PEDESTRIANISM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1738, 22 September 1873, Page 3

PEDESTRIANISM.

J. G. Harris v. M. A. Fox. — £50 Aside. From the degree of public favour hitherto bestowed upon athletic sports in this province, it was but natural thafc the match between Harris and Fox on Saturday last should receive a large amount of attention. Both are men of considerable repute in the pedestrian world, and races between professionals have been very rare in this part of the colony. It is true that local experience of such athletes has nofc been altogether satisfactory, but Harris made a good impression alike for his running and general conduct during his firat visit to Christchurch, while the little known of Fox was to his advantage. There was accordingly a strong influence to counteract the feeling of mistrust which had been engendered in times past by one or two peds, and a goodly assemblage was expected to be present during the competitive test of fleetness between the men named. Thafc this expectation was realised will be understood from the fact that notwithstanding the busy character of the day and the absence of a holiday, over 1000 persons paid for admission to the grounds, while quite 200 evaded the entrance fee, thus making upwards of 1200 spectators. To thoso concerned, this must have been satisfactory, alike in the proof it gives of the public estimation in which they are held and the financial results accruing. The tryst for the match was the Agricultural and Pastoral Association's ground, | than which it would be difficult to find a more favourable ono here for the purpose, the more so that notwithstanding a small crop of weeds, the ash course formed some two years ago was decidedly better than turf for the purpose in hand. Seeing, however, that this ground must ere long become the acknowledged place for metropolitan sports, the Association would do well to keep the course clear of vegetable matter, which might be done at a very small cost. A running ground cannot be put in order afc the short notice given of a pedestrian meet, and i good provision of this kind is half the battle afc all public sports. For Saturday's racing the management had some trouble to find even a moderately good sprint course, having to go away from the one originally marked out to the back of the ground, where, it is unnecessary to say, 200 yds straight could not be obtained, thus if the third event; had been run the men would have had to contend with the disadvantage of a ourve. It is to be hoped this matter will receive attention from the Association, and, in the meantime, it may be said of Saturday's experience that it might very easily have been worse. The course was sound, and thafc is a great deal, added to which the weeds had been cut down where necessary. That side of the course nofc bounded by a fence was enclosed by ropes ; and, Inspector Pender being present with a posse of constables, the convincing ground was kept very clear, thus enabling a good view to be obtained of the different evonts. Add to this, that the weather was beautifully fine, the spectators very orderly, and the racing decidedly good throughout, and ifc will be understood fchat the whole affair was a success. The match between Harris and Fox did not stand first on the programme, but, as ifc occupied the premier position in the minds of the public, it should claim preference here. As leading up to it a few words may also be said of the two men. John Gregory Harris was born in Collins sireet, Melbourne, on the 9th of May, 1844, stands sft lOin, and weighs list 81bs. He first appeared on the Melbourne Cricket Ground at the annual athletic meeting on Sept. 10, 1864, when he carried the firat prize in the Maiden race, 80 yds, and also won the 300 yds over hurdles. During tho next two j eara he won fourteen events, and he then distinguished himself in 1867-8 by carrying off the Melbourne Amateur Challenge Cup, to which was attached the very severe condition that it should be won at three consecutive meetings, the distances at oach meeting being 100 ydß, 440 yds, and 880 yds. The value ©f the cup was twenty guineas, with independent prizes in each event, whether the cup was won or not. Between this time and the commbneement of 1870 he scored 16 more victories, and the English pedestrians (Hewitt, Bird, and Topley) having at this time arrived, Harris was selected as the champion of Victoria to do battle with Hewitt. The result of this was a match between the two for £500 a side, the distances being fixed afc 100 ydß, 150 yds, 200 yds, 300 yds, and 440 yds, and the man who won three out of the five events to be declared the victor. The excitement thia match created in Victoria will be remembered for many years, as alao will the running. Harris, won the'- first two • events that were run — 150 and 200 yds, — the 300 yds resulted in a dead heat, and Hewitt won the remaining two, thus terminating the match in a draw. From that time Harris has travelled the colonieß, and won 15 races at different places, thus making a total of 58 races he has won, the greater portion of which were handicaps, and in all cases he started from scratch. His quickest times have been ' 100 yd§, 9| ««cs ; 150 yds, 15 sees j -200 yds,

20 l-sfch seos ; 300 yds, 31 Bees ; 440 yds, 51 sees. At.hiß own diatanceaj-he has held the championship of the colonies for several yeara, and from his running on Saturday, promises to do so for some time to come. M. A. Fox was born afc Geelong, in Victoria, in 1849 ; consequently he is five years younger than Harris, who is also about five inches taller. He made his debut at the Caledonian sports in Geelong, and won the 300 yds hurdle race, beating S. Holmes, ex-champion of the Australian colonies, the time being 41 seconds. On the same day he won the quarter mile steeplechase in 62 seconds ; next beat Power at Geelong in a 100 yds match, time 10J sees ; beat J. J. Burns, at Geelong, 300 yds flat race, in 33£ sees ; won the Bailarat Challenge Cup, 100 yds, 440 yda, and 880 yds, beating M'Leod and Cronk, his times being respectively 10£ sees, 52. sees, aud 2 minutes and 2h sees ; beat Don, afc Bailarat, 600 yda steeplechase, wifch 22ft water jump, time 1 minute 25 sees ; won 880 yds handicap, with 12 yds start, against Neary scratch, Higgins 8 yards start and Mahoney 8 yards start ; time, lmin. 59secs. ; at Dunodin beat A. Drake 100 yards and 150 yards, the time being bad owing tothe state of the ground. He ran against Harris in handicaps in Victoria several times, where he had also competed against Drake previous to the match in Dunedin. The present match with Harris originated in a challenge from the latter, and ifc is not likely to bo "the last previous to Fox returning to Dunedin, for he has challenged Harris to meet him over hurdles, and the latter is very much inclined to do so if the distances can be arranged any where near his mark. The difficulty is that Fox wants to run over a quarter of a mile, whilo Harris does not pretend to go beyond thafc distance. Thi3 difficulty may, however, be overcome by stare being given. Considering the relative circumstances of fche case, both Harris, who was trained by S. Collins, and Fox, who had the services of Young Austin, stripped in very good form. Harris having been idle so long, could not possibly be in the same hardy condition as his opponent, but he nevertheless did credit to his mentor. Harris is very clean built, and ha 3 an immense stride, but a somewhat ugly style of carrying his arms. Fox, who is remarkably well built, and has a free bounding stride of great length for his size, is, on the contrary, a very pretty runner, There was not a very large amount of betting, though several Duneclinites were very sweet on Fox. Some of theso offered odds of three to one on their man, for the first race, which was readily taken, but the true state of the betting for that event waa level money, with Harris for c oice. Harris was also the favourite in the betting on the match as a whole. Fox received two yards start in the 100 yds spin, but, from hia eagerness to get away, he forfeited this advantage, and both started at scratch, thus making a really easy win for Harris. In the 150 yds event, Fox had four yarda start, and, being more careful than before, he did not forfeit any portion of it. In this race, he showed thafc he is remarkably smart in getting away, and that he can attain a wonderful rate of speed in the first thirty or forty yards. To such an extent did he demonstrate this, that up to fifty yards he increased his lead on Harris, and made, ifc appear for the moment as if the latter was going to be beaten with ease. Harris, however, made one of his dashing spurts in the last fifty yards, and won a well contested race by a very short distance. The second victory, of course, decided the match, and the 200 yds race therefore did not come off, which it is needless to say was regretted, for a sprint between such men as these is unquestionably enjoyable. The running in the two open races fully bore out the favourable opinion which had been expressed by knowing ones with respect to the meritß of handicaps. Both were close contests, and showed the men had been well placed. Ten out of twelve toed the scratch for the 150 yds handicap, which was cleverly won by O'Brien, who haa a very pretty style of going. S. " Collins waa unfortunate enough to be put back a yard, or he would have come in first. It waa his first race on a Canterbury ground, and his second in public. Ho is well built for running, and has a very neat style. A. Drake, who was beaten recently by Fox, in Dunedin, was considered to be well in the handicap, but he failed to pull it off. Ho is tall and slightly made, but all thinga considered, he runs in good form. He haa been a competitor in Victorian handicaps for several years. Young Austin, with four yds start, was also considered a dangerous man in the raoe, but he never once looked like winning. Rees, a Dunedin man, evidently an adept in pedestrian matters, was also fancied, but a quarter-mile is evidently more his forte. Butler and Homer are both strangers to ths Christchurch pedestrian courae. Osborne is more a fit subject for the Banting system than for competition of this kind. For hia bulk he ia remarkably active, and he can run 50 or 60 yards very smartly, but one would be inclined to think not without danger. Certainly his appearance when attired en regie in ped'g costume was worth something, at least the crowd appeared fco think so. Upwards of 18st cannot be deemed an ordinary weight for sprint running, and thia seemed to Btrike most of those present somewhat forcibly. Woods, like O'Brien is a jockey well-known in Canterbury, and has previously appeared in foot races. In the 440 yards handicap only seven men out of fourteen came to fche post. J. Collins, Hewitt and Knott were the only ones nofc engaged in the previous race. Collins has afair style, Hewitt is well known at Canterbury sports, and Knott, who has no claims to be considered a runner, has also previously figured in amateur races. 150 yds Handicap Flat Race— Prize, £3 3s. (First heat.)

E. Rees, 9yds 1 D. O'Brien, 9 yds ... ... 2 P. Butler, 9 yds 0 Young Austin, 4 yds 0 M. Donohue, 12 yds 0 I J. Collins, 8 yds, was scratched. I A capital start wm effected by Mr Andrews.

Butler was very smart away, and in a few •trides passed- Donohue ; Rees also closing upon him rapidly. After 40 yds had been traversed Reea headed Donohue, who, from that point, fell quickly astern. O'Brien closed upon the two leaders, and, after a smart struggle, passed Butler but could not catch Rees, who won a fine race by about two feet. Butler very close up for third, and Austin— who ran in hia usual form — a good fourth. Time, 16* sees. Match— loo yds Flat Race. J. G. Harris .. . ... ... ... ... 1 M. A. Fox (2 yds start) 2 Both men were eager to get away, and made | a false start together. This was followed by Fox making two false starts in succession, and as the penalty expressed in the articles of agreement was " to be put back one yard for each false start," Fox lost the distance Harris had given him, and the two thus toed the scratch on equal terms. Fox, being more cautious, did not offend again, and when the pistol was fired the two sprung away at the same instant. Fox, settling down to his stride the smartest, showed about a foot in front after the first thirty yards, but from that point Harris gained at every stride, and twenty yards from home had ifc all his own way, so much so, thafc he turned and smiled at his opponent. Ultimately, Harris won by about a yard. Time — 10i sees. 150 yards Handicap — Prize, £3 3s. (Second Heat.) S. Collins, 9 yds start ... ... ... 1 J. Woods, 12 yds start 2 A. Drake, scratch ... ... ... ... 0 J. Homer, 12 yda start 0 G. Osborne, 22 yds start 0 J. Staekpool, 12 yds start, was scratched. Drake, being very eager to get away, made a false start, and had to bo put back a yard. Osborne hit out manfully, but all to no purpose, for he was overhauled before 100 yds had been traversed. Woods soon showed in front of Homer, and Collins, going at a rattling pace, overhauled both very rapidly. At fifty yarda he had passed Homer, and a few strides further placed him in front of Woods. Osborne still hold a short lead, but afc 100 yds both Collins and Woods were in front of him. Drake made a game struggle and closed rapidly from the first, but he had too much to do, and Collins won by three yards, Woods second, Drake a good third, and the rest close up. Time : 16 sees. Match. — 150 yards Flat Race. J.G.Harris 1 M. A. Fox, 4 yds start ... ... ... O A splendid start waa made, Fox amartest, being the first to show in front, and by a splendid dash ho had increased his lead at sixty yards to quite six yards. Harris then began t© close, but the gap seemed all too great for the distance he had to go, and it seemed to be Lombard atreet to a China orange againat hira. Fox looked over hia shoulder twice when about two-thirds of the distance had been covered, and thia apparently threw him out of his stride. Forty yards from home Harris was about two yards behind , and put on a really magnificent spurt. Fox then ran very groggy for some distance, appearing as if he would fall, but nearing the tape he pulled himself together a little and made another game effort, but to no purpose, for Harris headed him and won by about eighteen inches. Had ifc not been for the spectators Fox would have fallen at the finish. Harris' victory was greeted with loud cheers. 150 yds Handicap — (Final Heat). D. O'Brien 1 S.Collins 2 E. Rees 0 J. Woods 0 Rees in his eagerness made a false start, and waa put back a yard. At the nexi attempt both Rees and Collins made a false start, and were put back a yard each. Woods was firat to show in front, with Collins and O'Brien in clese attendance. Collins, making a fine dash, passed O'Brien, but the latter made a game spurb and recovered his position. When 80 yds had been covered Woods fell back beaten, Rees taking his place and making an effort to catch the leaders, but without avail. Collins struggled hard to collar O'Brien in the last 20 yda, but the latter breasted fche tape in 16jsecs about a foot in advance, Rees a good third. 440 yds Handicap, for a Silver Cup, given by Mr C. F. Money, Chriafcchurch. E. Rees, 15 yda ... 1 J. Collins, 15 yds 2 8. Hewitt, 20 yds 0 J. Woods, 20 yds 0 A. Drake, scratch ... ... ... ... 0 J. Knott, 40 yds 0 Young Austin, 8 yda 0 J. Brahmo, 12 yda ; D. O'Brien, 15 yds ; R. Richardson, 20 yda ; M. Donohue, 20 yda ; J. Staekpool, 20 yds ; J. Paterson, 20 yds ; and G. Osborne, 40 yds, were scratched. A capital start was made, and Knott kept a good lead for about eighty yards, when he was evidently pumped. Collins, who had made the pace very hot, was the first to pasß him. Austin, who never disrobed, only ran a few yards, and then retired. Drake forced the pace from the first, and closed rapidly on those to whom he had given Btarts. On the back stretch, Rees, Woods, and Hewitt made an effort, and at the corner the whole were in a ruck, Collins having but a short lead. For the next forty yards Drake continued to gain, and looked very much like a winner. At a hundred yards from home, however, he was pumped and fell back beaten, ultimately pulling up in the straight. Entering the straight, Rees, by a fine spurt collared Collins, and ultimately he won by about three yards. No time taken. This closed the day's sport, and the crowd separated. During the day Mr S. P. Andrews acted as starter. Mr Money, as umpire for Harris, Mr Galbraith as umpire for Fox, and Mr Digby as referee. Strange to Bay, no time-keeper waa appointed. Ifc may be stated, that directly after the match, Fox challenged Harris to run him over hurdles for £25 or £50 aside, three distances, ranging up to half -a-mile, but Harris

declined, on the ground that a quarter-of-a--mile was his longest distance, and he had never challenged anyone beyond fchafc.