"BRITANNIA" GAMES. Scanty Early Records--Practice _v._ Precept--Officers _v._ Cadets-- Presumptuous Juniors--A Close Match--Football--Penalty of Punning--A Decisive Victory--A Demon Bowler--Two Curious Innings--Sports and Regatta--The Rushworth Seal--The Editor is Sarcastic--His Feelings are Soured--An Excited Timekeeper--Why Williams Didn't Win--The Pro's Average--Teignbridge Victorious and Vanquished--W. G.'s Eleven--Some Fatherly Advice--The Editor is Appeased--A Close Sculling Match-- Foreign Football Matches--A Dry Cricket Season--The Editor and the Beagles--Lord Harris's Maxims--The Bold Sir Bedivel--Big Third Eleven Scores--Seventeen Years' Athletics--Huddart Shows the Way--The Editor on "Stodge"--A Hot Run for the "Footmen"--Youthful Boxers--Glasgow to the Rescue--An Afternoon's Cricket--Splendid Playing Fields--And Plenty of Cricket--Teignbridge's Small Score--_Britannia_ Wins All Round--Third Eleven Makes a Record--A Question of Time--Keep Your Ground Clock Right--Remarkable Results of the Season--Money Well Spent. In this chapter will be included not only cricket and football, but some account of regattas, athletic sports, etc. Unfortunately, records are not available very far back, as a regular account is only to be obtained from the _Britannia Magazine_, which was started in 1884. There were cricket matches inserted in the local papers, as referred to in the opening article in the magazine, in which also it is hinted that they were not always very accurate. That the _Britannia_ boys and their officers have for many years been very keen about games is, however, an undoubted fact; and the formation and subsequent improvement of the playing fields at Dartmouth has afforded them every opportunity for indulging their taste in this respect. Portland was, of course, a wretched place all round, for games or any other purpose: you might arrange a football match, and find that the weather did not admit of landing, nor were prohibitory gales by any means unknown even in summer. Since those days, also, there has been a great deal more attention paid to these matters in all schools, except perhaps in the chief public schools, where they have always been pursued with some system. In 1874, as has been seen, the cadets' professional was called before the Admiralty committee to give his views as to the physique and capabilities of the cadets at cricket, and it was there stated that they took a great interest in the game, and were frequently victorious against school elevens of older boys.