during the game, scored 122 to Ashton's 92, when the betting veered round in his favour. On entering his second hundred, Ashton, who never got fairly started, began to creep up, and putting on 13 and 12, went from 120 to 145, Wrigley being then 140. The latter added 4 more, and Ashton missing, Wrigley, with a stroke of good luck, finished the game with a 6 shot, and won by 5. Mr. Fielding called the games throughout.