1903

Dated items

• 1903: Ireland, Gaelic Rules (1903) R21 and R24: a struck ball that afterwards strikes the opponent is a hinder, played over; and 'Should a player obstruct another in such a manner that he cannot play, the judge may give a hinder' (wilful: ace or Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 33
• by 1903: A.A.U. 1903 R6: the hinder narrowed to a ball striking the server before reaching the opponent, or the opponent during service; a served ball hitting the receiver becomes a hinder instead of an ace (reversed from 1893); each player 'must Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 41
• 1903: The 28 Irish rules, as printed in 1903, hold the earliest long-serve rule in this record (Gaelic Rules (1903)): the toss must land between a short line and an over line. Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 33
• 1903-2020: The Irish hard ball keeps one weight range, 1.5 to 1.75 oz, in the rules printed in 1903 (Gaelic Rules (1903)), the Council's of January 2009 (Official Playing Rules (Handball Playing Rules) (2009)) and the GAA's of March 2020 (Official Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 33
• 1903: A.A.U. R3: 'full regulation Spalding ball', 1 7/8 in, 1 5/8 oz (Revised Handball Rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of America, For the Government of the National Championship in Singles (1903)); the advertisement after the rules lists Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 41
• 1903: The Irish rules printed in 1903 hold the earliest long-serve rule in this record: the toss must land between a short line and an over line, and three failures are hand out (Gaelic Rules (1903) Rules 18 and 26; H-13). Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 33
• by 1903: The A.A.U.'s 'Revised Handball Rules' (14 rules, singles only; Revised Handball Rules of the Amateur Athletic Union of America, For the Government of the National Championship in Singles (1903)) and Deshong's rewritten 'Rules and Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 41
• 1903: Rules and Explanations (1903) Source: Michael Egan, Handball and How to Play It (1903), p. 12
• 12 April 1903: Mike Egan beat Louis Keegan of Chicago 8 games to 1 (seven straight in the first half, said by the 12 Apr wire to have been played recently at Jersey City, then 1-1 at Chicago on 12 Apr), $200 a side, billed the handball championship of the United States; a San Antonio paper of 21 Mar only announced that the series would begin that night Source: San Antonio Daily Light (San Antonio), 21 March 1903, p. 6, p. 6
• 23 June 1903: Press (Worcester Spy, wire): Phil Casey held the world's handball championship for 30 years until he resigned it seven years earlier Source: The Worcester Spy (Worcester), 24 June 1903, p. 3, p. 3
• 23 June 1903: Egan beat Timothy Twohill of Kanturk 7-0 at Jersey City (23 Jun) in the first half of a best-of-15 'international' match for the world championship, $1,500; second half in Ireland 12 July; Phil Casey referee, Dr. A. M. Gillen scorer Source: The Minneapolis Journal (Minneapolis), 26 May 1903, p. 18, p. 18